Tackling Wastewater
Pollution at Source Cheaper than Cleaning Up, Report Says
October 14, 2005
A “polluter pays” approach, based on taxes and
levies, reduces volumes of polluted water and offers the most
cost effective route to compliance with EU legislation,
according to a new report from the European Environment Agency (EEA)
based in Copenhagen. The pilot study, ‘Effectiveness of Urban
Wastewater Treatment Policies in Selected Countries’, analyses
successes and failures in policy for Denmark, Estonia, France,
the Netherlands, Poland and Spain. It explains the relationship
between effective wastewater management and the policies behind
them.
Water pollution caused by ‘untreated’
wastewater continues despite three decades of efforts to clean
up European surface waters. Several EU Member States have not
satisfied the requirements of the Urban Waste Water Treatment
Directive (UWWTD), originally adopted in 1991 to cut waste water
pollution by 2000.
The Dutch model, which is based on high water
pollution levies and full costing of sewerage, comes close to
satisfying the legislation and is the most cost-effective of the
examples in the report. The report suggests that the absence of
water pollution taxes in France and Spain will result in these
countries failing to reach the 2005 targets cost-effectively.
Denmark complies fully with the directive, with discharges
decreasing by 90%.
“The Dutch example shows the financial
benefits of finding the ‘upstream’ solution to tackling waste
water pollution rather than paying for clean-up at the end,”
says Jacqueline McGlade, executive director of the European
Environment Agency.
Both new Member States in the study, Poland
and Estonia, have until 2010 to comply. However, both countries
will need considerable EU support if they are going to hit the
targets. In several member states water pollution control costs
have absorbed more than 50% of all environmental investment in
recent decades.
New Member States are eligible for
considerable EU subsidies (75-85% of cost) from EU Cohesion and
Structural Funds. It is estimated that increased support of
between 40-50 euro per person will be needed if these countries
are to meet the deadlines.
“The risk is that the new Member States will
be tempted to build treatment plants instead of taking the more
cost-effective path of tackling the problem at source,” says
Professor Jacqueline McGlade.
The report is available at: http://org.eea.eu.int/documents/brochure/Effectiveness_FINAL_low-res.pdf
http://reports.eea.eu.int/eea_report_2005_2.
Source: European Environment Agency
October 14, 2005 |