Cases brought to court by the Good Law Project and the charity Wild Fish will examine the storm overflow scheme in depth.
They will argue that the plan will result in raw sewage being discharged into waterways for decades to come and does not protect the majority of ecologically sensitive coastal areas.
'weak' plan to cut England sewage discharges
ANDREJ ISAKOVIC/AFP via Getty Images
Following increased pressure from The Guardian and other media outlets, as well as campaigners and some politicians, the government developed the storm overflow plan to compel water companies to invest in preventing raw sewage discharges, as per The Guardian.
The scheme gives water companies until 2035 to reduce the amount of sewage flowing into bathing water and environmentally sensitive areas, and until 2050 to stop dumping sewage elsewhere.
The scheme will be challenged in court after campaigners were granted permission to seek a judicial review after it was heavily criticized as being too weak.
According to Jo Maugham, director of the Good Law Project, this could be the most significant environmental law case in recent history.
They argue - and the high court now agrees that the point is debatable - that English common law contains a principle that the natural environment must be protected, held in trust for future generations.
Hugo Tagholm, a surfer and ocean activist, believes that the blue spaces that are so important to wildlife, people, and communities should not be used as dumping grounds.
"Without fear of sewage pollution, we should be able to swim, surf, and enjoy our rivers and coastline," he said via The Guardian.
Sewage spills and deteriorating wastewater infrastructure endanger coastal water quality by dumping raw and untreated sewage into local waterways and the ocean, as per Surfrider.
Sewage can contain bacteria, viruses, and parasites that cause people to become ill with gastrointestinal symptoms, rashes, flu-like symptoms, skin and eye infections, and even death.
Its discharges also pollute waterways with excess nutrients, wreaking havoc on coastal ecosystems by fueling harmful algal blooms that endanger human health, kill fish, and suffocate coral reefs.
Many cities' aging sewers, which are approaching 100 years old, are being overburdened and failing as a result of decades of neglect, growing populations, and climate change.
As a result, infrastructure failures are common across the United States, such as line breaks, pump failures, and overflows - that discharge untreated sewage into our coastal environment.
Large investments are required to repair and upgrade America's aging sewage infrastructure. Discover how separate and combined sewer systems fail and discharge untreated sewage into coastal watersheds.
Cesspools and traditional septic systems do not adequately treat sewage, allowing household waste to leach into ground and surface waters.
Local flooding caused by rising sea levels and extreme weather events exacerbates the situation, but approximately 25% of US households are still served by these antiquated systems.
This figure rises to nearly 50% in some states, particularly in rural areas.
Connections to sewers and other advanced wastewater treatment systems are required in many communities to stop the flow of pathogens and nutrient pollution into local waterways and to reverse the human health and ecosystem damage caused by these systems.
