River Calder: Pollution Control
(asked on 19th October 2020) - View Source
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce pollution in the river Calder.
Answered by
Rebecca Pow
Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The River Calder comes under the Humber River Basin Management Plan (RBMP) which provides a framework for protecting and enhancing the water environment. The Environment Agency (EA) is currently updating the RBMP to make it more ambitious in addressing plastic pollution and managing water in a changing climate. The EA is considering responses to a recent consultation on these proposals and will produce draft plans for each catchment, setting out comprehensive measures to protect and enhance the water environment, meet the objectives of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) and support regulation of those sectors that may cause pollution. The Lower Calder’s (around Wakefield) WFD status is ‘moderate’.
To improve water quality, the EA is working on a range of partnership projects with local communities across the Calder catchment. One example is the £1.3 million ‘Calder Greening’ project near Mytholmroyd. Here the EA is working with Calderdale Council and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to create a wetland area, improve river bank habitats, and is working with landowners to reduce sediment and treat invasive plant species. The EA also supports the River Calder Catchment Partnership, hosted by the Calder and Colne Rivers Trust to deliver strategic catchment plans for the river and wider environment.
To prevent pollution of the River Calder, the EA regulates a wide range of industrial and waste management sites. This includes Yorkshire Water Services Ltd and discharges to the River Calder from their sewage treatment sites. The EA provides 24 hour pollution incident response cover, including attendance at serious water pollution incidents.
The EA also works with Wakefield Council and Canal and Rivers Trust to provide advice and guidance to local businesses to improve water quality through the use of effective surface water management plans.