Environmental Affairs Minister Edna Molewa, on March 10, published the draft coastal waters discharge permit regulations in the Government Gazette for public comment.
The regulations seek to provide an administrative framework to implement Section 69 of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act (NEM: ICMA), relating to coastal effluent discharges from land-based sources.
The NEM: ICMA empowers the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) to manage the discharge of effluent into coastal waters, while ensuring that users of coastal water are not adversely affected upon and that the environmental integrity of the coast is not compromised.
This was previously administered by the Department of Water and Sanitation in terms of Section 21 of the National Water Act.
With existing outfall operators continuing to discharge and new applications for proposed discharges being made to the department, it identified a need to regulate the permitting process.
The draft regulations seek to provide guidance on and stipulate timeframes, renewal application processes, applicable fees and the required information and processes that allow the delegated authority to make an informed decision on coastal waters discharge permit applications.
“These draft regulations are part of the suite of tools that will be used to assist in the protection and governance of ocean resources. The ocean is a shared space and all beneficial users must have access to good water quality for their benefit.
“Better environmental protection will result in better goods and services from our coastal environment, which is the desired outcome of the draft regulations,” the DEA said in a statement.
Submissions for written comments will close 30 days from the publication date.