Part of 3. Questions to the Minister for Climate Change – in the Senedd at 3:01 pm on 14 March 2023.
Of course, we take them extremely seriously, and there are a number of threads running through your question, and, indeed, Siân's there, Sam Rowlands. At the risk of testing the Llywydd's patience, because that's quite a complicated answer, we're in the process of agreeing a set of criteria for the price review mechanism for the water authorities in Wales, because we need to ensure both that bills are affordable, but that the money is available to invest in the upgrade of the various systems across Wales, including combined sewer overflows and a large number of other assets that require to be upgraded, and so we need to get that mechanism right.
In the meantime, just specifically on Llyn Padarn, the assets locally comprise two pumping stations and a storm overflow. The Llanberis sewage treatment works discharges secondary treated final effluent into the Afon y Bala, which drains into Llyn Padarn. Chemical dosing and sand filtration at the sewage treatment works provide additional treatment, removing excess nutrients from the effluent prior to discharge.
We've invested over £5 million—sorry, Dŵr Cymru have invested over £5 million—to improve Llanberis works. The work included increasing the storm capacity and screening and tighter phosphorus limits. I'm sure you know that we want to begin the process of designating more inland waters for wild swimming, and I should declare my usual interest, because I'm very keen on that kind of thing. And so we want this system to work. We want the system that NRW uses to tightly control the quality there to work. Of course, that will allow inland bathing waters, but it will also drive up the quality of water generally in the rivers. My colleague, the Trefnydd, just outlined the process from the phosphate summit last week, and there will be a written statement in due course, setting out the actions coming out of the summit.