§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will publish the text or a summary of the conclusions of the standing technical advisory committee on water quality in relation to nitrate pollution of public water supplies; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe report of the nitrates subcommittee of the standing technical advisory committee on water quality will be published as part of the fourth biennial report of the standing committee.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what reports he has had about water supplies with high nitrate concentrations since he decided to collate centrally the information which was previously only reported to local medical officers of health;
334W(2) what proportion of public water supplies is drawn from groundwater supplies; and what evidence he has received of nitrate levels in such groundwater supplies exceeding 50 mg. per litre and 100 mg. per litre, respectively.
§ Mr. WaldegraveAccording to the returns made, some 60 public water supplies in England, out of over 2,000, have exceeded 50 mg. of nitrate per litre at some time in each of the first two quarters of 1983; all but five of these were derived from groundwater sources. There have been no reports of concentrations exceeding 100 mg. per litre. Approximately one third of the public water supply is derived from groundwater sources.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment (1) what exemptions he proposes to allow from the European Community directive on maximum permitted levels of nitrates in public water supplies which comes into force on 1 July 1985; and if he will make a statement;
(2) if he will take steps to ensure that public water supplies have nitrate levels of below 50 mg per litre in time for the implementation of the European Community directive on 1 July 1985;
(3) if he intends to provide any financial assistance to water boards or companies to enable them to carry out the capital and other works required to bring nitrate levels in public water supplies down to the levels recomended in the European Community directive which comes into force on 1 July 1985; and if he will make a statement.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe European Community directive, which sets a level of 50 mg per litre for concentrations of nitrate in water supplies from July 1985, allows member states to set higher levels in certain situations provided these do not constitute a public health hazard. The Government are considering, in the light of evidence concerning possible health risks, whether higher levels should be permitted. Meanwhile no question of financial assistance arises.
§ Mr. Teddy Taylorasked the Secretary of State for the Environment whether he has made an assessment of the additional costs to water authorities and companies of compliance with the European Community directive on nitrate levels which comes into force on 1 July 1985.
§ Mr. WaldegraveThe additional costs to statutory water undertakers for supplies which now exceed the EC directive's figure for nitrates would be up to £50 million capital and some £5 million per annum for operation.