â— The company may be exempt from meeting emission standards.
â— The company has sewage treatment equipment, but the discharged water does not meet the required standards, resulting in additional charges forè¶…æ ‡ sewage and treatment fees.
â— There is ongoing discussion about whether domestic and industrial sewage should be charged under the same standards.
By the end of this year, Heshan City will implement a sewage treatment fee of 0.8 yuan per ton for users discharging wastewater within the urban planning area. Previously, the rate was only 0.3 yuan per ton. The hearing on this issue included representatives from the Heshan Municipal Price Bureau, the Environmental Protection Agency, and over 20 participants from various sectors.
Historically, the sewage treatment fee collection standard was low. According to an official from the Heshan Environmental Protection Bureau, national and provincial authorities have recently introduced new requirements for sewage treatment fees, making it a growing trend to adopt higher standards.
The city’s sewage treatment fee system has evolved over time. In the 1980s, there were initial attempts to collect fees, but enforcement was weak. By the 1990s, the system became more structured, though still incomplete. From June 2002 to May 2003, the fee was set at 0.2 yuan per ton, and then increased to 0.3 yuan per ton in June 2003, without clear guidelines or fixed targets. It wasn’t until 2008 that the central government imposed mandatory requirements, pushing local governments to raise the standards.
According to reports, Heshan’s previous fee was significantly below regional averages. The average sewage treatment fee in the nine prefecture-level cities in the Pearl River Delta was 0.63 yuan per ton, while Heshan’s was much lower. Additionally, the state aims to ensure that sewage treatment fees cover operational costs with minimal profit. With the second sewage treatment plant currently under construction, the current 0.3 yuan per ton fee is insufficient to maintain low-profit margins.
Increasing sewage treatment fees is seen as a way to encourage companies and citizens to conserve water. Heshan faces water scarcity, severe pollution, and significant domestic water waste. Low fees and limited coverage have led many to undervalue water resources. At the hearing, some representatives suggested that raising the fee could promote self-discipline among large water consumers and raise public awareness about water conservation.
A key question remains: Are all wastewater discharge companies required to pay this fee? Some companies already have their own sewage treatment facilities. If they treat the water properly, are they still obligated to pay? According to the environmental protection authority, companies that meet discharge standards can directly release treated water into rivers and are exempt from the fee. However, if the treated water still fails to meet standards, both theè¶…æ ‡ sewage charge and the treatment fee apply. The official stated, “This ensures that companies take responsibility and don’t let sewage treatment equipment become just for show.â€
Most hearing representatives agreed that sewage treatment fees should be collected. However, there are still debates on whether domestic and industrial sewage should follow the same standards, whether the additional fee is too high, and how to handle fees for certain social welfare institutions. The Heshan Price Bureau will submit the delegates’ opinions to the municipal government for further discussion.
Additionally, the Heshan Second Wastewater Treatment Plant, with a total investment of 70.84 million yuan, is currently under construction and expected to be completed by June this year. This project will handle over 90% of the city’s domestic sewage. From the heavy investment in pollution control projects to the implementation of sewage treatment fees, it shows that the Heshan government is taking environmental issues seriously.
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