Sewage is something that every human settlement must deal with: we treat it lightly at our peril, we put ourselves at risk of water-borne diseases outbreak. The responsible handling of sewage is a big factor in maintaining safe and healthy communities, and everybody has a role to play. Here you can find out more about sewage in Hong Kong, the infrastructure used to transport and treat it, the various charges levied against sewage production and how to enquire about the charging scheme.

Although sewage is an everyday part of our lives, few people think about it. But making sure that it's dealt with effectively and in a cost-efficient way is a huge challenge. Each day, the people of Hong Kong produce 2.6 million cubic metres of sewage, which is enough to fill more than 1,400 Olympic-sized swimming pools. Around 93% of the populace is served by the public sewage system, with its 1,586 kilometre long network and around 270 treatment facilities.

• Map of Hong Kong's sewage treatment network
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewerage/our_sewage_treatment_facilities/index.htm

The Environment Protection Department has devised 16 Sewerage Master Plans to serve the sewerage needs of each catchment area in Hong Kong. These plans provide blueprints of the infrastructure required to collect sewage and direct it to treatment facilities before disposal into the sea. The recommendations of the plans are being implemented progressively to cater for the present and future development needs of Hong Kong. Taking into account revised population forecasts and the expected level of development, the plans have been reviewed, and proposals for upgrade works are being prepared.

The Government has also upgraded the harbour area sewage treatment at a strategic level through the implementation of the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme (HATS). Stage 1 of HATS, which was brought into full operation in late 2001, included the construction of a chemically enhanced primary sewage treatment works on Stonecutters Island. The treated sewage is discharged through an outfall into the western part of the harbour. The areas served by Stage 1 include the whole of the Kowloon Peninsula, Tseung Kwan O, Kwai Chung, Tsing Yi, Tsuen Wan, Shau Kei Wan and Chai Wan. The scheme has already substantially improved the overall water quality of Hong Kong's best known icon, Victoria Harbour.

• More on the Harbour Area Treatment Scheme
  http://www.gov.hk/en/residents/environment/water/harbourarea.htm

Sewage charges contain two components: the Sewage Charge (SC) and the Trade Effluent Surcharge (TES). The SC aims at recovering the cost of collecting and treating wastewater at or below domestic strength. The TES aims at recovering the additional cost of treating trade effluent with pollution strength exceeding the domestic sewage. The Government has implemented the sewage charges to cover part of the cost of collecting, transporting and treating sewage and to encourage consumers to reduce the amount of water consumed. This will allow the Government to commission more sewage treatment facilities and also encourage the public to conserve the invaluable water resources.

Consumers whose premises are connected to the public sewerage system are liable to pay sewage charges except for water supplied specifically for flushing purposes. The sewage charges are calculated based on water consumption records provided by the Water Authority.

Whether you are a domestic consumer of an operator of a trade, you are required to pay the SC as long as your premises are connected to the communal sewers. However, domsetic consumers will receive an exemption of the first 12 cubic metres of water consumption for every 4-month period. For trades, businesses or manufacturers listed in Schedule A of the Drainage Services Department's charging scheme are charged based on 70% of the water supplied to account for the water consumed in the production process that is not discharged into the public sewers. The others are charged at 100% of the water supplied. To further implement the polluter pays principle, the Government proposed that the Sewage Charge be gradually increased over the coming ten years. The proposals were approved by the Legislative Council in May 2007. From 1st April 2008 onwards, the SC rate has been increased from the original $1.2 to $1.31 per cubic metre of water supplied. The rate will then be gradually increased by 9.3% per annum until $2.92 per cubic metre of water supplied on 1st April 2017.

• Information about the polluter pays principle behind sewage charges
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/polluter_pays_principle/index.htm
• More on the sewage charging scheme
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/sewage_charging_scheme/index.htm
• Schedule A trades, businesses or manufacturers for which the reduced SC is applicable
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/sewage_charge/schedule_a/index.htm

Thirty trades, businesses or manufacturers as listed in Schedule B of the charging scheme, are required to pay the TES in addition to the SC because their pollution levels typically exceed the domestic level. For trades, businesses or manufactures listed in Schedule C of the charging scheme, the amount of TES chargeable is based on only 80% of the water supplied to account for the water consumed in production process that is not discharged into the public sewers. The others are charged at 100% of the water supplied. In December 2006, the Government proposed a number of measures to reduce the cost of application for reasessment of the TES rates. The proposals were approved by the Legislative Council and implemented with effect from 1st July 2007.

• More on the TES
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/trade_effluent_surcharge/index.htm
• Schedule B trades, businesses or maunfacturers for which the full TES is applicable
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/trade_effluent_surcharge/schedule_b/index.htm
• Schedule C trades, businesses or manufacturers for which the reduced TES is applicable
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/trade_effluent_surcharge/schedule_c/index.htm

The Water Authority has included the SC and TES in the demand notes for water charges. The combined demand notes can be settled through:

• Autopay
• PPS
• Automatic teller machine
• The Internet
• In person
• The post

You should note that a 5% surcharge may be imposed on accounts that are not paid on time.

• More on payment methods
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/sewage_charges/payment_methods/index.htm

Enquires on matters relating to the sewage services charges can be made to the office of Drainage Authority at:

Ground Floor,
Western Magistracy,
2A Pok Fu Lam Road,
Hong Kong
Telephone: 2834 9432
Fax: 2574 5645

You can also download a standard request form to make enquires on matters relating to the SC and TES and return it to the Drainage Authority as aforementioned. However, enquiries relating to account particulars, payment or other charges on the demand notes should be made to the Office of Water Authority (Tel. No. 2824 5000).

• Standard request form for matters relating to Trade Effluent Surcharge (TES) and Sewage Charges (SC)
  http://www.dsd.gov.hk/FileManager/EN/sewage_charges/enquiry/cs4-215new.doc