Joint workshop on Enhancing efficiency and sustainability of Water Supply and Sanitation presentation - Nele Frederike Rosenstock, Revision of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive, EC

1. European Commission DG Environment
Nele Rosenstock
Revision of the Urban Waste Water
Treatment Directive
ENHANCING SUSTAINABILITY AND EFFICIENCY OF WSS
PROVISION
15-16 June 2021
Disclaimer: The views expressed are purely those of the writer
and may not under any circumstances be regarded as stating
an official position of the European Commission.

2. • Draft policy measures
• Consultation strategy
• Roadmap
• Externalized studies
PREPARATION
• OECD
• Established models for impacts &
costs
• 2 baselines: 2016 + full compliance
• Expert engagement
METHODOLOGY
• Evaluation
• Information from Member States
& operators + consultation on
modelling assumptions
• Literature review
DATA
COLLECTION
• Quantification/modelling by
JRC
• Triangulation of evidence
ANALYSIS
• Web-meetings
• Speed dates
• Stakeholder workshops
• Conference with DE presidency
• Online public consultation
STAKEHOLDER
CONSULTATION
• Impact assessment
• Proposal
Q1 2022
1 2 3 3 4 5
Approach to the impact assessment

3. Long list of policy measures
Storm water
overflows, runoff
Small
agglomerations
Individual
systems
Nutrients Sensitive areas
Contaminants of
emerging
concern
Sludge
management
Industrial
discharges
Energy
use/production +
climate footprint
Monitoring
Reporting and
information to
the public
Governance

4. State of play – individual systems
0.6%
0%
8%
3%
6%
2%
0% 3%
10%
1.1%
0% 0%
11%
4%
4%
3%
4%
5%
0% 0%
6%
0%
1.3%
0%
5%
15%
0.5%
0
500,000
1,000,000
1,500,000
2,000,000
2,500,000
3,000,000
3,500,000
AT
BE
BG
CY
CZ
DE
DK
EE
EL
ES
FI
FR
HR
HU
IE
IT
LT
LU
LV
MT
NL
PL
PT
RO
SE
SI
SK
UK
Waste
water
load
[Million
p.e.]
The use of IAS in
Member States in
2016 [waste water
load of all
agglomerations in
each Member State
expressed in million
p.e. and in percent of
the total generated]
Source: European Commission (2020). 10th implementation report

5. A combination of measures
will be needed
What is the problem?
SD=agglomerations <2 000 p.e., CSO=combined sewer overflows, IAS=individual or other
appropriate systems, The total urban waste water generated is about 612 mio p.e.
Source: JRC Science for Policy, 2019, Water quality in Europe: the effects of the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive
Small agglomerations
• Source of pollution
• Source of GHG emissions
• Lack of investments
• High use of IAS
Individual and other appropriate
systems
• Source of pollution to surface and
groundwater (esp. drinking water)
• Source of GHG emissions
• Can implicate health issues
• In cases, too much used as
alternative to collecting systems
• Lack of clear definition
• Problem with EN standard 12566
• Not always well maintained and
monitored

6. Policy measures for small agglomerations
A combination of measures
will be needed
Objective: Protection of
the environment and
climate
Policy
measures
Threshold
1 000 or
500 p.e.
Risk-based
approach/
link to WFD
Definitions
“agglomeration”
“appropriate
treatment”
“population
equivalent”
Disclaimer: all measures may be subject to changes over the course of the IA

7. Policy measures for individual and other
appropriate systems
A combination of measures
will be needed
Objective: Protection of
the environment and
climate
A combination of measures
will be needed
Policy
measures
Definition of
IAS
“equivalent
protection of
the
environment”
Construction
Products
Regulation
Standard
Connect where
a system exists
Reduce IAS to
extent possible
(rural vs urban)
Improved
maintenance
National control
and inspection
strategies
Reporting to EC
and reduction
Disclaimer: all measures may be subject to changes over the course of the IA

8. Investments:
polluter pays &
investing where
it makes sense
Administrative
burden
vs
timely provision
of relevant data
Risk-based
approach
and/vs
EU targets
Fit for the
future &
appropriate
deadlines
Control at source
and/vs
end-of-pipe
action
Implementation
&
Enforceability
Some over-arching considerations
?

9. Type Topic // Result Time
Roadmap
• Roadmap for impact assessment displaying first
ideas for revision
July-September 2020
Conference with DE
• Nutrients and micropollutants October 2020
(summaries and ppts
available on CIRCABC)
Speed dates • Targeted input on draft ideas October 2020
Technical workshops*
• Joint EEA-ENV reporting workshop
• Joint sludge and waste water in the circular
economy and climate change
• Costs and benefits
March-May 2020
(summaries and ppts
available on CIRCABC)
Ongoing and upcoming stakeholder consultations
Open public consultation
All topics // measures
Contribute here: Have your say!
28 April -21 July 2021
Technical workshop Integrated sewer management 22 June 2021
Stakeholder conference Preliminary findings of impact assessment October 2021
How to contribute?
If interested to join, please contact: ENV-URBAN-WASTE-WATER@ec.europa.eu

10. Thank you