European Union legislation on waste water treatment and nutrient removal

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1 European Union legislation on waste water treatment and nutrient removal Helmut Blöch, European Commission 1 IWA Specialised Conference Nutrient Management in Wastewater Treatment Processes and Recycle Systems, Kraków, Poland, September 2005

2 Overview Nutrient-related challenges to water management EU policy instruments addressing nutrients removal/reduction Key directives: Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive; Water Framework Directive Outlook 2

3 Our challenges (1) Eutrophication of European regional seas Source: European Commission and Environment Agency 3

4 Our challenges (2) Diversity of regions and river basins, from Ireland to Cyprus, from Estonia to Portugal Source: European Commission, Joint Research Centre 4

5 EU policy instruments addressing nutrients removal/reduction EU Environmental legislation Urban Waste Water Directive, Nitrates Directive, Water Framework Directive Financial incentives (+/-) new EU Agricultural Policy; EU Funding Tools; water pricing (WFD cost recovery) EU Research Programmes 5

6 Urban Waste Water Directive Collection and treatment of waste water in all settlements areas and areas of economic activity ( agglomerations ) of >2000 inhabitants or population equivalents Secondary treatment as the rule; additional nutrient removal in the catchments of so-called sensitive areas Deadlines staged ; for new Member States staged along similar principles as for EU15 (maximum 2015 for small agglomerations) Permit procedure for treatment plants, for discharges from the agro-food industry and for industrial discharges into urban waste water systems Monitoring of performance on treatment plants and affected waters; controls on sewage sludge disposal/reuse 6

7 Urban Waste Water Directive: agglomeration Pragmatic term, not linked to political-administrative structure: area where population and/or economic activity are sufficiently concentrated for waste water to be collected and conducted to treatment plant(s) Flexibility whether one or more treatment plants are designed and operated (however, no salami tactics of splitting agglomerations with regard to treatment objectives or deadlines) Open to alternatives in terms of new treatment technologies or alternatives to sewerage systems, provided the same environmental objective is achieved 7

8 Urban Waste Water Directive: sensitive area Areas with specific sensibility of the affected waters, largely because of eutrophication, of drinking water abstraction or of bathing areas Designation of sensitive areas is an obligation; clear criteria are set out in the directive Non-designation of such areas, or insufficient/wrong designation leads (a) to infringement procedures and (b) to (avoidable) double costs for re-planning and/or re-construction of treatment plants 8

9 France Sensitive areas originally designated by France Catchment of the sensitive area Sensitive areas (red) to be designated in addition (Commission position, upheld in court case by Court of Justice), and their catchments état en juin

10 Sensitive areas: eutrophication and potential eutrophication 10

11 Waste water treatment: different starting positions, different developments Denmark Netherlands Spain Source: European Environment Agency, 2005 (embargoed until publication Oct 2005) 11

12 12 Water Framework Directive key elements protecting all waters and all impacts on these waters good quality ( good status ) to be achieved, as a rule, by linked to a non-deterioration clause water quality defined in terms of biology, chemistry and morphology (surface waters) and of chemistry and quantity (groundwaters) monitoring programmes for surface and groundwaters water management based on river basins economic instruments: economic analysis, and getting the prices right - to promote prudent use of water participation by citizens, municipalities, NGOs in developing river basin management plans streamlining water legislation and providing one coherent management frame for water legislation

13 Environmental objective surface waters Impact No or { minimal Ecological status HIGH Slight{ GOOD Moderate{ MODERATE Major { POOR Severe { BAD Courtesy Peter Pollard, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

14 Environmental objective surface waters Impact No or { minimal Ecological status HIGH Slight{ GOOD Moderate{ MODERATE Non-deterioration Major { POOR Severe { BAD Courtesy Peter Pollard, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

15 Environmental objective surface waters Restoration Impact No or { minimal Ecological status HIGH Slight{ GOOD Non-deterioration Moderate{ MODERATE Major { POOR Severe { BAD Courtesy Peter Pollard, Scottish Environment Protection Agency

16 Nutrients impacts as key element of definition of good status example coastal waters nutrient concentrations High status: Nutrient concentrations remain within the range normally associated with undisturbed conditions. Good status Nutrient concentrations do not exceed the levels established so as to ensure the functioning of the ecosystem and the achievement of the values specified above for the biological quality elements. 16

17 WFD state of implementation (1) Formal legal transposition; intercalibration; designation river basins Status notification 16 September 2005 Application at European Court of Justice submitted Jqnuary 2005 because of lack of national legislation

18 WFD state of implementation (2) Environmental assessments (article 5 WFD) plus Danube basin report and country reports for RO, BG, SM 18

19 19 Danube basin - risk analysis: organic pollution und nutrient pollution

20 20 Danube basin - risk analysis: organic pollution und nutrient pollution

21 Outlook (1) Our regional seas (Baltic, North Sea, Black Sea, and considerable parts of the Mediterranean) suffer from eutrophication Agricultural nutrients impacts remain stable at far to high level; change of paradigm in Agricultural Policy Considerable improvements in waste water treatment including nutrient removal however not sufficient and with delays Several countries as examples of successful implementation of UWWD Waste water infrastructure as major task for new 10 MS, underpinned by considerable financial support 21

22 Outlook (2) Water Framework Directive underpinning efforts under the UWWD, and expanding protection to all impacts (e.g. CSOs) Successful implementation cooperation by Commission, Member States, stakeholders and NGOs, fully involving the scientific community and EU research programmes EU water legislation ambitious and enforceable objectives, but flexible on paths to achieve them - open to innovation and encouraging new development Long-term planning basis for technical, financial and political decisions at all levels, from the local and regional to the national and EU level 22

23 Interest and support by citizens Representative opinion poll, published April 2005 water is, of all environmental themes, to a majority of citizens in all EU25 the most important one; and an overwhelming majority of citizens in all EU25 expect from policy makers to take protection of the environment as important and economic and social policies: figures by country 74-95%, EU average 85%. % DE FR GR EU25 23

24 Thank you for your attention. Your contribution, your input will be crucial. 24 This contribution reflects the views of the author and not necessarily those of the European Commission.

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