Summary
Urban waste water coming from homes and industry is the primary cause of damage to the aquatic environment in the European Union. Untreated, it allows vegetation to grow in rivers and seas to become "slicks" which consume oxygen and threaten life in water. To address the problem of transnational pollution, the EU adopted legislation harmonizing the collection, treatment and discharge of urban waste water and the treatment and discharge of waste water from certain industrial sectors. While the EU directive 91/271/EEC (amended by 98/15/EC) went into force on June 30, 1993, member states have until December 2005 to set up municipal collection systems. With the accession of several new countries to the EU since 2004, treatment of urban waste water has become a priority for compliance in the new EU members. Unlike the EU-15 countries, their transition period for implementation varies, offering an excellent opportunity to export U.S. waste water technology in the coming years.