MP for North-East Hertfordshire, Sir Oliver Heald, has welcomed a reply from the Government on a Written Parliamentary Question that he tabled, asking about the steps that the Government is taking to improve the quality of the rivers Beane and Mimram in his constituency. The reply from the Department for the Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs repeated the Government’s commitment to reduce considerably the amount of water taken from the rivers for use in homes, and they also promised both to rectify the misconnected drains that affect the Beane and its tributary, and to work with landowners to resolve the problem of bank erosion.
The full text of the question and its reply is below:
Q: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve the quality of the rivers Beane and Mimram; and if she will make a statement.
A: The Rivers Beane and Mimram suffer from low flows and poor water quality due to urban drainage and rural run-off.
The Environment Agency has been working with Affinity Water with the result that by 2018, abstraction from the River Mimram at Fulling Mill Pumping Station will stop, and abstraction from the River Beane at Whitehall Pumping Station will be cut by 90%.
The Environment Agency is also working with Thames Water to rectify misconnected drains that affect the River Beane and to improve maintenance on its tributary, the Stevenage Brook. The Environment Agency is also working with landowners on the River Mimram to resolve bank erosion and reduce field run-off.
Actions being taken should substantially improve the quality and habitats of these valuable chalk streams.
Commenting, Sir Oliver said, “I am glad to hear the Government’s commitment to these rivers. They are an important asset to the environment of North-East Hertfordshire and are home to much important flora and fauna. I am pleased that my long-standing campaign to protect them is being acted upon.”
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