Water Quality - Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
This page gives information about the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive and how it is being implemented in the UK, with links to related documents including published reports.
This Directive was adopted by member states in May 1991 and transposed into legislation across the UK by the end of January 1995. Its objective is to protect the environment from the adverse effects of sewage discharges. It sets treatment levels on the basis of sizes of sewage discharges and the sensitivity of waters receiving the discharges. By the end of 1998 the UK had stopped all disposal of the sewage sludge left over from treatment processes at sea or to other surface waters in accordance with its requirements.
The text of the Directive and of the UK's implementing Regulations (from HMSO) are available via the following links:
- The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (on the European Commission web site)
- Regulations:
Sensitive Areas
Under the Directive the UK is required to review environmental waters at four-yearly intervals to determine whether they are sensitive to the effects of sewage discharges.
Further information on sensitive areas, including the criteria for their identification, lists of Sensitive Areas identified in the UK and maps showing their location are available via the following link:
Reports
Copies of public information reports, prepared under Article 16 of the Directive, are available as follows:
- 2nd edition - March 2002
- [1st edition - March 1996 - this report is only available in a printed version - copies can still be obtained by e-mailing ccu.correspondence@defra.gsi.gov.uk]
Page last modified: 14 August 2008
Page published: 26 April 2002