Under the provisions of the Local Government (Water Pollution) Acts, 1977 and 1990 local authorities are responsible for issuing of effluent discharge licences to water. Irish Water are responsible for issuing Effluent Discharge Licences to sewers.
1. Effluent to waters(Section 4 of the Water Pollution Act). The water body must be able to receive the discharge without causing pollution.
2. Effluent to sewers (Section 16 of the Water Pollution Act). Such licences are a means of managing loading to a network and ensuring adequate capacity is available in the receiving wastewater treatment plant to effectively treat the discharge and prevent pollution of the environment
