§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many sewage pumping stations in(a) Strathclyde regional council area, excluding Glasgow district, and (b) Glasgow district council area, have consent for the emergency discharge of screened sewage effluent into local ditches, burns, streams and rivers.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 December 1988]: This information is not held centrally. Information regarding sewage pumping stations is held by Strathclyde regional council as sewerage authority. Details of consents for emergency discharges of screened sewage are available from the Clyde river purification board.
§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what monitoring takes place of discharges of screened sewage effluent into watercourses in Scotland; how many such discharges are known to have occurred in each of the last three years; and how many cases of pollution have occurred as a result.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 December 1988]: This information is not held centrally. These discharges are subject to control by the river purification authorities. Information about consented 551W discharges is held on statutory registers which may be inspected at the offices of the river purification authority concerned. Details of routine monitoring of such discharges and of pollution incidents are also held by river purification authorities.
§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will seek to make it compulsory for all new residential developments in urban areas to provide a gravity feed sewage system directly connected to the main sewage system.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 December 1988]: No. It is not possible to provide gravity-feed sewarage systems in all cases. To act in the manner suggested would involve drainage authorities and developers in unnecessary expense or sterilize areas otherwise suitable for development.
§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what effect the discharge of screened sewage effluent into a burn is known to have upon the wildlife existing in such a burn; and what hazards to human health such discharges are known to cause.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 December 1988]: The effects of screened sewage discharges on a burn will depend on the composition, duration and frequency of the discharge as well as the dilution afforded by the receiving waters. Fresh water fauna and flora differ widely in their tolerance of pollution. However, regular episodes of pollution could be expected to result in changes in the diversity and relative abundance of species.
As far as hazards to human life are concerned, few dangers are likely to arise unless, in an extremely rare case, the burn is the source for a potable untreated water supply downstream of the discharge. Then there would be a potential threat from bacterial and viral contamination of the water supply.
§ Mr. David MarshallTo ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what is the estimated difference in cost between providing the proposed new residential development at Springhill farm in Shettleston constituency with(a) a gravity feed sewage system or (b) a sewage pumping system; and how the total costs are divided between local authority and developer.
§ Lord James Douglas-Hamilton[holding answer 22 December 1988]: Detailed cost information for specific schemes is not held centrally. The division of costs between the authority and a developer is for the council to determine in line with its responsibilities under the Sewerage (Scotland) Act 1968.