1. What is wastewater discharge permit?

• Wastewater discharge permit is one of the indispensable permit of all businesses during operation and production process.  
• Wastewater discharge permit is a form of transfer of treatment from waste owner to reception place. It is favorable for businesses without direct treatment conditions.

2. Purpose of wastewater discharge permit

Wastewater discharge permit help local authorities know the source of discharge, quality of water discharge and receiving water. The government will rely on wastewater discharge permits to test, compare and control easier. 

3. Object

All domestic and foreign organizations and individuals who have wastewater discharge with flow of 10 m3/day are required to have report about discharge of wastewater into water sources. Depending on the scale and flow discharge of wastewater, the authorized agencies are different.

• Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment approved the discharge report for facilities with discharge wastewater flow of 5,000 m3 /day or more.
• Natural Resources and Environment Department approved the discharge report for facilities with smaller discharge wastewater flow of 5,000 m3 /day. 

4. Objects

There are some contents can not be changed or adjusted in discharge permits. If there are any changes in the following cases, the permit holder must make proposal for issuance of new licenses.

a) Name of permit holder;

b) Water resources for exploitation and use; receiving water;

c) The amount of water exploited and used exceed 25% of that in the permit;

d) The amount of discharged wastewater exceed 25% of that in the permit;

e) Parameters, the concentration of pollutants specified in the to wastewater discharge permit.

5. The term of the permit and the extension period

The term of the permit which does not exceed 10 years is reviewed and extended a maximum of 5 years. At the time of application for extension, the old discharge permit is valid a minimum of 3 months.

6. The process of application for discharge permits

- Survey, collect data on technology of production in business.

- Identify pollution sources of project such as exhaust gas, wastewater, solid waste, noise; identify the types of waste generated during the construction and operation of the project.
- Assess impacts of pollution from project on environmental resources.
- Identify demand for using water and discharging wastewater.

- Identify characteristic of wastewater, existing wastewater treatment systems. 

- Collect input and output wastewater of company and analyze at laboratory.

- Describe wastewater treatment facilities: method of discharge, discharge mode, discharge flow,...

- Collect, evaluate wastewater samples, describe neighborhood enterprises who discharge into the same receiving water (within a radius of 1 km for the discharge sources).

- Identify characteristic of receiving water (rivers, streams, canals...): hydrological conditions.

- Evaluate activities related to the receiving water: natural, economic and social features.

- Collect water samples in wastewater-canals, ... (direct receiving water) at different locations and analyze at laboratory.
- Collect water samples in river (last receiving water) at different locations and under the hydrological conditions of water flow, and analyze at laboratory.

- Assess quality and capability of the receiving water. 

- Assess impact of the discharge into receiving water.

- Make a map of discharge wastewater location into receiving water. Ratio of 1/10,000.

- Make diagram of surveying, sampling.

- Set up the committee to evaluate and approve Wastewater discharge scheme. 

7. Legal basis

- Water Resources Law No. 17/2012/QH13 dated on June 21, 2012, effective from January 1, 2013.

- Decree No. 201/2013/ND-CP dated November 27, 2013 on implementation of Water Resources Law.

- Decree No. 142/2013/ND-CP dated October 24, 2013 on administrative violations in the field of water and mineral resources.

- Circular No. 27/2014/TT-BTNMT dated May 30, 2014 on registration of groundwater exploitation, application form, extension, adjustment, issuance of water resources permit again.
 

8. The main contents of discharge permit

a) Name and address of permit holder;

b) Receiving water sources;

c) Location of wastewater discharge;

d) Flow, method of wastewater discharge;

e) Limitation of parameters and pollutants concentrations of wastewater;

f) The term of permit;

g) The purpose of specific requests for each case of wastewater discharge:

• Ensure environment and aquatic ecosystems;
• Ensure water quality of receiving water;
• Protect the rights, benefits of legal wastewater discharge of organizations, individuals that are currently discharging wastewater into receiving water source.

h) The rights and obligations of permit holder.

9. Application for wastewater discharge permit into receiving water sources include:

a) Application for license;

b) Analysis results of receiving water quality follow government's rule at the time of application for license;

c) Sanitary protection zone (if any) is prescribed by the authorized agencies for expected wastewater discharge place;

d) + In case of having no wastewater treatment facility: Scheme of wastewater discharge into receiving water sources, operating process of wastewater treatment system; 

   + In case of discharging wastewater and having wastewater treatment facility: Report of discharging wastewater situation, together with analysis results of wastewater composition and certification of paying environmental protection charges; 

e) Location map of discharging waste water into receiving water at ratio of 1/10,000;

f) Environmental impact assessment report has been approved by authorized agencies or registration form of meeting environmental standards as stipulated by environmental protection law;

g) Certified copy of certificate or valid papers on land use rights in accordance with the law of place where wastewater discharge work is in. If that place is not belong to the right of use of permitted organizations or individuals, an agreement for land use between organizations or individuals that discharge wastewater and organizations or individuals that have the right to use the land should be written. This agreement is confirmed by People's Committees of communes, wards where the work is in; 

10. Document for extension, change of terms, adjustment of contents of wastewater discharge permits into receiving water sources include:

a) Application for extension, or changing of terms, or adjustment of contents of permits;
b) The permit was granted;

c) Analysis results of water quality as prescribed by government at the time of application for extension, change of terms, or adjustment of contents of permits;
d) Report of implementation of permit's stipulations;

e) Scheme of exploration, exploitation, use of water resources, wastewater discharge into receiving water sources in case of requesting for adjustment of permit's contents;

11. The licensure process 

a) Reception and checking of documents

b) Time for evaluation

- Time for evaluating documents proposed to grant wastewater discharge permit is thirty (30) working days;

- Time for evaluating documents is calculated from the date of receiving enough valid application.

c) Evaluation of document's content

- Evaluate appropriateness and impact of wastewater discharge on water sources, environment and the right of exploitation, use of water resources, wastewater discharge into legal receiving water sources of other organizations and individuals.

 + In case of extending permit 

• Reasons for extension of permit;
• The accuracy and completeness of report that permit holders implement the contents of permit;
• The compatibility of permit's extension for exploitation, use and protection of water resources or the ability of water;
• Effect of permit extension on water environment and the right of exploitation, using of water resource, wastewater discharge into legal receiving water of another organization or individual.  

+ In case of adjusting contents of permit:

• The basis of the proposed adjustment of contents of permits; 
• Reasons for extension of permit;
• The accuracy and completeness of report that permit holders implement the contents of permit;
• The compatibility of permit's adjustment for exploitation, use and protection of water resources or the ability of water;
• Effect of adjusting contents of permit on water source, environment and the right of exploitation, using of water resource, wastewater discharge into legal receiving water of another organization or individual.

d) Organization of evaluation of documents  

12. Sanctions violations 

a) A fine from 10,000,000 to 12,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 10 m3/day to less than 50 m3/day;

b) A fine from 12,000,000 to 14,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 50 m3/day to less than 100 m3/day;

c) A fine from 14,000,000 to 16,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 100 m3/day to less than 500 m3/day;

d) A fine between 16,000,000 to 18,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 500 m3/day to less than 1,000 m3/day;

e) A fine from 18,000,000 to 20,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 1,000 m3/day to less than 2,000 m3/day;

f) A fine from 20,000,000 to 25,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water sources from 2,000 m3/day to less than 5,000 m3/day;

g) A fine from 25,000,000 to 30,000,000 VND will be imposed for discharging wastewater into water resources of 5,000 m3/day or more.
Detailed rules are in Article 8, Decree 179/2013/ND-CP on administrative penalties in the field of environmental protection.

For further details, please contact us via Email: info@anhthuytech.vn or Tel: (0287) 3000 581 - (0287) 3000 587.