Regulation No. 1450/2025 on wastewater systems and sewage treatment.

This regulation establishes a comprehensive legal framework for wastewater systems and sewage treatment with the objective of protecting public health and the environment from pollution caused by sewage discharge. It regulates the collection, treatment, monitoring, and discharge of domestic and industrial wastewater, defines different levels of sewage treatment, and allocates responsibilities among municipalities, health authorities, and the Environment and Energy Agency. The regulation requires, as a general rule, at least secondary sewage treatment before discharge, while imposing stricter treatment obligations for environmentally sensitive areas and allowing more flexible standards in less sensitive zones or remote highland areas under specific conditions. It also contains detailed provisions on industrial wastewater, stormwater management, sludge treatment and reuse, monitoring obligations, sampling, environmental quality standards, infrastructure design, discharge locations, and prohibitions on releasing hazardous substances into sewer systems.
The regulation further establishes reporting and oversight mechanisms through a national wastewater data portal, requires municipalities and operators to monitor pollution levels and sewage treatment performance, and incorporates EU/EEA wastewater treatment directives into Icelandic law. It introduces transitional measures for existing treatment infrastructure and creates a multi-stakeholder consultation group tasked with coordinating wastewater policy, financing, innovation, sludge reuse, and long-term infrastructure planning, including approaches such as blue-green stormwater solutions and microplastics management.