Handling substances hazardous to water/heating oil systems
Substances hazardous to water
The requirements for plant-related water protection when handling substances hazardous to water serve the preventive protection of water bodies. The aim is to organise the handling in facilities for storage, filling, transfer, production, treatment and use in all areas in such a way that no pollution or other adverse effects on water bodies are to be feared or the best possible protection is achieved. [1], [2]
The requirements for these systems are regulated in the Ordinance on the Handling of Substances Hazardous to Water (AwSV) of 18 April 2017.[3] Based on the water hazard class of the respective substances and the volume, they are categorised into a hazard level (A-D). Depending on this hazard level, systems must be installed by specialised companies and inspected by experts before commissioning and, if necessary, repeatedly at 5-year intervals.
These systems requiring inspection - from private heating oil tanks to petrol stations, industrial plants, biogas plants, etc. - must be notified to the lower water authority using the notification form[5] six weeks before construction/modification[4]. The documents listed under point B7 of the notification form[5] must be enclosed.
Significant changes or changes to the hazard level of the installation and the decommissioning of installations must also be notified. With the exception of private heating oil consumer installations, the authority must also be notified of a change of operator.
Heating oil consumer installations in flood and risk areas
The construction of new heating oil consumer installations in designated and provisionally secured flood areas and in risk areas[6] is prohibited. The lower water authority may authorise exceptions to the ban upon request if no other energy sources that are less hazardous to water are available at economically justifiable costs and the heating oil consumer system is constructed in a flood-proof manner.
Heating oil consumer installations that are located in designated or provisionally secured flood areas on 5 January 2018 must be retrofitted by the operator by 5 January 2023 in accordance with the generally recognised rules of technology to make them flood-proof. If heating oil consumer systems are significantly modified, they must be flood-proofed at the time of modification.
Flood-proof means preventing water-polluting substances from entering a body of water in the event of flooding. There are basically two ways to achieve this:
- Prevent water ingress: e.g. by securing the installation rooms of heating oil tanks against water ingress or by elevating the tanks.
- Secure systems: The tanks are secured against floating, e.g. by anchoring them to/into the ground. A prerequisite for success is that the tanks can withstand the external pressure of the water without leaking. For this purpose, there are heating oil tanks that have the appropriate building authority approval. The type of anchoring is also regulated in the approval. An overview of tanks approved by the building authorities for flood areas can be found on the website of the State Office for the Environment, Agriculture and Geology (LfULG)[7].
The flood-proof retrofitting of heating oil consumer systems constitutes a significant change and must therefore be notified in writing to the lower water authority at least six weeks in advance. The retrofitting measures may only be carried out by a specialised company.