Enactment in 1970/Enforcement in 1971

• To prevent pollution in public water areas, thereby, to protect human health and to conserve the living environment by regulating effluents discharged to public waters from factories and businesses.
• To protect the victims of such discharge by assessing liability against factory and business owners who are responsible. Compensation to persons suffering from health problems related to discharges can be assessed against the factories and businesses.

Public water bodies
(rivers, lakes, ponds, ports, coastal areas and their connecting channels used for public purposes)

• Effluent wastewaters from factories and businesses are widely regulated regardless of their type
• Effluent standards are set in terms of permissible concentrations of each toxic substance based on protection of human health and preservation of the living environment. Effluent standards are classified into two types; 1) common national standards, and 2) the more stringent effluent standards.The uniform national effluent standards are set by the Prime Minister’s Office Order. For Public water areas, where it is reorganized that the common national minimum standards are insufficient for protecting human health, the prefectural government may enact more stringent effluent in standards in order to protect the living environment.

Identification of Specified Facility & Businesses

The water pollution control law describes the following procedure to combat water pollution on; 1) identify wastewater characteristics that produce water pollution of public water bodies, 2) identify specified facilities that discharge these kind of the wastewater, and 3) identify factories and businesses that produce of offending kinds of wastewater processes and list them as specified facilities.

Stringent Effluent Standards

For public water areas, where it is reorganized that the common national minimum effluent standards are insufficient for protecting human health, the prefectural government may enact more stringent effluent standards in order to protect the living environment.

Penalties for Violation of Regulations

The water pollution control law prohibits discharge of wastewater that does not meet the effluent water quality standards and provides for punishment of those who violate the standards.

• Effluent Pollution Control and Standards
• Application of Effluent Water Quality Standards and Designation of Specified Facilities
• Enforcement of Effluent Water Quality Standards
• Regulation of Total Maximum Daily Loading
• Promotion of Countermeasures against Domestic Effluents
• Water Quality Monitoring for Public Waters
• Countermeasures Against Groundwater Pollution
• Roles of Local Government in Water Quality Control
• Referneces : Effluent Water Quality Standards for the Sewage System