DWA rules

The DWA rules for water management, sewage and waste are a collection of technical rules for water management published by the German Association for Water Management, Sewage and Waste (DWA). It currently (as of 2012) consists of around 290 worksheets and information sheets , which are developed in voluntary committees and with the participation of the specialist public as part of a formal recognition process and published by the DWA. The DWA subsidiary Society for the Promotion of Abwassertechnik eV (GFA) publishes the magazines KA-Korrespondenz Abwasser and KW-Korrespondenz Wasserwirtschaft , in which the current rules are pointed out.

DWA worksheets are generally recognized rules of technology . The DWA leaflets also describe technical rules. However, these do not yet meet the requirements for general recognition.

Worksheets and fact sheets are translated into many languages, but mostly into English.

General

The DWA set of rules is drawn up by the German Association for Water Management, Wastewater and Waste eV (DWA), a non-profit, technical and scientific association based in Hennef . The subject of the rules is water and waste management. Most of the publications within the framework of the regulations relate to the planning, construction and operation of wastewater disposal systems, but also extend to the topics of hydraulic engineering, cultural engineering, soil protection, water maintenance, treatment of trade-specific industrial wastewater and engineering hydrology as well as economic and legal issues Aspects of urban water management. Dealing with drinking water production is not one of the tasks of the DWA and is therefore not part of the set of rules. The German Gas and Water Association (DVGW) is working on this.

The point of reference for the technical regulation are the so-called technology clauses used in environmental regulations. The legislature or regulatory authority at the federal or state level specifies that certain systems z. B. must comply with the "generally recognized rules of technology" without the legislature itself having to enact corresponding rules. Many DWA worksheets have been drawn up because the German Water Management Act (WHG) regulates in Section 60 (1) that "wastewater systems may only be built, operated and maintained according to the generally recognized rules of technology".

The DWA set of rules provides planners, operators, service providers and executing companies with such generally recognized rules of technology nationwide. As rules of a private association, they have no effect comparable to legal norms and do not make any claim to absolute absolute. However, an application obligation can result from other legal or administrative provisions, from contracts or any other legal reason.

Contrary to what the terms "worksheet" and "fact sheet" suggest, the "sheets" often contain between 20 and 100 pages, in some cases even more.

Basics of regulatory work

The aim of the regulatory work is to achieve the broadest possible recognition of the technical rules in practice, in the case of DWA worksheets, “general recognition”. In order to achieve this, a binding, uniform and transparent procedure with the involvement of the (specialist) public is required. Since there are no legal requirements for this, institutions (in addition to the DWA e.g. the German Institute for Standardization DIN , the VDE , the DVGW ) that want to develop technical rules each define their own binding requirements for their regulation.

The worksheet DWA-A 400

The DWA's work sheet DWA-A 400 "Principles for developing the DWA rules" is the basis for the DWA's work . It contains binding specifications for the creation of worksheets and fact sheets in different processes, in particular with regard to the information and participation of the (specialist) public. In addition, the coordination channels or the specifications for regular reviews or updates are specified.

Rules of procedure for DWA bodies

The rules of procedure for DWA committees and working groups It is particularly important in the framework of the regulatory work that the competent specialist groups must be adequately represented in the relevant specialist area of ​​the committee. Membership in the specialist committees is personal and voluntary.

Legal classification and relevance

The development of the DWA set of rules is an expression of technical self-administration. The use of the worksheets and information sheets is generally not mandatory. The application of standards increases legal certainty between those involved in the construction of a sewerage system or a sewage treatment plant. Formally, the DWA set of rules is a sub-statutory set of rules ; according to his own admission

“Everyone is free to apply the rules. However, an obligation to apply can result from legal or administrative regulations, contracts or other legal grounds. "

Since many experts contribute their experience to work on the rules and regulations, the technical DWA rules are an important source of knowledge for users - whether they are planners, system operators or executing companies - for professional solutions. However, technical rules usually only become binding if there is a legal basis for them. Such a basis can be local legislation or contractual agreements.

DWA worksheets as generally recognized rules of technology

Worksheet DWA-A 400 stipulates that the task of the worksheets is to "describe technical processes, facilities, operating modes and measures , in particular for the implementation of legal requirements, which have proven themselves in their practical application and based on the expert opinion of those in the relevant field working people are considered to be technically flawless and economical solutions . ”The procedure applicable to worksheets includes the possibility for everyone to comment on the draft (so-called“ yellow print ”) or to raise objections. This will u. a. announced in the Federal Gazette. When discussing requests for changes or additions, a consensus must be reached between the specialist committee and the respondent. Otherwise there is the possibility of conciliation or even arbitration. According to the case law of the Federal Administrative Court, rules that have been drawn up in transparent procedures by a pluralistic committee are presumed to be correct in terms of content and subject and generally recognized. However, this does not exclude other sources of knowledge.

DWA leaflets as rules of technology

According to DWA-A 400, the task of the leaflets is to "provide recommendations and help for solving technical and operational problems as well as quality management. They can also represent additions to worksheets and describe procedures, facilities, operating modes and measures that do not yet meet the requirements for recognition in a worksheet . " A public commenting procedure is also usually carried out for leaflets (draft publication in yellow print). In the following consultations, however, unlike a worksheet, no consensus has to be reached between the specialist committee and the respondent.

Creation of the rules

Anyone can suggest the development or revision of a worksheet or information sheet at the DWA federal office. The association magazines provide information about the start of work by means of "project descriptions". These usually also contain a call for cooperation.

Participation procedures and drafts

Drafts for worksheets are published, but protected by copyright and subject to a charge. The publication of a draft is announced in the association's own magazines and in the Federal Gazette. In addition, the specialist media and the relevant specialist groups are informed. Everyone can comment on the content of the draft within a period of usually three months. The responses are then discussed by the responsible DWA committee. For cases in which no agreement can be reached between the respondent ("opponent") and the specialist committee (for worksheets as generally recognized rules of technology, agreement is generally required), the DWA-A 400 provides the way for arbitration and, if necessary, for an arbitration open.

validity

After a draft has gone through the prescribed participation procedure, the agreed text is published as "white print" and is thus valid. Information about this is provided in the association magazines and through press releases.

The relevant specialist committee regularly checks that it is up to date five years after its publication. If content is out of date, a revision is initiated. The affected leaf remains i. d. Usually "valid" and will only be withdrawn when the successor's white print is published; should the content make this necessary, a specialist committee can also initiate the immediate withdrawal.

Only the current edition of a certain sheet is valid: If a successor was published, the predecessor becomes invalid. Whether a given edition of the sheet is still valid can be inquired at the association or researched on the association's website.

Naming and numbering

The full name of each sheet consists of three elements: prefix, number (and, if applicable, part number for multi-part sheets) and long name.

• The prefix is ​​the abbreviation of the association (DWA), then a hyphen, then a capital A to identify worksheets or a capital M for information sheets (previously also H for information sheets, now all withdrawn).
• The "set of rules number" is usually three, rarely four digits; the first digit usually indicates the thematic area of ​​origin. In the case of translations, the number is given a suffix that identifies the respective language (e.g. E for English).
• The long name describes the content or area of ​​application of the sheet.

Different numbering systems have been used over time. In addition, numbers are duplicated due to the amalgamation of the ATV and DVWK regulations when they merged to form "ATV-DVWK". From this year onwards, all sheets began with ATV-DVWK-A or -M. Finally, in September 2004 the short name of the association was changed to DWA, so that due to the often long periods of validity of the individual sheets, the "DWA set of rules" actually consists of the following sheets:

• DWA worksheets, name form DWA-A 138 "long name"
• DWA leaflets (e.g. DWA-M 153 "...")
• ATV-DVWK worksheets (e.g. ATV-DVWK-A 142 "...")
• ATV-DVWK data sheets (e.g. ATV-DVWK-M 143-1 "...")
• ATV worksheets (e.g. ATV-A 106 "...")
• ATV leaflets (e.g. ATV-M 250 "...")
• DVWK rules (e.g. DVWK rule 121/1992 "...")
• DVWK data sheets (e.g. DVWK data sheet 248/1998 "...")

Unlike z. B. at DIN or earlier at DVWK, the date of publication (year at DVWK, month and year at DIN) is not part of the designation of DWA sheets. The leading number almost always indicates the thematic area of ​​origin or the DWA main committee in which the sheet was developed (at the ATV the main committees were numbered from 1 to 7).

• 1xx Main Committee ES "Drainage Systems" (e.g. sewerage, collection and discharge of rainwater and sewage)
• 2xx Main Committee KA "Municipal Wastewater Treatment" (e.g. sewage treatment plants)
• 3xx Main Committee KEK "Circular Economy, Energy and Sewage Sludge" (e.g. sewage sludge treatment, biogas generation, handling of dredging sludge); formerly AK "Waste and Sewage Sludge", renamed on January 1, 2013
• 4xx Main Committee RE "Law" (currently only the A-400)
• 5xx Main committees WW "Hydraulic Engineering and Hydropower" and HW "Hydrology and Water Management"
• 6xx Main Committee GB "Water and Soil" (only water-related topics)
• 7xx IG main committee "Industrial wastewater and plant-related water protection"
• 8xx Main Committee WI "Economy"
• 9xx Main Committee GB "Waters and Soil" (only soil-related topics)
• 1xxx Main Committee WI "Economy" (primarily overriding operational management and qualification issues)

Exceptions: at the DVWK, the rules began with 100, the leaflets with 200, then they were numbered consecutively after publication. In the past, this seems to have been done at ATV too, because two sheets from the field of wastewater treatment that are still valid today have hundreds of numbers (ATV-A 106 and ATV-DVWK-A 131). In the case of revisions (see below), the sheet usually keeps its number - this was also partially different in the past, so that. B. the successor to worksheet ATV-A 241 is today's DWA-A 157.

Thematic volumes and work reports

Thematic volumes and work reports are not part of the set of rules, but are mentioned here for the sake of completeness, because they are also results of the work of the specialist committees. They do not go through a participation process, but are approved in the specialist committees. Work reports can be interim reports as part of larger projects in the regulatory framework, contain supplementary or current information on worksheets or fact sheets that are still valid, or relate to topics on which the regulatory framework has not yet published any information. Work reports are usually a few pages long.

Translations

Worksheets and fact sheets are translated into many languages, including Arabic and Chinese, but mainly into English.

Copyright and Distribution

The DWA set of rules is subject to copyright and is subject to a charge. It is distributed as a printed version by GFA-Verlag and is available for download for a fee. The entire set of rules or thematic sub-collections are offered as browser-based solutions online or offline exclusively via subscription contracts.

Trivia

• The term "yellow print" for designs is based on the tradition of printing designs on yellow paper in order to avoid confusion with "valid" editions printed on white paper (hence "white prints"). Other rule-setters hold it similar: DVGW drafts are also "yellow prints"; DIN prints its "pre-standards" on blue paper, while drafts of European standards from CEN are published on pink paper as "pink prints" .
• In the linguistic usage of the professional world, individual worksheets or leaflets are each referred to as "rules", several as "rules" (plural). Formally, a set of rules refers to a collection of individual works by a rule setter, in this case the DWA worksheets and leaflets. Other sets of rules would be those of other rule setters, e.g. B. DIN , DVGW , VDI , VDE etc. From this point of view, there is only one single DWA set of rules, which consists of worksheets and information sheets.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Rules of Procedure for DWA Committees and Working Groups - pdf, 48 kB ( Memento from March 4, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) DWA website. Retrieved June 3, 2019
2. ↑ Bohm; Hiessl; Hillebrand: Effectiveness and efficiency of technical norms and standards in the field of municipal wastewater disposal; in: Korrespondenz Abwasser 7/99, p. 1111 ff.
3. ↑ Worksheet DWA-A 400 "Principles for the development of the DWA set of rules", p. 9
4. ↑ Federal Administrative Court of September 30, 1996, Az. 4 B 175/06
5. ↑ KA correspondence waste water waste No. 12/2012, p. 1111
6. ↑ - DWA publication directory 2012, p. 90; pdf, 4.5 MB  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. DWA website, accessed September 18, 2012  

literature

• German Association for Water Management, Sewage and Waste: Worksheet DWA-A 400 "Principles for the development of the DWA set of rules. DWA, Hennef 2008, ISBN 978-3-940173-38-6