Industrial and Private Sewage

Industrial Consents section

Under the Water (Northern Ireland) Order 1999, the Department of Environment must give permission before any trade or sewage waste, or any other potential pollution (including site drainage) from commercial, industrial or domestic premises into waterways or underground strata.

The Industrial Consents section is made up of a team of professional scientists and administrative staff who deal with new applications for commercial and industrial discharge consents.

The discharge consents include conditions outlining the quality and quantity of waste discharges. The conditions have been drawn up to ensure that the waste can be absorbed by the receiving waterway without damaging the aquatic environment or breaching national or European Commission (EC) standards.

The Industrial Consents Section also assesses whether permitted discharges are at acceptable levels, and visits sites to carry out assessments.

Registers of discharge consents are held by us. These are open to public inspection. The results of compliance monitoring are also in the public domain.

Applying for consent

• for details about making an application for discharge consent from a single domestic dwelling view our section on Septic Tanks/Domestic Dwelling Discharges
• for details of the fees applicable view:
  Water Order Fees and Charges Schemes 2012 (.PDF 70Kb)
• please note that some application fees have been revised with effect from 1 January 2012. Please view Application Fees for Discharge Consent (.PDF 37.8Kb) which summarises the changes.
• your application will be acknowledged within three working days of receipt
• depending on your application, it will be processed within four months unless a time extension has been agree
• If your application is refused you will be told how to appeal

Application Forms

For further information see the Applicants Guide (.PDF 1.13Mb)

If you wish to apply for a New Consent, or Variation to an Existing Consent: see the Application Form - Water Order (WO)1 (.PDF 867Kb)

          *****        If you prefer you may now  APPLY ONLINE        *****           

Complete appropriate annex for your industry type and submit with main application form

Apply for a Sewage Discharged Under Emergency Conditions Consent - WO1 - Annex 1(.PDF 31Kb)

Apply for a Trade Effluent and Site Drainage Discharge Consent - WO1 - Annex 2 (.PDF 1.18Mb)

Apply for a Fish Farming Discharge Consent - WO1 - Annex 4 (.PDF 464Kb)

Apply for a Sewage Effluent Discharge Consent - WO1 - Annex 5 (.PDF 420Kb)

Further information and advice on making an application for discharge consent from Industrial and private sewage can be obtained from :