7. Will the Minister make a statement on water quality in the Ogmore constituency? OAQ53262

Thank you. The 2015 river basin management plan has shown the Llynfi and Garw rivers achieve 'moderate' status whilst the Ogmore and its tributaries achieve 'good' status under the water framework directive. Across Wales, 37 per cent of water bodies currently meet 'good' status, with work under way to increase this to 42 per cent by 2021. 

I thank the Minister for that response, and I'm glad she interpreted my question as river quality, not general water within the Ogmore constituency. So, thank you for that. It's great to see that we are on an upward trajectory, and it's noticeable over the last couple of decades the improvement in the water quality of the rivers within the Ogmore. I can't take all credit for it myself, I have to say: it's been a combination of investment from Dŵr Cymru/Welsh Water and NRW as well, investing in things such as improvements to the river bed quality high up into the rivers so that we now have spawning fish right up into the top of Blaengarw and so on. But we still have more to do.

I note that we'll shortly be out, myself and Chris Elmore, visiting a couple of the projects—over £10 million of investment by Dŵr Cymru on two flagship investments. That includes investment of £3.3 million on a new sewer between Ogmore Vale and Blackmill and also £7 million additional investment into the existing treatment works in Lletty Brongu in Llangynwyd in the Llynfi Valley. This is great to see, but I wonder whether the Minister could either update me now or write to me on the issue of the Garw valley and the combined sewage and water outfalls, which still, I understand—I'm told by the anglers that, when we have very heavy rain, the combined outfall means that we are pumping sewage effluent directly into that very important river. So, I wonder if, perhaps, if she doesn't have the answer now, she could write to me and let me know where we are with investment in the Garw valley as well.

I will have to write to the Member in relation to the Garw valley, because I don't have that information to hand, but I think you've highlighted a very important point, particularly around the significant investment that Dŵr Cymru are putting into ensuring that we have a thriving water environment, because, absolutely, that's what we want to see.FootnoteLink 

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