When 1970s pop diva Rose Royce sang about ‘the car wash’, you can bet Trade Effluent (TE) Compliance forms weren’t on her mind. However, it may come as a surprise to some valet operators, regardless of size, that they require consent to discharge trade effluent to a public sewer.
Trade Effluent consent is a legal document issued to the owner/occupier of a commercial or industrial property under the regulations within the Water Industry Act 1991.
Water wholesalers need to be aware of where a business plans to discharge anything other than domestic waste into a drain that is connected to a public sewer, and it is the customer’s responsibility to obtain consent prior to commencing any trade effluent discharge.
It is a criminal offence under Section 118 (5) of the Water Industry Act to discharge any trade effluent to sewer without the consent of the sewerage undertaker (Wholesaler). You may be subject to legal action and fines if you discharge without consent.
Where a wholesaler detects discharge without consent, they have the power to close the valeting operation until the site has a formal TE consent. Each application needs to be accompanied by an accurate site drainage drawing.
Energy Management can assist you through the whole TE consent application process to ensure compliance is met in a smooth and timely fashion.
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