When we design and install a wastewater monitoring system, we guarantee that the data monitoring for trade effluent discharge limits included will be MCERTS-compliant to ensure that the data provided is accurate and reliable – as well as meeting all relevant regulatory discharge requirements.
However, investing in a data monitoring component for your wastewater management system can be an extremely helpful tool for ensuring your business is discharging the correct amount of effluent and continuing to comply with the conditions of its consent to discharge permit.
Why is data monitoring for trade effluent discharge limits important and what can go wrong?
1) Consent breaches
Your consent to discharge permit will include stipulations on the volume of effluent you are allowed to discharge on a daily, weekly or monthly basis depending on the nature of your site. Breeching your maximum allowed discharge limits can have serious implications.
When a water authority issues a consent to discharge permit it will take into account several factors but most importantly, they need to be sure their treatment works are equipped to handle the volume of effluent and process it effectively.
Discharging more effluent than the water authority is expecting can result in hefty fines and you will be required to apply for a new consent to discharge permit to reflect the higher volume. If this volume exceeds the level the treatment works is able to handle there could be significant costs to your business.
2.) Paying too much
On the flip side, it could also be a possibility that you are discharging less effluent than expected. The amount you pay to discharge your effluent is relative to its volume and content. If you don’t have the correct information, then you could end up paying over the odds.
Although the consequences of this are less severe from a compliance point of view, paying to discharge a higher volume of effluent than you need will result in unnecessary expenditure for your business.
3) Failing spot checks
Occasionally water authorities will perform spot check data monitoring for trade effluent discharge limits to ensure that your company is complying with its self-monitoring obligations.
Depending on the nature of your site, it’s unlikely that you will be discharging effluent continuously – there will probably be specifics days and times when you are discharging higher volumes.
If the water company conducts a spot check during a high discharge period and you are unable to prove that you are not exceeding your consent permit, it may opt to carry out further investigations which can be costly to your business.
How can data monitoring help?
Investing in a data monitoring component for your wastewater management system can be an extremely helpful tool for ensuring your business is discharging the correct amount of effluent and complying with the conditions of its consent to discharge permit.
Data monitoring allows you to gather crucial flow meter data and ensure you are satisfying regulatory compliance for your water authority, as well as environment agencies in both England and Scotland.
1. Monitor your effluent discharge with the SIRIS Palette software system
With SIRIS, our bespoke Palette system allows you to monitor your effluent discharge from anywhere, at any time. Our cloud-based software gives you 24/7 access to your data, giving you the ability to get the information you need, whenever you need it.
Having the ability to track your site’s effluent discharge provides peace of mind and confidence that you are staying within your limits – as well as allowing you to see if you are paying too much.
2. Get alerted to issues quickly
It’s likely that your wastewater system will be situated away from your main site and will not be permanently monitored by personnel. Tracking your flow rate means you’ll be able to quickly pick up on any issues or areas for concern such as abnormal flow rates and resolve them before they cause significant problems for your business.
We can also set the system up to monitor your wastewater sampler and alert you if the sampler fails – even on a remote site.
3. Paper trail and auditing
Our bespoke data monitoring software, Palette, allows you to access historical data at the click of a mouse, allowing you to provide inspectors with proof of your discharge levels – even if they carry out a spot check during a high flow period.
You’ll also have easy access to your data for MCERTS inspections and audits, saving time and money and simplifying the auditing process for your data monitoring for trade effluent discharge limits.
4. Stay ahead of business trends
In addition to supporting your consent to discharge compliance, tracking your flow data also provides a useful insight into site productivity and allows you to monitor business trends. Historical data can be cross-referenced with other site output data to help you understand patterns and highlight potential issues.
Data monitoring solutions
Our cloud-based system offers a robust and reliable ‘plug-in and play’ option for wastewater flow monitoring using a specialist remote telemetry unit (RTU) and data visualisation suite, Palette.
Our standalone solution allows you to continuously monitor your output without the expense involved with linking your flow measurement system to your existing SCADA.
Point Orange
Data is transmitted via a specially designed intelligent 3G RTU, Point Orange, which is installed to your wastewater monitoring system.
Designed to withstand the harshest of conditions, Point Orange provides real-time remote monitoring. A lithium battery designed to last 5+ years before replacement means it can operate without an external power source – ideal for remotely situated sites.
Quality is assessed using various sensors including biosensors, optical sensors and sensor arrays. Sensor outputs are connected to a remote telemetry unit and transmitted to a base station. All data is stored for future analysis and events in which parameters drift away from permitted levels trigger alarms calling for action.
Palette data visualisation software
Data from Point Orange is provided in Palette, our specialist data visualisation software. The easy-to-use software is cloud-based, allowing you to login in from any location at any time.
Palette can be used with a single outstation at just one location, or with multiple units at one or more sites.
Should any readings fall outside the range of pre-set parameters, alarm situations are triggered automatically to alert system operators of immanent problems. Long term trends can also be analysed to identify the risk of potential failures.
Palette also offers a customisable reporting structure and we can discuss including features to meet specific needs if required.
Find out more
To find out more about out data monitoring solutions and discuss how to include it in your flow measurement system, get in touch with our expert team. Here’s our data expert Karl, explaining more about the SIRIS data monitoring system and how it works. You can also download our handy user guide here.