Source · Select Committees · Environmental Audit Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Paragraph: 55
We welcome the Environment Act’s inclusion of a requirement on water companies to reduce the...
Recommendation
We welcome the Environment Act’s inclusion of a requirement on water companies to reduce the impact on public health of sewage discharges. We recommend that this includes consideration of antimicrobial resistance.
Paragraph Reference:
55
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
The Government agrees it is important bathers have access to timely information on water quality. Under the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, designated bathing waters are required to have signage, which is the responsibility of the local authority, and it is mandatory for that signage to display water quality information. In addition, the Environment Agency’s Pollution Risk Forecasting service makes daily pollution risk forecasts for a number of bathing waters where water quality may be temporarily reduced due to factors such as heavy rainfall, wind or the tide. This is currently available at over 170 waters. order to make informed choices before they enter the water. We will make use of learning from existing trials such as using sensor technology to indicate water quality, and other apps and websites which give more timely information.