Vereniging van Rivierwaterbedrijven
RIWA
RIWA aims to achieve a good water quality in the rivers Meuse, Rhine and Scheldt by preventing harmful substances from entering the river.
ID: 20739609188-97
Lobbying Activity
Response to Introducing new hazard classes–CLP revision
18 Oct 2022
RIWA welcomes the Commissions' proposal for the additional hazard classes to be included in the amendment of the CLP regulation (EC) No 1272/2008, including EDC, PBT, vPvB, PMT and vPvM. We believe that introducing the PMT/vPvM hazard categories in the CLP will provide net benefits for Europe.
The use of PMT/vPvM hazard categories shall contribute towards better protection of surface water used as a source for drinking water. This is evident, among other things, from assessments which reveal several emerging substances with PMT-properties that are already found in surface water used for the preparation of drinking water.
Substances meeting the PMT/vPvM criteria are a concern over long spatial and time scales even after emissions cease (e.g. legacy emissions from long abandoned PFAS contaminated sites), they can spread across country boundaries and regions, are more difficult to reduce during water treatment, and are often associated with polluters blaming international pollution rather than their own contribution; therefore, local management becomes less relevant as a management strategy for PMT/vPvM substances. Prevention, in our opinion, is the only option. Including the PMT/vPvM hazard criteria will make the water sector more resilient towards future economic and climate stress. There will be less need for increased energy use and financial investment to upgrade to energy intensive water treatment.
With the introduction of these new hazard classes in REACH, as part of the enactment of the Chemicals Strategy for Sustainability for a Non‐Toxic Environment, the EU will show itself to be a guiding light for a resilient, advanced and just society that is safe and protected from chemical
threats. The rest of the world will likely quickly follow in adopting the PMT/vPvM criteria after the EUs lead.
Read full responseResponse to Revision of lists of pollutants affecting surface and groundwaters
20 Nov 2020
As a member, RIWA would like to bring the position of the Coalition of the European River Memorandum (ERM) regarding the fitness check of the Water Framework Directive and its daughter directives under attention, as well as the list of micropollutants in European River Basins found in exceedance of the target values of the ERM.
Read full responseResponse to Clarification of requirements for the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals
16 Nov 2020
RIWA onderschrijft het doel om onduidelijke of inconsistente formuleringen te verhelderen en de data-vereisten bij te werken om endocriene disruptoren, die schadelijk kunnen zijn voor de hormoonhuishouding van de mens, makkelijker te kunnen opsporen en evalueren. Het is goed dat bepaalde aspecten van de wetgeving voor de registratie en beoordeling van en de autorisatie en beperkingen ten aanzien van chemische stoffen (de REACH-verordening) worden gewijzigd.
Naar onze mening is er echter meer nodig om rivieren, die als bronnen voor drinkwater dienen, afdoende te beschermen dan alleen te kijken naar allerlei toxische eigenschappen van stoffen, zoals hormoonverstoring, die op de Europese markt worden gebracht. De zeer persistente en zeer mobiele stoffen, waarvan soms nog onvoldoende duidelijk is wat de gezondheidskundige effecten kunnen zijn, dringen vanwege deze intrinsieke eigenschappen door afvalwater- en drinkwaterzuiveringen heen. Zijn ze eenmaal aanwezig in het milieu, dan zitten ze daar voor zeer lange tijd (vandaar de Engelse term 'forever chemicals'). RIWA is daarom voorstander van het hanteren van aanvullende criteria voor de registratie en beoordeling van en de autorisatie en beperkingen ten aanzien van chemische stoffen. Wij ondersteunen daarom de initiatieven van het Duitse Umweltbundesamt (UBA) om bronnen van drinkwater te beschermen tegen mobiele en persistente chemicaliën. Onze zienswijze op het voorstel van UBA over PMT en vPvM criteria onder REACH hebben wij bijgevoegd.
Read full responseResponse to Update of concentration limit values of persistent organic pollutants in waste
7 Aug 2020
RIWA, the Dutch Association of River Water Supply Companies, has noticed a considerable number of substances of emerging concern which can exhibit a great risk for the production of drinking water. Therefore, RIWA has welcomed the proposal by the German Federal Environmental Agency (Umweltbundesamt, UBA) titled ‘Protecting the sources of our drinking water - A revised proposal for implementing criteria and an assessment procedure to identify Persistent, Mobile and Toxic (PMT) and very Persistent, very Mobile (vPvM) substances registered under REACH’. The use of PMT/vPvM-criteria within REACH will contribute towards a better protection of surface water and groundwater used as resource for drinking water. RIWA supports the approach of prevention and precaution to minimise and eventually stop emissions of drinking water relevant substances into the environment. Persistent organic pollutants (POPs) are amongst the substances which meet the PMT/vPvM-criteria.
Read full responseResponse to Sustainable use of pesticides – revision of the EU rules
7 Aug 2020
RIWA, the Dutch Association of River Water Supply Companies, has welcomed the Sustainable Use of pesticides Directive (SUD) that was adopted in 2009 with the aim of reducing the risk and impacts of the use of pesticides on human health and the environment. We are in favour of the key concept of the SUD - Integrated pest management (IPM), similar to other low-pesticide input pest management practices such as organic farming - and support actions like pest monitoring and adoption of non-chemical pest control techniques and less hazardous pesticides. The major reason why we have welcomed the SUD is because it can decrease the presence of pesticides and their metabolites in sources for drinking water production of our members in concentrations breaching our target values.
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