Dan Rogerson: We are making good progress on cleaning up the River Thames, particularly in tackling the increasing raw sewage overflows into its tidal stretches. Thames Water will reduce overflows when the Lee tunnel becomes operational in 2015 and through upgrades to major sewage works across London. Once operational in 2023, the Thames tideway tunnel will capture almost all the remaining sewage overflows...
Lord Benyon: The Environment Act places several duties on government and water companies to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows. The Government have now launched the most ambitious plan to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows in water company history. Our new, strict targets will see the toughest crackdown ever on sewage spills and will require water companies to secure the largest...
Lord Jones of Birmingham: The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is supporting three principal research activities within UK universities on the production of energy from human sewage treatment. The Biological Fuel Cells consortium is directly investigating the use of sewage sludge for electricity generation. The project is studying the use of bacteria found in waste and the optimisation of the...
Justine Greening: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what assessment his Department has made of the public health risk posed by sewage entering the River Thames; (2) what recent estimates his Department has made of the number of fish killed by sewage entering the River Thames; and what assessment the Department has made of the broader environmental impact of such sewage.
Chris Ballance: I congratulate Rosemary Byrne on the motion and on her work in raising the profile of the issue that we are discussing. There are three problems. First, sewage sludge is not being treated properly and it is smelling. I am told that the stench last summer at Auchengray was sometimes absolutely appalling. That is not acceptable—it is not acceptable that anyone should have to live with the...
Alexander Burnett: There are 42 waste-water treatment works and 99 sewage discharge points on the River Don, and 26 waste-water treatment works and 69 sewage discharge points on the River Dee, but there is no requirement or licensing condition from SEPA for Scottish Water to report discharge data at any of those locations. Why not? When will Scottish Water be required to report sewage discharge data for those...
Mr Phillip Whitehead: Will the Minister impress on the chairmen of the water authorities the need for a prompt response to the public outcry over annoyance, odours and other matters relating to sewage works where the sewage works concerned, as happened at the Megaloughton Works at Spondon in my constituency, have been the subjects of experiments relating to sewage flow and matters of that kind? What is being done...
Matthew Offord: .... It is not just London and Thames Water that need to take action, however. All water companies have a contract with their consumers not only to provide them with clean water, but to remove their sewage and to treat it responsibly, but that is not happening. The water quality of Britain’s beaches is being jeopardised by thousands of unregulated overflow pipes that dump raw sewage into...
Rebecca Pow: During periods of significant rainfall untreated sewage diluted by rainwater will discharge through storm overflows to avoid streets, premises and sewage treatment plants from being flooded. Water companies are committed in the 5-year business planning period (2020-2025) to a significant programme of improvements to the monitoring and management of storm overflows at a cost of around £1.2...
Mr David Chidgey: I concur with the Minister: there is no question that raw untreated sewage will go into the river. However, as he knows, there are three stages in sewage effluent treatment. We do not have tertiary treatment, although the sewage is treated to ensure the removal of bacteria. I am worried that although we may be meeting the standards downstream at Gaters Mill, where there are excellent...
Rebecca Pow: Sewerage systems are used by water and sewerage companies to collect sewage (comprising both rainwater run-off and waste water from domestic, industrial and commercial premises). This is then transferred to sewage treatment plants for treatment before discharge to permitted water quality standards. This is a legal use of the sewerage system and it would therefore not be appropriate to impose...
Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive plans to incorporate the provisions of the Safe Sludge Matrix into revised regulations, which govern the application of sewage sludge on agricultural land. The matrix, which bans the use of untreated sewage sludge in agriculture and details restrictions on the use of two levels of treated sewage sludge, has been established following agreement between the water industry...
Nicholas Dakin: ...what his policy is on reviewing the time limit placed on the right of a landowner to claim reasonable costs and legal fees following the placement by water companies of water pipes, water tanks, or sewage overflow chambers on the landowner's property; (2) if he will take steps to ensure that water companies exercising powers to place water pipes, water tanks, or sewage overflow chambers...
Lord Gardiner of Kimble: Researchers at the University of York have published in a peer reviewed journal that earthworms collected at sewage treatment plants contained mean concentrations of 26.20±4.70 ng/g of the anti-depressant fluoxetine (trade name Prozac) (Bean et al. 2017). In a recent paper concerning the effects of low, environmental relevant, concentrations of Prozac on the courtship of starlings (Whitlock...
Baroness Crawley: We are unaware of any official reports having been made on the operability of Baghdad's sewage plants as a result of the Baghdad security plan. However, we are aware that a spokesman for the Government of Iraq has stated that, as at 3 February this year, none of the city's three sewage plants was operating at capacity. These problems were directly attributed to the neglect with which Saddam...
Angus MacDonald: The review of the spreading of sewage sludge is welcome. However, I urge the cabinet secretary and the Scottish Government to consider increasing the capacity for the incineration of sewage pellets, as is the norm in other northern European countries. That would go some way towards helping residents who suffer regularly from the stench from sewage sludge that is applied to farmland in...
Elliot Morley: Since August 2004 various actions have been put in hand, as follows, in relation to the sewage collection system and treatment works, to reduce the frequency or impact of the overflows that operate during some wet weather conditions, to prevent flooding and the overloading of sewage treatment plants: by April 2005 most of the overflows from the Abbey Mills pumping station, the main source of...
Baroness Redfern: My Lords, it is a pleasure to follow the noble Baroness, Lady Jones of Moulsecoomb, and other noble Lords who have spoken in support of this group of amendments dealing with sewage overflows. As I stated at Second Reading, action is needed now because time is short, particularly as we are experiencing much longer periods of heavy rainfall. It is imperative that water companies upgrade their...
John Scott: The next item of business is a members’ business debate on motion S4M-13248, in the name of Margaret Mitchell, on sewage sludge spreading. The debate will be concluded without any question being put. Before I invite Margaret Mitchell to open the debate, I invite members who are leaving the chamber and members of the public who are leaving the gallery to do so quickly and quietly please....
Rebecca Pow: Tackling the harm caused by sewer overflows is a top priority for this Department. Since the privatisation of water companies, around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage, covering improvements in sewage treatment and in sewer overflows. During periods of significant rainfall untreated sewage diluted by rainwater will discharge through storm overflows to avoid...
