On 4th January 2024, Industrial Water Solutions received the inspection report from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency regarding our waste water treatment plant in Stigsnæs.
As assigned authority, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has carried out a notified environmental inspection, focusing on areas and activities, purification levels for processes, inspection of sampling, reception conditions, basic condition report as well as general inspection of facility areas.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency pointed out that our chemical storage was located outside the registers covered by the environmental approval. At IWS, as a follow-up, we have therefore moved the chemical warehouse into the cadastral register, which is covered by the environmental approval.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency pointed out some additional matters during the inspection which have subsequently resulted in enforcement from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency. This concerns the tightening of conditions on odor and conditions on the diversion of surface water and water-resistant coatings. In addition, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency has made it stricter that pre-treatment of own sludge before disposal for incineration after the Danish Environmental Protection Agency must be environmentally approved.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency mandates that IWS ceases to deliver sludge to sludge sites within three months. This order has been complied with.
The Danish Environmental Protection Agency mandates that IWS remove existing dewatering lagoons from our two sludge sites. This order has been complied with at one sludge site and will be complied with at the other sludge site within the deadline from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
In its inspection, the Danish Environmental Protection Agency makes a different assessment of the activities at IWS than there has been from the previous environmental authority, Slagelse kommune (Slagelse municipality). Activities that have so far been accepted by Slagelse municipality are thus not accepted by the Danish Environmental Protection Agency.
It is important to point out that IWS has conducted its activities with the full acceptance of the previously competent environmental authority, Slagelse kommune (Slagelse municipality).
IWS takes note of restrictions, orders and other comments from the Danish Environmental Protection Agency and corrects the matters pointed out, so that IWS complies with the standard required by the current competent environmental authority.
For IWS, it has always been and in the future will always be absolutely crucial that our activities take place within the framework of applicable legislation.