Reference: 1991 c.56
Last Update: 09/01/2012
WATER INDUSTRY ACT 1991, AS AMENDED
This legislation requires effluent discharges to the foul sewer to be authorised.
The Water Industry Act (WIA) regulates the discharge of trade effluent from trade premises to the foul sewer. It is a criminal offence to discharge trade effluent from trade premises into the foul sewer unless a trade effluent consent is obtained from the sewerage undertaker. Consents are normally granted subject to specified conditions. It is a criminal offence under section 121 (5) of the Act to contravene any condition attached to a trade effluent consent.
This Act stringently controls the emissions of special category effluent to sewer. Special Category Effluent, including substances on the UK's Red List of dangerous substances, plus carbon tetrachloride and effluent likely to result in the release of more than 30kg or more of trichloroethylene or perchloroethylene in a year, is defined in the Trade Effluent (Prescribed Processes and Substances) Regulations 1989, as amended. Prescribed processes include manufacturing certain asbestos products, paper pulp manufacture, production of chlorinated organic chemicals, and processes discharging chlorinated effluents.
The sewerage undertaker (Water Company) has a power to vary a trade effluent consent unilaterally by giving two months’ notice to the discharger and may use this power in order to enable it to meet the requirements imposed upon its sewage treatment works by the Regulator under the Water Resources Act 1991.
The Water Industry Act 1999 amends the 1991 Act and outlines the specification for water and sewerage charges in England and Wales and makes provision for the establishment of a water industry commissioner in Scotland. The Water Industry (Special Administration) Rules 2009 applies the Insolvency Act 1986 to water and sewerage suppliers in the event that they go into administration.
THE WATER SUPPLY (AMENDMENT TO THE THRESHOLD REQUIREMENT) REGULATIONS 2011
These Regulations amend the Water Industry Act 1991 so as to reduce the threshold level for water supply to specified premises from 50 megalitres to 5 megalitres. The threshold is the minimum quantity of water estimated to be supplied annually to any premises by a licensed water supplier. A licensed water supplier may not enter into an undertaking with a new customer to supply water to their premises unless the threshold requirement is satisfied.
Last Update: 10/02/2011
By: Waterman
Applicability
This legislation is applicable to Ardagh's sites in England only.
Ardagh Glass hold discharge consents for their sites in England. These consents are issued and regulated by water authority (Yorkshire Water). The regulator undertakes periodic monitoring of the outfall. It was reported that there are no issues of non-compliance with this legislation; however, the site representative stated that the English sites do not receive the monitor results undertaken by Yorkshire Water, or undertake any of their own monitoring.
The lagoon at the Barnsley site is drained periodically for cleaning purposes, this is done by arrangement with Yorkshire Water, requiring a temporary discharge consent.
It is recommended that Ardagh Glass undertake periodic in house monitoring of their releases to sewer in order to ensure continued compliance with the regulation and to provide greater process control.
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