Mr. John D. TaylorTo ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what is the estimated cost of his plans to pump foul sewage from Crossgar to Killyleagh; what percentage of the capacity of Killyleagh Sewage Works is available; what percentage of Killyleagh Sewage Works would still be available if the sewage were pumped from Crossgar into Killyleagh Sewage Works; what representations he has received concerning the plans to pump sewage from Crossgar to Killyleagh; what consultation there has been with the residents and elected representatives of Killyleagh; and if he will make a statement. [116088]
§ Mr. IngramResponsibility for this matter has been delegated to the Water Service under its Chief Executive, Mr. Robert C. Martin. I have asked him to arrange for a reply to be given.
133WLetter from Robert C. Martin to Mr. John D. Taylor, dated 28 March 2000:
You recently asked the Secretary of State a Parliamentary Question about Killyleagh Sewage Works. I have been asked to respond as Chief Executive of Water Service with operational responsibility for the provision of water and sewerage services.An appraisal of the options for improving wastewater treatment facilities at Crossgar concluded that the most cost-effective option was to pump wastewater from Crossgar to Killyleagh for treatment. The estimated cost of this is almost £1.6 million. The scheme will also help to improve the water quality in the River Quoile system.In undertaking the appraisal study, account was taken of projected residential and industrial expansion to the year 2021 on the basis of figures provided by the Department of the Environment's Planning Service. These figures allow for an additional 350 houses at Crossgar and 335 houses at Killyleagh. Following the closure of local industry, the wastewater treatment works in Killyleagh is currently operating at approximately 32% of its design capacity. After the transfer of the wastewater from Crossgar, and taking into account the projected increases up to 2021, the Killyleagh works will operate at approximately 71% of its design capacity leaving considerable surplus capacity for additional residential and industrial expansion.No significant development work is required at the Killyleagh Works. Indeed, the key changes envisaged are mainly of an operational nature. In these circumstances the residents of the Killyleagh area were not directly consulted about the project. However, Down District Council was consulted and we received a small number of written representations, about various aspects of the project, from public representatives including the constituency Member of Parliament, Mr. E. McGrady. Our proposals were fully explained to these public representatives.