Water and Sewerage: Northern Ireland

House of Lords written question – answered at on 19 December 2006.

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Photo of Lord Laird Lord Laird Crossbench

asked Her Majesty's Government:

What proposals they have to invest in sewerage facilities in the Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart areas.

Photo of Lord Rooker Lord Rooker Minister of State (Sustainable Farming and Food), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) (Sustainable Farming and Food), The Minister of State, Northern Ireland Office, Deputy Leader of the House of Lords

The chief executive of Water Service (Mrs Katharine Bryan) has been asked to write to the noble Lord in response to this Question.

Letter from Mrs Katharine Bryan to Lord Laird dated December 2006.

You recently asked a Parliamentary Question to ask Her Majesty's Government what proposals they have to invest in sewerage facilities in the Coleraine, Portrush and Portstewart areas (HL955). I have been asked to reply as this issue falls within my responsibility as chief executive of Water Service.

Water Service is investing significant resources to upgrade the sewerage facilities in this area in order to cater for the existing and future needs of the residents and to meet increasingly stringent environmental standards. An extensive study of the north coast area, in terms of existing and required wastewater treatment facilities up to the year 2032, was completed by Water Service in 2002. The study, which took account of technical, economic and environmental considerations, concluded that the construction of a new wastewater treatment works to serve Coleraine, Portrush, Portstewart, Castlerock and Articlave represented the optimum solution for the provision of the wastewater treatment facilities required in the area.

The North Coast Wastewater Treatment Works scheme is a substantial project, costing in the region of £45 million. Construction commenced in January 2005 and the works are now nearing completion. Wastewater flows are scheduled to be diverted from Portstewart in April 2007, Portrush and Coleraine in May 2007.

Work associated with the construction of new pumping stations at Coleraine, Portrush, Portstewart Castlerock and Articlave, which will allow transfer flows to the new north coast works, will permit the removal of effluent discharges to the Articlave and Bann Rivers and to the sea at Castlerock, Blackrock and Ramore Head. A considerable amount of work has already been completed on the upgrading of the sewerage network in the Portrush and Portstewart areas and a number of recommendations identified by a study of the Coleraine area have been included in Water Service's capital investment programme.

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