All water users who discharge their sewage to public sewers have to pay a basic sewage charge. Also, 30 trades and industries whose effluent strength well exceeds that of domestic sewage need to pay a trade effluent surcharge to reflect the additional cost of treating their stronger effluent. These charges aim to recover the operation and maintenance costs of sewage collection, treatment, and disposal facilities. The Government continues to provide funds for capital costs for these facilities from its Capital Works Reserve Fund. The household sewage charge in 2005 remained at a modest level of $1.20 per cubic metre of water consumed, with an exemption for the first 12 cubic metres consumed in a four-month billing period.

Livestock Waste Pollution

The Waste Disposal Ordinance bans livestock-keeping in new towns and environmentally sensitive areas. Where they are allowed, livestock farms must have proper waste treatment systems.

Under the livestock waste control scheme, livestock farmers who choose to continue in business can apply for a grant and a loan to help pay for pollution-control facilities. Since the start of the scheme in 1987, about $63 million has been paid out in capital grants. Farmers who choose to cease business can apply for an allowance, and about $883 million has been disbursed. Livestock waste pollution has been reduced by 97 per cent since the inception of the control scheme.

The Government provides a free livestock waste collection service which collected a monthly average of about 5 438 tonnes of waste during the year.

Bathing Beaches

Bathing beaches are an important recreational resource and the Government has adopted strict standards for water quality control to protect the health of swimmers. These standards indicate the pollution level measured in terms of E.coli (the bacterium that can indicate the presence of sewage). The following table shows how beaches were classified in 2005. Beaches in the 'good' and 'fair' categories meet the Government's water quality objective for bathing. In 2005, over 80 per cent of the bathing beaches met the water quality objective.

Beach water quality gradings for open beaches are available on the EPD's home page, hotline and weekly press releases.