THE Isle of Man Water and Sewerage Authority (WSA) took over responsibility this month for the public sewer networks of Douglas, Peel, Port St Mary, Onchan and Ramsey.
The government believes that the island’s public sewers can be managed more efficiently and cost-effectively by centralising the service.
It has also been made possible as a result of a geographical information database being established since 2001 to record public sewer information into which each of the local authority sewer records have been transferred.
The staff of the local authorities, such as Douglas Council and Ramsey Commissioners, which were affected by the centralisation of sewerage agency functions were transferred to the WSA by agreement.
All seven affected staff were transferred into the authority by the time the initiative had come into effect on April 1 this year.
WSA chief executive Pete Winstanley stressed tackling sewer flooding would continue to be a priority.
He said: ‘Heavy rainfall over the past year has highlighted a number of areas where sewer flooding remains an issue, and tackling sewer flooding will continue to be a high priority for the authority.’
Explaining the history of responsibilty for the public sewer network, he said that before April 2001 all public sewers within these areas were owned and managed by their local authority.
Then, the 1999 Sewerage Act came into effect on April 1, 2001, which made the then Department of Transport drainage division responsible for all of the island’s public sewers.
The condition and serviceability of the island’s public sewerage network has improved year-on-year through an ongoing capital programme of sewer rehabilitation.
The drainage division of the Department of Transport (now Infrastructure) was merged with the Water Authority to create a new Water and Sewerage Authority in 2010 and the public sewerage centralisation plan was pursued by WSA.
Mrr Winstanley said one of the main reasons for the centralisation now was that the drainage division had lacked the resources to take over management of the town sewer networks and lacked the detailed local knowledge of where the problems were within the town sewer systems.
• Members of the public are requested to direct all matters relating to public sewerage and drainage to the authority, phone for general inquiries on 695949 or the emergency services on 695999.