Guidance and regulation

How to access the Environment Agency's public registers of environmental information.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 13 January 2023

When you need an environmental permit to discharge liquid effluent or waste water to surface water or the ground, and how to apply.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 21 February 2024

How to meet the general binding rules if your septic tank or small sewage treatment plant releases (discharges) waste water to the ground.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 2 October 2023

How to meet the general binding rules if your septic tank or small sewage discharge treatment plant releases (discharges) waste water to a surface water.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 2 October 2023

The Environment Agency's charging scheme for environmental permits, abstraction licences and impounding licences.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 1 June 2024

How to change details of your environmental permit, transfer it to somebody else or cancel it.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 25 August 2023

How to carry out a risk assessment if you are applying for a bespoke permit that includes discharging hazardous chemicals and elements to surface water.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 25 February 2022

Find out where SPZs are, what defines the different zones and why the Environment Agency must protect groundwater from pollution.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 1 August 2019

Current list of designated bathing waters in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs
• Updated: 13 May 2024

If you abstract water or plan to, you may need to apply for an abstraction licence.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 3 July 2023

How to apply to the Environment Agency for a water abstraction or impounding licence.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 1 June 2023

General binding rules for small sewage discharges from septic tanks or sewage treatment plants in England.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 2 October 2023

How to assess the impact of your activity in estuarine (transitional) and coastal waters for the Water Framework Directive (WFD). The guidance is called Clearing the Waters for All.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 9 October 2023

How the Environment Agency carries out government policy for groundwater and adopts a risk-based approach where legislation allows.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 2 October 2023

Use this service to view and share your licence information and to submit abstraction returns. Find out about water abstraction alerts.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 1 June 2023

Environment Agency enforcement position on temporary discharges of uncontaminated water from excavations to surface water without a water discharge activity permit.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 6 January 2023

How to carry out a groundwater risk assessment as part of an application for an environmental permit.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 3 April 2018

How to assess the risks to groundwater for treated effluent discharges.

• From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and 1 others
• Updated: 25 November 2020

How to control intermittent storm discharges from combined sewer overflows and waste water treatment works, and minimise the risk of emergency sewage discharges from sewage pumping stations.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 13 September 2018

Use this guide to understand when your waste water discharge is classed as domestic sewage.

• From: Environment Agency
• Updated: 29 July 2021