Rivers: Sewage
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of sewage discharges and combined sewer overflows on chalk stream ecosystems and Atlantic salmon populations.
Answered by Emma Hardy
Chalk streams are an incredible source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature-rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife – from chalk salmon to trout, they are home to beloved and endangered species.
Restoring our chalk streams to better ecological health is part of our overall programme of reforms to the water sector, as fixing systemic issues is essential to address the pressures facing these habitats.
The Environment Agency is actively working with local NGOs in Dorset to deliver partnership projects to improve river habitats in the counties unique chalk streams. These projects are focussed on delivering improvements to conserve and support wild salmon spawning and juvenile salmon production and survival.
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