Sanitation

DECONTAMINATION PLANS (PASH)

In the Walloon Region, the management of residual urban waste water (also known as domestic waste water) is described in the Plans for Decontamination by Hydrographic Sub-basins (PASH).

The PASH maps are available for consultation on the SPGE website.

They indicate the areas subject to collective, individual or transitional decontamination systems. 

• Collective decontamination system

This concerns urban areas where domestic waste water is collected and treated by the Approved Decontamination Bodies.

• Autonomous decontamination system

This concerns homes where waste water is treated by an individual purification systems dealt with by the owners themselves.

• Transitional decontamination system

This concerns zones where the system has not yet been defined.

• Taxation

The taxes associated with these three systems are set out:

• on the SPGE website;
• in the practical guide published by AQUAWAL.

PERMITS AND AUTHORISATIONS

As an Approved Decontamination Body, IGRETEC has to be consulted in the following cases:

• Application for connection to a waste water collector: all connections to a waste water collector managed by IGRETEC must be covered by an authorisation issued by IGRETEC.
• Application for exemption from the connection obligation: in some specific cases, the waste water from a home can be treated by an individual purification station rather than being connected to the sewage system.
• Request for opinion on the discharge of industrial waste water: the discharge of waste water other than domestic (i.e. when the flow is greater than 100 inhabitant equivalents or when the water contains hazardous substances), must be submitted to the Approved Decontamination Body for an opinion before the environmental permit application can be submitted.

Furthermore, authorisation must be requested from the commune concerned before any connection is established to a sewage system.

LEGISLATION

The main legislation applicable to the decontamination of residual urban waste water is as follows:

• Directive 2000/60/EC on water;
• Council Directive 91/271/EEC concerning urban waste-water treatment;
• Royal Decree of 3/8/1976;
• Water Code.