Use this form is you’re looking to apply for a new standard rules permit to discharge water from a cooling circuit or heat exchanger into surface water or change a permit you already have for this activity.
If you’re discharge is from a single domestic property you may not need a permit if you can comply with our Regulatory Decision -
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/open-loop-heat-pump-systems-permits-consents-and-licences#surface-water-open-loop-heat-pump-systems-for-a-single-domestic-property (opens in a new window)
This standard rules SR2010No2 permit will allow you to discharge up to 1000 cubic metres per day of water from a cooling circuit or heat exchanger to inland surface freshwaters, coastal waters or relevant territorial waters (as defined in Section 104 of the Water Resources Act 1991), provided that you meet the conditions listed below.
If you’re unable to meet these conditions, you will need to apply for a bespoke permit using this form.
These conditions of standard rules permit SR2010No2 are:
1. There must be no polluting chemicals present in the discharge,
2. The temperature change between the inlet and outlet must be less than eight degrees Celsius
3. The outlet temperature must not exceed twenty-five degrees Celsius.
4. The discharge must be to the same water body from which the water was abstracted but not within 200 metres of another cooling or heating discharge.
5. The discharge must not be made into freshwater within 500 metres upstream from a:
- designated shellfish water,
- European Site,
- Ramsar site,
- Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI),
- National Nature Reserve,
- Local Nature Reserve
6.The discharge must not be made into any body of water identified as containing a Protected Species
7. The discharge must not be made within 100m from a Local Wildlife site. Furthermore,
8. The discharge must not be made to a watercourse at a point where salmon spawn.
For a site in tidal water, ‘500 metres upstream’ means within 500 metres by the shortest
distance over water in any direction from the nearest boundary of any of these sites. This restriction only applies to conservation sites that are water-based and linked to the receiving water downstream of the discharge point.