On 14 & 15 September, the IMPEL SWETE project hosted a project workshop looking at the topic of water discharge permitting across Europe. This was followed by a site visit to learn about a trial of high rate algal ponds to remove phosphorus at a waste water treatment plant near Bath in the UK, hosted by Wessex Water.
The workshop saw IMPEL members from the UK, Portugal, Malta, Romania, Cyprus and Denmark come together to exchange experiences and ideas on this important issue. A report from this third phase of the project will be presented to the General Assembly later in the year; and will include an overview of the different approaches taken in different countries across Europe.
A number existing and emerging topics were identified as areas of interest to the group for possible future project work. These will be built on through further discussion at the upcoming Water and Land Conference, and Expert Team meeting, being hosted in Italy in October. The project team will also be creating an on-line resource to hold information and best practice examples and to create a forum for discussion.
For more information, please contact the project leader or the IMPEL UK National Contact Point.