REMOVAL OF PRIORITY SUBSTANCES BY CONVENTIONAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PROCESSES: FUTURE REQUIREMENTS AND POTENTIAL COSTS
Dr Arthur Thornton, Karyn Georges and Dr Sean Comber,
Atkins Ltd
(free)
The Water Framework Daughter Directive (WFD) sets environmental quality standards (EQS)
for Annex X Priority Substances. It also requires Member States to set EQS for Specific
Pollutants. Most of these EQS are tighter than values currently in use in the UK. Several of
the substances of interest are ubiquitous in domestic sewage and source control options may
either be too costly or ineffective. As a result, these new EQS may lead to wastewater
treatment works (WwTW) requiring costly and environmentally unfavourable additional
treatment.
This paper presents the results from a recent project sponsored by UK Water Industry
Research Ltd (UKWIR) to determine the cost of compliance with the WFD. A monitoring
programme was conducted to assess the presence in and removal of Priority Substances by
conventional wastewater treatment processes. This information, along with the
characteristics of UK WwTW including available dilution and the likely numeric discharge
consent conditions was used to estimate that the cost to the water industry of complying with
tighter consents set under the WFD will be in the region of £billions. In addition, it is expected
that the additional treatment will lead to an increase in carbon emissions and wastes
generated from the water industry.
KEY WORDS
Carbon; Compliance; Cost; Priority Substances; removal; wastewater
