Freshwater Policy
Industry Representatives give evidence to Lords in Freshwater Inquiry
9 November 2011
Three representatives of the water industry gave evidence to the Lords Agriculture, Fisheries and Environment EU Sub-Committee at 11am on Wednesday 9 November. It was the second evidence session of their current inquiry, which is scrutinising EU freshwater policies and possibly identifying ways to help ensure a sustainable, good quality water supply for Europe in the long-term.
Witnesses
The committee heard from:
- Andrew Fairburn, Head of Public Policy at Severn Trent Water;
- Howard Brett, Wastewater Policy and Strategy Manager at Thames Water; and
- Sarah Mukherjee, Director of Environment at Water UK.
Issues
They were questioned by the committee on issues including:
- how the quality of our drinking water compares with that of the rest of Europe
- the interaction between improving water quality and increasing emissions of greenhouse gas
- whether the costs of water use are being met fairly;
- the voice of the consumer and local communities in water management
- whether concerns about justification for the European Commission's proposals for costly wastewater treatments are shared across the EU