Paragraph 10 - Waste storage or treatment at water and sewage treatment works

Paragraph 10 permits the storage, treatment or recovery of wastes at a sewage treatment works. 

What the legislation says

• Paragraph 10 legislation (Word, 31KB)
  View the full wording of this exemption. Read through this before you read through the summary below.

What Paragraph 10 exemption permits

At the water treatment works where it was produced Paragraph 10 (1) allows the treatment of 10,000 cubic metres per year of:

• listed sludges
• waste water, and
• bore-hole flushings.

It also allows the storage of these wastes at the site of production, prior to treatment provided:

• the waste cannot escape, and
• any unauthorised access to the waste is prevented.

Paragraph 10 also allows 100,000 cubic metres per year of the wastes listed in right hand column of the table and produced from the source alongside, to be recovered and stored within the curtilage of a sewage treatment works.

The wastes must be stored on a sealed surface with a collection sump which prevents wastes escaping except where this is permitted by other legislation.

Paragraph 10 is one of the higher risk exemptions. As such, before we register this exemption on your behalf  you need to complete a form and provide us with information in support of your proposal. The exemption:

• is chargeable, and
• requires annual renewal and the payment each year, of a renewal fee.

Questions and answers

The following section may cover questions you still have regarding the Paragraph 10 exemption.

Q. Do sealed tanks or vessels containing sludge need to be on an impermeable pavement?
A. No, but all other storage and treatment areas do need to be on an impermeable pavement.

Examples of activities that would not be suitable for registration under a Paragraph 10 exemption

A sewage treatment works wishes to treat septic tank sludge on an area of farmland outside the boundary of the sewage treatment works.
This activity would not be permitted under the terms of this exemption as it applies specifically to work undertaken within the boundary of the water or sewage treatment works.

A water treatment works wants to import sludge from other water treatment works for treatment.
This activity would not be allowed, as only sludge produced at the same water treatment works can be treated under this exemption. This is different to sewage treatment works who are allowed to take limited types of  waste from other sewage treatment works.

Who do I speak to if I want a notification form to be sent to me by post, or if I still have a query about this exemption that is not covered here?

For general enquires or to request a notification by post, you should phone our National Customer Contact Centre on 0370 8506506. If you have a query that they cannot help with they may pass you to someone in our area offices who will assist with more technical enquiries.

If you think that you can meet the requirements of the Paragraph 10 exemption and want to proceed with the registration, please use the forms below:

Do not try and use these forms to notify a new site. They can now only be used to renew an existing exemption.

Daw cyfarwyddyd yn y man.