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The Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) has published its 2002-03 Annual Report.¹
This period was extremely busy for SEPA as, in addition to its normal workload, it recruited a new Chief Executive and was subject to a far reaching Policy and Financial Management Review (PFMR)² by the Scottish Executive.
SEPA's new CEO Dr Campbell Gemmell said: "Despite the challenges faced during the year, SEPA achieved some considerable successes. One major milestone was the successful delivery of eleven Area Waste Plans and the National Waste Plan for Scotland³. We also made great progress with new projects like the Scottish Pollution Inventory and another key SEPA objective, the Land Outcome, which aims to ensure that land quality is protected, maintained and restored.
"However, as SEPA's new Chief Executive I am not complacent about the size of the job facing us. We did not fully achieve all our targets and we need to do better.
"2002/03 saw better results for Scotland's bathing waters, with 92% compliance and, although this is an improvement on the previous year's 85%, it is still not good enough. License compliance with the Control of Pollution Act is another area where we are looking for considerable improvement, with 87% of consented discharges monitored complying last year. We recognise and welcome the immense investment in infrastructure that has been made but all concerned must strive to do better. Similarly we would seek to improve upon the satisfactory operator performance targets for Waste Management Licenses and Integrated Pollution Control. Although these only narrowly failed by 1% and 5% respectively, better results can be achieved.
"Initiatives already underway include NetRegs, the first website designed to help small businesses navigate the maze of environmental legislation and SEPA's 'Regulation Principles' consultation, seeking views on how SEPA can improve the regulatory regimes it currently operates. I am delighted that we exceeded our targets in areas like improving rivers and coastal waters, minimising emissions and air pollution control but we can and will do better."
Dr Gemmell concluded, "I am utterly committed to building effective working partnerships with all our stakeholders, and I intend to lead SEPA forward, to be a yet more effective and integrated organisation, providing excellent service to Scotland."
ENDS
NOTES & LINKS:
1. Annual Report: www.sepa.org.uk/publications
2. PFMR -
http://www.sepa.org.uk/news/releases/2003/PFMR_report.pdf
3. National Waste Plan -http://www.sepa.org.uk/nws/
4. Dr Campbell Gemmell took up the post of Chief Executive Officer in April 2003.
Issued by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) PR Team
Telephone: 01786 457700
Media contact:
Monica Straughan 01786 457723
Stewart Prodger: 01786 457724
Email: publicrelations@sepa.org.uk
Out of hours duty officer: pager 07644 071918
SEPA's Key Targets for 2002-2003
Members of the public receiving radiation doses above the dose limit
Target - zero - achieved
No member of the public received radiation doses above the dose limit
Licence compliance with Control of Pollution Act
Target - 92% - failed
The number of consented discharges monitored during the year was 1,277: of these 1,107 complied, representing 87%.
Satisfactory operator performance for Waste Management Licences
Target - 85% - failed
SEPA narrowly fell short of this with 746 of the 888 sites assessed demonstrating satisfactory operator performance, representing 84%.
Satisfactory operator performance for Integrated Pollution Control.
Target - 90% - failed
SEPA fell short of this target with 58 of the 68 processes assessed being successful,
representing 85%.
Satisfactory operator performance for Air Pollution Control
Target - 90% - surpassed
Of the 1,305 processes assessed, 1,242 demonstrated satisfactory operator performance, representing 95%.
Readiness of RIMNET* system (Radioactive Incident Monitoring Network)
Target - 100% - achieved
RIMNET system was maintained in a 100% state of readiness
Readiness of Floodline system
Target - 95% - surpassed
Operational readiness of 99% achieved
Efficiency saving
Target 3% - failed
Efficiency savings made 2.93%
(representing savings and gains equivalent to more than £1,199,000).
National Waste Strategy
Target - publish all 11 area waste plans and National Waste Plan - achieved.
Improve lengths of rivers
Target - 50km - surpassed
53 km of poor and seriously polluted rivers improved in 2002. SEPA remains on target to improve 351 km of poor and seriously polluted rivers by 2006 with 210 km having been improved since 1999.
Improve lengths of coastal waters
Target - 21km - surpassed
25 km of poor and seriously polluted coastal water were improved in 2002. SEPA remains on target to improve 145 km of poor and seriously polluted coastal waters by 2006 with 87 km having been improved since 1999.
Improve areas of estuarine waters
Target - 1km² - surpassed
9 km2 of poor and seriously polluted estuarine waters were improved in 2002. SEPA remains on target to improve 7 km2 of poor and seriously polluted estuarine waters by 2006 with 17 km2 having been improved since 1999.
Bathing waters
Target - 100% compliance - failed
92% compliance achieved, batter than last year's 85% but further improvement is required.
Emissions of nitrogen oxides and sulphur dioxides
Target - minimise emissions - achieved
Decrease in mass emissions of both sulphur dioxide and oxides of nitrogen from large combustion plants in Scotland in 2002.
Website: www.sepa.org.uk
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