Ian Pearson: ...'s key mechanism for encouraging renewable electricity generation is the renewables obligation (RO) which will provide around £1 billion per year of support to the renewables industry by 2010. Sewage gas and (subject to certain conditions) biomass waste, which could be sewage or sewage sludge, are eligible under the RO.
Colin Beattie: Does the cabinet secretary think that it is acceptable to allow sewage to flow into local bodies of water, given that there are 17 sewage outflows along the River Esk in my constituency? Will she take action to encourage SEPA to reduce the sewage that goes into rivers and streams through outfall pipes?
Mr Rhodri Morgan: My hon. Friend is right that we are still talking about research rather than any practical prospect of being able to choke the sources of nutrients through sewage that can lead to highly eutrophic water and the right conditions for blooms. If there was any evidence in the Bill or in protective clauses signed by Welsh Water and the NRA that they had a solution to excess nutrients arising from...
Elliot Morley: Table 1 sets out the monthly flow data of sewage discharges from Abingdon, Cassington, Little Marlow and Windsor treatment works directly to the upper freshwater section of the Thames. Secondary and more stringent treatment is provided to the sewage prior to discharge at Abingdon, Little Marlow and Windsor. Discharges from Cassington receive secondary treatment, and are to receive more...
Peter Fox: Can I thank the Member for Blaenau Gwent for bringing this forward, and for his introductory speech, which captured so many things that I think we'll all agree with? There's no doubt about it, sewage discharge is very important and very topical; I think there is little that occupies my inbox more than this at the moment, especially in our area. Recent statistics have shown that raw sewage was...
Rebecca Pow: I have regular discussions with the Chief Executive of the Environment Agency and tackling sewage discharges is one of my key priorities. HM Government is taking steps to prioritise water company action on sewage overflows. We have launched the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, that introduced strict targets on sewage pollution requiring water companies to deliver their largest ever...
Mr Allan Roberts: ...claim that they cut public expenditure except where it matters, but that is not true, because it certainly matters in terms of river pollution and drinking water. In 1987 more than 20 per cent. of sewage works in England and Wales were in breach of consents. We have had discharges from sewage works on top of the storm overflow that takes place after heavy rain. Raw sewage comes over the...
Mr. Harold Garden: I am rather disappointed that this debate has not so far touched upon the serious problem of the joint sewage disposal boads. I was relying upon this Amendment to even out an anomaly which has arisen through the 1956 revaluation, which has caused those disposal boards a tremendous increase in rates which they have to pay. Some of them have had their previous rates doubled...
Sarah Boyack: I am grateful to the member for that question. The issue is how we tackle untreated sewage waste, which we are committed to phasing out by the end of 2001. The agriculture industry is examining the issue very carefully. Another issue is the need to treat sewage waste. The member is right: waste was previously dumped elsewhere without further thought. Higher environmental standards are having...
Roger Gale: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the past 12 months for which details are available raw sewage has been released into the sea from the Foreness Point sewage plant; and what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the telemetry used to monitor overflows at the Foreness Point sewage plant.
Tim Loughton: I wanted to speak on interim targets in the first group of amendments, but given the time constraints, I have saved myself for sewage. I rise to support the Duke of Wellington’s amendment, which is the most important amendment we are faced with this evening. I acknowledge that this is a landmark piece of legislation. I congratulate the Minister on the way that she has listened and on the...
Luke Pollard: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the requirements in the Environment Act 2021 for water companies to reduce the impact of sewage discharges from storm overflows and show a reduction in sewage overspills, (a) in what format and (b) with what frequency will data on progressive reduction in sewage discharges from combined sewer overflows.
Rebecca Pow: Sphaerotilus natans is an aquatic periphyton organism associated with polluted water. It forms colonies commonly known as "sewage fungus", but can be associated with different types of organic pollution such as from agriculture or some industrial effluents. The Environment Agency does not have a specific monitoring programme for sewage fungus itself, but it is used as an indicator of...
Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) how many recorded incidents there have been in each year since 1997 of water companies diverting sewage into rivers under section 89 of the Water Resources Act 1991; what the location was; and what the volume of sewage released was in each case; (2) if she will list the incidents under investigation by the...
Therese Coffey: Over the past 25 years, the water industry has spent over £25 billion on sewage treatment works and sewerage system upgrades driven by environmental directives to improve water quality. This has delivered a 61% reduction in the amount of polluting phosphorus and a 72% reduction in the amount of ammonia discharged from wastewater treatment works since 1995. In addition, 7,000 combined sewer...
Baroness Altmann: ...interests above public safety. I have no problem with companies making profits or paying bonuses or high salaries, but not when they do so by behaving irresponsibly. I thank Surfers Against Sewage, River Action and the Rivers Trust for their helpful briefings. I will have some questions for my noble friend at the end, but I just briefly make a few, and I hope important, remarks. Untreated...
Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: My Lords, among the most important components of sewage that have become more detrimental to wildlife are the pharmaceuticals going down the lavatory as part of human sewage. They are causing infertility in everything from killer whales to dog whelks, because hormones are extremely damaging to wildlife in the long term. Can sewage treatment plants do anything to improve this situation?
Lord Davies of Oldham: Holders of consents to discharge storm sewage to the River Thames between its source and the Thames Barrier are not required, as a condition of their consent, to report spills to the Environment Agency. Under the terms of an agreement made with the Environment Agency, Thames Water notifies the Environment Agency of discharges of storm sewage from the storm tanks at Crossness Sewage Treatment...
Ian Pearson: The Environment Agency (EA) has been working with Yorkshire Water to agree changes to operations at Blackburn Meadows Sewage Treatment Works (Sheffield), within the terms of its permit. Improved maintenance and changes to procedure should improve the ability of the sewage works to deal with future storm events. A study is under way into the main storm overflow from Aldwarke Sewage Treatment...
Michael Howard: No records were kept centrally on sewage treatment works in 1979. The latest available figures show that, in 1990, 88 per cent. of sewage treatment works met the long-term performance measures specified in their discharge consents. That compares with 77 per cent. in 1986. I expect almost all sewage treatment works to be in a position to meet the required standards from the end of this year.
