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Current State of regulation
regarding Storm water overflows
11th EWA conference "Water challenges in Europe"
17 November 2015
European Commission Directorate General for Environment
Unit C.2 - Marine Environment & Water Industry Bruno Rakedjian
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Study about storm water overflows
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Main objective: assessment of the situation
• EU legislation, international conventions (RSCs and river basin commissions)
• Member States: regulations and guidance
• US approach
• Overview of storm water overflows in the Member States
• Literature review on potential health risks
A new study Storm water overflows
• focused on agglomerations equipped with combine collecting systems
• Start: January 2015 • Foreseen end: December 2015
Direct and indirect impacts
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Pressure and impact
Storm water overflows
Bathing & Recreational water use
Impervious urban area
Combine collective system
Rain drainage system
Land
Runoff from land
Change of quality in the receiving water body or downstream
Pressure • Solid matters included
macro and micro Litter • Chemicals (N, P, heavy
metals,…) • Pathogens • Macro and micro Litter
Eutrophication
Agricultural activities (animal watering, irrigation, water reuse)
Water and food Consumption (drinking water, shellfish,…)
Biodiversity (fish, animal plants mortality, ,…)
Morphology
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• Change of frequency and intensity of rain events
• Highest seasonal reduction of the outflow of water (less dilution,…)
• Increase in the temperature of water bodies (microbiological impact)
Increase in pressure and impact
Climate change Impacts
Storm water overflows
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Health risks Storm water overflows
Transmission pathway for water-related infections
Number of diseases assessed (based on ECDC)
Number of diseases that could be associated with storm water overflows
Ingestion of faecal pathogens 13 4
Water contact, inhalation of accidental ingestion
3 2
Insect vector 4 1
TOTAL
20 7
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Health risks Storm water overflows
Transmission pathway Diseases that could be associated with storm water overflows
Ingestion of faecal pathogens
Gastro-intestinal diseases, caused by • Campylobacter • Cryptosporidium • Giardia • Enteroviruses, e.g. rotavirus, norovirus
Water contact, inhalation of accidental ingestion
Dermatological infections, caused by • Cyanobacteria – linked to euthrophication • Staphylococcus aureus • Tinea corporis (ringworm)
Insect vector (mosquito) • West Nile Fever
Basic requirements
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• Article 10 about designing of the treatment plants
• Annex I.A. and footnote (1) about collecting system
Need to take into account rain water entering the sewage collecting systems and this waste water has to be treated at the level required by the directive except under exceptional circumstances such as "unusually heavy rainfall"
Possibility is given to MS to choose their national approach to reduce storm water overflow pollution (dilution rate, number of overflows, capacity related to dry weather,…)
Regulation UWWTD 91/271/EC
Storm water overflows
Measures have to be implemented when this pressure is the reason of not meeting the
objective(s) of an other European regulation
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• In the bathing water profiles of the bathing water directive (BWD) 2006/7/EC (Good or excellent quality)
• In the programme of measures of the Water framework directive (WFD) 2000/60/EC (good ecological and
chemical status, shellfish protection)
• In the programme of measures of the Marine Strategy Framework directive (MSFD) 2008/56/EC (good ecological
and chemical status, shellfish protection, marine litter reduction,…)
• Drinking water, natura 2000, …
Other EU regulation
Storm water overflows
Specific requirements exist also at international level
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• HELCOM (Rec. 23-5): management of storm waters and limit oil in storm waters; possible measures (dry street cleaning, local inflitration systems, 10 overflows a year)
• OSPAR (marine litter plan): use of Best Available Techniques (BAP) and Best environmental practices (BEP) to reduce and prevent storm water waste;
Conventions and Commissions
Storm water overflows
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National regulation
Storm water overflows
All MS address issue at some level • 16 EU Member States have national standards that
regulate storm water overflows
• 11 EU Member States have guidance documents that directly address storm water overflows
• Common approaches in standards and guidance: • Limit on the number of overflows (e.g. Belgium
(Flanders), Poland, Portugal)
• Requirements for dilution rates (e.g. Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Estonia)
• Other approaches seen: max total volume, or max number of days of overflows
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National Situation
Storm water overflows
Knowledge and data on the occurrence of storm
water overflows (Source: Member State fact sheets developed
under this project)
For most of the countries lack of knowledge at national level,
Impossible to calculate a volume or a rate of storm water overflows and to compare the situation between MS
No publicly available data found
Estimates available
Precise quantitative data
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National Situation
Storm water overflows
A risk based approach has been implemented taking into account the type of collecting
systems, the intensity of the rain events or flooding in a country
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National Situation
Storm water overflows
Number of major floods between 2000-2015
(Source: EM-DAT; International disaster database)
Percentage of heavy rain days (>10 mm) relative to total number of rain
days (Source: ECAD; European Climate
Assessment & Dataset)
Percentage of combined sewers
(Source: Member State fact sheets developed under this project)
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• Specific policy launched in 1994
• Permits and long term control plans have to be established at local level.
• Control policy
• Promotion of green infrastructure
• Public information
US situation Storm water
overflows
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Best practices transparency
Storm water overflows
http://www.sas.org.uk/map/ https://www.vmm.be/water/riolering/evaluatie-
saneringsinfrastructuur/overstortwerking2013.png/view
UK
Flanders
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Best practices Measures
Storm water overflows
Natural water retention measures in urban areas to limit the introduction of rain water in combine collecting systems Commission contribution: http://www.nwrm.eu/
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Conclusion (1) Storm water overflows
• Storm water overflow create pressure and
impact on Health and Environment
• This topic concerns lots of different European or international water regulations
• Member states approaches are different
• High difference of knowledge among Member States
• US has implemented a specific federal policy to improve the situation included local permit and action plan and a federal control policy
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Conclusion (2) Storm water overflows
• Storm water overflows have to be reduced in order to meet the requirements of National/European/World regulations to protect health and environment
• Basic measures have to be implemented to comply with the UWWTD (collection and treatment of waste water except under exceptional circumstances)
• Complementary measures have to be implemented
when needed to meet the quality objectives of other regulations
• Pressure have not to be analysed only at local level but also as regards their potential downstream impact (litter, persistant pollutants)
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Next STEPs Storm water overflows
• Need to increase knowledge at national/regional/local level (monitoring, modelling,…)
• Need to implement national action plans when the situation is not compliant (e.g. national programme requested under Article 17 of the UWWTD)
• Concrete Measures have to be introduced in requested
programmes of measures (WFD, MSFD, BWD, …)
• Natural Water Retention Measures and their multi-factorial benefits are good practices that can be implemented without waiting for better knowledge
Nothing has been decided yet by DG ENV about the following of
this study that will be finished at the end of 2015. Further discussions are needed.
