Trade Effluent Discharge Consent Applications

GPT Environmental are experienced in obtaining trade effluent discharge consents for our clients. We can advise on the appropriate application you will need to make, complete the application on your behalf and undertake any modifications to site which would be necessary for a consent to be granted.

Why would I need a trade effluent discharge consent?

If your activities on site create trade effluent which is discharged to the foul sewer you will be required to hold a trade effluent discharge consent supplied by the local sewerage undertaker (Water Company). If you do not have a discharge consent and are discharging trade effluent to the foul system you are breaking the law and can be prosecuted by the Regulator under the Water Industries Act 1991. The most common cases where sites need a discharge consent include vehicle washing, process water discharge, chemical manufacturing, engineering and treating condensate from compressors.

There are also temporary trade effluent discharges, these include heating system flushing and groundwater remediation practices.

What will I need to provide as part of my discharge consent application?

The process involved in applying for a discharge consent varies slightly between sewerage providers but will require the same basic information. You will be required to provide, as a minimum:

• Type and volume of proposed trade effluent discharge
• Substances that will be in your discharge
• Sample data
• Drainage plans for your site
• Details of any treatment on site

You will also be required to provide:

• Flow monitoring equipment
• A safe and accessible location to sample discharges

If you are granted a discharge consent you will be given parameters which your effluent must meet e.g. pH, TPH, COD etc. Periodic sampling must be undertaken of your discharge and if parameters are exceeded you must report any reasons for the exceedances.

Will I be granted a discharge consent?

Once you have made an application the sewer provider will assess the capacity of the sewer and the impact discharges will have at the receiving wastewater treatment works, and grant or deny a discharge consent as appropriate. We have extensive experience in liaising with sewerage undertakers in order to obtain discharge consents on behalf of our clients, and while we cannot always guarantee our clients will be successful in their application our expertise will help to give applicants the best chance of submitting a successful application.

Discharge consent applications typically take 2 months to be assessed so it is important that an application passes first time to avoid disturbances to your business.

Making alterations to site to gain a discharge consent

Often in order to gain a discharge consent you will be required to install equipment/treatment processes on site to reduce levels of certain parameters to acceptable levels. We can advise and undertake any necessary works in order to obtain a discharge consent, liaising with the sewerage undertaker to ensure proposed measures are adequate to their requirements.Common alterations we conduct include:

• Installation of separators
• Drainage alterations
• Installation of silt traps
• Installation of effluent tanks
• Installation of water attenuation controls
• Installing flow monitors
• Installing sampling equipment