Question & AnswerQ&A (DENR ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER NO. 35)
The title of the regulations is the "Revised Effluent Regulations of 1990."
They apply to all industrial and municipal wastewater effluents.
BOD (Biochemical Oxygen Demand) is a measure of the approximate quantity of dissolved oxygen required by bacteria to stabilize organic matter in wastewater or surface water, serving as a semi-quantitative measure of oxidizable wastewater organics.
No industrial or domestic sewage effluent shall be discharged into Class AA and SA waters.
Old industries producing strong industrial wastes must comply with the interim effluent requirements applicable within the periods indicated in Table 3A of the regulations, specifically when the receiving water body is classified as Class C, D, SC, or SD.
A Mixing Zone is the place where the effluent discharge from a point source mixes with a receiving body of water, the extent of which shall be determined by the discharger and approved by the Department on a case-to-case basis.
No, new or proposed industries producing or treating strong wastewaters must comply with the stricter effluent standards specified in Table 3B upon the effectivity of these regulations, and by January 1995, all industries, including old ones, must comply.
They are required to pay a penalty fee of five pesos (P5.00) per kilogram of BOD discharged per day in excess of the allowable limit, but the calculated fine shall not exceed P5,000 per day.
Prohibitions include: discharging untreated or inadequately treated effluents without approval, operating treatment facilities improperly, exceeding treatment facility capacities, and using equipment to conceal or dilute effluent discharges.
Effluents must be analyzed using the Philippine Standard Methods for Air and Water Analyses or the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater published by recognized organizations, or by methods prescribed by the Department.