Severn Trent Water’s managing director Brian Duckworth is to serve a second consecutive year as chairman of Water UK. Mr Duckworth’s chairmanship will now be extended to April 2000 following a meeting of Water UK’s Council.
Source: WWT
A study to assist landfill operators world-wide with site restoration has been awarded to Edinburgh’s Napier University by ESART (the new Environmental Services Association Research Trust). The project, funded by a £50,000 grant from the landfill tax credits scheme, ARC Environment Fund, will concentrate on the settlement caused by biodegradation of waste taken into landfill sites.
Source: IEM
The Met office and the Environment Agency are to invest £4.5 million over the next three years to improve the weather radar network, which is key to the accuracy of flood forecasting and warning in England and Wales. The investment is the first phase of a ten year development programme of improvements to the existing radar network and on ongoing commitment to use new technology to ensure te public is provided with the most effective, service possible.
Source: WWT
ESA, the national waste contractors association, and the British Metals Federation have called on the Scottish Environmental Protection Agency to justify its plans to increase subsistence fees for 1999/2000 by 25%. ESA chief executive Peter Neill called SEPA’s plans “outrageous” and BMF executive director Rick Wilcox said, “We object to the onerous burden placed on licensed companies, especially when there are still many unregistered firms whose irresponsibility remains unchecked by the regulatory authorities.”
Source: IEM
Customers of York Waterworks stand to benefit from a sizeable reduction in their water bills if the proposed merger between York Waterworks and Yorkshire Water proceeds according to Ofwat. The proposed merger will bring several positive menefits for York Waterworks’ cusomers, including a permanent 15 per cent reduction in their water bills which must come into effect before 1 April 2004.
Source: WWT
The work of the land regeneration body Groundwork is to be reviewed as part of a five-yearly Government financial, management and policy review. In 1997/98, Groundwork’s network of trusts improved 784 hectares of land, planted nearly 700,000 trees, helped 774 businesses improve their environmental performance and involved 179,000 volunteers. Funding for 1998/99 totals œ6.675m. Comments from interested parties should be sent to Peter Bates, 4/H9, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU by 31 March 1999. The review is expected to take up to seven months.
Source: IEM
Changes have been made to Severn Trent Water’s and Dwr Cymru Welsh Water’s licences to remove large industrial water users from the basket of charges.
Source: WWT
Volvo Car UK has issued an Environmental Product Declaration for the Volvo S80 2.9, claiming the world’s first third party certified product based on Life Cycle Assessments. The EPD, verified by Lloyds Quality Assurance, is detailed in a brochure showing the total environmental impact of all stages in a car’s life from production through use, to disposal. “The EPD represents a first and major new step in communicating environmental information to the public,” said John Pitts, Volvo’s environment manager. Friends of the Earth’s Roger Higman said, “Volvo has always led the field in providing accurate and quality information concerning the environmental impact of their cars for the consumer. It’s something that we, at FoE, warmly welcome and hope other manufacurers will follow Volvo’s lead.”
Source: IEM
Under the new Groundwater Regulations, companies that discharge or dispose of potentially polluting chemicals on to or into land have until the end of this March to apply for a licence from the Environment Agency to continue with these activities.
Source: WWT
Fentac Adhesives Ltd of Wellingborough has received fines and costs totalling œ7,782.39 for polluting the Harrowden Brook with PVA glue last year. The pollution – a white foamy scum – was traced to a surface water discharge point
Source: IEM