Model of sanitation collection canon with a delimited taxable event.
Published on 06 May 2020
Spain
Región de Murcia
This is the good practice's implementation level. It can be national, regional or local.
About this good practice
The main function of sanitation levy is to meet the set in Water Directives about the compulsion of treat the waste water.
It is common in the public administrations to administer several kinds of wastes at the same time in order to reduce their management costs.
This model consists of the opposite, due to the hereafter advantages:
1) The system in a more transparent, because of there is not any cost compensation between the management wastes.
2) The high degree of compliance with the environmental principles (recovery cost, polluter pays...).
3) It helps that all the citizens pay the same for the treatment of their wastewater (otherwise, the more isolated population would pay more because their management cost is higher).
The taxable event of our sanitation levy is also specific, the connection to a public water net and the money collected is uniquely used to maintain the operation cost of the treatment facilities.
The users pay according to consumed water. This allows to apply binomial tariffs which penalty the most wasteful consumers.
This levy also applies corrector coefficients which depend of the wastewater origin of the industrial activities.
This practice is undertaken by the public company ESAMUR, which belongs to the Murcian Regional Administration.
The main stakeholders of Murcia have been benefitted from this model, because the system has always been controlled by an only organization utterly focussed on treating the water and to valorize their wastes.
It is common in the public administrations to administer several kinds of wastes at the same time in order to reduce their management costs.
This model consists of the opposite, due to the hereafter advantages:
1) The system in a more transparent, because of there is not any cost compensation between the management wastes.
2) The high degree of compliance with the environmental principles (recovery cost, polluter pays...).
3) It helps that all the citizens pay the same for the treatment of their wastewater (otherwise, the more isolated population would pay more because their management cost is higher).
The taxable event of our sanitation levy is also specific, the connection to a public water net and the money collected is uniquely used to maintain the operation cost of the treatment facilities.
The users pay according to consumed water. This allows to apply binomial tariffs which penalty the most wasteful consumers.
This levy also applies corrector coefficients which depend of the wastewater origin of the industrial activities.
This practice is undertaken by the public company ESAMUR, which belongs to the Murcian Regional Administration.
The main stakeholders of Murcia have been benefitted from this model, because the system has always been controlled by an only organization utterly focussed on treating the water and to valorize their wastes.
Expert opinion
The good practice is an example of a wastewater levy. While being common the example is very good as there is high level of collection of the levy and there is no cross-subsidisation between different types of wastes and waste water. The tariffs are set in such a way that they penalise the most polluting industries and are therefore an incentive for change. As the same organisation is dealing with reused water it is in the position to promote its use. The good practice could be useful for regions and cities with the possibility to set tariffs. The types and levels of tariffs could be further investigated.
Resources needed
The partner must have capacity to propose changes in the normative about the collection of the levy in its region.
Evidence of success
- A percentage of collection of almost 100 %.
- A very high grade of compliance of the normative, and especially the environmental principles like; the polluter should pay and the recovery cost principle.
- A high rate of transparency since the treatment expenditures are not mixed with other sort of tasks or works.
- A 96 % of the wastewater treated is reused.
- A very high grade of compliance of the normative, and especially the environmental principles like; the polluter should pay and the recovery cost principle.
- A high rate of transparency since the treatment expenditures are not mixed with other sort of tasks or works.
- A 96 % of the wastewater treated is reused.
Potential for learning or transfer
Sanitation levies in an essential tool in the wastewater management because let a better planning of the financial resources, besides to improve the fulfillment to the environmental principles as well as to offer a transparent system of collection to the citizens.
It is also interesting, so as to promote the water reused, since the management of the water treated is centralized in one sole organism. This way it is easier that the WWTPs can adapt their requirements tothe potential re-users.
As far as the transfer of knowledge is concerned, ESAMUR has an experience of the management of this system of collection of almost 20 year, and they can show their achievements, and the system drawbacks.
Apart from this, the Water General Directorate and ESAMUR have been collaborating in a project H2020 (ALICE) in which they have shown to the other partners the results of this system.
It is also interesting, so as to promote the water reused, since the management of the water treated is centralized in one sole organism. This way it is easier that the WWTPs can adapt their requirements tothe potential re-users.
As far as the transfer of knowledge is concerned, ESAMUR has an experience of the management of this system of collection of almost 20 year, and they can show their achievements, and the system drawbacks.
Apart from this, the Water General Directorate and ESAMUR have been collaborating in a project H2020 (ALICE) in which they have shown to the other partners the results of this system.
Further information
Website
Good practice owner
You can contact the good practice owner below for more detailed information.
Organisation
ESAMUR
Spain
Región de Murcia
Contact
AGRICULTURAL ENGINEER