Fortnightly Bulletin – 22nd April 2024
22 April 2024
Guidance
Temporary discharge of water unfit for supply from water treatment and supply assets: RPS 280
The Environment Agency (EA) has published a regulatory position on when you can temporarily discharge water intended for drinking water supply to surface waters from water treatment works and water supply assets.
This Regulatory Position Statement (RPS) does not change your legal requirement to have and comply with a water discharge activity permit.
However, the EA will not normally take enforcement action if you do not comply with these legal requirements if you meet the requirements of the RPS.
The RPS applies to water which is intended, but not suitable, for supply. These are also known as ‘out of specification waters’ that come from water treatment works (WTW) and water supply assets. Out of specification waters cannot be used in drinking water supply so has to be discharged to the surface waters.
You must have a Water Industry Act S166 consent to discharge from a water supply asset through a pipe that is more than 229mm in diameter if the discharge is caused by the following:
- construction works,
- maintenance works,
- repair works.
As described by S165(1) of the Water Industry Act 1991.
You do not need a consent if the pipe is less than 229mm in diameter as long as you can meet the requirements of section 165 (1) of the Water Industry Act.
The EA will review this RPS by 1st April 2026.
The EA can withdraw or amend this RPS before the review date if they consider it necessary. This includes when the activity that this RPS relates to has to be changed.
You will need to check back from time to time, including at and before the review date, to see of this RPS still applies or if you need to apply for an environmental permit.
This RPS remains in force until it is removed from the GOV.UK website or is otherwise identified as having been withdrawn.
Source: Gov.uk
For the full guidance, click here
Animal by-product operating plants: approved premises
Details of approved and registered animal by-products (ABP) operating plants in Great Britain and the Channel Islands has been published by the Animal and Plants Health Agency (APHA).
Premises in Great Britain and the Channel Islands used to operate as an ABP plant must be approved by APHA.
The list of details follows the format laid down by the European Commission and is arranged in sections according to the following plant type:
- intermediate plants
- storage plants
- incineration plants
- processing (rendering) plants
- oleo-chemical plants
- biogas plants
- composting plants
- pet food plants
- specific users
- purposes outside of the food chain
- collection centres
- organic fertiliser or soil improver plants
- other registered plants
A list of approved and registered premises in the European Union is available on the European Commission website.
Source: Gov.uk
For the full guidance, click here
Articles of Interest
Environment Agency Methane Action Plan 2024 to 2026
The Environment Agency has published their action plan that sets out how they will reduce methane emissions in England. The EA will use their powers as an environmental regulator and share knowledge and good practice to reduce methane emissions in the UK and internationally.
Source: Gov.uk
For the full action plan, click here
Prosecutions and Fines
As a reminder, the Environment Agency (EA) will prosecute large organisations, as well as small-scale organisations, that do not adhere to environmental legislation. Below is a historical prosecution that highlights the need for environmental impacts to be considered at the planning phase of construction projects.
House Building Company fined £480k for pollution
A house building company was fined almost half a million pounds for failing to take steps to prevent multiple incidents of pollution of a Welsh river in 2021.
The firm was found guilty, at Cwmbran Magistrates’ Court, of a charge relating to breaches of environmental legislation.
Between January and October 2012, the River Llwyd was polluted by illegal water discharges from the house builders’ site in Pontypool.
Natural Resources Wales (NRW) officers met representatives of the house building company on site in February 2021 to discuss the necessary permit application requirements and mitigation measures the needed to be implemented in order to minimise the risk of pollution.
A warning letter was served on 23rd February and 13th May 2021.
There were a further six confirmed incidents and five unconfirmed incidents relating to pollution ‘caused, or allegedly caused’ by silty water discharges from the site.
The company was fined £480,000 and ordered to pay a £181 surcharge and £8,591.40 in legal costs.
Source: Construction News
For the full article, click here
Events
Scope 3 Emissions Workshop Day 2024
14th June 2024
Helping sustainability, energy and supply chain professionals tackle one of the most critical aspects of the net-zero transition: calculating, reporting and minimising value change emissions.
This event will take place at the IET London: Savoy Place. This is a full day event that created time and space for professionals to identify new ideas and actions when it comes to effectively engaging with suppliers and taking control of scope 3 emissions.
Attendance is free for edie members.
Source: Edie
