Advances in Water Treatment and Enviromental Management

Chapter 5CONTROL OF DANGEROUSSUBSTANCES IN UK SURFACEWATERST F Zabel (Water Research Centre, UK)ABSTRACTThe Environmental Quality Objective (EQO) approach is being widely appliedin the UK for the control of discharges to surface waters. The basis of theEQO approach is the definition of beneficial uses of fresh and saline watersand the setting of Environmental Quality Standards (EQSs) to protect theuses with consent conditions for discharges being set so as to meet therelevant EQSs in the receiving waters. However, in response to the MinisterialConference on the Protection of the North Sea in 1987, the UK has adoptedthe dual approach (applying uniform emission standards (UESs) and EQSswhichever are the more stringent) for the control of particularly dangerous“Red List” substances. The paper describes the approach adopted in the UKfor the control of dangerous substances, with special emphasis on the controlof the “Red List” substances, and the procedure used in the UK for derivingEQS values and for setting limit values for effluent discharges to meet theEQSs in the receiving waters.1. INTRODUCTIONAlthough legislation to control pollution of surface water dates back to thePublic Health Act of 1875, which made it an offence to pollute certain waters,the EC Directive on the Control of Dangerous Substances (76/464/EEC)has been the most far-reaching measure to achieve a reduction or eliminationof pollution of surface waters by dangerous substances (CEC 1976). Thispaper summarises the legislation adopted in the UK to control pollutionand discusses the approaches used in the UK to control the discharge ofdangerous substances to the aquatic environment.2. UK POLLUTION CONTROL LEGISLATIONIn the UK, Parliament adopts the enabling legislation to control pollutionincluding discharges to sewers. The legislation provides the general©1991 Elsevier Science Publishers Ltd, EnglandWater Treatment—Proceedings of the 1 st International Conference, pp. 43–5443