Starting September 1, 2027, the Law of Georgia on Water Resources Management will come into full effect, establishing stricter conditions for urban and industrial wastewater discharges. The relevant technical regulation, issued on July 17, 2026, aims to protect surface water bodies from the harmful impacts of urban and industrial wastewater. It sets requirements for collection, treatment, and discharge that apply to both existing and planned facilities.

Before discharge into surface waters, the concentration of pollutants in urban and industrial wastewater must strictly comply with Maximum Allowable Discharge (MAD) norms. MAD represents the maximum mass of pollutants that can be discharged per unit of time without violating the established regime or normative water quality of the receiving body.

For any surface water body, the MAD norm is calculated using the formula:

MAD = q x C_MAD

Where:

• q is the approved maximum wastewater flow rate per unit of time m³/h
• C_MAD is the allowable concentration of the pollutant in the wastewater mg/L or g/m³

Example: If a facility's maximum allowed wastewater flow is 150 m³/h and the maximum allowable total suspended solids (TSS) concentration is 40mg/L, the MAD norm will be 150 x 40 = 6000g/h (6 kg/h).

The obligation to monitor wastewater falls on operators of urban wastewater treatment plants and industrial facilities.

Water users may develop the draft MAD norms internally or hire specialized engineering, scientific, or consulting organizations. The MAD norms for each water user are approved by an authorized official from the National Environmental Agency for a period not exceeding 5 years. The operator bears full responsibility for the accuracy of the baseline data provided for the project.