All discharges to the aquatic environment from waste water networks that are owned, managed and operated by Uisce Éireann require a waste water discharge licence or certificate of authorisation* from the EPA. Uisce Éireann is required to apply to the EPA for a licence or certificate of authorisation by set dates, depending on the population equivalent of the area served by the sewer network.
The dates by which licence applications were to be made to the EPA are set out in SCHEDULE 2 of the Waste Water Discharge (Authorisation) Regulations 2007 (S.I. No. 684 of 2007). The schedule of dates are as follows:
| Population equivalent of agglomeration | Prescribed Date |
|---|---|
|
Discharges from agglomerations with population equivalent of more than 10,000 |
14 December 2007 |
|
Discharges from agglomerations with population equivalent of 2,001 to 10,000 |
22 September 2008 |
|
Discharges from agglomerations with population equivalent of 1,001 to 2,000 |
28 February 2009 |
|
Discharges from agglomerations with population equivalent of 500 to 1,000 |
22 June 2009 |
It should be noted that discharges from agglomerations not included in the above table (i.e. with a population equivalent of less than 500) must have applied to the EPA for a certificate of authorisation by 22nd December 2010.
* A system for the licensing or certification of waste water discharges (WWD) from areas served by Uisce Éireann sewer networks was brought into effect by Mr John Gormley, Minster for the Environment, Heritage and Local Government on 27th September 2007. The licensing and certification authorisation process was introduced on a phased basis commencing on 14th December 2007 in accordance with the requirements of the European Union (Waste Water Discharge) Regulations 2007 to 2020.
