1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 1
This document is meant purely as a documentation tool and the institutions do not assume any liability for its contents
►B COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of21May1991
concerningurbanwastewatertreatment
(91/271/EEC)
(OJ L 135, 30.5.1991, p. 40)
Amended by:
Official Journal
No page date
►M1Commission Directive 98/15/EC of 27 February 1998 L 67 29 7.3.1998
►M2Regulation (EC) No 1882/2003 of the European Parliament and of the
Council of 29 September 2003L 284 1 31.10.2003
Corrected by:
►C1Corrigendum, OJ L 139, 2.6.1999, p. 34 (98/15/EC)
▼B
COUNCILDIRECTIVE
of21May1991
concerningurbanwastewatertreatment
(91/271/EEC)
THE COUNCIL OF THE EUROPEAN COMMUNITIES,
Having regard to the Treaty establishing the European Economic
Community, and in particular 130s thereof,
Having regard to the proposal from the Commission (1),
Having regard to the opinion of the European Parliament (2),
Having regard to the opinion of the Economic and Social
Committee (3),
Whereas the Council Resolution of 28 June 1988 on the protection of
the North Sea and of other waters in the Community (4) invited the
Commission to submit proposals for measures required at Communitylevel for the treatment of urban waste water;
Whereas pollution due to insufficient treatment of waste water in one
Member State often influences other Member States' waters; whereasin accordance with Article 130r, action at Community level is neces-sary;
Whereas to prevent the environment from being adversely affected by
the disposal of insufficiently-treated urban waste water, there is ageneral need for secondary treatment of urban waste water;
Whereas it is necessary in sensitive areas to require more stringent
treatment; whereas in some less sensitive areas a primary treatment
could be considered appropriate;
Whereas industrial waste water entering collecting systems as well as
the discharge of waste water and disposal of sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants should be subject to general rules or regulationsand/or specific authorizations;
Whereas discharges from certain industrial sectors of biodegradable
industrial waste water not entering urban waste water treatment plantsbefore discharge to receiving waters should be subject to appropriaterequirements;
Whereas the recycling of sludge arising from waste water treatment
should be encouraged; whereas the disposal of sludge to surface watersshould be phased out;
Whereas it is necessary to monitor treatment plants, receiving waters
and the disposal of sludge to ensure that the environment is protected
from the adverse effects of the discharge of waste waters;
Whereas it is important to ensure that information on the disposal of
waste water and sludge is made available to the public in the form ofperiodic reports;
Whereas Member States should establish and present to the Commis-
sion national programmes for the implementation of this Directive;
Whereas a Committee should be established to assist the Commission
on matters relating to the implementation of this Directive and to itsadaptation to technical progress,1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 2
(1) OJ No C 1, 4. 1. 1990, p. 20 and
OJ No C 287, 15. 11. 1990, p. 11.
(2) OJ No C 260, 15. 10. 1990, p. 185.
(3) OJ No C 168, 10. 7. 1990, p. 36.
(4) OJ No C 209, 9. 8. 1988, p. 3.
▼B
HAS ADOPTED THIS DIRECTIVE:
Article 1
This Directive concerns the collection, treatment and discharge of
urban waste water and the treatment and discharge of waste waterfrom certain industrial sectors.
The objective of the Directive is to protect the environment from the
adverse effects of the abovementioned waste water discharges.
Article 2
For the purpose of this Directive:
1. ‘urban waste water’ means domestic waste water or the mixture of
domestic waste water with industrial waste water and/or run-offrain water;
2. ‘domestic waste water’ means waste water from residential settle-
ments and services which originates predominantly from thehuman metabolism and from household activities;
3. ‘industrial waste water’ means any waste water which is
discharged from premises used for carrying on any trade or
industry, other than domestic waste water and run-off rain water;
4. ‘agglomeration’ means an area where the population and/or
economic activities are sufficiently concentrated for urban waste
water to be collected and conducted to an urban waste water treat-ment plant or to a final discharge point;
5. ‘collecting system’ means a system of conduits which collects and
conducts urban waste water;
6. ‘1 p.e. (population equivalent)’ means the organic biodegradable
load having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5) of 60g of oxygen per day;
7. ‘primary treatment’ means treatment of urban waste water by a
physical and/or chemical process involving settlement of suspendedsolids, or other processes in which the BOD5 of the incomingwaste water is reduced by at least 20 % before discharge and the
total suspended solids of the incoming waste water are reduced by
at least 50 %;
8. ‘secondary treatment’ means treatment of urban waste water by a
process generally involving biological treatment with a secondarysettlement or other process in which the requirements establishedin Table 1 of Annex I are respected;
9. ‘appropriate treatment’ means treatment of urban waste water by
any process and/or disposal system which after discharge allowsthe receiving waters to meet the relevant quality objectives andthe relevant provisions of this and other Community Directives;
10. ‘Sludge’ means residual sludge, whether treated or untreated, from
urban waste water treatment plants;
11. ‘eutrophication’ means the enrichment of water by nutrients, espe-
cially compounds of nitrogen and/or phosphorus, causing an
accelerated growth of algae and higher forms of plant life to
produce an undesirable disturbance to the balance of organismspresent in the water and to the quality of the water concerned;
12. ‘estuary’ means the transitional area at the mouth of a river
between fresh-water and coastal waters. Member States shall estab-lish the outer (seaward) limits of estuaries for the purposes of thisDirective as part of the programme for implementation in accor-dance with the provisions of Article 17 (1) and (2);
13. ‘coastal waters’ means the waters outside the low-water line or the
outer limit of an estuary.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 3
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Article 3
1. Member States shall ensure that all agglomerations are provided
with collecting systems for urban waste water,
— at the latest by 31 December 2000 for those with a population
equivalent (p.e.) of more than 15000, and
— at the latest by 31 December 2005 for those with a p.e. of between
2 000 and 15 000.
For urban waste water discharging into receiving waters which are
considered ‘sensitive areas’ as defined under Article 5, Member Statesshall ensure that collection systems are provided at the latest by 31
December 1998 for agglomerations of more than 10000 p.e.
Where the establishment of a collecting system is not justified either
because it would produce no environmental benefit or because it would
involve excessive cost, individual systems or other appropriate systems
which achieve the same level of environmental protection shall beused.
2. Collecting systems described in paragraph 1 shall satisfy the
requirements of Annex I (A). These requirements may be amended in
accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 18.
Article 4
1. Member States shall ensure that urban waste water entering
collecting systems shall before discharge be subject to secondary treat-ment or an equivalent treatment as follows:
— at the latest by 31 December 2000 for all discharges from agglom-
erations of more than 15 000 p.e.,
— at the latest by 31 December 2005 for all discharges from agglom-
erations ofbetween 10 000 and 15 000 p.e.,
— at the latest by 31 December 2005 for discharges to fresh-water and
estuaries from agglomerations of between 2 000 and 10000 p.e.
2. Urban waste water discharges to waters situated in high mountain
regions (over 1 500 m above sea level) where it is difficult to apply aneffective biological treatment due to low temperatures may besubjected to treatment less stringent than that prescribed in paragraph
1, provided that detailed studies indicate that such discharges do not
adversely affect the environment.
3. Discharges from urban waste water treatment plants described in
paragraphs 1 and 2 shall satisfy the relevant requirements of Annex
I.B. These requirements may be amended in accordance with the proce-
dure laid down in Article 18.
4. The load expressed in p.e. shall be calculated on the basis of the
maximum average weekly load entering the treatment plant during the
year, excluding unusual situations such as those due to heavy rain.
Article 5
1. For the purposes of paragraph 2, Member States shall by 31
December 1993 identify sensitive areas according to the criteria laiddown in Annex II.
2. Member States shall ensure that urban waste water entering
collecting systems shall before discharge into sensitive areas be subjectto more stringent treatment than that described in Article 4, by 31December 1998 at the latest for all discharges from agglomerations ofmore than 10000p.e.
3. Discharges from urban waste water treatment plants described in
paragraph 2 shall satisfy the relevant requirements of Annex I B. Theserequirements may be amended in accordance with the procedure laiddown in Article 18.
4. Alternatively, requirements for individual plants set out in para-
graphs 2 and 3 above need not apply in sensitive areas where it canbe shown that the minimum percentage of reduction of the overall1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 4
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load entering all urban waste water treatment plants in that area is at
least 75 % for total phosphorus and at least 75 % for total nitrogen.
5. Discharges from urban waste water treatment plants which are
situated in the relevant catchment areas of sensitive areas and whichcontribute to the pollution of these areas shall be subject to paragraphs2, 3 and 4.
In cases where the above catchment areas are situated wholly or partly
in another Member State Article 9 shall apply.
6. Member States shall ensure that the identification of sensitive
areas is reviewed at intervals of no more than four years.
7. Member States shall ensure that areas identified as sensitive
following review under paragraph 6 shall within seven years meet the
above requirements.
8. A Member State does not have to identify sensitive areas for the
purpose of this Directive if it implements the treatment establishedunder paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 over all its territory.
Article 6
1. For the purposes of paragraph 2, Member States may by 31
December 1993 identify less sensitive areas according to the criterialaid down in Annex II.
2. Urban waste water discharges from agglomerations of between
10 000 and 150000 p.e. to coastal waters and those from agglomater-
ions of between 2 000 and 10 000 p.e. to estuaries situated in areas
described in paragraph 1 may be subjected to treatment less stringentthan that prescribed in Article 4 providing that:
— such discharges receive at least primary treatment as defined in
Article 2 (7) in conformity with the control procedures laid downin Annex I D,
— comprehensive studies indicate that such discharges will not
adversely affect the environment.
Member States shall provide the Commission with all relevant informa-
tion concerning the abovementioned studies.
3. If the Commission considers that the conditions set out in para-
graph 2 are not met, it shall submit to the Council an appropriateproposal.
4. Member States shall ensure that the identification of less sensitive
areas is reviewed at intervals of not more than four years.
5. Member States shall ensure that areas no longer identified as less
sensitive shall within seven years meet the requirements of Articles 4and 5 as appropriate.
Article 7
Member States shall ensure that, by 31 December 2005, urban waste
water entering collecting systems shall before discharge be subject toappropriate treatment as defined in Article 2 (9) in the following cases:
— for discharges to fresh-water and estuaries from agglomerations of
less than 2 000 p.e.,
— for discharges to coastal waters from agglomerations of less than
10000 p.e.
Article 8
1. Member States may, in exceptional cases due to technical
problems and for geographically defined population groups, submit a
special request to the Commission for a longer period for complying
with Article 4.
2. This request, for which grounds msut be duly put forward, shall
set out the technical difficulties experienced and must propose anaction programme with an appropriate timetable to be undertaken to1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 5
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implement the objective of this Directive. This timetable shall be
included in the programme for implementation referred to in Article17.
3. Only technical reasons can be accepted and the longer period
referred to in paragraph 1 may not extend beyond 31 December 2005.
4. The Commission shall examine this request and take appropriate
measures in accordance with the procedure laid down in Article 18.
5. In exceptional circumstances, when it can be demonstrated that
more advanced treatment will not produce any environmental benefits,
discharges into less sensitive areas of waste waters from agglomera-
tions of more than 150000 p.e. may be subject to the treatmentprovided for in Article 6 for waste water from agglomerations ofbetween 10000 and 150000 p.e.
In such circumstances, Member States shall submit beforehand the rele-
vant documentation to the Commission. The Commission will examine
the case and take appropriate measures in accordance with the proce-
dure laid down in Article 18.
Article 9
Where waters within the area of jurisdiction of a Member State are
adversely affected by discharges of urban waste water from anotherMember State, the Member State whose waters are affected may notifythe other Member State and the Commission of the relevant facts.
The Member States concerned shall organize, where appropriate with
the Commission, the concertation necessary to identify the dischargesin question and the measures to be taken at source to protect the watersthat are affected in order to ensure conformity with the provisions ofthis Directive.
Article 10
Member States shall ensure that the urban waste water treatment plants
built to comply with the requirements of Articles 4, 5, 6 and 7 are
designed, constructed, operated and maintained to ensure sufficientperformance under all normal local climatic conditions. Whendesigning the plants, seasonal variations of the load shall be takeninto account.
Article 11
1. Member States shall ensure that, before 31 December 1993, the
discharge of industrial waste water into collecting systems and urban
waste water treatment plants is subject to prior regulations and/orspecific authorizations by the competent authority or appropriate body.
2. Regulations and/or specific authorization shall satisfy the require-
ments of Annex I C. These requirements may be amended inaccordance with the procedure laid down in Article 18.
3. Regulations and specific authorization shall be reviewed and if
necessary adapted at regular intervals.
Article 12
1. Treated waste water shall be reused whenever appropriate.
Disposal routes shall minimize the adverse effects on the environment.
2. Competent authorities or appropriate bodies shall ensure that the
disposal of waste water from urban waste water treatment plants is
subject to prior regulations and/or specific authorization.
3. Prior regulations and/or specific authorization of discharges from
urban waste water treatment plants made pursuant to paragraph 2within agglomerations of 2 000 to 10 000 p.e. in the case of dischargesto fresh waters and estuaries, and of 10 000p.e. or more in respect ofall discharges, shall contain conditions to satisfy the relevant require-1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 6
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ments of Annex I B. These requirements may be amended in accor-
dance with the procedure laid down in Article 18.
4. Regulations and/or authorization shall be reviewed and if neces-
sary adapted at regular intervals.
Article 13
1. Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 2000 biodegrad-
able industrial waste water from plants belonging to the industrial
sectors listed in Annex III which does not enter urban waste watertreatment plants before discharge to receiving waters shall beforedischarge respect conditions established in prior regulations and/orspecific authorization by the competent authority or appropriate body,in respect of all discharges from plants representing 4 000 p.e. or more.
2. By 31 December 1993 the competent authority or appropriate
body in each Member State shall set requirements appropriate to the
nature of the industry concerned for the discharge of such waste water.
3. The Commission shall carry out a comparison of the Member
States' requirements by 31 December 1994. It shall publish the results
in a report and if necessary make an appropriate proposal.
Article 14
1. Sludge arising from waste water treatment shall be re-used when-
ever appropriate. Disposal routes shall minimize the adverse effects onthe environment.
2. Competent authorities or appropriate bodies shall ensure that
before 31 December 1998 the disposal of sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants is subject to general rules or registration orauthorization.
3. Member States shall ensure that by 31 December 1998 the
disposal of sludge to surface waters by dumping from ships, bydischarge from pipelines or by other means is phased out.
4. Until the elimination of the forms of disposal mentioned in para-
graph 3, Member States shall ensure that the total amount of toxic,persistent or bioaccumulable materials in sludge disposed of to surface
waters is licensed for disposal and progressively reduced.
Article 15
1. Competent authorities or appropriate bodies shall monitor:
— discharges from urba waste water treatment plants to verify compli-
ance with the requirements of Annex I.B in accordance with thecontrol procedures laid down in Annex I.D,
— amounts and composition of sludges disposed of to surface waters.
2. Competent authorities or appropriate bodies shall monitor waters
subject to discharges from urban waste water treatment plants and
direct discharges as described in Article 13 in cases where it can beexpected that the receiving environment will be significantly affected.
3. In the case of a discharge subject to the provisions of Article 6
and in the case of disposal of sludge to surface waters, Member Statesshall monitor and carry out any other relevant studies to verify that thedischarge or disposal does not adversely affect the environment.
4. Information collected by competent authorities or appropriate
bodies in complying with paragraphs 1, 2 and 3 shall be retained inthe Member State and made available to the Commission within sixmonths of receipt of a request.
5. Guidelines on the monitoring referred to in paragraphs 1, 2 and 3
may be formulated in accordance with the procedure laid down inArticle 18.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 7
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Article 16
Without prejudice to the implementation of the provisions of Council
Directive 90/313/EEC of 7 June 1990 on the freedom of access to
information on the environment (1), Member States shall ensure that
every two years the relevant authorities or bodies publish situationreports on the disposal of urban waste water and sludge in their areas.These reports shall be transmitted to the Commission by the MemberStates as soon as they are published.
Article 17
1. Member States shall by 31 December 1993 establish a
programme for the implementation of this Directive.
2. Member States shall by 30 June 1994 provide the Commission
with information on the programme.
3. Member States shall, if necessary, provide the Commission by 30
June every two years with an update of the information described in
paragraph 2.
4. The methods and formats to be adopted for reporting on the
national programmes shall be determined in accordance with the proce-dure laid down in Article 18. Any amendments to these methods andformats shall be adopted in accordance with the same procedure.
5. The Commission shall every two years review and assess the
information received pursuant to paragraphs 2 and 3 above and publish
a report thereon.
Article 18
1. The Commission shall be assisted by a committee.2. Where reference is made to this Article, Articles 5 and 7 of Deci-
sion 1999/468/EC (
2) shall apply, having regard to the provisions of
Article 8 thereof.
The period laid down in Article 5(6) of Decision 1999/468/EC shall be
set at three months.
3. The Committee shall adopt its rules of procedure.
Article 19
1. Member States shall bring into force the laws, regulations and
administrative provisions necessary to comply with this Directive no
later than 30 June 1993. They shall forthwith inform the Commissionthereof.
2. When Member States adopt the measures referred to in paragraph
1, they shall contain a reference to this Directive or shall be accompa-nied by such a reference on the occasion of their official publication.
The methods of making such a reference shall be laid down by the
Member States.
3. Member States shall communicate to the Commission the texts of
the main provisions of national law which they adopt in the fieldgoverned by this Directive.
Article 20
This Directive is addressed to the Member States.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 8
(1) OJ No L 158, 23. 6. 1990, p. 56.
(2) Council Decision 1999/468/EC of 28 June 1999 laying down the procedures
for the exercise of implementing powers conferred on the Commission (OJ
L 184, 17.7.1999, p. 23).▼M2
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ANNEX I
REQUIREMENTSFORURBANWASTEWATER
A.Collectingsystems (1)
Collecting systems shall take into account waste water treatment require-
ments.
The design, construction and maintenance of collecting systems shall be
undertaken in accordance with the best technical knowledge not entailing
excessive costs, notably regarding:
— volume and characteristics of urban waste water,
— prevention of leaks,
— limitation of pollution of receiving waters due to storm water overflows.
B.Discharge from urban waste water treatment plants to receiving
waters(1)
1. Waste water treatment plants shall be designed or modified so that repre-
sentative samples of the incoming waste water and of treated effluent can
be obtained before discharge to receiving waters.
2. Discharges from urban waste water treatment plants subject to treatment
in accordance with Articles 4 and 5 shall meet the requirements shown in
Table 1.
3. Discharges from urban waste water treatment plants to those sensitive
areas which are subject to eutrophication as identified in Annex II.A (a)
shall in addition meet the requirements shown in Table 2 of this Annex.
4. More stringent requirements than those shown in Table 1 and/or Table 2
shall be applied where required to ensure that the receiving waters satisfy
any other relevant Directives.
5. The points of discharge of urban waste water shall be chosen, as far as
possible, so as to minimize the effects on receiving waters.
C.Industrialwastewater
Industrial waste water entering collecting systems and urban waste water
treatment plants shall be subject to such pre-treatment as is required in order
to:
— protect the health of staff working in collecting systems and treatment
plants,
— ensure that collecting systems, waste water treatment plants and asso-
ciated equipment are not damaged,
— ensure that the operation of the waste water treatment plant and the treat-
ment of sludge are not impeded,
— ensure that discharges from the treatment plants do not adversely affect
the environment, or prevent receiving water from complying with other
Community Directives,
— ensure that sludge can be disposed of safety in an environmentally
acceptable manner.
D.Reference methodsformonitoringandevaluationofresults
1. Member States shall ensure that a monitoring method is applied which
corresponds at least with the level of requirements described below.
Alternative methods to those mentioned in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 may be
used provided that it can be demonstrated that equivalent results are
obtained.
Member States shall provide the Commission with all relevant informa-
tion concerning the applied method. If the Commission considers that
the conditions set out in paragraphs 2, 3 and 4 are not met, it will submit
an appropriate proposal to the Council.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 9
(1) Given that it is not possible in practice to construct collecting systems and treatment
plants in a way such that all waste water can be treated during situations such asunusually heavy rainfall, Member States shall decide on measures to limit pollutionfrom storm water overflows. Such measures could be based on dilution rates or capa-city in relation to dry weather flow, or could specify a certain acceptable number of
overflows per year.
▼B
2. Flow-proportional or time-based 24-hour samples shall be collected at the
same well-defined point in the outlet and if necessary in the inlet of the
treatment plant in order to monitor compliance with the requirements for
discharged waste water laid down in this Directive.
Good international laboratory practices aiming at minimizing the degra-
dation of samples between collection and analysis shall be applied.
3. The minimum annual number of samples shall be etermined according to
the size of the treatment plant and be collected at regular intervals during
the year:
— 2 000 to 9 999p.e.: 12 samples during the first year.
four samples in subsequent years, if
it can be shown that the water
during the first year complies with
the provisions of the Directive; if
one sample of the four fails, 12
samples must be taken in the year
that follows.
— 10000 to 49999p. e.: 12 samples.
— 50000 p.e. or over: 24 samples.
4. The treated waste water shall be assumed to conform to the relevant para-
meters if, for each relevant parameter considered individually, samples of
the water show that it complies with the relevant parametric value in the
following way:
(a) for the parameters specified in Table 1 and Article 2 (7), a maximum
number of samples which are allowed to fail the requirements,
expressed in concentrations and/or percentage reductions in Table 1
and Article 2 (7), is specified in Table 3;
(b) for the parameters of Table 1 expressed in concentrations, the failing
samples taken under normal operating conditions must not deviate
from the parametric values by more than 100 %. For the parametric
values in concentration relating to total suspended solids deviations of
upto 150 % may be accep ted;
(c) for those parameters specified in Table 2 the annual mean of the
samples for each parameter shall conform to the relevant parametric
values.
5. Extreme values for the water quality in question shall not be taken into
consideration when they are the result of unusual situations such as those
due to heavy rain.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 10
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Table 1: Requirements for discharges from urban waste water treatment plants subject to Articles 4
and 5 of the Directive. The values for concentration or for the percentage of reduction shall
apply.
Parameters ConcentrationMinimum percentage
of reduction (1)Reference method of
measurement
Biochemical oxygen
demand (BOD5 at 20 ºC)
without nitrification (2)25 mg/l O270-90
40 under Article 4
(2)Homogenized, unfiltered,
undecanted sample. Deter-
mination of dissolved
oxygen before and after
five-day incubation at 20
ºC ± 1 ºC, in complete
darkness. Addition of a
nitrification inhibitor
Chemical oxygen demand
(COD)125 mg/l O275 Homogenized, unfiltered,
undecanted sample Potas-
sium dichromate
Total suspended solids 35 mg/l (3)
35 under Article 4
(2) (more than
10000 p.e.)
60 under Article 4
(2) (2 000-10 000
p.e.)90(3)
90 under Article 4
(2) (more than
10000 p.e.)
70 under Article 4
(2) (2 000-10000
p.e.)— Filtering of a represen-
tative sample through a
0,45 µm filter
membrane. Drying at
105 ºC and weighing
— Centrifuging of a
representative sample
(for at least five mins
with mean acceleration
of 2 800 to 3200 g),
drying at 105 ºC and
weighing
(1) Reduction in relation to the load of the influent.
(2) The parameter can be replaced by another parameter: total organic carbon (TOC) or total oxygen demand (TOD)
if a relationshipcan be established between BOD5 and the substitute p arameter.
(3) This requirement is optional.
Analyses concerning discharges from lagooning shall be carried out on filtered samples; however, the
concentration of total suspended solids in unfiltered water samples shall not exceed 150 mg/l.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 11
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Table 2: Requirements for discharges from urban waste water treatment plants to sensitive areas
which are subject to eutrophication as identified in Annex II.A(a). One or both parameters
may be applied depending on the local situation. The values for concentration or for the
percentage of reduction shall apply.
Parameters ConcentrationMinimum percentage
of reduction (1)Reference method of
measurement
Total phosphorus ►C12 mg/l
(10000 —
100000 p.e.) ◄80 Molecular absorption spec-
trophotometry
1 mg/l (more than
100000 p.e.)
Total nitrogen (2) 15 mg/l (10000-
100000p.e.) (3)70-80 Molecular absorption spec-
trophotometry
10 mg/l (more
than 100000
p.e.) (3)
(1) Reduction in relation to the load of the influent.
(2) Total nitrogen means the sum of total Kjeldahl nitrogen (organic and ammoniacal nitrogen) nitrate-nitrogen and
nitrite-nitrogen.
(3) These values for concentration are annual means as referred to in Annex I, paragraph D.4(c). However, the
requirements for nitrogen may be checked using daily averages when it is proved, in accordance with Annex I,paragraph D.1, that the same level of protection is obtained. In this case, the daily average must not exceed 20mg/l of total nitrogen for all the samples when the temperature from the effluent in the biological reactor issuperior or equal to 12 ºC. The conditions concerning temperature could be replaced by a limitation on the
time of operation to take account of regional climatic conditions.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 12
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Table 3
Series of samples taken in any yearMaximum permitted number of samples
which fail to conform
4-7 1
8-16 2
17-28 3
29-40 4
41-53 5
54-67 668-81 7
82-95 8
96-110 9
111-125 10
126-140 11
141-155 12
156-171 13
172-187 14
188-203 15
204-219 16
220-235 17
236-251 18
252-268 19
269-284 20
285-300 21
301-317 22
318-334 23
335-350 24
351-365 251991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 13
▼B
ANNEX II
CRITERIA FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SENSITIVE AND LESS SENSI-
TIVEAREAS
A.Sensitiveareas
A water body must be identified as a sensitive area if it falls into one of the
following groups:
(a) natural freshwater lakes, other freshwater bodies, estuaries and coastal
waters which are found to be eutrophic or which in the near future may
become eutrophic if protective action is not taken.
The following elements might be taken into account when considering
which nutrient should be reduced by further treatment:
(i) lakes and streams reaching lakes/reservoirs/closed bays which are
found to have a poor water exchange, whereby accumulation may
take place. In these areas, the removal of phosphorus should be
included unless it can be demonstrated that the removal will have
no effect on the level of eutrophication. Where discharges from
large agglomerations are made, the removal of nitrogen may also
be considered;
(ii) estuaries, bays and other coastal waters which are found to have a
poor water exchange, or which receive large quantities of nutrients.
Discharges from small agglomerations are usually of minor impor-tance in those areas, but for large agglomerations, the removal of
phosphorus and/or nitrogen should be included unless it can be
demonstrated that the removal will have no effect on the level of
eutrophication;
(b) surface freshwaters intended for the abstraction of drinking water which
could contain more than the concentration of nitrate laid down under the
relevant provisions of Council Directive 75/440/EEC of 16 June 1975
concerning the quality required of surface water intended for the abstrac-
tion of drinking water in the Member States (
1) if action is not taken;
(c) areas where further treatment than that prescribed in Article 4 of this
Directive is necessary to fulfil Council Directives.
B.Lesssensitiveareas
A marine water body or area can be identified as a less sensitive area if the
discharge of waste water does not adversely affect the environment as a
result of morphology, hydrology or specific hydraulic conditions which exist
in that area.
When identifying less sensitive areas, Member States shall take into account
the risk that the discharged load may be transferred to adjacent areas where
it can cause detrimental environmental effects. Member States shall recog-
nize the presence of sensitive areas outside their national jurisdiction.
The following elements shall be taken into consideration when identifying
less sensitive areas:
open bays, estuaries and other coastal waters with a good water exchange
and not subject to eutrophication or oxygen depletion or which are consid-
ered uhlikely to become eutrophic or to develop oxygen depletion due to
the discharge of urban waste water.1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 14
(1) OJ No L 194, 25. 7. 1975, p. 26 as amended by Directive 79/869/EEC (OJ No L 271,
29. 10. 1979, p. 44).
▼B
ANNEX III
INDUSTRIALSECTORS
1. Milk-processing
2. Manufacture of fruit and vegetable products3. Manufacture and bottling of soft drinks
4. Potato-processing
5. Meat industry6. Breweries
7. Production of alcohol and alcoholic beverages
8. Manufacture of animal feed from plant products9. Manufacture of gelatine and of glue from hides, skin and bones
10. Malt-houses
11. Fish-processing industry1991L0271 — EN — 20.11.2003 — 002.001 — 15