§ Mr. Adleyasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what requirements he imposes on regional water authorities concerning the treatment of sewage which the authorities permit to be pumped into the sea; what changes have been made in the last 10 years; if he intends to impose more stringent conditions on the dumping of raw or slightly-treated sewage into waterways such as the Solent; and, if he does not, if he will now so do.
§ Mr. Denis HowellSince 1960, new discharges of sewage effluent into certain specified esturial and tidal waters have been subject to controls now exercised by the regional water authorities by means of discharge consents. The Solent is one such stretch of water, for which the Southern Water Authority is responsible for granting consents with, where neces-554W sary, conditions as to the content of discharges and the positioning of the points of outfall. Water authorities' own new discharges require approval and cases are decided on merit having regard to the effect of the discharges on the receiving waters and the cost of improving the quality of the discharge.
Those discharges to the sea which are not now controlled will be brought into the system of consents within the next two years, when Part II of the Control of Pollution Act 1974 is fully implemented.