§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to make connection to adopted sewers compulsory for households in areas with(a) sensitive aquifiers and (b) pollution of streams and waterways.
§ Mr. MacleanNone. Septic tanks or cesspits can provide satisfactory drainage if they are properly designed and operated. For isolated properties, the provision of a public sewer might be prohibitively expensive. The National Rivers Authority has powers which it can use to control and prevent pollution from domestic drainage.
§ Mr. Barry FieldTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what studies he has made of the refusal of households to connect to first-time sewage schemes.
§ Mr. MacleanA local authority would normally not requisition a first-time sewerage scheme unless the majority of householders in the relevant area had indicated that they wished to connect to public sewers. The Department's experience of grant-aiding schemes in rural areas shows that very small schemes usually have a 100 per cent. connection rate. Larger schemes serving whole villages have a lower connection rate because some of the properties will have an adequate septic tank or cesspit which the household can continue to use without problems. Some householders who do not connect when a mains system is first installed may do so later.