Pollutant Emissions to Water
E-PRTR Reporting requirements
Thematic Eionet Workshop 11 September 2008
Content of the presentation
Reporting obligations of the register
PRTR Reporting cycle vs other legal obligation
Focus on:
Point sources
Diffuse sources
Off-site transfers
Data access and Confidentiality
Further streamlining opportunities
What is EPER/European PRTR? An on-line register with data on Industrial
Releases
From EPER to E-PRTREuropean Pollutant Emission Register,
based on IPPC Directive
12,000 facilities
Triennial data (2001 and 2004)
50 substances and 32 different sectors
Threshold values about 90% of the emissions of the industrial facilities
European Pollutant Release and
Transfer Register, based on EPER
Annual data from 2009 91 substances emitted from 65
different sectors (56 are IPPC activities)
71 are water pollutants (including priority substances)
Extended scope:
• Off-site transfer of waste and of pollutants in wastewater
• Emissions caused by accidents on the site
• Releases to air, water (going into surface water body) and land
• Diffuse emissions
System = data flow+quality control+register
The register is cost effective tool for:
1) Enhance harmonisation of data collection and transfer system
2) Monitor compliance
3) Setting priorities (knowledge based decision)
4) Raising environmental awareness
Existing pollutants inventories
PRTR
Reporting obligations of the register
Information to be reported by MS on a regular base
- Data collected by operators (yearly)
1. Release thresholds e.g. chromium emitted to water 50 kg/a (not activity based, coverage 90% of total releases par pollutant)
2. Indicative sector-specific sub-list of pollutants in the Guidance Document
3. Indication of parent company
4. Coding activities (according Annex I)
5. Release determination – analytical method and sampling methodologies measured (M), calculated (C) or estimated (E)
Direct emission releases vs off-site transfers
Releases of pollutants into air: (A, D)
Releases of pollutants into water: (B,E,F)
Off-site transfer of pollutants into wastewater: (C)
Threshold values for releases to water apply also in respect to the offsite transfer of pollutants in waste water
surface water
air
Production of paper and board and other primary wood products
Main Annex I activity
Production of pulp from timber or similar fibrous materials
Main Annex I activity
Thermal power plant
Annex I activityWWTP
Facility P, Operator P Facility Q, Operator Q
air
A
B
C
FE
D
cooling water
Other installation
Non-Annex I activity
Detail of reported data
PRTR Reporting cycle vs other legal obligation
E-PRTR point sources
Every year - starting from 2007
(on-line 2009)
Releases into water prior to treatment as well as after treatments
E-PRTR diffuse sources
Ideally between 3-6 years Disaggregated data (total annual
emissions from PRTR facilities)
WFD every 6 years Aggregated data Identification of point and diffuse
sources EQS between 2008-2010
Inventory of emissions, discharges and losses of all priority substances and pollutants for each RBD
UWWT every 2 years
disaggregated data
European PRTR – waste water transfers
Off-site transfers of each pollutant destined for waste-water treatment
Thresholds e.g. Total nitrogen 50 000 Kg/y
Total phosphorus 5000 Kg/y M measured; Analytical method used C calculated; Calculation method used E estimated Additional data from activity 5(g) IOWWTPs (independently operated waste water treatment plants) for
reporting year 2007:
Name, address, permitted capacity in m3/day
Annual loads of [TOC, Zn, Cu, AOX] released to water and off-site transfers of waste water
To review the capacity threshold by 2010 the releases from facilities below 10,000 m3/day are needed:
Apply the “90% rule” to the received data: 90% of the total load of the pollutant shall be included in the reporting by facilities above the capacity threshold.
Emission calculation
No measurement available ?
For waste : use factors agreed on international, national or sectoral level which, for example, indicate the waste amount in relation to the material produced or the input of raw material.
For water : mass balance or rough estimation, no emission factor approved internationally. EU WISE project (Water Framework Directive)
A coordinated effort:
MS and operators cooperate to improve the quality of data
Community wide electronic database informs the public about important pollutants emissions, mainly from IPPC installation
Watch-dog: opportunity for the public to submit inputs, comments and information
Register functionalities
Data accessibility:
• Tabular queries
• Geographical queries
• Graph chart
• Data download
Nitrogen releases direct to water
Nitrogen releases off-site transfer
Data access and Confidentiality
Full data access
- Emissions releases (ton/year)
- Geographical coordinates
- ID facility
- Facility name *
- Parent company name
- Facility address
- River Basin District
- Main economic activity
- NACE II code
Confidentiality claim
- Pollutant > pollutant group
- * Natural person (agriculture)
- Waste
- Waste water
Data gap analysis I
Getting the numbers to match up: making sure that what is reported is based on common data and approaches and has cross checking and reporting on differences
Improving the accuracy of reported data: Includes a focus on actually using facility level data in national estimates and improving national statistics and the use of data from other instruments.
Removing reporting duplication: Focussing on what steps/changes are needed to reduce duplicative/redundant reporting elements. Develop SEIS type eReporting ideas.
Data gap analysis II
Releases from diffuse sources
- Gathering existing data
91 pollutants / agriculture, aviation, construction, domestic fuel combustion, fossil fuel distribution, SMEs, solvent use-road traffic
- Compile an EU-wide inventory
- When data is not available > Initiate corresponding reporting
Further streamlining opportunities
Link and harmonise Facility ID (WISE-PRTR-IPPC-ETS) > SEIS
Traceability
Link numerical and descriptive data to spatial data > Integration of different database
Apportionment: point source (UWWT~IOWWT) and diffuse sources identification
Link emissions releases (discharge) and accidental releases (losses) into water bodies with discharge point ID and coordinates
Compare aggregated data (WISE) and disaggregated data (PRTR)
Eu-wide inventory for diffuse source (multi-pollutants, multi-sectors) > promote
Conclusions
EPRTR Regulation Art.5 & 9 contains rules for determining how to collect data
Operator is responsible for data collection and quality assurance
MS responsible for quality assessment
No ranking between M, C and E
Best available information
Internationally approved methodologies
Importance of measurement for waste and water
Traceability
Data transformation according to different user needs ( PRTR data are very good for data aggregation)
European PRTR
For more information…
DG ENV industrial emissions website http://www.ec.europa.eu/environment/ippc/index.htm
EPER >E-PRTR website
www.eper.ec.europa.eu/
Thanks for your attention
Dania Cristofaro
DG Environment - Directorate C Climate Change&Air Unit 4 Industrial Emissions & Protection of the ozone layer
E-mail: [email protected]