Thirty years after its introduction, the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive (UWWTD) is undergoing a major revision. The European Commission currently invites feedback on the inception impact assessment of this revision. Getting involved in this revision process is worth your while, helping to fine-tune an important instrument for the protection of public health, environment, life quality, and infrastructure investments.

Since coming into effect in 1991, the UWWTD has triggered impressive improvements in the water quality of rivers, lakes and coastal waters everywhere in Europe, protecting populations and biospheres from the adverse effects of urban wastewater discharges and supporting the goals of the Water Framework Directive.

In the frame of the Danube Water Program, the IAWD, its members and partners have been contributing to this development, by improving the knowledge and capacities and  monitoring the overall impact in the region. The latest contribution in this respect was the study “Wastewater Management in the Danube Region: Opportunities and Challenges of EU Accession”, compiled by the World Bank as part of the Danube Water Program. Please refer to the link below.

After three decades, the UWWTD is in need of a comprehensive update to meet challenges like climate change, new classes of contaminants and the overall need for cleaner, greener technologies. The new and improved Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive will provide directions for necessary investements, set new rules and best practices regarding important aspects of health and biosphere protection, and will have produce noticeable impact on the bottom lines and fee structures of utilities.

The Commission’s feedback portal is open for input until 8 September. You are invited to contribute your input and opinion at the link below.