The Environment Agency (EA) has issued a new Regulatory Position Statement (RPS 272) covering how to dewater waste bentonite slurry in a bentonite-slurry recirculation plant when that slurry comes from works such as secant piling or building retaining/containment walls.
Under RPS 272, if the waste is treated on-site into a “filter cake” and the liquid is either discharged under consent or sent for recovery, operators – though still subject to the legal requirement for permits – will not normally face enforcement action, provided certain conditions are met (e.g. no pollution risk; slurry treated on same site; runoff prevented; records kept).
Source: EA.