Discharge points in the sea are locations where treated or untreated wastewater, industrial effluents, or other liquid wastes are released into the marine environment. These points are crucial for managing waste from urban areas, industries, and ships. The discharge can include a variety of substances such as nutrients, chemicals, and organic matter, which can significantly impact marine ecosystems if not properly managed. Properly designed and operated discharge points, such as marine outfalls, help dilute and disperse these contaminants, reducing their concentration and mitigating potential environmental harm.
The management of discharge points is governed by strict regulations to minimize environmental impact. These regulations ensure that the discharged water meets specific quality standards to protect marine life and human health. However, challenges remain, including the need to address emerging contaminants and the cumulative effects of multiple discharge points. Advances in treatment technologies and better regulatory frameworks are essential to improve the effectiveness of discharge points and safeguard marine environments.
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EMODnet
"EMODnet_HA_UWWTD_Discharge_Points_20230920"
"The dataset on coastal discharge points from Urban Waste Water Treatment Plant (UWWTP) was created in 2019 by AZTI for the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet). It is based on the dataset "Waterbase-UWWTD" (Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive – reported data) provided by the European Topic Centre on Inland, Coastal and Marine waters, and made available at https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/waterbase-uwwtd-urban-waste-water-treatment-directive-8. The dataset is available for viewing and download on EMODnet web portal (Human Activities, https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/human-activities) and it presents the available information (location of discharge points, link to specific treatment plant, type of receiving area into which the effluent/wastewater is discharged, related waterbody/river basin) on individual points of discharge from treatment plants or collecting systems located in coastal NUTS3 regions, based on data selected from the reporting of Member States as part of the UWWTD implementation. The geographic coverage is: Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, United Kingdom. The description of all attribute fields of UWWTP is given in the Waterbase-UWWTD (https://www.eea.europa.eu/data-and-maps/data/waterbase-uwwtd-urban-waste-water-treatment-directive-8/waterbase-uwwtd). In this update, data provided by several countries during 2022 (Waterbase reported under UWWTD data call 2021; version 10 published 15 January 2023) are included."
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Co-funded by the European Union.