The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1995

Explanatory Note

(This note is not part of the Regulations.)

These Regulations implement Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste water treatment.

Regulation 4 supplements the general duty imposed on the Department of the Environment (“the Department”) by Article 3 of the Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 1973, by requiring it to' secure that “collecting systems” (this and other expressions are defined in regulation 2(1)) are provided by specified dates, and to secure that urban waste water entering collecting systems is subject to treatment provided in accordance with regulation 5. Regulation 5 requires such treatment to be provided by specified dates and, with regulation 6(1) and Part 1 of Schedule 3, prescribes the standard of treatment required. The specified date and the standard of treatment are determined according to the size of the “agglomeration” from which the waste water emanates and the nature of the waters into which the treated waste water is discharged. Generally, “secondary treatment” is required, but more stringent treatment is required for waters identified as “sensitive areas” and less stringent treatment is permissible for waters identified as “high natural dispersion areas”. The areas identified as sensitive areas and high natural dispersion areas are shown on Traps held by the Department; the Department is under a duty to review the identification of these areas at least every 4 years (regulation 3). Discharges from smaller agglomerations need to be subjected only to “appropriate treatment”.

Regulation 6 also requires the Department to secure, by means of its powers to grant and modify discharge consents under Part II of the Water Act (Northern Ireland) 1972, that the relevant requirements of the Regulations in relation to discharges are satisfied. It also places a duty on the Department to ensure that the said relevant requirements are satisfied as regards the discharge from urban waste water treatment plants provided by the Department.

Regulation 7 imposes requirements in respect of discharges of industrial waste water to collecting systems or treatment plants. The Department is empowered to modify trade effluent consents and agreements for this purpose. Regulation 8 imposes a duty on the Department to secure that direct discharges on and after 31st December 2000 of biodegradable industrial wastewater from the industrial sectors listed in Schedule 5 are subject to conditions appropriate to the nature of the industry concerned.

Regulation 9 requires the phasing out of the dumping of sludge from ships by 31st December 1998, and the progressive reduction before that date of the total amount of toxic, persistent and bioaccumulable materials in sludge so dumped.

Regulation 11 imposes a duty on the Department to ensure that monitoring of discharges and waters to which the Regulations apply, and such other studies as are required by the Regulations, are carried out. The requirements as to monitoring of discharges are set out in Part II of Schedule 3, and regulation 10 makes provision in connection with samples and records obtained in accordance with those requirements.

Regulation 12 requires the Department to keep maps showing estuaries and sensitive and high natural dispersion areas that are available for inspection by the public, and regulation 13 requires the Department to publish a biennial report on the disposal of urban waste water and sludge and to advise the Commission on the programme for implementing the Directive.

Copies of the Directive may be obtained from Her Majesty’s Stationery Office, 16 Arthur Street, Belfast BTI 4GD.