Problems of Development of the Water Industry for Providing the Population of Russia with Pure Water

Summary

The water industry is the most important factor in modernization of the economy and development of not only large but also small cities and settlements. The development of housing and communal complex, oriented on the provision of the guaranteed access of the population to potable water of high quality is considered as a task of national significance. The decision of problems of the water industry requires highly qualified staff. Investing in training them is the most important and well paid back part of investments. Russia can and should become one of the world leaders in the sphere of rational water use, application of innovative technologies in practice, the complete provision of the population with pure potable water. For this it is necessary to unite the efforts of the professional community, state and local authorities.

Key words

water supply , sewerage , best available techniques , ecology , water use , legislation , personnel policy

Switch over to the technologic regulation of effluent discharges from municipal wastewater treatment facilities: ten years track record and recommendations after the adoption of the complete package of regulatory legal acts

Summary

On behalf of the participants in the process, a description of the concept of technological regulation of wastewater discharges from settlements, the development and adoption of legislative acts for the switch over to the new system is given. The paper dwells upon the adoption of the final regulatory legal act (Government Decree of September 2020 No. 1430), completing the development of a legislative framework designed to put an end on the use of fishery maximum permissible concentrations as wastewater discharge standards. Explanations are given on the relationship between the status of the provisions of the updated information and technical reference book ITS 10-2015 and the specified resolution in different applications. Recommendations are given for municipal wastewater treatment facilities and engineering companies on priority actions in the preparation and drawing up of applications for integrated environmental permits and design specifications and estimates according to the new regulations. Attention is drawn to the fact that switching over to a new regulation system requires assigning a category to a water body (performed by Rosvodresursy); otherwise the application of the process parameters established by the Government of the Russian Federation is impossible. The specific features of designing treatment facilities in the new regulation system are noted.

Keywords

treatment facilities , wastewater , best available techniques , legislation , discharge regulation , technological indicators , public sanitation systems of settlements , information and technical reference book ITS 10 , water body category

State of the system of regulating discharges of pollutants
and improvement of water body protection mechanisms

Summary

The suggestions on amending the basic principles of effluent discharge regulations are presented including: abolition of the «zero impact» principle (the requirement to meet MPC in water bodies irrespective of their actual state and technical capacities); waiving the use of MPC as a regulation basis and applying MPC for monitoring and analysis, as a guide in water quality management in water bodies; drawing the industrial branch inventories of regulated and chargeable pollutants; permitting the discharge of unlisted (undefined by standard analyses) substances for which no MPCs have been developed provided the effluent toxicity standard and other aggregate parameters have been met. The suggested system of catchment area-technological regulation that does not use the instruments of permissible discharge regulations and limits is described. It is concluded that the state has to take the control over water basins as opposed to the present onlooker position. It is suggested to unbureacratize drastically the procedure of issuing pollution discharge permits and introduce open-ended permits (potentially hazardous objects); to issue environmental permits using «one-stop» principle (including sanitary, fishery waters aspects etc.); to combine the procedures of environmental impact assessment and discharge permit issue. Limiting with subsequent banning the use in the products (manufactured and imported) of substances either environmentally harmful or increasing the load on wastewater treatment facilities, in the first instance phosphate-containing washing powders is suggested. It is suggested to revise the Russian legal framework related to the given aspect. The need for developing and adopting the legislation «On the protection of water bodies from wastewater pollution», «On the comprehensive monitoring and protection from pollution», «On limiting and banning the use of separate substances producing negative impact on water bodies» is substantiated.

Key words

wastewater , legislation , environmental protection , regulation of pollutant discharges , water pool