Trade effluent
Trade Effluent is any liquid waste (effluent) discharged into our sewers from a business or an industrial process.
Simply put, anything that isn’t domestic sewage (toilet, bath or hand wash waste) or uncontaminated surface water and roof drainage (rainwater) is classified as trade effluent. This includes any waste water derived from a production process or from washing down or cooling activities.
Why consent is required for effluent discharges
Therefore, we need to ensure that our infrastructure and treatment processes work effectively so that we can return your treated waste water safely back into the environment.
If your business manufactures or processes materials such as chemicals, metal finishing, food and drink, or if you operate a small launderette or car wash, it’s likely you’ll need trade effluent consent from Severn Trent.
Trade effluent consent
We need to know if you plan to discharge anything other than domestic waste into a drain that is connected to a public sewer. Therefore, it’s your responsibility to obtain consent prior to commencing any trade effluent discharge in our sewers.
It is a criminal offence under Section 118 (5) of the Water Industry Act to discharge any trade effluent to the sewer without the consent of the sewerage undertaker (Severn Trent). You may be subject to legal action and large fines if you discharge without consent.
Short-term discharges, for example, contaminated groundwater from land remediation/building projects or the flushing of central heating/cooling systems, are subject to temporary trade effluent authorisation.
Trade Effluent Consents Public Register
We are required to keep a register of trade effluent (TE) consents and associated documents, available for public inspection.
Severn Trent’s online public register can be used to determine if a specific site (from either the Severn Trent or Hafren Dyfrdwy area) has consent by using the built-in search function using one of the following:
Our online register does not contain the consent document but key site information such as name, address, process, catchment and any determinands that appear on the consent.
Click the below to view the register.
If you require the full consent document, then please contact the Trade Effluent Support Team (trade.effluent@severntrent.co.uk) detailing which consent(s) you wish to access by supplying at least one of the following:
Costing
Basic database plus specific copies |
Copies of up to 20 documents | Free by email; £49.63 by post (recorded delivery) |
|---|---|---|
Basic database with ALL documents |
Datastick with excel spreadsheet of Trade Effluent data, PLUS copies of ALL public register documents, OR copies of more than 20 documents. | £87.27 by POST only (recorded delivery) |
If you want to know more about trade effluent, get in touch today
We’ll be happy to discuss any issues relating to your waste water discharges.
Write to:
Trade Effluent Support Team
West Service Road
Raynesway
Derby DE21 7BE.
Or email trade.effluent@severntrent.co.uk or phone 02477716989