Guidelines to Statutory Order on the Licensing of Waste Water Discharges

Foreword

The rules governing Danish administrative practices in matters pertaining to waste water management are embodied in the Environmental Protection (Consolidation) Act (Consolidated Act No. 698 of 22 September 1998 as amended).

Part 3 of the Environmental Protection Act deals with the protection of soil and ground water, while Part 4 addresses the protection of surface waters.

These two parts of the Environmental Protection Act establish the main legal framework for Statutory Order No. 501 of 21 June 1999 on the licensing of waste water discharges pursuant to Parts 3 and 4 of the Environmental Protection Act, which lays down specific rules for the administrative procedures to be followed by regional and local authorities in these matters.

Statutory Order No. 501 of 21 June 1999 supersedes Statutory Order No. 310 of 25 April 1994 on the licensing of waste water discharges pursuant to Parts 3 and 4 of the Environmental Protection Act (‘the Waste Water Management Order’).

The new Waste Water Management Order of 21 June 1999 is largely a rewritten version of the previous Order.

However, it also introduces several new provisions to follow up on Act No. 325 of 14 May 1997 to amend the Environmental Protection Act and the Act on payment rules for waste water installations etc. (waste water treatment in rural areas etc.).

Like its predecessor, the new Waste Water Management Order contains provisions to implement Council Directive 91/271 concerning urban waste water treatment ("the Urban Waste Water Directive") as amended (Commission Directive 98/15/EC) and Council Directive 80/68 on the protection of ground water against pollution by certain dangerous substances.

Based on the new Waste Water Management Order and Parts 3 and 4 of the Environmental Protection Act, the Guidelines describe current practice in this area.

In addition, Chap. 16 of the Guidelines describe the application of Statutory Order No. 921 of 8 October 1996 on quality standards for surface waters and emission standards for certain dangerous substances discharged to watercourses, lakes or the sea to provide a background for the provisions of Statutory Order No. 501 on the setting of quality standards for water bodies and emission standards for waste water effluents containing such substances.

Thus, the objective of these Guidelines is to provide a full review of the legislative basis for administrative practice in the area of waste water management.

These Guidelines supersede:

	Circular No. 92 of 17 April 1994 on waste water.
	Circular No. 73 of 21 April 1980 on the discharge of waste water into the ground.
	Circular No. 58 of 30 May 1986 on the discharge of waste water into watercourses, lakes and the sea.
	Guidelines No. 42 of 11 January 1988 on emission limit values for certain substances discharged from municipal waste water systems into watercourses, lakes or the sea.