The permitting regime for water discharge
The return of used water into a water object — discharge — stands in Georgia under a permitting regime: the law on licenses and permits defines three types regarding a surface water object, including the permit for water discharge into a surface water object. The transitional circumstance is that these items enter into force under the law on 1 September 2027 — today's practice rests on environmental decisions. From the very planning of a discharge it should be known which instrument is in force at your time and which comes into force soon.
The place of the discharge permit in the list of types
In the list defined by Article 24 of the law, the water direction contains three items: the permit for water abstraction from a surface water object, the permit for water discharge into a surface water object, and the combined permit. If your technological process takes water and then returns it to the object, what may be required is either a separate discharge permit or — where both operations are carried out on one object — the combined form. In all three cases the structure of the application is the same, which simplifies the preparation of documentation.
The application and attached documents
A permit seeker submits a written application to the issuing authority under the procedure established by the General Administrative Code; the application must satisfy the requirements established by the General Administrative Code and contain an indication of the type of permit and a list of documents. A private-law legal entity and an individual entrepreneur attach extracts from the public registry; a natural person attaches copies of identification documents; a public-law legal entity attaches certified copies of founding documents. The application is accompanied by proof of payment of the permit fee, whose amount is determined by the law on license and permit fees; additional documents may be prescribed only by law. In the separate proceeding on additional permit conditions, copies of the application are transferred to another authority no later than 3 days; the decision is adopted within 15 days of submission; an extension motion may be submitted within 5 days; and the decision goes to the issuing authority within 17 days. A change of data is notified within 7 days.
The issuance rule
The permit issuer adopts a decision under the simplified administrative proceeding — the case is examined within one authority, by a summary act. To avoid repeated inquiry, use the rule of the law: if you already hold a permit for a similar type of action, the issuer does not re-examine the factual circumstances established when the previous permit was issued. For an action by a branch, advance notification is required; demanding a separate permit for the branch is impermissible.