SAİS (Continuous Wastewater Monitoring System) is a framework that requires uninterrupted monitoring of the discharge points of wastewater treatment plants and the regular reporting of the collected data to the relevant ministry. The goal is to track discharge quality instantly and reliably, detect environmental risks early and provide verifiable data during inspections.
Who is liable?
Liability depends on the type of facility and the discharge flow rate. In general:
- Municipal wastewater treatment plants discharging above a certain flow threshold,
- Facilities within the Marmara basin (Marbin) scope,
- Industrial treatment plants subject to the relevant sectoral regulations
fall within the SAİS scope. Because thresholds and scope may be updated by published communiqués and directives, the current legislation must be checked before installation.
Legal basis
The SAİS obligation is mainly based on:
- The Water Pollution Control Regulation,
- The Technical Procedures Communiqué for Wastewater Treatment Plants,
- The Continuous Wastewater Monitoring System (SAİS) Communiqué.
Legislation is updated from time to time; in practice the most current version in force should always be applied.
Monitored parameters
Within SAİS, parameters such as pH, COD (Chemical Oxygen Demand), TSS (Total Suspended Solids), flow and temperature are typically measured continuously. In some cases, additional parameters such as conductivity and dissolved oxygen are monitored as well. The accuracy and continuity of measurements are critical for the reliability of reporting.
How is compliance achieved?
Three elements must work together for SAİS compliance:
- Field infrastructure: Analyzers/sensors, a sampling system and a data acquisition cabinet,
- Communication: Transferring measured values to the center securely (MQTT/REST),
- Software: Storing data, limit checking, generating alarms and producing ministry reports automatically.
Aqualon Control Center combines these three elements in a single platform: field measurements are transferred to the cloud without interruption, limit exceedances trigger instant alarms, and reports are prepared automatically.
A checklist for municipalities
- Verify whether your facility falls within the SAİS scope under current legislation.
- Determine the parameters and limit values according to your discharge permit.
- Plan for uninterrupted operation (redundancy, local buffer).
- Record calibration and maintenance processes.
- Define reporting and archiving obligations.
A well-designed SAİS infrastructure does more than meet a legal obligation; it creates a valuable data source for continuously improving discharge quality.