This is a presentation given during the 12th EWA Brussels Conference “EU Water Policy and Sustainable Development” about storm water sewage overflows management at european level.
There is a need to improve the management of this policy in several European countries.
1. 12th EWA Brussels Conference
“EU Water Policy and
Sustainable Development”
Storm water overfows
Challenges
Bruno rakedjian - European Commission
Directorate General for Environment
Unit C.2 - Marine Environment & Water Industry
2. Main result of UWWTD
implementaton in 2012
2
Storm water
sewage overflows
Compliance results at EU-28, EU-15 and EU-13 level regarding
Articles 3 (collection), 4 (secondary treatment) and 5 (more
stringent treatment). Average values are reflected, weighted by
pollution load generated by individual Member States.
3. Study
Storm water
sewage overflows
3
The Outcome of the study
Synthesis
EU legislaton, internatonal conventons (RSCs and river
basin commissions)
Member States: regulatons and guidance and US
approach
Overview of storm water overfows in the Member States
Literature review on potental health risks
• htps://circabc.europa.eu/w/browse/e00a649a-7eb4-40b3-9b19-f5ace7a80e08
4. Main results
Lack of knowledge at local/natonal/European level
A policy that has stll to be achieved in lots of
countries
Remaining risks related to these emissions on
environment and health
4
Storm water
sewage overflows
5. Main remaining risks
Microbiological contaminaton of water
Chemical contaminaton of water and
sediments
Oxygen depleton in water bodies
Marine liter/micro plastc contaminaton
5
Storm water
sewage overflows
6. Uncontrolled Urbanisaton
More impervious areas (more emission of pollutants)
Climate change
Change of frequency and intensity of rain events
(more emission of pollutants)
Higher seasonal reducton of the fow of rivers
(less diluton)
Increase in the temperature of water bodies
(acceleraton in bacteries development)
Antmicrobial resistance
Three ongoing
threats
6
Storm water
sewage overflows
7. Why is it so important to reduce
storm water sewage overfows?
To implement correctly the European
directves to protect environment
and people health
7
Storm water
sewage overflows
8. Related to lots of diferent European or
internatonal water regulatons:
• Under the Implementaton programme of the Urban
waste water treatment directve 91/271/EC treated except
under unusually heavy rainfall
• Under the bathing water profles of the bathing water
directve (BWD) 2006/7/EC Good or excellent quality
• Under the programme of measures of the Water
framework directve (WFD) 2000/60/EC good ecological and
chemical status, protected areas objectves (shellfsh, bathing water, …)
8
Implement EU
requirements
Storm water
sewage overflows
9. • Under the programme of measures of the Marine Strategy
Framework directve (MSFD) 2008/56/EC good environmental
status, shellfsh protecton, marine liter reducton,…
• under the inventory of the sources of polluton, the
quantty of organic pollutants, the circulaton of
pollutants to protect bivalve molluscs producton areas
regulaton 854/2004 Insure quality for human consumpton specifcally
to avoid fecal, toxin and chemical contaminaton
• under the target of the World sustainable development
goal 6 Halving the proporton of untreated waste water by 2030
• Natura 2000, groundwater, drinking water, foods, farm
animal protecton,…
9
Implement EU
requirements
Storm water
sewage overflows
10. Why is it so important to reduce
storm water sewage overfows
The example of E-coli contaminaton
(e.g. water leisure actvites, shellfsh
consumpton, water abstracton for
agriculture) 10
Storm water
sewage overflows
12. Why is it so important to reduce
storm water sewage overfows
More and more a politcal concern
that has to do with cites atractveness
(bathing water, shellfsh, water leisure
actvites,…) 12
Storm water
sewage overflows
13. 25/08/2015
Politcal strong reacton of a mayor in France afer a
beach polluton due to storm water overfows from
another city.
13
http://
www.20minutes.fr/montpellier/1672575-20150825-montpellier-peut-plus-continu
er-comme-ca-alerte-maire-palavas
Storm water
sewage overflows
14. 14
Storm water
sewage overflows
The solutions
Acton plans
Implementaton of natonal rain water overfows acton
plan (artcle 17 of the UWWTD)
Check that measures related to this topic are
implemented if there are the reason of bad quality:
in the bathing water profles of the BWD
in the programmes of measures of the WFD and
MSFD.
15. 15
Storm water
sewage overflows
Monitoring measures
Building natonal storm water overfows and storage tank
databases
•
establish indicators to follow the actons plans and
programme of measures and identfy beter this pressure
Agglomeratons of more than 100 000 p.e.
(4% of the agglomeratons ≈ 50% of the total generated
waste water load)
The solutions
16. 16
Storm water
sewage overflows
Storm water
sewage overflows
The solutions
Informaton measures
Improve transparency
Implement beter alert system
at natonal/local level
to prevent contact
with contaminated water
17. 17
Agglomeraton not
compliant
Bathing water in
poor quality
Natura 2000
Storm water
sewage overflows
The solutions
Use INSPIRE services to
share the informaton and
increase knowledge
E.g. Urban waste water
natonal website that
includes not only detailed
informaton about urban
waste water but also
EEA bathing water, Natura
2000, Soe layers
htp://uwwtd.oieau.fr/
18. 18
Storm water
sewage overflows
At source measures
Artcle 191 of the treaty on the functoning of
the European Union
"preventve acton should be taken"
"environmental damage should as a priority be
rectfed at source"
"the polluter should pay"
The solutions
19. Top priority NWRMs
Natural water retenton measures in urban areas
to limit the introducton of rain water
in combined sewer collectng systems.
19
Storm water
sewage overflows
Commission contributon:
best practces website
htp://www.nwrm.eu/
The solutions
20. 20
Storm water
sewage overflows
NWRMs to be implemented in priority because they
have mid/long term efects but provides mult
benefts…
• Improve water quality and quantty
• Improve air quality
• Improve biodiversity
• Contribute to climate mitgaton
• Contribute to fooding preventon
• Increase recreatonal areas…
Improve quality of life to all citzens
The solutions
21. 21
Other solutons have to be implemented
Optmisaton of rain storage in collectng systems
storage tank(s) related to the collectng system and/or
the treatment plant
Increase in the capacity of pumping staton(s)
Increase in the capacity of the treatment plant
Increase in the capacity of the collectng system
The solutionsStorm water
sewage overflows
22. What about building separate collectng systems?
The solutions
Storm water
sewage overflows
Advantages
No more combine sewage overfows if
correctly built
Disadvantages
Double the cost of the collectng system
Generate bad connectons (rain in
sewage system and sewage in rain
drainage system)
If not treated or infltrated, polluted
rain water directly discharged in water
bodies (heavy metals, oil, macro and
micro waste, PAH…)
Impossibility to avoid malicious acts
Acceleraton in foodings
22
23. Excessive costsStorm water
overflows
23
Use the possibilites ofered by the UWWTD directve
concerning excessive costs.
Annex I.A of the UWWTD
• Excessive costs have to be justfed
• It does not allow to do nothing
• It allows progressive implementaton of the projects
24. 24
CONCLUSION
Storm water
overflows
What MS and local authorites have to do
A beter knowledge and transparency
A beter management of this policy
Start now implementng Natural water retenton
measures
Implementaton of measures to reduce emissions
under the existng regulatons
25. Thank you for your atten
Bruno Rakedjian
bruno.rakedjian@ ec.europa.eu
