Written question asked by Earl of Caithness (Conservative) on Tuesday, 22 October 2019, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 5 November 2019. It was answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble (Conservative) on Tuesday, 5 November 2019 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Chilterns: High Speed 2 Line

Question: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether, in order to secure the (1) water level, and (2) quality, of chalk streams, what plans they have to prevent HS2 from using water to tunnel through the Chilterns.

Answer: The Environment Agency is advising HS2 Ltd and their contractors on mitigating the potential impacts of their works on water level and quality of chalk streams. This includes water usage for tunnelling in the Chilterns. The Environment Agency will review any application for increased abstraction in the Colne catchment in line with the current Colne Catchment Abstraction Management Strategy to ensure that there is no detrimental impact on the environment.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL278
Session: 2019-19
Subjects: Construction Environment protection Water Rivers Water abstraction Tunnels High Speed 2 line Chilterns
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk