§ Malcolm BruceTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of rivers were(a) good, (b) fair and (c) poor quality in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2001. [15895]
519W
§ Mr. BreedTo ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what proportion of rivers in England were in(a) good, (b) fair and (c) poor quality in (i) 1996, (ii) 1997, (iii) 1998, (iv) 1999, (v) 2000 and (vi) 2001. [16581]
§ Mr. MeacherIn England, the Environment Agency's general quality assessment (GQA) scheme classifies water quality in rivers and canals. Chemical quality, the most widely used measure, is assessed on the basis of biochemical oxygen demand and concentrations of dissolved oxygen and ammonia. Stretches of rivers and canals are assigned as good, fair, poor or bad based on different degrees of chemical quality. Results from 1996 until 2000, the latest year for which figures are available, are as follows:
General quality assessment of rivers: chemical quality, England Percentage length of river Year Good Fair Poor Bad 1996 54 35.1 9.8 1.1 1997 52.3 35.5 11.0 1.2 1998 54.8 34.1 10.3 0.8 1999 59.4 31.7 8.3 0.6 2000 64.4 29.3 5.9 0.4