The Water and Sewerage Services (Northern Ireland) Order 2006

Reference to DOE of agreements relating to special category effluent

188.—(1) Where a sewerage undertaker and the owner or occupier of any trade premises are proposing to enter into an agreement under Article 187 with respect to, or to any matter connected with, the reception or disposal of any special category effluent, it shall be the duty of the undertaker to refer to DOE the questions—

(a) whether the operations which would, for the purposes of or in connection with the reception or disposal of that effluent, be carried out in pursuance of the proposed agreement should be prohibited; and

(b) whether, if they are not prohibited, any requirements should be imposed as to the conditions on which they are carried out.

(2) It shall be the duty of a sewerage undertaker where it has made a reference under this Article not to give any consent or enter into any agreement with respect to any such operations as are mentioned in paragraph (1)(a) at any time before DOE serves notice on the undertaker of its determination on the reference.

(3) Every reference under this Article shall be made in writing and shall be accompanied by a copy of the proposed agreement.

(4) It shall be the duty of a sewerage undertaker, on making a reference under this Article, to serve a copy of the reference on the owner or the occupier of the trade premises in question, according to whether it is the owner or occupier who is proposing to be a party to the agreement.

(5) If a sewerage undertaker fails, before giving any consent or entering into any agreement with respect to any such operations as are mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (1), to refer to DOE any question which it is required by that paragraph to refer to DOE, the undertaker shall be guilty of an offence and liable—

(a) on summary conviction, to a fine not exceeding the statutory maximum;

(b) on conviction on indictment, to a fine.

(6) If DOE becomes aware—

(a) that a sewerage undertaker and the owner or occupier of any trade premises are proposing to enter into any such agreement as is mentioned in paragraph (1), and

(b) that the sewerage undertaker has not referred to DOE any question which it is required to refer to DOE by that paragraph,

DOE may proceed as if the reference required by that paragraph had been made.

(7) If DOE becomes aware that any consent has been given or agreement entered into with respect to any such operations as are mentioned in sub-paragraph (a) of paragraph (1) without the sewerage undertaker in question having referred to DOE any question which it is required by that paragraph to refer to it, DOE may exercise its powers of review under Article 185 or, as the case may be, Article 189, notwithstanding anything in paragraph (2) of the Article in question.