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Urban wastewater treatment (from 2027)
SUMMARY OF:
WHAT IS THE AIM OF THE DIRECTIVE?
- Directive (EU) 2024/3019 revises European Union (EU) rules on urban wastewater treatment as part of the EU’s zero-pollution action plan and European Green Deal objectives.
- The new rules tighten requirements for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water, to protect the environment and human health, in line with the one health approach. Furthermore, the revised directive extends the application of water reuse and energy neutrality requirements for wastewater treatment, sets rules for monitoring waste water for health parameters and for access to sanitation for all, and strengthens the polluter pays principle.
- It will replace Directive 91/271/EEC as from .
KEY POINTS
Collecting systems
- EU Member States must collect and treat waste water from all agglomerations1 above 1,000 population equivalent (p.e.) – reduced from the threshold of 2,000 set in the previous rules.
- All agglomerations of 2,000 p.e. or above are equipped with collecting systems, and all their domestic wastewater sources are connected to these systems.
- Agglomerations of between 1,000 and 2,000 p.e. must comply with these obligations by .
- Integrated urban wastewater management plans are required for agglomerations of 100,000 p.e. or above by 2033, with a deadline of 2039 for agglomerations at risk with a p.e. of between 10,000 and 100,000.
Secondary treatment (removing biodegradable organic matter)
- By 2035, for agglomerations of more than 1,000 p.e., a secondary treatment must be applied before it is discharged into the environment.
- There are derogations, including for Member States where the coverage of the collecting systems is very low and therefore would require additional time to deliver the significant investment required.
Tertiary treatment (removing the nutrients nitrogen and phosphorus)
- Stricter removal levels for nitrogen and phosphorus have been set.
- Tertiary treatment will be applied in 30 % of treatment plants for agglomerations of 150,000 p.e. or above by the end of 2033 and in 70 % of these treatment plants by the end of 2036.
- By 2039, tertiary treatment will be applied in all treatment plants for agglomerations of 150,000 p.e. and above.
- All treatment plants in agglomerations of 10,000 p.e. or more should be covered from 2045, with intermediate targets set for 2033, 2036 and 2039.
Quaternary treatment (removing micropollutants)
- Member States must ensure that discharges from urban wastewater treatment plants of 150,000 p.e. and above meet the relevant requirements for quaternary treatment by:
- for discharges from 20 % of these urban wastewater treatment plants;
- for discharges from 60 % of these urban wastewater treatment plants;
- for discharges from all these urban wastewater treatment plants.
- Following the polluter pays principle, producers of products leading to urban wastewater pollution by micropollutants must contribute a minimum of 80 % of the costs of this additional treatment through an extended producer responsibility scheme.
Water reuse
- Member States are to promote the reuse of treated waste water for all purposes and especially in water-stressed areas, while ensuring it does not impact human health or the environment. This complements the Water Reuse Regulation (see summary). Together these measures play a role in reducing freshwater abstractions.
Energy neutrality
- Energy audits of larger urban wastewater treatment plants and collecting systems must be carried out every four years.
- The directive sets a national energy neutrality target for urban wastewater treatment plants of 10,000 p.e. and above to produce energy from renewable sources by 2045, based on regular energy audits, with progressive intermediate targets.
- This renewable energy can be produced on- or off-site, and up to 35 % (of the final target) of non-fossil energy can be purchased from external sources under certain conditions.
Monitoring waste water according to public health parameters
The directive requires Member States to develop a list of parameters relevant for public health in the monitoring of urban waste water, which could include SARS-CoV-2 and its variants, poliovirus or influenza virus.
Access to sanitation
The revised directive requires that Member States take measures by 2029 to improve access to sanitation for all, and in particular for vulnerable and marginalised people. This complements requirements in the recast Drinking Water Directive for access to water (see summary).
FROM WHEN DO THE RULES APPLY?
The directive has to be transposed into national law by . These rules should apply from , with certain exceptions.
BACKGROUND
For further information, see:
- Urban wastewater (European Commission).
KEY TERMS
- Agglomeration. An area in which the population, expressed in population equivalent, combined or not with economic activities, is sufficiently concentrated for urban waste water to be collected and conducted to one or more urban wastewater treatment plants or to one or more final discharge points.
MAIN DOCUMENT
Directive (EU) 2024/3019 of the European Parliament and of the Council of concerning urban wastewater treatment (recast) (OJ L, 2024/3019, ).
Successive amendments to Directive (EU) 2024/3019 have been incorporated into the original text. This consolidated version is of documentary value only.
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