Environment Minister, Mark H Durkan, has welcomed the continued improvement in discharge compliance by water utilities in Northern Ireland.

The Minister has released The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) 2012 assessment of compliance of Water Utility discharges made by Northern Ireland Water (NIW), and those companies who carry out wastewater treatment under Public Private Partnership contracts (PPP).

He said: "This is welcome news. There has been a sustained improvement with compliance of discharges from wastewater treatment works over a number of years. Compliance has increased from 84% in 2007 to 93% in 2011. This high standard has been maintained at 93% in 2012.

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"This sustained performance is a direct result of investment to improve the performance of waste water treatment works through the upgrading of existing works and, where required, new treatment works facilities.

"The performance of waste water treatment works that need to comply with the terms of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive is now at its highest. Compliance with the Directive has improved from 86% in 2007 to 98% in 2012.

"But we need to do more, as I have highlighted at the recent Good Beach Summit and I look forward to further improvements in compliance in the future."

The assessment details Water Utility compliance with NIEA and European discharge standards during 2012 and compares it with the Water Utility compliance since 2007.

Since 1 April 2007, with the transfer of responsibility for delivery of water and sewerage services from Water Service to a government owned company, NIW, and its resultant loss of crown immunity, NIEA is now regulating NIW discharges under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999 in the same manner as for any other discharger.

(CD/JP)