Firms must wake up to new waste water legislation or face big fines

Manufacturers need to "wake up" when it comes to changes in waste water legislation, otherwise they may face hefty charges from "clued up" water companies, according to Yara Industrial.

The water treatment company claims that new EU legislation looks set to come into force next year, which will reduce the legal amount of hydrogen sulphide (H2S) in water from five parts per million (ppm) to one ppm.

H2S in water can give off a toxic gas, which causes irritability, dizziness and creates a foul odour.

"Because of changing legislation, we anticipate that fines from environmental agencies will shoot up, as well as water treatment charges," said Mark Haselden, sales area manager for environmental and speciality products at Yara Industrial.

"Clued-up water companies have already started to respond to the legislation threat by tracing septic water back to processing plants and increasing their treatment charges," he said.

But often water is pumped two or three miles away from processing facilities and during its journey to water treatment works it can mix with waste water from other sources.

"Because of this, it is becoming harder for manufacturers to prove H2S levels in waste water before it leaves the site," he added.

Manufacturers, such as Robert Wiseman Dairies, are paying companies like Yara to take regular H2S samples on site to prove levels in waste water before it leaves.

Manufacturers are also recycling water in an attempt to reduce their water footprint.

"But recirculated water often gets septic when the content of organic material is too high and bacterial degradation occurs," said Geoff McMaughtrie, technical development manager of Yara.