EA unveils new water regulation plan

Telford, UK -- The Environment Agency (EA) has unveiled its blueprint for a new approach to industrial wastewater monitoring and regulation, based increased reliance on process control and self-monitoring.

The proposals were presented to delegates at the WWEM (Water, Wastewater & Environmental) Monitoring conference in Telford, 1-2 Nov. The keynote speech from EA policy manager Andy Rogers outlined how the new “streamlined approach” would help focus resources on areas of greatest environmental threat.

The proposals feature a scoring system that will enable operators to receive less regulatory attention and lower charges through better performance. According to Rogers, the scoring system, called ‘OPRA’ (Operator and Pollution Risk Appraisal) has already been developed into a charging scheme elsewhere, under the PPC [Pollution Prevention & Control] regime.

“We are taking forward what is happening in other areas of environmental regulation such as PPC  and WML [Waste Management Licensing] and applying that to water,” Rogers told PE.

According to Rogers, the simplified regulatory inspection and monitoring process will mean a lower administrative burden on industry overall. There will he said, be grester emphasis on self monitoring by industry itself, with operators also required to supply good quality data to the EA.

A more detailed report on the Environment Agency’s proposals will appear in the November/December issue of Process Engineering magazine.