§ Mr. David Youngasked the Secretary of State for the Environment what action his Department has taken over the past four years to monitor the lead levels resulting from water provision in lead pipes; what are his findings in each area; and if he will make a statement on his future policy.
§ Mr. Giles ShawIn March 1980 my Department sent water undertakings a guidance note on the identification and monitoring of lead in water. Water undertakings have regularly reported on their progress since then. Most undertakings have now completed their programmes.
Water supply zones in Southern, South-West, Thames and Wessex water authority areas present few problems—and these have been or are being tackled by the authorities concerned. In the Northumbrian region the few zones identified as causing difficulties are now being supplied from other sources. In Severn-Trent a few zones have been found to require corrective action—the largest being Birmingham where an orthophosphate dosing trial is in progress.
Significant problems have been found in Anglian, North-West and Yorkshire water authority areas—usually 376W in small water supply zones; pH correction has been revised in many of these, and pilot field trials are being held in others where problems are more complex.
I shall continue to press water undertakings to treat their water so as to reduce lead levels in the water delivered at the consumers tap to well below the level currently acceptable in the EC directive 80/779. When this is not possible, the home improvement grant system allows a local authority to grant aid the replacement of lead pipes to the kitchen tap.