§ Mr. OnslowTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) whether his Department has asked the North West water authority to explain why 54 of its effluent treatment plants were reported in 1987 as being non-compliant with the authority's own discharge consent conditions; and what estimate his Department has been given of the capital cost and time required to rectify these deficiencies;
(2) whether his Department has asked the North West water authority why 15 of its effluent plants failed to meet the authority's discharge consent conditions in 1987 because of trade effluent; what types of trade effluent were involved in the cases concerned; and how long he expects this situation to continue.
§ Mr. MoynihanNorth West water authority reports that where sewage treatment works failed its consents due to trade effluent this was caused by effluent from farming or agricultural related processes, food production, textile manufacture and chemical treatment.
Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution is continuing to discuss with North West water authority the reasons for failure of their sewage treatment works. The Government have already announced that water authorities are taking steps to improve the performance of sewage treatment 54W works through major investment programmes to bring all works up to standard by 1991–92. North West water authority expects that of its 55 non-compliant works, 31 will report compliance in thdr returns relating to 1988. A further 12 are expected to be compliant by the end of this year. Another six works feature in the capital programme at a cost of some £1,400,000. Investigations at the remaining six works are expected to be completed later this year.