Article 21 · Directive (EU) 2024/3019

Contents

Article 21Monitoring#

1.Member States shall ensure that competent authorities or appropriate bodies monitor:

(a)discharges from urban wastewater treatment plants in order to verify compliance with the requirements of Part B of Annex I in accordance with the methods for monitoring and evaluation of results laid down in Part C of Annex I; that monitoring shall include loads and concentrations of the parameters listed in Part B of Annex I;

(b)the amounts, composition and destination of sludge, taking into account the requirements of Directive 86/278/EEC for sludge intended to be used in agriculture;

(c)the quantities per year and per month of urban wastewater reused for agricultural irrigation that is subject to a derogation referred to in Article 15(1); the nutrient content of the fraction of reused urban wastewater for agricultural irrigation and the period during which that fraction is reused compared to the monthly water and nutrient demand of the crops targeted by that reused urban wastewater;

(d)the GHGs, including at least CO₂, N₂O, CH₄, emitted from urban wastewater treatment plants of 10000 p.e. and above by means of analysis, calculations or modelling where appropriate;

(e)the energy used and produced by the owners of urban wastewater treatment plants treating a load of 10000 p.e. and above, or by the operators of such plants, regardless of whether it is used or generated on-site or off-site, in line with the requirements referred to in Article 11(2), as well as the energy purchased under the derogations referred to in Article 11(3) and (4).

2.For all agglomerations referred to in Article 5(1) and (3), Member States shall ensure that competent authorities, appropriate bodies or operators of the collecting system carry out representative monitoring, at relevant points, of storm water overflows into water bodies and of discharges of urban runoff from separate systems, in order to estimate the concentration and loads of the parameters listed in Table 1 of Annex I, and, where relevant, in Table 2, as well as the content of microplastics and relevant pollutants. Member States may use the results of that monitoring for the purposes of modelling where appropriate.

4.The Commission is empowered to adopt implementing acts in order to establish methodologies for measuring, estimating and modelling direct and indirect GHG emissions from urban wastewater treatment plants, and microplastics in urban wastewater and sludge. Those implementing acts shall be adopted by 2 July 2027 in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 28(2).

5.The Commission shall adopt implementing acts in order to establish a methodology for measuring ‘PFAS Total’ and ‘Sum of PFAS’ in urban wastewater. Those implementing acts shall be adopted by 2 January 2027 in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 28(2).

6.On the basis of the report of the Member States, the Commission may adopt implementing acts in order to specify a minimum list of relevant pollutants likely to be found in urban wastewater and to develop a methodology for identifying relevant pollutants likely to be found in urban wastewater, taking into account the local conditions and the risk assessment carried out under relevant Union law as well as criteria and frequency for revising the exclusion of some pollutants as set out in paragraph 3, second subparagraph, of this Article. Those implementing acts shall be adopted in accordance with the examination procedure referred to in Article 28(2).

Defined terms · 27

Show every defined term

agglomeration
means an area where the population expressed in population equivalent, combined or not with economic activities, is sufficiently concentrated for urban wastewater to be collected and conducted to one or more urban wastewater treatment plants or to one or more final discharge points;
antimicrobial resistance
means the ability of micro-organisms to survive or to grow in the presence of a concentration of an antimicrobial agent which is usually sufficient to inhibit or kill micro-organisms of the same species;
biomedia
means any support, usually made of plastic, used for the development of the bacteria needed for the treatment of urban wastewater;
collecting system
means a system of conduits which collects and conducts urban wastewater;
combined sewer
means a single conduit that collects and conducts urban wastewater, including urban runoff;
dilution ratio
means the ratio of the average over the last five years of annual flow of the receiving waters at the point of discharge to the average over the last five years of the annual discharge volume of urban wastewater into surface waters;
domestic wastewater
means wastewater from residential settlements, services and institutions which originates predominantly from the human metabolism or from household activities, or from both;
eutrophication
means the enrichment of water by nutrients, especially compounds of nitrogen or phosphorus, or both, causing an accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organisms present in the water and to the quality of the water concerned;
individual system
means a sanitation facility that collects, stores, treats or disposes of domestic wastewater from buildings or parts of buildings not connected to a collecting system.
load
means the amount of organic biodegradable matter measured as BOD5 in urban wastewater, expressed in p.e., or of any pollutant or nutrient, expressed in mass units per time;
micropollutant
means a substance as defined in Article 3(1) of Regulation (EC) No 1907/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, including its breakdown products, that is usually present in the aquatic environment, urban wastewater or sludge and that can be considered hazardous to the environment or human health on the basis of the relevant criteria set out in Parts 3 and 4 of Annex I to Regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, even in low concentrations;
non-domestic wastewater
means wastewater, other than domestic wastewater and urban runoff, which is discharged from premises used for the exercise of a trade or industrial or economic activities;
One Health
means One Health as defined in Article 3, point (7), of Regulation (EU) 2022/2371 of the European Parliament and of the Council;
placing on the market
means the first making available of a product on the market of a Member State;
primary treatment
means treatment of urban wastewater by a physical or chemical process, or both, involving settlement of suspended solids, or other processes in which the BOD5 of the incoming wastewater is reduced by at least 20 % before discharge and the total suspended solids of the incoming wastewater are reduced by at least 50 %;
producer
means any manufacturer, importer or distributor that on a professional basis places products on the market of a Member State, including by means of distance contracts as defined in Article 2(7) of Directive 2011/83/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council;
producer responsibility organisation
means a nationally recognised organisation established to enable producers to fulfil their obligations under Articles 9 and 10;
public concerned
means the public affected or likely to be affected by, or having an interest in, the taking of a decision for the implementation of the obligations laid down in Article 6, 7 or 8 of this Directive;
quaternary treatment
means treatment of urban wastewater by a process which reduces a broad spectrum of micropollutants in urban wastewater;
sanitation
means facilities and services for the safe, hygienic, secure, and socially and culturally acceptable management and disposal of human urine and faeces, and for the changing and disposal of menstrual products, that provide privacy and ensure dignity;
secondary treatment
means treatment of urban wastewater by a process generally involving biological treatment with a secondary settlement or another process which reduces biodegradable organic matter from urban wastewater;
separate sewer
means a conduit that separately collects and conducts one of the following:
sludge
means organic and inorganic residue resulting from the treatment of urban wastewater from an urban wastewater treatment plant, excluding grit, grease, other debris and any other screenings and residues from the pre-treatment step;
storm water overflow
means discharge of untreated urban wastewater into receiving waters from combined sewers caused by precipitation or system failures;
tertiary treatment
means treatment of urban wastewater by a process which reduces nitrogen or phosphorus, or both, in urban wastewater;
urban runoff
means precipitation in agglomerations collected by combined or separate sewers;
urban wastewater
means any of the following: