Wastewater Quality

In the course of its water treatment activities, Northern Ireland Water discharges waste water from water treatment works (WTWs), wastewater treatment works (WwTWs), combined sewer overflows on sewerage systems and emergency overflows from sewage pumping stations.

Discharges are regulated by the Environment and Heritage Service's Northern Ireland Water Regulation Section and control is achieved by setting discharge standards, assessing compliance with those standards and taking action on any failures.

The target set for 2006 was for 84% of our wastewater treatment works to be compliant with wastewater treatment discharge standards. We exceeded that target with 84.5% of works being compliant over the year.

The Section maintains a public register which provides details of WTWs and WwTWs and effluent monitoring results.