The EPA has published the National Inspection Plan for Domestic Waste Water Treatment Systems 2013 and the European Commission has announced that Ireland has now adopted all the measures necessary to ensure compliance with the Court of Justice judgment in Case C‑188/08. The Plan outlines how septic tanks and waste water treatment systems will be...

It is often quite alarming to find out that, otherwise, good business are not aware of new laws which could have serious implication for the sustainability and indeed the viability of their business activities. The Directive on industrial emissions 2010/75/EU (IED) was due to be transposed into national legislation by Member States by 7 January 2013.  The...

How often has been found that insufficient data has been available relating to key control parameters of wastewater treatment operation and performance?  Unfortunately the answer is “way too often”. Many business could save themselves a lot of time and money through recording and reviewing key control parameters on a regular basis. The establishment of target and...

Quite often in wastewater treatment, problems arise where basic checks and balances have been overlooked or not acted upon. This basic guide for the operation, management and monitoring of the activated sludge process addresses fundamental issues which can mitigate against problems arising or assist in their resolution – saving time and money. Mass Balances It...

Everybody has heard of major environmental disasters and the legal, public relation and financial costs to high profile business, right!! Less well known are the easily avoidable environmental issues applicable to all types of business, be they SMEs or large Multi-National Companies, which add significant cost to businesses every year. Hands Up which businesses would...

Limerick County Council has achieved ISO 24512:2007 certification for its management of the Kilmallock Water Treatment Scheme, which serves 2,500 customers in south County Limerick.  The standard is awarded by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI), the International Organisation for Standardisation (ISO) member body for the Republic of Ireland.  ECOS Environmental Consultants Limited

REACH is the European Community Regulation on chemicals and their safe use (EC 1907/2006). It deals with the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemical substances. The law entered into force on 1 June 2007. The REACH Regulation places greater responsibility on industry to manage the risks from chemicals and to provide safety information on the...

The Eco-innovation Action Plan (EcoAP ) comprises seven actions to help build stronger and more stable market demand for eco-innovation. These actions focus particularly on market supply and demand, on research and industry, and on policy and financial instruments.  They will bring together stakeholders, the private and public sectors, and the European Commission. Action 1. Environmental...

Directive 2006/118/EC  on the protection of groundwater against pollution and deterioration was implemented in Ireland by S.I. No.9 of 2010 – European Communities Environmental Objectives (Groundwater) Regulations, 2010. The directive establishes a regime which sets underground water quality standards and introduces measures to prevent or limit inputs of pollutants into groundwater. The directive establishes quality criteria that takes...

Strategic Environmental Assessment in Ireland (SEA) is the process by which environmental considerations are integrated into Plans and Programmes across a broad range of sectors including energy, fisheries, industry, telecommunications, water and land use. A review of SEA, commissioned by the EPA, has found that: SEA is providing a vital tool for environmental protection in...