asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether under-performing rivers such as the Stour in Kent can still offer local urban and semi-urban communities adequate protection from effluent pollution in areas of rapid population increase.[HL887]

The Environment Agency has a policy of preventing deterioration in the environmental quality of rivers, which is being carried forward into its duty under the European water framework directive to prevent deterioration in the ecological and chemical status of all water bodies.

In accordance with this policy, the Environment Agency determines applications for consent to discharge effluent to controlled waters with the aim of preventing deterioration in water quality. The Environment Agency may refuse an application for a discharge where the receiving water does not have adequate capacity to receive the effluent or there are better environmental options available that are economically viable.

In the five-yearly periodic review of water company price limits, the Environment Agency and water companies identify sewerage infrastructure schemes; for example, increases to the treatment capacity of sewage treatment works to take account of planned housing developments.