Rebecca Pow: The use of sewage sludge on agricultural soils is regulated under the Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (SUiAR). These regulations and their supporting Code of Practice include maximum permissible concentrations of potentially toxic elements in soil after application of sewage sludge and maximum annual rates of application. Information on these regulations and the Code of Practice for...
Jeremy Quin: 97% of water and wastewater by volume is provided by five service contracts to Defence Estate sites in the United Kingdom. We have been assured by these providers that no raw sewage is discharged from Ministry of Defence sewage treatment facilities on the Defence Estate. Specifically in relation to the HMNB Devonport the hon. Gentleman may wish to be aware that there is in addition an...
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...
Rebecca Pow: The Environment Agency (EA) has confirmed that there have not been any unmonitored discharges into the River Thames from Mogden Sewage Treatment Works (STW). The EA monitors all discharges to the River Thames from Mogden STW. Storm sewage discharges occur when sewers or sewage works are overwhelmed by the extra water from rainfall. These outfalls are permitted by the EA and act as relief...
Sally-Ann Hart: In many villages, such as Winchelsea Beach in my beautiful constituency, sewage or foul water drainage is not separate from rain water and storm water drainage. There is a combined system, which means that at times of high rainfall, many residents suffer sewage flooding in their gardens. Does my right hon. Friend agree that in view of environmental and health concerns, it is imperative that...
Rebecca Pow: We have been clear that the failure of water companies to adequately reduce sewage discharges is totally unacceptable. Our recently launched Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in water company history - £56 billion capital investment over 25 years. Our plan will protect biodiversity, the ecology of our...
Michael Meacher: The International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL 73–78) has an Annex on Regulations for the Prevention of Pollution by Sewage from Ships. The UK ratified this Annex in 1995 and we are working to promote its entry into force. The UK, other member states and those countries seeking accession to the European Union are, or will be, obliged to implement the...
John Lamont: This UK Government have a proud record of tackling sewage discharges. As the hon. Gentleman highlights, the policy is devolved to the Scottish Government. The SNP has a truly appalling record on allowing sewage to be dumped into Scotland’s waters, including at many environmentally protected sites. Recent press reports suggest that 7.6 million cubic metres of sewage were released into...
Presentation and First Reading ( Standing Order No. 57) Jim McMahon presented a Bill to make provision about the monitoring of water quality; to set a target for the reduction of sewage discharges; to provide for financial penalties in relation to sewage discharges and breaches of monitoring requirements; to require the Secretary of State to publish a strategy for the reduction of sewage...
Rebecca Pow: ...companies, industry, business and farming activities through permitting of discharges which may directly or indirectly impact the river. Regulated water discharge activities include discharges from sewage treatment works and permits place restrictions on the quality and quantity of effluent discharged to the environment. The Environment Agency carries out compliance checks including data...
Rebecca Pow: We have asked water companies to deliver their largest ever infrastructure investment, £56 billion over 25 years. Nearly 800 improvements are under way already, and that is dealing with storm sewage overflows. The Secretary of State and I have asked sewage companies to come up with an action plan for every single storm overflow in England, and water companies will face higher penalties, to...
Lewis Macdonald: Specific requirements govern the spreading of sewage sludge on land, to ensure that there is no adverse environmental impact. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has powers to act if it thinks that the spreading of sewage sludge is compromising good environmental conditions, and the agency recently used those powers. However, it is important to recognise that the spreading of sewage...
John Swinney: ...Million) 2001-02 (£ Million) 2002-03 (£ Million) 2003-04 (£ Million) Water and Sewerage Inverness Main Drainage/Fort William Sewage Treatment 7.1 7.4 7.0 7.1 7.0 Tay Waste Water Project 8.2 19.4 18.4 Aberdeen sewage and sludge treatment 2.5 14.5 13.5 Moray Coast Waste Water Project 6.0 10.3 Almond Valley,...
Elliot Morley: ...which must therefore be considered at risk from periodic flooding from watercourses and the sea. However the vast majority of these properties are protected by flood defences. Figures on internal sewage flooding from Ofwat suggest that 4,076 properties have a 1 in 5 risk and 10,856 properties have a 1 in 10 risk of being flooded by sewage. There are currently no figures available for...
Lewis Macdonald: I am glad that Phil Gallie agrees that landfilling of sewage sludge is not a preferable option. That is why we support other forms of disposal, including its proper use on land and in burning for energy. The decision to which Phil Gallie referred has been made in court and it is not for me to comment on the merits of judicial decisions. However, that decision does not prevent Scottish Power...
Ben Bradshaw: In general, the Environment Agency considers sewage treatment works not to be covered by the Integrated Pollution Prevention and Control (IPPC) Directive except where they constitute a directly associated activity of an industrial installation which is subject to that Directive. However, the parts of a relatively small number, around 150, of sewage works which deal with the disposal waste in...
Richard Lochhead: Dumping of sewage sludge is illegal. Sewage sludge may be legally disposed of to landfill or by incineration, or recovered, notably to land. In any of these cases, regulatory requirements apply. The Scottish Government has no plans to introduce a national policy on the use of treated sewage. In May 2008, Scottish Water published its own National Sludge Strategy which identifies the...
Lord Browne of Ladyton: Throughout the many years that these very companies have been discharging raw sewage into our rivers, their customers have, in contractual terms, been paying them to treat that sewage and release it safely. Surely, what they have been doing is not only a breach of contract, but fraud. They knew full well what they were doing but were charging people otherwise. Surely, accountability requires...
Therese Coffey: Since water industry privatisation in 1989, around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage, covering improvements in sewage treatment and in sewer overflows. In England, between 2015 and 2020, water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure. This has helped to achieve a 61% reduction in the amount of phosphorus load and a 72%...
Jim McMahon: The scenes over the summer have shown us again that the country is awash with Conservative-approved filthy raw sewage. Over the last six years, there have been over 1 million sewage discharge spill events, which on average means a spill taking place every 2.5 minutes. Just in the time that we will be in this Chamber for this urgent question, 18 sewage discharges will take place. The water...
