§ Mr. DalyellTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment if he will make a study of the effluent from waste production and waste disposal in relation to the ecosystems of estuaries.
§ Mr. BaldryIt is already normal practice to set discharge consents for effluents to rivers and estuaries on the basis of quality objectives set for downstream waters. The quality objectives used for estuaries are to maintain the ecosystems if the quality is high, and to restore the quality if it is not. With the introduction of integrated pollution control discharges from prescribed processes will also be required to apply best available techniques not entailing excessive cost to prevent pollution.