The Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge has opened a prior public consultation on the draft law that will transpose the European directive on the treatment of urban wastewater, a regulation that must be incorporated into the Spanish legal system before July 31, 2027.
The process, framed within article 26.2 of the law promoted by the Government, will be open until next June 26, a period during which citizens, organizations, and affected sectors can send observations on the future regulation.
The legislative initiative will replace the current regulatory framework in force since the 1990s, repealing Royal Decree-Law 11/1995 and its regulatory development, and represents a comprehensive update of the sanitation and purification system in Spain.
A far-reaching regulatory change
The new European directive seeks to strengthen the protection of the environment and public health against the effects of urban discharges, incorporating stricter requirements for purification, pollutant control, and infrastructure management.
Among the main objectives is the reduction of pollution by nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, responsible for eutrophication processes in water bodies, as well as the expansion of treatment obligations in smaller urban agglomerations.
New controls on pollutants and emissions
One of the most relevant elements of the text is the introduction of advanced or quaternary treatment to reduce the presence of microcontaminants, such as residues of medicines, cosmetics, or personal hygiene products.
This system will be largely financed through the "polluter pays" principle, which obliges producing sectors to bear at least 80% of the cost of these treatments.
The regulation also incorporates objectives related to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions, promoting energy efficiency in the sector and setting the goal of achieving energy neutrality by 2045 through the use of renewable energies and biogas.
Circular economy and water reuse
The draft law also reinforces the circular economy strategy in the water cycle, promoting the reuse of treated wastewater, especially in water-stressed areas.
Likewise, the recovery of resources contained in sewage sludge, such as phosphorus and nitrogen, is promoted with the aim of reducing waste and increasing the use of materials.
Greater health control and surveillance
The new regulation also incorporates advances in epidemiological surveillance, an area that gained special relevance during the covid-19 pandemic, by considering wastewater as an early detection tool for public health risks.
In addition, the creation of registers is foreseen to identify individual purification systems and improve their technical control.
The Government's text highlights the need to improve coordination between public administrations, since sanitation management falls mainly on local entities with regional and state participation in infrastructure financing.
Among the objectives is also to guarantee universal access to sanitation services, with special attention to vulnerable groups.
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