KSA

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

PME Reference

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia National Environmental Standard

Industrial and Municipal Wastewater Discharges

Article I - Preliminary
1)

industrial wastewater Industrial waste water refers

to any liquid wastes discharged from an industrial
facility or produced through any industrial activity.

Definitions
aesthetic refers to those characteristics of water
which exhibit themselves physically, including but not
limited to, the odor, taste and color.
blending shall refer to the merging of wastewater
flows or samples from one or more sources.
Central Treatment Works means a facility that
receives wastewater or water runoffs from domestic or
industrial sources, and by combinations of different
processes treats Domestic or Industrial wastewater
(Hazardous or non hazardous) to a less harmful
effluent. These facilities are also known as Waste
Water Treatment Plants (WWTP) or as Sewage
Treatment Plants (STP).
composite sample shall refer to a sample which is
taken continuously over a time period, or a sample
consisting of several samples taken either continuously
or discontinuously over a given period and blended.
Concerned Agency the government agency incharge of environment-related projects.
contravention refers to an actual breach in a
regulatory requirement meaning the failure to comply
with the terms set out in this document.

KSA shall refer to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

mixing zone shall refer to a defined area of water
directly adjacent to an area for discharging wastewater
where the receiving water quality standards may be
exceeded.
municipal wastewater Domestic wastewater refers
to sanitary waste normally discharged from residential
properties largely consisting of human and food waste
and excluding any process waters or trade effluents.
Commercial facilities may contribute to municipal
wastewater.
operator The owner or manager of a project,
business, industrial enterprise or wastewater treatment
works.
parameter shall refer to a chemical, physical or
biological measurement factor as listed.
point of reference refers to the point in a wastewater
process where samples must be taken to monitor for
compliance with the requirements of this standard.
PME shall refer to the Presidency of Meteorology and
Environment.

degraded water body shall refer to any water body

that does not comply with the conditions set out in the
Ambient Water Quality Standard.

stormwater shall refer to precipitation that runs off

land or structures on land.

discharges include, but is not limited to, any spilling,

leaking, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, or
dumping of effluents.

wastewater shall refer to any contaminated water

resulting from industrial or agricultural operations or
any other activities which are of equivalent
environmental impact, including sanitary wastewater.

Competent Agency where referenced, refers to the

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME)

water body shall refer to bodies of water as defined

with Appendix A.

emergency situation refers to any abnormal

situation that may cause any environmental risks
including but limited to discharge of untreated
wastewater, deficiency of the central treatment works
due to organic overloaded and overflow or due to
mechanical failure.
facility shall refer to

Aquifer:
An aquifer is an underground layer of water-bearing
permeable rock or unconsolidated materials (gravel,
sand, silt, or clay) from which groundwater can be
usefully extracted using a water well. The surface of
saturated material in an aquifer is known as the water
table.

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Saturated Aquifer means the pressure head of the

water is greater than atmospheric pressure (it has a
gauge pressure > 0). The definition of the water table is
surface where the pressure head is equal to
atmospheric pressure (where gauge pressure =0).

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attributed to the minimization

economic development.

of

impacts

upon

c) The standards shall, where attainable:

Unsaturated Aquifer Unsaturated conditions in an

aquifer occur above the water table where the pressure
head is negative (absolute pressure can never be
negative, but gauge pressure can) and the water which
incompletely fills the pores of the aquifer material is
under suction.

i)

Ensure the maintenance or improvement of

water quality in KSA for the protection and
propagation of aquatic life, wildlife and
recreation in and on the water; and;

ii)

take into consideration aesthetic values, use

for public water supplies, agricultural,
industrial and other purposes including
navigation.

Unconfined Aquifers
In unconfined aquifers, the ground water only partially
fills the aquifer and the upper surface of the ground
water (the water table) is free to rise and decline. The
ground water is at atmospheric pressure.

Confined aquifers may also be referred to as artesian

aquifers.
A confined aquifer is sandwiched between confining
beds (layers of impermeable materials such as clay
which impede the movement of water into and out of the
aquifer). Because of the confining beds, ground water in
these aquifers is under high pressure.

Citation
a) This document will be cited as the Wastewater
Discharge Standards for KSA. This standard revises
the current General Standards for the Environment
(specifically document number 1409-01) issued by the
Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME).

3)

Purpose
a) Wastewater discharge standards are developed to
control the quality of direct discharges from facilities
and persons operating in KSA. These standards will
contribute towards meeting KSAs ambient water
quality objectives. These standards utilize use-related
criteria and specify limits on individual discharges
designed to protect those uses.
b) PME is charged with protecting the natural
environment and under its mandate, must issue
controls over effluent discharges. While these
standards aim to control environmental pollution and
protect public health welfare, appropriate attention is

Timescales for implementation

a) The effective date of this standard is 01/05/1433H
corresponds to 24/03/2012G.

5)

Confined Aquifers

2)

4)
.

Scope
a) Discharges shall include any liquid effluents or
process water which is not classified as clean
unpolluted surface runoff including storm water. This
may include but is not restricted to:
-

waste chemicals, including oils;

liquid process wastes;
detergents;
condensate water;
cooling water;
biodegradable substances;
wash water;
ballast water;
liquid wastes or wash waters, domestic
sewage, wastewater discharged using sinks,
basins or toilets;
contaminated mine or quarry water;
all sanitary wastewaters; and
treated effluents from CTW (municipal and
industrial),
Desalination reject water.

b) These standards shall apply to any installation, site

or premises that produce discharges as defined in (5a) above. These standards control discharges into
Central
Treatment
Works
(CTW), unplanned
emergency events (overflows) and discharges to
coastal waters, surface water, land and wadis.
c) It is the responsibility of the CTW to ensure that the
final discharge from their facility does not exceed any
of the prescribed concentrations and values in
Appendix B when processing domestic, commercial
and / or industrial wastewater.

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facilities discharging into their collection system. It is

the responsibility of the operator of the CTW to enforce
any revised conditions.

d) Sanitary Wastewater discharges from off-shore

facilities shall be governed by the relevant regional
marine discharge requirements
(delete)
8)
6)

a) Failure to comply with the requirements of these

standards may lead to prosecution by the relevant
Agency as laid out in the General Environmental
Regulations and those convicted of such failure may be
subject to fines or periods of imprisonment as laid out in
the General Environmental Regulations.

a) The following exemptions will apply for industrial

wastewater discharges:
i)

Any liquid discharge from national state

defense activities providing there is agreement
with the Competent Agency.

ii)

Any liquid discharge following an emergency

fire fighting event (not to include fire fighting
training exercises). However best practices
must be used to contain pollutants under these
circumstances.

b) It is anticipated that the requirements of this standard

will be enforced nationally with inspections taking place
to verify their implementation at a regional and local
level.

9)
7)

Enforcement procedures

Exemptions

Penalty fines

Powers of authority
a) Maximum fines that may be imposed for exceeding
the applicable standard, breach of permit and failure to
comply with an abatement notice are set out in the
General Environmental Regulations.

a) The General Environmental Regulations give a

mandate to PME to enforce standards in the field of
wastewater discharges. These standards are intended
to provide the basis for such regulation.
b) These standards permit the issuing of further
technical memoranda which are subject to enforcement
by PME. These memoranda may be issued at a date
following the implementation date.

10)

a) A right of appeal exists for any organization or

individual who is required to take action as a
consequence of the implementation of the revised
standard.

c) The Competent Agency or Concerned Agency for

the purposes of these standards may appoint persons
to act on their behalf as technical assessors and
monitors in relation to the powers and duties conferred
by these standards and / or subsequent amendments.

b) The right of appeal against conviction or sentence is

available through the appropriate judicial system as set
out in the General Environmental Regulations.

d) The Competent Agency, Concerned Agency or

appointed person for the purpose of monitoring and
enforcing these standards may:
i)

enter any premises for the purpose of

carrying out any such investigations.

ii)

carry out such inspections and tests on such

samples of water or land or articles, as that
person considers appropriate for the
purpose of enabling him to carry out any
such investigations; or

iii)

at any reasonable time require any relevant

party to supply him with copies of, or
extracts from, the contents of any records
kept for the purpose of complying with the
regulations.

e) In order to protect the quality of the final effluent, the

operator of a central treatment works is empowered to
prescribe revised or additional discharge limits to

Appeals

c) All appeals should be fully supported with a

documented case containing as a minimum, the
information required under the appeals process of the
General Environmental Regulations.

11)

Periodic review
a) There may be some requirement at a future date to
adjust the standards included to recognize specific local
conditions and or an improved understanding of the
effects of non point-source wastewater discharges .
b) As a minimum, the Competent Agency will
undertake a periodic review of this standard every 5
years.
c) Where new information suggests that adjustments
are required to this standard, all changes will be
subject to the appropriate consultation and will be
notified to facilities by the Competent Competent

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Agency. Appropriate implementation time will be
allowed.

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Agency. within 90 days of the date of implementation of

this standard.
c) The Concerned Agency may seek to externally verify
any evidence provided within the application form.
d) The Concerned Agency in consultation with the
Competent Agency will assess each application and use
a risk based approach to determine their response. This
risk based approach will consider the impact the
discharge will have on the environment (based on the
characteristics of the discharge and the sensitivity of the
receiving environment).

Article II General Provisions

1)

Units of measurement and reference points for

discharges
a) Units of concentration for the stipulated quality
parameters of wastewater will be included in the
summary Tables containing the numerical standards.
These may vary for different constituents and are
displayed in Appendix B.

e) If rejected by the Concerned Agency, the facility must

meet the requirements of this standard or risk penalties
as detailed in Article I.
f) Where acceptable, a permit will be issued that may
impose operating conditions, revised emission limits
and/or a timetable for bringing the discharge into
compliance.

b) Where effluent is discharged to a CTW, the point of

reference for the industrial sites outlet is immediately
upstream of the connection to the main sewerage
system leading to the CTW.
c) The point of reference for the sites Wastewater
Treatment Plant is prior to it being mixed with any
streams that would serve to dilute the treatment plant
discharge.

4)

a) Where available, the preferable form of wastewater

disposal is to a CTW which supports wastewater reuse.
b) Wastewater destined for regulated or unregulated
reuse must meet the criteria specified by the relevant
Designated Agency to ensure that it is wholesome and
fit for the intended purpose.

d) The point of discharge for all wastewater streams is

a sample point prior to mixing with any other waste
stream.
2)

Pollution transfer

c) In all circumstances, facilities and operators must

consider the full range of options available for
wastewater recycling within processes and activities at
the site.

a) The requirements of this standard must not be met

by procedures whereby environmental pollution is
transferred to other environmental media such as air or
soil.

d) In all circumstances facilities and operators must

apply all means and technologies that support water
conservation. This will include the installation of water
efficient devices, metering and process auditing.

b) Requirements specified in the form of concentration

levels must not be achieved via dilution.
c) Blending shall be permissible for the purpose of joint
treatment. This is provided that the blending enhances
the treatment efficiency or provides for a more
economical treatment system and that effluent from the
combined system meets all discharge standards.

3)

Wastewater reuse and conservation

e) All discharge streams from a facility must be

metered and the records of the discharge quantities
maintained with the compliance records (as required in
Article III Section 3, a iv)

Permits
Article III Discharges to Central Treatment Works
a) In circumstances where a facility can provide
substantive evidence that the prescribed emission limits
are not practicable, a permit may be issued that allows
parameters in Appendix B to be temporarily exceeded.
b) The permit application form in Appendix E must be
completed in full and submitted to the Competent
agency either directly or through the Concerned

1)

Discharge limits
a) The quality standards set out in Appendix B for
discharges to the CTW or shared sewerage system
shall not be exceeded without specific authorization
from the operator of the CTW. This authorization must
be documented in full and include as a minimum:

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Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

i)

details of the parameters that shall be

allowed to exceed the requirements of this
standard, including revised limit values
and/or maximum allowable quantities to be
discharged; and

ii)

ii)

any highly volatile substance or material

with toxic vapors; and

iii)

any other substance in quantities or of a

quality that is likely to endanger human
health, compromise safety, or negatively
impact CTW, or the environment. (TD)

the allowable time duration (TD) of the

authorization.

b) If necessary, the operator of an industrial site shall

install and operate a pre-treatment system in
accordance with Article III (2) at the facility to ensure
that the wastewater meets the discharge standards set
out in Appendix B.

3)

Sampling and monitoring

a) Each industrial operator shall:
i)

for all facilities, determine compliance with

discharge standards using sampling and
analytical methods that are in accordance with
the most recent edition of the Standard
Methods for the Examination of Water and
Wastewater published by the American Public
Health Association (APHA) or any other
methods approved by the Competent Agency;

ii)

maintain an auto-sampling system or manual

system to allow collection of 24-hour composite
samples - if required the Competent Agency.

iii)

Sample on a monthly sampling frequency (as a

minimum) for all discharges of treated or
untreated industrial wastewater at the point of
discharge from the facility. The sampling
frequency may be increased at any time at the
request of the Competent Agency;

c) Where practicable, wastewater shall be reused in

accordance with national standards applicable to this
activity. The preferred option for waste water disposal
is through treatment and reuse.
d) Water shall be considered a non-renewable
resource and all wastewater shall be reused if reuse
can be accomplished economically (i.e. treated
sufficiently for reuse for less than the cost of providing
the same quality water from desalinated sea water
transported to the site using current construction
costs).

2)

Pre- treatment requirements

a) Industrial wastewater entering collecting systems
and CTWs shall be subject to such pre-treatment as is
required in order to:
i)

protect the health of staff working in collecting

systems and treatment plants;

ii)

ensure that collecting systems, wastewater

treatment plants, processes and associated
equipment are not damaged;

iii)

ensure that the operation of the wastewater

treatment plant and the treatment of sludge are
not impeded;

iv) ensure that discharges from the treatment

plants do not adversely affect the environment,
or prevent receiving water from complying with
other legislation; and
v)

ensure that sludge can be disposed of safely in

an environmentally acceptable manner.

b) The following substances are banned from

discharge into public or private sewer systems unless
agreed otherwise with the CTW operator:
i)

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iv) hold sampling and monitoring data for a

minimum period of 5 years, which may be
extended at any time by the Competent
Agency;
v)

maintain the facility, monitoring and sampling

equipment at all times in a safe and proper
operating condition at the expense of the
operator;

vi) receive the written approval of the Competent

Agency before changing the sampling point
and/or monitoring facilities to be used in all
required sampling;
vii) ensure that all monitoring and sampling data is
readily accessible to the Competent Agency on
request at any time; and
viii) allow the Competent Agency to enter the
premises of the operator at all reasonable
hours, for purposes of, inspection, sampling
and records examination.

Diesel or petrol fuels and other flammable

or explosive liquids;

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2)

Article IV Discharges to the Environment

1)

b) The responsibility for determining the use and

classification of the receiving environment falls on the
operator making the discharge. Criteria for
classification of usage zones are set out within
Appendix A.

b) Allowable discharge limits will meet the specific

standard from Appendix B relating to the
characteristics
of
the
receiving
environment.
Classifications of receiving environments are set out in
Appendix A. A receiving environment may be classified
as Marine, High Value or Degraded.

c) The Competent Agency is empowered to make a

final determination in circumstances that are not clear.
Any disputes will be referred to the Grievance Board if
a resolution cannot be found.

c) The discharges limits set out in Appendix B are

established at levels which are achievable using Best
Available Techniques (BAT) and:
do not harm public health;

ii)

do not impair the visual

appearance of the water;

iii)

do not result in adverse impact on the adjacent

waters;

or

d) If a person is unable to clearly identify their usage

classification, they may request guidance from the
Competent Agency pertaining to the classification of
the water usage designation and applicable standards.
e) Following a request for usage designation and any
necessary payment has been received the Competent
Agency has an obligation to reply within a period of 30
days.

aesthetic

f) Failure by any person/facility to correctly classify the

usage zone designated for their discharge location will
be classified as a breach of the General Regulations.

iv) maintain marine life (coastal waters);

v)

Assigning usage zone categories

a) The discharge limits are determined by the userelated designation of the receiving environment and
the intended utilization of that environment or resource.

General provisions
a) The operator of a facility shall ensure that
discharges made directly to the environment or to an
identifiable direct pathway to the environment such as
a storm water drain, meets the discharge standards as
set out in Appendix B.

i)

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protect fisheries (coastal waters);

vi) maintain the aesthetic/recreational value of the

waters;

3)

a) Whenever monitoring of ambient conditions by the

Competent Agency has defined a water body as
degraded, it is empowered to revise discharge limits for
all contributing facilities irrespective of whether they
meet the conditions set out within Appendix B.

vii) are suitable for use as industrial cooling water

(coastal waters); and

viii) do not interfere with the use as a source for

desalination feed-water.

b) Alterations made (as per Article IV (3a)) to the

prescribed discharge limits will consider pollutant
loading from all contributing facilities in conjunction with
the assimilative capacity of the receiving environment.

d) In addition, each facility will have the ability to divert

the effluent stream of the CTW, to offline storage or
tankers for treatment offsite during system failure.
e) The area of influence from a discharge or Mixing
Zone will be defined using the methodology in
Appendix D.
f) Where studies show that a facilitys discharge from a
specific facility is determined to be toxic to fish eggs
and fish larvae, the Competent Agency may impose
specific controls on the affected facility regarding the
composition and location of its discharge. (TD)
g) Discharges to areas classified as C2 in Appendix A
must undergo tertiary treatment prior to discharge.

Provisions for degraded water bodies

4)

Groundwater quality protection

a) Discharge of any sanitary, industrial, or municipal
wastewater directly to groundwater is prohibited.
b) Where the underlying aquifer is considered to be of
moderate, high or extreme vulnerability (as determined
by the methodology in Appendix C) any discharge
made to land will be considered a direct discharge to
groundwater and will therefore be prohibited by Article
IV (4a). (complete methodology should be referenced
for APX C) For complete methodology, please refer to
Aller et al., 1987.
c) Where the underlying aquifer is considered to be of
negligible or low vulnerability (as determined by the

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methodology in Appendix C) the Competent Agency
may on a case by case basis allow surface or
subsurface disposal subject to authorization from the
Competent Agency.

represent the key pollutants known to be in

the effluent discharge.
iii)

d) The decision to provide authorization referred to in

(c) will be based on an analysis of the risk posed by the
individual discharge. This risk analysis shall be carried
out by the operator of the discharge and audited by the
Competent Agency. Conditions specified alongside the
authorization shall include as minimum:
i)

the required level of treatment prior to

discharge; and

ii)

a limit on the total volume of effluent to be

discharged.

e) A mandatory source protection zone with a 50m

radius exists surrounding a point of groundwater
abstraction used for potable purposes. Within this
source protection zone the following activities are
prohibited:
i)

direct discharges of wastewater to unlined

ponds;

ii)

construction or operation of septic tank

leach field; and/or

iii)

construction or operation of seepage pits.

iv) any other additional or modified

conditions deemed necessary by the
competent agency to protect the valuable
groundwater resources from pollution.

5)

Sampling and monitoring

a) For any direct discharge to the environment, the
operator must provide and operate a continuous
monitoring system to allow for the inspection, sampling
and flow measurement of each individual discharge
from the facility. This system;
i)

should be equipped with an audible

notification system should the effluent
violate the indicator limits values for
parameters as specified in the permit.

ii)

should provide for monthly sampling of all

parameters in Appendix B that are
reasonably anticipated to be present in the
discharge. These parameters will be the
parameters
by
which
the
facilitys
compliance will be determined. The
Competent Agency must be notified in
writing of the indicator parameters to be
used for compliance determination within 90
days of the date of implementation of these
standards and these parameters should

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All
sampling
for
demonstration
of
compliance must be according to Standard
Methods
sampling
and
analytical
procedures. Any analysis that does not
conform to these requirements must be
repeated such that it conforms to the
required protocols. Chain of custody and
records of QA/QC testing must be
maintained by the laboratory performing the
analysis in order to demonstrate the
accuracy of the data.

iv) Facility laboratories may institute more

frequent sampling events utilizing short-cut
analytical methods in order to provide for
process control parameters.
However,
these results will not be acceptable for
compliance reporting. (TD) (ADKD)
Article V Emergency Situations

1)

Operational requirements
a) All facility operators shall document a plan to provide
protection for the local environment against accidental
discharges or spills of regulated materials or
substances covered by this standard. This plan must
be made available to the Competent Agency upon their
request.
b) A facility operator must notify the Competent Agency
immediately of any revisions to wastewater equipment
plans and operating procedures. The review and
approval of any such equipment revisions plans and/or
operating procedures shall not relieve the operator
from the responsibility of modifying the facility as
necessary to provide the protection necessary to meet
the requirements of these standards; and
c) All facilities discharging to a CTW shall have storage
capacity to retain 24 hours of wastewater production,
excluding unpolluted process or cooling water in a
pond that is lined with an impervious liner (30 mil
HDPE or better). Wastewater retained in such facilities
shall be regularly discharged so that the ponds are
normally kept empty to provide containment for
emergencies and to minimize fugitive emissions.
d) All facilities discharging directly to the environment
shall have storage capacity to retain 36 hours of total
wastewater production, excluding uncontaminated
cooling or process water in a pond that is lined with an
impervious liner (30 mil HDPE or better). Wastewater
retained in such facilities shall be regularly discharged
so that the ponds are kept empty under normal
operating conditions to provide containment for
emergencies and to minimize fugitive emissions.

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c) Storm water may be discharged directly to the

environment if it meets the discharge criteria in
Appendix B.
2)

Emergency response requirements

a) Each facility shall prepare an Emergency Spill
Containment Plan (Article V 1a) to mitigate or minimize
(TD) the environmental risks posed under emergency
conditions. This plan must be documented, evidence of
communicated to staff retained and such records made
available to the Competent Agency when requested.,
through their Licensing Agency .
b) Under emergency situations the effluent shall either
be pre-treated on-site until compliant with the
standards set in Appendix B, or transferred to and
disposed of at an approved wastewater treatment
facility.
c) These arrangements must only be temporary and
shall not continue for a period of longer than 21 days
whilst repair and maintenance works are carried out.
Any extension to this must be agreed with the
Competent Agency.
d) Upon the occurrence of an accidental discharge, the
facility operator shall notify the Competent Agency
immediately and, in every case, no later than 12 hours
from the time the operator becomes aware of the
accidental discharge. The notification shall include but
not be limited to, location of discharge, date and time
thereof, type of discharge, concentration and volume,
and corrective actions.
d) In an event where the accidental discharge:
i)

Travels to the CTW and adversely affects the

normal functioning of the treatment works; or

ii)

enters the environment in some other manner,

including but not limited to leakage and
overspill,

the facility operator shall be subject to investigation by

the Competent Agencys enforcement policies and/or
procedures and may be prosecuted under the General
Environmental Regulations.

3)

Storm water management

a) The operator should eliminate or minimize the risks
posed to human health and the environment by storm
water run off from their facility.
b) Facilities that cover an area greater than 0.1
hectares must install and maintain an oil/water
interceptor on each individual storm water drain line.

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Appendix A Classification of water bodies

a) The requirements of Article IV 2 state that all water bodies (receiving environments) must be classified according to the type
of water and use. This appendix sets out the criteria for classifying usage zones.

Classification

Subdivision

Code

Definition

Groundwater

Water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore

spaces and in the fractures of geologic formations.

Fresh surface
water

This includes all fresh waters on the ground and includes

water within rivers, canals, streams, lakes, ponds, wetlands,
marshes, wadis and man made reservoirs.

Coastal water

Marine

C1

Coastal waters are those that are under the jurisdiction of

KSA (the territorial coastal waters being 12 international
nautical miles (22.2 kilometers) of the shoreline. The subdivision marine is the default when the coastal water body
does not meet the criteria for high-value (C2) or industrial
(C3) as detailed below.

Coastal water

High value

C2

Areas of coastal water shall be classified as high value if

they are designated as locally, nationally or internationally
protected areas by any Concerned Agency (this includes
but is not limited to the Competent Agency, ROPME,
NCWCD and PERGSA).

Coastal water

Industrial

C3

Water bodies shall be classified as industrial if they are

adjacent to terrestrial zones or surrounding fixed offshore
platforms that are classified as industrial through local or
national planning regulation. The extent of the aquatic
environment classified as industrial will represent a seaward
extension of the terrestrial boundary provided that it does
not impinge upon high areas classified as C1 or C2.
Furthermore, industrial ambient conditions will extend no
more than a 500 meter radius from the edge of any mixing
zone.

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Appendix B Prescribed concentrations and values

Table B1 Discharge limits for effluents prior to discharge into water bodies (and municipal collection systems)
Red Sea
Parameter
Important note*

Municipal
collecting
systems

Gulf

Marine

Ecosensitive

Industrial

Marine

Ecosensitive

Industrial

Surface
water

Absent

Absent

Absent

Absent

Absent

Absent

Absent

7
6-9.5

5
7.5-9

7
6-10

7
6-9.5

5
7.5-9

7
6-10

5
6.5-8.5

600

50
15

5
10

75
15

50
15

5
10

75
15

5
10

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

500
1000
100
120
1000
50
n/a
40

25
150
5
5
50
2
0.8
1

10
50
2
5
40
1
0.5
1

25
150
7
10
50
5
1
3

25
150
5
5
50
3
1
1

10
50
2
5
40
1
0.5
1

25
150
7
10
50
5
1
3

10
50
5
5
100
5
1
0.5
1500

Unit

Physical chemistry
Coarse material
C

Temperature
pH
TDS
Turbidity
TSS
Indicators
BOD5
COD
1
Total Oil & Grease
TKN (organic N)
TOC
Phosphorus (total)
3Phosphate (PO4)
Ammonia (as NH3)
Chloride (as Cl)
Total inorganic
nitrogen (as N02 and
N03)
Sodium
Sulfate
Sulfide
Heavy metals

(from ambient)

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

n/a
1000
500
10

800
600
0.2

800
600
0.2

1500
1000
1.0

800
600
0.2

800
600
0.2

1500
1000
1.0

15
800
600
0.2

Aluminium
Arsenic
Barium
Cadmium
Chromium (total)
Chromium
(Hexavalent)
Cobalt
Copper
Iron
Lead
Manganese
Mercury
Nickel
Silver
Zinc
Organics and
inorganics
Benzene
Carbon Tetrachloride
Chlorine (residual)

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

30
1
2
1.0
1

10
0.3
2
0.02
0.5

5
0.05
1
0.005
0.01

15
0.5
2
0.05
0.5

10
0.3
2
0.02
0.5

5
0.05
1
0.005
0.01

15
0.5
2
0.05
0.5

5
0.1
1
0.001
.01

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

0.5
2
1
30
1
2
0.5
1.5
1
10

0.1
0.2
0.2
5
0.1
0.5
0.005
0.5
0.3
3

0.05
0.05
0.2
5
0.1
0.2
0.001
0.2
0.3
2

0.1
0.2
0.5
10
0.5
1
0.1
1
0.5
5

0.1
0.2
0.2
5
0.1
0.5
0.005
0.5
0.3
3

0.05
0.05
0.2
5
0.1
0.2
0.001
0.2
0.3
2

0.1
0.2
0.5
10
0.5
1
0.1
1
0.5
5

0.05
0.05
0.2
2
0.1
0.2
0.001
0.2
0.3
2

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

1
1
1.0

0.05
0.02
0.2

0.05
0.02
0.1

0.1
0.04
0.3

0.05
0.02
0.2

0.05
0.02
0.1

0.1
0.04
0.2

0.05
0.02
0.3

pH units
mg/l
NTU
mg/l

45
5-10
3000*

No sheen should be visible within the mixing zone.

* Consideration should be given to areas of natural high TDS

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Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

Chlorinated
Hydrocarbons (total)
Chlorobenzene(s)
total or individual
concentrations
Chloroform
Cyanide (free)
Fluoride
2

Furans
Hexachlorobenzene
Lindane
Mirex
MTBE
PAH
PCBs
Pentachlorophenol
Pesticides and
insecticides (total)
- Aldrin
- Chlordane
- DDT (and metabolites)
- Dieldrin
- Endrin
- Heptachlor
- Toxaphene
Phenols
3
Dioxins
Toluene
TPH
Vinyl chloride
Xylenes
Microbiological
Total Coliform

PME Reference

mg/l

0.5

0.5

0.1

0.5

0.5

0.1

0.5

0.1

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

1
1
15

0.05
25

0.05
15

0.1
25

0.05
25

0.05
15

0.1
25

0.05
15

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

0.005
0.01
0.1

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.05
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.05
0.01

0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01

mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l
mg/l

5
0.01
0.06
0.03
0.01
0.002
0.03
0.01
150
0.005
2
15
0.1
2

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
0.1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
0.1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
0.1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
0.1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
1
0.01

0.05
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.01
0.002
0.01
0.01
0.1
0.01

5
0.02
0.05

5
0.02
0.05

10
0.1
1

5
0.02
0.05

5
0.02
0.05

10
0.1
1

5
0.02
0.05

count/100ml

n/a

2500

2000

3000

3000

2000

5000

2000

mg/l
mg/l

0.002
0.002
5

* Any substance other than those mentioned in the above table may not be discharged at a concentration greater than 0.001mg/l
unless agreed in advance with the Competent Agency or receiving treatment works.

2
3

Chlorodibenzo-furan cogeners
Chlorodibenzo-p-dioxin and tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin congeners

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

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KSA

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

PME Reference

Appendix C Determining the pollution vulnerability of an aquifer

Methodology for determining the Aquifer Pollution Vulnerability (APV) index score:
1.
2.
3.

Identification of the type of groundwater confinement, with consequent indexing parameter (in range 0.0 1.0).
Specification of the strata overlying the aquifer saturated zone in terms of the grade of consolidation and the type of lithology,
with consequent indexing parameter (in range 0.4 1.0).
Estimation of the depth to the groundwater table (of unconfined aquifer) or depth of first major strike (for confined aquifers),
with consequent indexing parameter (in range 0.6 1.0).
(For more details, refer to the following published articles).
-

Adams B and Foster S.S.D. (1992) Land surface zoning for groundwater protection. \j. of the Institute of Water and
Environmental Management, 6, 312-320.
Foster S.S.D. (1987). Fundamental Concept in Aquifer Vulnerability, Pollution Risk and Protection Strategy. TNO
Committee for Hydrological Research: Proceedings & Information, 38, 69-86

Alluvial silts,
loess,
glacial till

Aeolian
sands

mudstones

siltstones

0.6

0.8

Alluvial and
fluvio-glacial
sands

sandstones

0.0

0.1

0.2

Low

0.3

20 50 m
0.7

0.8

0.4

Consolidated
(porous rock)

Calcretes +
karst limestones

0.8

0.9

0.9

Consolidated
(dense rock)

1.0

1.0

0.5

Moderate

Recent
volcanic
lavas

<5m

0.7

5 20 m

0.6

> 50

0.5

0.6

Negligible

chalky
Limestone
calcarenite

Volcanic tuffs

Igneous/metamorphic
Formations and
older volacnics
0.4

Alluvial-fan
Unconsolidated
gravels

All depths

shales

Unconfined

0.4

Unconfined
(covered)

Semi-confined

0.2

Overflowing

none
0.0

Lacustrine/
Residual
estuarine
soils
clays

Confined

The APV index score is the product of the component indices in 1 to 3 above.

0.6

0.8

High

0.9

1.0

Extreme

scharge A

scharge B

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KSA

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

PME Reference

Appendix D Calculation of mixing zones

D1 Red Sea and Gulf mixing zones

Basic screening model for defining the maximum horizontal extent of a mixing zone:

SDave

= Horizontal extent of mixing zone

Where:
Dave
= average water depth at outfall location4 5
S

= refer to table D1.

Table D1 Red Sea S values

S

Example of habitat/area type

2
5
8

High-value area
Marine classified area
Industrially classified area

Table D2 Arabian Gulf S Values6

S

Example of habitat/area type

4
10
16

High-value area
Marine classified area
Industrially classified area

Average depth applies where diffusion technology is utilized for discharge and must be measured at 10m increments along the length of the diffusion
apparatus. Otherwise the depth at the end of the outfall applies.
5
For the gulf a correction factor of +10 is applied to depth to take account of local bathymetry.
6
These values are adjusted to accommodate for the conditions in the Arabian Gulf (i.e. shallow waters)

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Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

PME Reference

Table D3 A look up table showing the radius of a mixing zone for given values of S and Dave for the Red Sea and
Gulf of Arabia
Red Sea
Depth (m)
5 or less
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

2
5
8
Mixing zone radius
10
25
40
12
30
48
14
35
56
16
40
64
18
45
72
20
50
80
22
55
88
24
60
96
26
65
100
28
70
30
75
32
80
34
85
36
90
38
95
40
100
42
44
46
48
50
52
54
56
58
60
62
64
66
68
70
72
74
76
78
80
82
84
86
88
90
92
94
96
98
100

Arabian Gulf
Depth (m)
5 or less
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

4
10
16
Mixing zone radius
20
50
80
24
55
96
28
60
100
32
65
36
70
40
75
44
80
48
85
52
90
56
95
60
100
64
68
72
76
80
84
88
92
96
100

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Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

PME Reference

ADMINISTRATION FEE (SR)

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME)

APPENDIX E PERMIT APPLICATION (Page 1)

CHECK NO.

RECEIVED

CHECK AMOUNT (SR)

DATE
RECEIVED

SECTION A: GENERAL INFORMATION

FACILITY DETAILS
A-1. FACILITY NAME AND SITE REFERENCE

A-2 DATE SUBMITTED

A-5 STAMP (OFFICE USE ONLY)

A-3 FACILITY TELEPHONE NUMBER

A-4 FACILITY FAX

A-6 FACILITY ADDRESS LINE 1

A-7 ADDRESS LINE 2

A-8 ADDRESS LINE 3

A-9 CITY

A-10 REGION

A-11 REFERENCE (OFFICE USE ONLY)

A-12 FACILITY CONTACT PERSON

MR.

MS.

A-13 FACILITY CONTACT TELEPHONE NO.

A-14 FACILITY CONTACT E-MAIL

A-15 PLEASE PROVIDE THE NAME AND CONTACT DETAILS OF THE LEGAL PERSON(S) OR ENTITY THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE OPERATION OF THE SITE.

b) SECTION A-2: TYPE OF PERMIT REQUIRED

A-16 PLEASE SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING:
NEW APPLICATION

PERMIT RENEWAL

PERMIT MODIFICATION

ADMINISTRATIVE AMENDMENT

c) SECTION A-3: FACILITY DESCRIPTION

A-17 GENERAL OPERATING ACTIVITIES [INCLUDING INDICATION OF SITE SIZE AND LAYOUT]

SECTION B: COMPLIANCE
d) SECTION B-1: VARIATION FROM CONTROLLED ACTIVITIES
B-1 DOES YOUR FACILITY COMPLY WITH ALL CONDITIONS AND REQUIREMENTS OF THE GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULTION STANDARDS?
YES [SKIP TO C-18]

NO

[PLEASE ANSWER QUESTION B-2]

B-2 FOR WHICH OF THE FOLLOWING DOES YOUR FACILITY REQUIRE A PERMIT VARIATION FOR?

Air

(complete section C)

Water

(complete section D)

Noise

(complete section E)

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PME Reference

Presidency of Meteorology and Environment (PME)

APPENDIX E PERMIT APPLICATION (Page 2)

SECTION C: APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT OF VARIATION FOR EMISSIONS TO AIR
RELEVANT ACTIVITIES [MOST INFORMATION REQUIRES ATTACHMENT]
C-1 FOR EACH NON-COMPLIANT EMISSION, PLEASE PROVIDE THE COORDINATES FOR LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE.
C-2 PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING AIR QUALITY AND THE PRESENCE OF, AND THE SENSITIVITY OF THOSE
RECEPTORS
C-3 DESCRIBE AND PROVIDE DATA REGARDING THE FLOW RATE OF THE EMISSION, ITS PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANY POLLUTI0N ABATEMENT
TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED
C-4 PROVIDE A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT IMPACTS OF THE EMISSION(S) UPON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SENSITIVE RECEPTORS IDENTIFIED IN C-2.

C-5 PAYING DUE REGARD TO C-2, 3 AND 4, DOCUMENT A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE AWARD OF A TEMPORARY PERMIT FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COMPETENT
AGENCY.

SECTION D: APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT OF VARIATION FOR DISCHARGES TO WATER

RELEVANT ACTIVITIES [MOST INFORMATION REQUIRES ATTACHMENT]
C-6 FOR EACH NON-COMPLIANT DISCHARGE, PLEASE PROVIDE THE COORDINATES FOR LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE.
C-7 PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING WATER QUALITY AND THE PRESENCE OF, AND THE SENSITIVITY OF THOSE
RECEPTORS
C-8 DESCRIBE AND PROVIDE DATA REGARDING THE FLOW RATE OF THE DISCHARGE, ITS PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL COMPOSITION AND ANY POLLUTI0N ABATEMENT
TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED
C-9 PROVIDE A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT IMPACTS OF THE DISCHARGE(S) UPON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SENSITIVE RECEPTORS IDENTIFIED IN C-7.
C-10 PAYING DUE REGARD TO C-7, 8 AND 9, DOCUMENT A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE AWARD OF A TEMPORARY PERMIT FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COMPETENT
AGENCY.

SECTION E: APPLICATION FOR A PERMIT OF VARIATION FOR THE EMISSION OF NOISE

RELEVANT ACTIVITIES [MOST INFORMATION REQUIRES ATTACHMENT]
C-11 FOR EACH NON-COMPLIANT EMISSION, PLEASE PROVIDE THE COORDINATES FOR LONGITUDE AND LATITUDE.
C-12 PROVIDE AN ASSESSMENT OF THE LOCAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONDITIONS INCLUDING THE PRESENCE OF, AND THE SENSITIVITY OF THOSE RECEPTORS
C-13 DESCRIBE AND PROVIDE DATA REGARDING MEASURED OR PREDICTED NOISE LEVELS AND ANY ABATEMENT TECHNOLOGIES APPLIED

C-14 PROVIDE A DETAILED ASSESSMENT OF CURRENT IMPACTS OF NOISE UPON THE ENVIRONMENT AND THE SENSITIVE RECEPTORS IDENTIFIED IN C-12.
C-15 PAYING DUE REGARD TO C-12, 13 AND 14, DOCUMENT A JUSTIFICATION FOR THE AWARD OF A TEMPORARY PERMIT FOR CONSIDERATION BY THE COMPETENT
AGENCY.

SECTION F: COMPLIANCE PLAN

C-16 PLEASE PROVIDE AND ATTACH DETAILS OF A SCHEDULE OF TIME BOUND ACTIVITIES THAT WILL BRING THE FACILITY INTO
COMPLIANCE WITH THE GENERAL ENVIRONMENTAL REGULATIONS.

C-17
EXPECTED
COMPLIANCE

DATE

OF

I CERTIFY UNDER PENALTY OF LAW THAT I UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS FOR OBTAINING A TEMPORARY PERMIT; THAT THIS DOCUMENT AND ALL ATTACHMENTS
WERE PREPARED UNDER MY DIRECTION OR SUPERVISION AND THAT TO THE BEST OF MY KNOWLEDGE, ALL INFORMATION INCLUDED IS TRUE, ACCURATE AND
COMPLETE.
C-18 SIGNATURE OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL OF COMPANY

C-19 DATE

C-20 TYPE OR PRINT NAME OF RESPONSIBLE OFFICIAL

C-21 TITLE
OFFICIAL

TITLE:

NAME:

Kingdom of Saudi Arabia

OF

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RESPONSIBLE

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Presidency of Meteorology and Environment

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PME Reference

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