We raise charges to recover the costs of issuing EP permits and monitoring discharges and their impact on surface waters and receiving waters.
Discharges to surface waters and of point source sewage effluent to ground/groundwater are subject to the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
For further information on the Charging Scheme please refer to the surface water and point source effluent to ground factsheet (2011/12) (PDF, 62KB) and the Environmental Permitting Charging Scheme (2011/12) (PDF, 1.9MB).
Discharges to surface waters and groundwaters can be very harmful to the environment if they are not carefully managed. To avoid this happening the Environment Agency regulates such discharges through a system of permits.
The information provided here is only summary information. For full details please refer to the Environmental Permitting charging scheme.
Types of charge
There are two types of charge to recover our costs incurred through regulating water discharges:
Application charges
Everyone who applies for a new or revised EP permit to discharge has to pay an application charge at the time they apply.
Subsistence charges
Most people who hold an Environmental Permit to discharge have to pay an annual subsistence charge. This is due on 1 April of each year or, in the year the permit is authorised, is due on demand.
The exception to this is for discharges of sewage effluent where the maximum daily volume of discharge permitted is 5 cubic metres or less. These do not have to pay a subsistence charge. This waiver strictly applies to sewage effluent only and not trade effluent or any other type of discharge.
New permits are charged from the date of issue, unless there is an effective date within the permit. Variations are charged from the date the variation comes into effect. Standard rules permits are charged from the date of issue.
How the charges are structured
Application charges
The application charge is a fixed charge, although two rates exist: Standard and Reduced:
The reduced application charge is applicable where the effluent is:
- sewage effluent where the proposed volume is five cubic metres or less per day;
- sewage effluent which contains trade effluent or other matter where the proposed volume is five cubic metres or less per day;
- trade effluent from cooling or heat exchange where the proposed volume is 10 cubic metres or less per day;
- surface water not containing trade effluent;
- site drainage.
The standard application charge is applied in all other situations.
Subsistence charge
The subsistence charge depends on four factors:
- receiving water - groundwaters, coastal, surface, estuarial
- volume - maximum daily volume of discharge permitted
- content of discharge - bands detailed in the charge scheme (see the scheme in the box on the right)
- financial factor - fixed monetary multiplier
To calculate the charge, we determine which of the factors are applicable to your consent by referring to the conditions attached to it. The applicable factors are then multiplied together to give a number of chargeable units. This is then multiplied by the 'financial factor' to determine the charge.
Charges 2011/12
|
Charge type |
Amount |
|
Reduced application charge |
£125 |
|
Standard application charge |
£885 |
|
Annual charge financial factor |
£684 |
Payment methods
For information on how to pay your application charge, please see the information included with the application documents.
For information on how to pay all billed charges, please see the information on the back of the invoice.
Further information
