Written question asked by Bill Etherington (Labour), in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 28 November 1996. It was answered by James Clappison (Conservative) on Thursday, 28 November 1996 on behalf of the Department of the Environment.

Dept of the Environment

Question: What plans he has to increase monitoring of minewater pollution in the North East.

Answer: Mr. Etherington: To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment what plans he has to increase monitoring of mine water pollution in the north-east; and if he will make a statement. [6203] Mr. Clappison: The Environment Agency is responsible for monitoring the water environment in England and Wales, and carries out regular surveys of river quality as part of its general quality assessment programme. It also monitors rivers at potable water abstraction points as well as individual discharges, including those from abandoned mines. The parameters measured include those metals, such as iron, which are found in mine waters. Over the past two years, the agency has increased the monitoring of gravitational discharges from abandoned mines in the north-east in order to obtain more information on the impact of such discharges on surface waters. The individual sample results from all these surveys are publicly available. The scale and type of mine water monitoring in the future will continue to be determined by the agency and will reflect its need for the information.

Secondary information