This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Steps to reduce odour from sewage works
29/04/2005
A voluntary code of practice to minimise odours from
waste water treatment works has been published today.
The draft code will form the basis for a statutory code
of practice, to come into force in Spring 2006, which was
agreed by the Scottish Parliament when it passed the Water
Services (Scotland) Act earlier this year.
Deputy Environment Minister Lewis Macdonald said:
"There is a clear public demand to minimise the impact
of unpleasant odours from waste water treatment works. We
have developed this voluntary code of practice to advise
the public, local authorities, Scottish Water and its
operators how best to assess and control these odours.
We will follow this up with a statutory code in a year's
time which will include a duty of compliance on the
operator and give councils the powers to enforce
compliance.
I am confident that this voluntary code will be seen by
local residents affected by smells from sewage works as an
important step in the right direction, and I believe it
will also be welcomed by councils and by Scottish Water and
its partners."
Odour complaints have increased in recent years due to
several factors, including the impact of the EC Waste Water
Treatment Directive requiring further treatment of sewage,
transporting sewage further distances, new house-building
in some cases near to sewage works, and the increased
awareness of the general public of environmental
issues.
The purpose of the Code is to inform Scottish Water, its
PPP operators and local authority regulators of best
practicable means of controlling malodour and best practice
of administering the existing Statutory Nuisance
legislation contained within the Environmental Protection
Act 1990.
The Water Services etc (Scotland) Act 2005 included new
powers for Ministers to issue statutory codes of practice
to address nuisances at sewage works, where nuisance can
include odour or insects. The Executive intend to produce
statutory codes on nuisance control at waste water
treatment works, based on this voluntary code, but which
include a duty of compliance on the operator and
enforcement obligations on the regulator by April 2006.