On 9 August 2022, the Act of 7 July 2022 amending the Water Law and other Acts (Journal of Laws 2022, item 1549) (hereinafter: the ‘Amending Act’ or the ‘Amendment’), mainly devoted to wastewater management, entered into force. The Amendment implements Council Directive 91/271/EEC of 21 May 1991 concerning urban waste water treatment (‘Wastewater Directive’).
The main demands of the Amendment Act are:
(i) amendments to the National Programme for Municipal Wastewater Treatment (the ‘NPMWT‘), including the rules for the cooperation of municipalities in agglomerations under the reporting obligations for the NPMWT,
(ii) changes in the designation or removal of agglomerations,
(iii) amendments to the liquid waste management policy, including the extension of the definition of ‘liquid waste’,
(iv) clarification of the obligations of municipalities to manage liquid waste, including from the installation of domestic wastewater treatment plants,
(iv) amendments to water permits, including
(v) fines of up to PLN 10,000.00 for failure to comply with implemented Wastewater Directive standards.
The scope of activities of the State Water Management Authority Wody Polskie was extended to include other renewable energy sources in addition to hydroelectric power plants.
*The scope of the Amendment covered a number of legal regulations, including the Act of 13 September 1996 on maintaining cleanliness and order in municipalities (Journal of Laws of 1996, No. 132, item 622),
**The amendment came into force on 9 August 2022, with the exception of specific exceptions reserved in the amending act, which became effective on 1 January 2023.
5 May 2023
