Regulations and official legislation

Core German water law: water-use permits, wastewater discharge (§57) and water body management.

Minimum requirements for discharges to waters, with sector annexes (Annex 1: municipal).

Pollution-load-based charge for discharging wastewater into water bodies.

Status classification and environmental quality standards for surface waters (WFD implementation).

Chemical/quantitative status, threshold values and monitoring of groundwater bodies.

Quality of water for human consumption, risk-based approach and monitoring; transposes EU 2020/2184.

Waste hierarchy, recovery and disposal duties; implements the EU Waste Framework Directive.

Landfill classes (DK 0–IV), liner systems, operation, closure and aftercare.

Agricultural sludge use and mandatory phosphorus recovery for large plants from 2029/2032.

EIA and strategic environmental assessment procedures; Annex 1 project list (WWTPs, landfills, etc.).

Hessian state water law supplementing the WHG: wastewater duties, permits and competent authorities.

Technical rules for wastewater treatment, sewers and sludge; e.g. A 131 activated sludge design.

Generally recognised technical rules for drinking water supply, treatment and distribution networks.

Introduces quaternary treatment, energy neutrality, extended producer responsibility and stricter N/P limits.

Water for human consumption: risk-based approach, new parameters (e.g. PFAS) and leakage assessment.

River-basin management and good-status objective for all water bodies.

Landfill classes, technical requirements and target to cut municipal waste landfilling to 10% by 2035.

Protects soil when sewage sludge is used in agriculture, with heavy-metal limits.

Waste hierarchy, EPR and recycling targets; amended in 2025 for textile and food waste.

Minimum quality and risk-management requirements for reclaimed water used in agricultural irrigation.

Framework environmental act of Türkiye: pollution prohibition, permits, penalties and polluter-pays principle.

Governs EIA procedures and Annex I/II project lists, incl. treatment plants, landfills and water works.

Sets sectoral wastewater discharge standards, discharge permitting and receiving-water protection.

Transposes 91/271/EEC: collection, treatment and discharge requirements for urban wastewater.

Design criteria, process selection, project approval, sludge handling and treated-water reuse rules for WWTPs.

Introduces reuse criteria for treated wastewater in industry and other uses (Art. 22/A–22/D, Annex 7).

Specifies sampling, preservation and analytical methods for wastewater and receiving waters.

Requires online monitoring stations (SAİS) at qualifying WWTPs with real-time data transfer to the Ministry.

Designates eutrophication-sensitive water bodies and catchments; basis for nitrogen/phosphorus removal duties.

Surface water classification, environmental quality standards and good-status objectives.

Ministry of Health; drinking water quality parameters, monitoring and inspection (still in force).

Raw water classes (A1–A3) and required treatment; replaced the 2012 surface-water-for-drinking regulation.

Design, process selection, project preparation and operation rules for drinking water treatment plants.

Sets water-loss targets, water-balance analysis and network management duties for utilities.

Planning, design, construction and operation rules for sewer and stormwater systems.

Official technical specifications for drinking water, treatment, solid waste and infrastructure projects.

Heavy-metal limits, stabilisation and monitoring requirements for land application of sewage sludge.

Landfill classes, liners/capping, leachate and gas management; rehabilitation of uncontrolled dumps.

Waste management from generation to disposal, waste codes (EWC), permits and record-keeping.

Duties for source separation, recovery and setting up zero-waste management systems.