Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how river water quality is tested for sewage releases.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Monitoring data provides the Environment Agency (EA) with information for different needs and uses, including environmental health surveillance, effective regulation and incident management. Various monitoring programmes fulfil these information needs.
The EA‘s monitoring collects and makes available essential measurements on water quality (chemistry and physico-chemistry), ecology (including fish, invertebrates, plants and algae), all of which can be impacted by sewage. Where there is a serious incident involving the release of untreated sewage, which could have a significant impact on the environment, the EA may collect samples to determine the level of impact, and in some cases for the provision of evidence in formal investigations.
To aid further monitoring, the government has brought forward new measures under the Environment Act 2021 to require sewerage undertakers to monitor sewerage assets and the impact they have on the local environment. This data will allow water companies to better target their investments in infrastructure and allow regulators to monitor how successful these improvements are.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that the polluter pays principle is upheld on sewage releases.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is clear that water companies must not profit from environmental damage and that those responsible for pollution must pay. On 12 February, we announced that Ofwat will be consulting on banning water bosses from receiving bonuses if a company has committed a serious criminal breach. This builds on Ofwat’s announcements last year to tighten restrictions on bonuses and dividends so that consumer bills never reward pollution.
We have also legislated to introduce unlimited penalties on water companies who breach their environmental permits and expand the range of offences to which penalties can be applied, giving the Environment Agency the tools, they need to hold water companies to account. Fines and penalties will be reinvested into cleaning our rivers through the establishment of a Water Restoration Fund (WRF), as outlined in the Plan for Water. Further information on the WRF will be provided in due course.
Mentions:
1: Stephen Kinnock (Lab - Aberavon) We have rivers full of sewage, which is the perfect metaphor for the stench of decay that is emanating - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Duke of Wellington (XB - Excepted Hereditary) In the past, the Environment Agency did not give sufficient priority to the discharge of sewage into - Speech Link
Mar. 06 2024
Source Page: Hynet Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Project - OffshoreFound: Water quality - Water quality is affected by contamination from various sources, including rivers, sewage
Mar. 06 2024
Source Page: Hynet Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Project - OffshoreFound: In coastal areas, sediment contamination can occur through anthropogenic run -off into rivers, sewage
Written Evidence Mar. 06 2024
Committee: Public Accounts CommitteeFound: Flood waters wash excess nutrients, chemicals, sewage and plastics into the waterways; drought
Mar. 06 2024
Source Page: Appraisal of sustainability for National Networks National Policy StatementFound: Measures to address pollution in rivers, other surface water and groundwater in England will be crucial
Mentions:
1: Keir Starmer (Lab - Holborn and St Pancras) has never been higher, crime goes virtually unpunished, children cannot see a dentist and there is sewage - Speech Link
Mentions:
1: Samantha Dixon (Lab - City of Chester) If we thought sewage in our waterways was not enough, we are also adding harmful chemicals into the mix - Speech Link
2: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) Research by the Rivers Trust and Wildlife and Countryside Link found neonicotinoids in more than one - Speech Link