§ Mr. McCuskerasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what standards are demanded in Great Britain from rural processing plants, with no main sewers available, which are discharging effluent into a stream;
(2) what levels of biological oxygen demand and suspended solids in effluent are permitted in Great Britain to be discharged into (1) sewers and (2) minor watercourses.
§ Mr. Denis HowellResponsibility for issuing consents to discharge trade and sewage effluent to the sewers or to watercourses rests with the regional water authorities. The conditions attached to these consents are determined individually in relation to the local situation. There are no national standards. However, the Royal Commission on Sewage414W Disposal's recommended standard of 30:20 mg/1 (suspended solids: biological oxygen demand) is widely used as an accepted minimum by water authorities for discharges to watercourses.