In 2005, the Baix Ebre and Montsià County Councils signed an agreement with the ACA to manage the system, which gives it the powers to inspect, control and, where appropriate, sanction the wastewater discharges made. by industrial establishments. This task, carried out by the CODE technicians, has made it possible to obtain a broader knowledge of the typology of the establishments connected to the system and of the situation and location of their connections, as well as the characterization of the respective discharges.
The discharge inspection and control service routinely controls the industrial discharge points to the sanitation network, in order to minimize the polluting load, raise awareness in the industrial fabric so that the discharges made conform to the Regulation of Sanitation and, consequently, improve the quality of the receiving aquatic environments.
Functions
- Economic management of the local inspection services (Baix Ebre and Montsià).
- Annual planning of the inspection of the census of establishments in Baix Ebre and Montsià.
- Inspection function in pollution episodes not related to the periodic control.
- Technical management of inspection contracts (laboratory) in the Baix Ebre and Montsià regions.
- Management and updating of the census of discharges to the Baix Ebre and Montsià system.
- Drafting of permits for connection to the collector in discharge, of permits for the discharge of industrial wastewater to the sewerage network and of permits for the discharge of wastewater from septic tanks by means of a tanker truck, by concession of the corresponding authorization.
- Sensitization of the industrial fabric so that all discharges made in the district sanitation systems, comply with the Regulation of Public Sanitation Services.
- The service is empowered to impose administrative sanctions derived from non-compliance with current regulations on discharges.
Objectives
- Increase inspection pressure on industrial wastewater discharges.
- Effectively and efficiently manage incidents of industrial wastewater discharges.
- Do a more specific monitoring and control of discharges to the network and especially in those facilities that detect serious problems of discharge.
- Carry out an inspection program of the collectors in discharge in order to have a better control of the activities and the system where they discharge, in this way it will be much easier to detect possible sources of contamination and to know what the state of conservation of the collectors.
Inspection protocol
The Technical Service for Inspection and Control of Discharges (CODE) carries out a program of inspections to industrial establishments, the discharges of wastewater that may affect the public sanitation system and its operation.
The inspection action begins:
a) ex officio, control inspections as an initiative of the CODE technicians and verification of the DUCA (scheduled by the ACA).
under complaint
b) The inspection begins with a visit to the industrial establishment that generates wastewater, without prior notice. The representative of the activity has the obligation to attend the inspector without delay. When the facilities are accessed, the person who owns the activity accompanies the inspector to the sample collection point. After taking the samples, the inspection staff (laboratory hired by the County Council or the technical manager of CODE) have the powers to access the rest of the facilities. Finally, an inspection report is drawn up where the actions carried out are documented.
The inspection protocol is regulated by "Decree 130/2003, of May 13, Regulation of Public Sanitation Services":
http://www.copate.cat/resources/backoffice/ca/pdf/sanejament/documents/…
Discharge census
Through the Discharge Authorization, the pollution that industrial activities may entail is regulated and controlled, which allows regulating the discharges to the system and establishing a census of discharges from the establishments that discharge into the network.
With the aim of inspecting more efficiently, the CODE carries out a continuous update of the census of discharge to the system, in the Baix Ebre and Montsià regional area there are currently more than 440 activities registered.
Non-domestic users, whose activity is included in sections C, D and E of the 1993 CCAE, are part of this census, that is, potentially polluting or generating discharges of more than 6,000 m3 / year.
Discharge prohibitions and limits
Companies must comply with limitations and prohibitions to regulate pollution at source, which is one of the most effective measures to minimize the impact of discharges on the environment.
It is prohibited:
a) The discharge of the substances that are established in Annex 1 of the Regulation of Public Sanitation Services.
b) The dilution to achieve emission levels that allow its discharge into the system, except in cases of extreme emergency or imminent danger and, in any case, prior communication to the managing body.
c) The discharge of white water and rainwater to the wastewater system when an alternative technical solution can be adopted due to the existence of a separative network of rainwater or a public channel in the environment of the activity. Otherwise, a specific permit must be obtained to carry out these discharges.
Non-domestic discharges containing substances of those established in Annex 2 of the Regulation of Public Sanitation Services must respect the limitations established.
