Mexico’s Ministry of the Environment and Natural Resources (Semarnat) has tightened a rule related to wastewater discharges, which has important implications for the country’s industry.
The new regulations were included in a report by the USTR on the occasion of the second anniversary of the entry into force of the Mexico–U.S.–Canada Agreement (USMCA).
First and foremost, on March 11, 2022, Semarnat published in the DOF NOM-001- Semarnat-2021 (NOM 001), which aims to improve water quality by establishing new permissible limits for pollutants in wastewater discharges into federal waters.
NOM-001 effectively replaces NOM-00-Semarnat-1996, which had not been amended since 1996.
Some of the main differences between the modernized standard and its predecessor include an expanded scope of pollutants to be analyzed and methods of analysis (i.e., true color and acute toxicity), stricter limits for each pollutant, particular discharge conditions in wetlands and karst ecosystems, a new compliance evaluation procedure, and requirements for sampling ports at discharge points to facilitate verification for both internal review and environmental authorities.
Semarnat
In consideration of the time needed to make all the required technical and infrastructure adjustments, Semarnat established a two-phase entry into force of the provisions of NOM-001.
The general permissible limits for pollutants will come into force on March 11, 2023, while the water toxicity and true color parameters will only apply as of March 11, 2026.
Until then, all regulated entities must continue to comply with NOM-001-Semarnat-1996.
Contamination
Semarnat also launched the National Contaminated Sites Remediation Program for 2021-2024 in November 2021.
This program promotes the implementation of the General Law for the Prevention and Integral Management of Waste (LGPGIR).
Semarnat ha definido tres objetivos prioritarios para prevenir, mitigar y gestionar sitios contaminados. Primero, mejorar el Inventario Nacional de Sitios Contaminados (INSC). Segundo, promover acciones de remediación que contribuyan al bienestar de la población. Tercero, fortalecer el marco regulatorio para la remediación de estos sitios.
Actualmente, el INSC solo identifica sitios contaminados. Sin embargo, Semarnat planea mejorarlo para incluir información detallada. Esta incluirá los tipos de contaminantes, su impacto en el suelo y agua, y el estado de remediación de cada sitio.
Con estas mejoras, Semarnat podrá clasificar y priorizar los sitios que requieren remediación de manera más efectiva.
Además, el programa fomenta que los remediadores obtengan las autorizaciones necesarias para iniciar la remediación de sus sitios. También exige que quienes han detenido sus esfuerzos justifiquen las razones por las que no han completado sus planes.
El programa de remediación contempla, además, que Profepa establezca un programa de monitoreo e inspección. Esto garantizará el cumplimiento de la Ley General para la Prevención y Gestión Integral de los Residuos (LGPGIR).