Written question asked by Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Rooker (Labour) on Wednesday, 28 March 2007.

Water Supply: Purification

Question: asked Her Majesty's Government:Whether they have plans to require water companies to produce disaggregated reports of (a) the capital, and (b) the operating costs associated with purifying water of pesticides, nitrates, cryptosporidium and metals.

Answer: Ofwat is the economic regulator of the water and sewerage industry in England and Wales. Companies report to Ofwat each year on their expenditure (both capital and operating costs) to deliver water and sewerage services. These reports are available on Ofwat’s website and include the additional costs of water treatment to reduce levels of pesticides and nitrates and other parameters to comply with water quality standards and also to reduce the risk from cryptosporidium. Companies report additional capital expenditure for new assets on a disaggregated basis by nitrates, pesticides, cryptosporidium and other parameters. The additional operating costs are reported as an overall figure for these new assets.

Secondary information