In fresh years, local governments and water and sewage companies have been faced with the problem of charging for discharge of rainwater and melting water. By 2017, they were classified as sewage, allowing for a clear regulation of the charges for their removal. However, the amendment made it hard to collect fees, resulting in financial difficulties in maintaining the rainwater. The Ministry of Infrastructure, under the force of local governments and the water and sewage industry, is ready to discuss the restoration of rainwater to the definition of sewage and the introduction of a fresh rainwater tariff. But what are the consequences of these changes?
Loss of Union funds
The current legal situation raises many problems for municipalities which cannot benefit from EU backing for the construction of rainwater to the same degree as for sanitation. City representatives are alerting that separate treatment of rainwater limits the anticipation of utilizing these funds, which is peculiarly worrying in the context of the expanding number of torrential rains and problems with mediocre rainwater sewage. According to Marek Wójcik, a legislative expert of the Union of Polish Cities (ZMP), since 2018 the construction of rain drains has practically ceased, which is the direct consequence of the deficiency of adequate funding.
In this context, the proposal to reconstruct rainwater to the definition of waste water is of peculiar importance. The Ministry of Infrastructure, which has given the green light to the talks, is ready to engage in a dialog with local governments on this issue. However, as Maciej Lasek, Deputy Head of MI, stressed, it is essential to supply more detailed explanations and expectations for the amendment.
Tariff problem
One of the main challenges facing municipalities is the financing of rainwater. The deficiency of fees for draining rainwater makes most municipalities gotta cover the cost of maintaining it from their own resources. Moreover, administrative courts frequently question the right of municipalities to levy specified charges, which further impedes investment financing. According to Mateusz Faron, a legal advisor from the Chancellery of Legal Advisors Zygmunt Jerzmanowski and Partners in Poznań, various models functioned in the trade, and the case law assessed them differently.
In consequence to these problems, water and sewage manufacture representatives are considering introducing a separate tariff for draining rainwater. It would be akin to the fare for sewage, and charges would be charged on the alleged flow area, i.e. hardened area, specified as roofs, pavements or driveways under the house. According to Grzegorz Gałałbuda, the economist of the Chamber of Commerce “Polish Waterworks”, the resources for rain sewerage are much smaller than those for sanitation, which makes investments in this infrastructure scarce.
Do you request a fresh rainwater fare?
However, the introduction of a fresh rainwater tariff raises any doubts. As Grzegorz Gałabuda notes, the European Commission could start asking questions about the management of rainwater, which could origin problems in the context of EU directives and national programmes, specified as the National Urban Waste Cleanup Programme (NAP). On the another hand, the deficiency of fees for draining rainwater means that the cost of maintaining it falls on municipalities, which increasingly request to look for alternate sources of funding.
The introduction of a fresh tariff could besides be an chance to address the problem of mediocre rainwater. According to the calculations of the Chamber of Commerce “Polish Waterworks”, the fees for draining rainwater would be akin to the fare for sewage and would be on average respective twelve zlotys from the household. The strategy of charging charges on the flow area could so be a form of a fee for the municipality's willingness to discharge rainwater, without having to calculate the actual quantity of rainwater.
Mobilisation to disconnect from rainwater
It is worth noting, however, that in the context of the rainwater, the precedence is to mobilise customers to disconnect from the rainwater and to hold rainwater on their own property. According to Grzegorz Gałałbuda, in the case of rain drains, the aim is that as many people as possible separate from the strategy and independently manage the rainwater, for example by draining it into green areas or collecting it in peculiar reservoirs for later use.
Summary
The discussion on the restoration of rainwater to the definition of sewage and the introduction of a fresh rainwater tariff is highly crucial in the context of increasing problems with financing and maintenance of rainwater. The Ministry of Infrastructure declares its readiness to talk, and local governments and the water and sewage manufacture number on solving the problem. However, it will be crucial to find the right balance between EU requirements and the needs of local communities to guarantee effective management of rainwater in the future.
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No more free rainwater? The Ministry of Infrastructure wants to impose another “tax” on Poles
