Work out effluent discharge standard check instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.
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.
Discharge load
Load (kg/day) = flow (m3/day) x concentration (mg/L) / 1000
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.
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.
Because it caps how much additional development a works can serve. Load headroom, not concentration performance, is usually what limits new connections.