EA propose changes to effluent rules
December 18, 2006
The Environment Agency has launched a new consultation proposing to change the way that businesses, industries and organisations that discharge effluent into rivers and coastal waters are regulated.
Currently, any operator who discharges effluent to a river, lake, estuary or directly to the sea has to obtain consent from the Environment Agency.
With this system, some operators may receive a lot of regulatory attention, solely due to being large in size even though their activities may actually pose a low risk to the environment.
It is this that the Agency would like to change, with the consulation aiming to pave the way for a more flexible system, using a risk-based assessment to setermine the level of regulation needed.
The changes will affect hundreds of companies, organisations and individuals that between them hold around 110,000 permits to discharge effluent into rivers and coastal waters.
Under the new proposals, the Agency’s efforts will be focused on the 6000 permits which pose the biggest risk, based on factors such as the sensitivity of the water they discharge to, the types of treatment processes they use, the pollutants discharged and how well operators manage their activities.
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