Urban Waste Water

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) (91/271/EEC) is designed to reduce the pollution of freshwater, estuarine and coastal waters by domestic sewage and industrial wastewater - collectively known as urban waste water. The Directive sets minimum standards for the collection, treatment and discharge of urban wastewater, and also establishes timetables for the achievement of these standards.

The UWWTD is transposed in Northern Ireland by The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations (Northern ireland) 2007, a copy of which can be found below:

The Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2007 (89 KB)

The UWWTD requires the Department to review the identification of Sensitive Areas at least every 4 years. A water body must be identified as a sensitive area if it falls into one of the following groups:

• surface water bodies which are found to be eutrophic or in the near future may become eutrophic if preventative action is not taken;
• surface freshwaters intended for the abstraction of drinking water which could contain 50mg of nitrate per litre if action is not taken; or
• areas where further treatment than secondary or equivalent treatment is necessary to meet other EC Directive obligations.

Lough Erne and Lough Neagh catchments were identified as sensitive in 1994 with Inner Belfast Lough, the tidal River Lagan and the Quoile Pondage at Downpatrick added in 2001.

In addition the 2005 review resulted in the Foyle River, River Roe, River Faughan, River Lagan, Lower Bann River, Enler River, River Bush, Newry River, North Strangford Lough, Newcastle bathing water and Paddy's Point and Reagh Bay (formally known as Ardmillan Shellfish Water) being identified on 28/7/06.

A Sensitive Area Review has been completed for the period 2006-2009. The Review supports the existing identifications and makes a further identification at Ballyholme bathing water, effective from 17 June 2011. This is in accordance with Annex IIA(c) of the UWWTD which provides for the provision of additional treatment to a water body to meet the requirements of another European Directive, in this case, the Bathing Water Directive.

A copy of the Sensitive Area Review 2006-2009 can be found below:

Sensitive Area Review 2006-2009 (4.99MB)

Maps of the identifications are available electronically on the Department of the Environment, Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) website.