Jeff they already have a form of self-regulation on discharges.
The EA use to monitor their discharges, with people visiting (unannounced) the outflows and taking samples to be analysed.
It?s now done by the WAs with remote sampling equipment bought by the WA, set by them to the EAs standard and records submitted by them on a period basis.
Lot and lots scope here for abuse by them as happens with incinerators and their owners. The EA when I spoke to them about abuse of data couldn?t tell me how often or whether their officers would check that WAs weren?t indulging in jiggery-pokery of the equipment.
Polluters Charter is what I said to the officer I spoke to!