§ Dr. HarrisTo ask the Secretary of State for the Environment Transport and the Regions how much sewage was discharged into the sea in coastal areas in the last two years for which figures are available; and what percentage of this was treated. [134215]
§ Mr. MullinInformation is not available in the format requested. Data collated by the water industry shows that sewage discharges to English and Welsh coastal waters in 1998 were approximately 6 million population equivalent. ("Population equivalent" is a way of combining household and industrial discharges to sewers into a single figure, where industrial discharges are given an equivalence in their polluting potential to domestic sewage). The percentage receiving "secondary-level" or better treatment172W was 76 per cent. We have put in place the investment programmes to ensure that all discharges from sewage treatment works with a load of above 2,000 population equivalent will receive secondary treatment by 2005.