State of the system of regulating discharges of pollutants
and improvement of water body protection mechanisms

Summary

The suggestions on amending the basic principles of effluent discharge regulations are presented including: abolition of the «zero impact» principle (the requirement to meet MPC in water bodies irrespective of their actual state and technical capacities); waiving the use of MPC as a regulation basis and applying MPC for monitoring and analysis, as a guide in water quality management in water bodies; drawing the industrial branch inventories of regulated and chargeable pollutants; permitting the discharge of unlisted (undefined by standard analyses) substances for which no MPCs have been developed provided the effluent toxicity standard and other aggregate parameters have been met. The suggested system of catchment area-technological regulation that does not use the instruments of permissible discharge regulations and limits is described. It is concluded that the state has to take the control over water basins as opposed to the present onlooker position. It is suggested to unbureacratize drastically the procedure of issuing pollution discharge permits and introduce open-ended permits (potentially hazardous objects); to issue environmental permits using «one-stop» principle (including sanitary, fishery waters aspects etc.); to combine the procedures of environmental impact assessment and discharge permit issue. Limiting with subsequent banning the use in the products (manufactured and imported) of substances either environmentally harmful or increasing the load on wastewater treatment facilities, in the first instance phosphate-containing washing powders is suggested. It is suggested to revise the Russian legal framework related to the given aspect. The need for developing and adopting the legislation «On the protection of water bodies from wastewater pollution», «On the comprehensive monitoring and protection from pollution», «On limiting and banning the use of separate substances producing negative impact on water bodies» is substantiated.

Key words

wastewater , legislation , environmental protection , regulation of pollutant discharges , water pool