AQW 17294/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
To ask the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to detail the number of (i) times; and (ii) locations when wastewater that exceeded pollution limits was released into waterways, in each of the last five years.
Asked by Claire Sugden MLA on 14 April 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 14 April 2021
- Answer due by
- 29 April 2021
- Answered
- 5 May 202121 days after tabling
- Priority question
- No
Answer
NIEA regulate discharges to the aquatic environment under the Water Order (Northern Ireland) 1999 as amended. Wastewater refers to a range of discharges that include; sewage related discharges, industrial discharges and site drainage discharges.
I have therefore provided below the number of times and locations for all wastewater discharges and pollution incidents where an exceedance has been detected to be in breach of its Water Order Consent in each of the last 5 years.
| Type of Discharge | Number of Exceedances detected in the last 5 years | ||||||||
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| Private Sewage, Industrial Discharge and Site Drainage Discharges | 391 | 403 | 376 | 495 | 159* | ||||
| NI Water | 167 | 187 | 121 | 108 | 117 | ||||
| Number of Locations where an exceedance has been detected in the last 5 years | |||||||||
| 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | |||||
| Private Sewage, Industrial Discharge and Site Drainage Discharges | 247 | 233 | 238 | 286 | 133 | ||||
| NI Water | 48 | 60 | 47 | 45 | 46 | ||||
*Reduced Regulatory Sampling Regime due to the Covid Restrictions.