Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on the amount of sludge that water companies removed during drinking water treatment and released into the environment in each of the last 12 months.

Sludge is nutrient rich output derived from the wastewater treatment process and is often used on agricultural land to meet soil and crop need. Sludge use on land is regulated through the Sludge Use in Agriculture Regulations (1989) and is supported by the Sewage Sludge in Agriculture Code of Practice.

The water clarification sludge generated by water companies during preparation of water intended for human consumption is regulated as a waste by the Environment Agency. Water companies holding an environmental permit must complete a national operator waste return. The returns provide details of the total amount, in tonnes, of all their hazardous and non-hazardous waste for each site. The information requested is held by the Environment Agency but is not collated centrally and could only be provided at a disproportionate cost.