Wastewater disposal; payment of a small discharger levy

The small discharger levy (wastewater levy) must be paid by the municipality for domestic wastewater up to 8^m3/d if the wastewater is discharged into a body of water without treatment in a wastewater treatment plant or if the sewage sludge is not properly disposed of. The charge can be passed on to the polluter.

According to the Federal and State Wastewater Charges Act, municipalities are obliged to pay a wastewater charge to the state for small dischargers. Households that discharge less than 8^m3 of wastewater per day into a body of water or allow it to seep away are classified as small dischargers. The municipalities liable to pay the levy have been given the option by law to pass on the wastewater levy to the property owners.

The levy is set by notice.

Small discharges are exempt from the levy if the discharge has been treated in a small sewage treatment plant that has been constructed in accordance with the generally recognized rules of technology and the proper disposal of the sewage sludge is ensured.