Effluent Discharge Standard Check Calculator

Work out effluent discharge standard check instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Effluent Discharge Standard Check Calculator

Discharge consents almost always impose both a concentration limit and a load limit, and both must be met. A works can comply on concentration while breaching load if flow has grown, and vice versa in a drought. Load is flow times concentration divided by 1000.

Formula

Discharge load

Load (kg/day) = flow (m3/day) x concentration (mg/L) / 1000

Worked example

With the default values below, Effluent Discharge Standard Check Calculator returns Compliance Status of Non-compliant on concentration and load. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Measured Concentrationminimum 0 mg/L: 28 mg/L
Consent Limitminimum 0 mg/L: 25 mg/L
Discharge Flowminimum 0 m3/day: 5,000 m3/day
Consent Load Limitminimum 0 kg/day: 120 kg/day

Results

Compliance Status: Non-compliant on concentration and load
Discharge Load: 140.000
Exceedance Of Concentration Limit: 12.000%
Headroom To Load Limit: -20.000

Step by step

1Values used
2Discharge load
3Compliance Status= Non-compliant on concentration and load
4Discharge Load= 140.000
5Exceedance Of Concentration Limit= 12.000
6Headroom To Load Limit= -20.000

Assumptions and limits

The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax or compounding frequency into account.
Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
Discharge consent breaches are criminal offences in most jurisdictions with duties to notify the regulator. Check the specific consent wording including sampling and averaging rules.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Discharge consent breaches are criminal offences in most jurisdictions with duties to notify the regulator. Check the specific consent wording including sampling and averaging rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are look-up table consents?

Many regulators allow a stated number of failing samples in a year based on the number of samples taken, recognising sampling variability. A single exceedance may not be a breach, but the rules are specific and must be checked.

Why does load limit growth matter?

Because it caps how much additional development a works can serve. Load headroom, not concentration performance, is usually what limits new connections.