Wastewater Disposal; Application for a Permit to Discharge Wastewater into a Public Sewer System

A drainage permit is required to connect to and use the public sewer system.

The competent authority has established discharge conditions for wastewater in its drainage regulations to ensure the proper operation of the sewer system and the wastewater treatment plant. When issuing the drainage permit, the authority also determines whether pretreatment of the wastewater is required, particularly in industrial and commercial sectors.

For certain industries and activities (such as the chemical industry, paper manufacturing, metal processing, and cooling water use), wastewater is expected to contain pollutants that cannot be adequately treated in a municipal wastewater treatment plant. Requirements for this are specified in the industry-specific annexes of the Wastewater Ordinance.

To comply with these requirements, special measures and wastewater pretreatment facilities are necessary to reduce the pollutant load to such an extent that the wastewater can subsequently be treated harmlessly at a public wastewater treatment plant.

Modifications

• to the property’s drainage system,
• to the wastewater conditions on which the drainage permit is based, or
• to the connection to the wastewater system

require an amendment permit. Information is available from the competent authority.

The permit may be granted only if

• the requirements of the Wastewater Regulation applicable to the wastewater are met,
• the public wastewater treatment plant is capable of adequately treating the wastewater, and
• the wastewater is pretreated, if necessary, at the discharging facility in such a way that the preceding conditions are met.

• You can apply to the appropriate authority for a permit to discharge wastewater into public sewer systems.
• Fill out the application forms and submit them along with all required documents.
• The competent authority will review your application.
• If all the necessary requirements are met, your application may be approved.
• You will receive a permit to discharge wastewater into public sewer systems.

The discharge of collected stormwater directly into a surface water body and the infiltration of stormwater require a permit under water law (direct discharge permit).

• The required documents depend on the type of wastewater (such as industrial or commercial wastewater) to be discharged into the public sewer system. You can obtain more detailed information from the appropriate authority.
  

  If applicable:

  • Information on the production processes of the discharging facility
  • Information on the wastewater generated, the sewer systems, and the planned pretreatment facilities