AWWA ACE62953

The Clean Water Act directs the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) to develop national industrial technology-based regulations to limit the amount of pollutants that are discharged to surface waters (usually called "effluent guidelines") or to sewage treatment plants (called "pretreatment standards"). Pretreatment standards ensure that pollutants do not pass through or interfere with the safe and effective operation of these treatment plants. The Clean Water Act also directs USEPA to develop national industrial technology-based regulations (called "new source performance standards") for new facilities. Furthermore, the Clean Water Act requires USEPA to identify industries, not yet regulated by effluent guidelines, which may be discharging more than trivial amounts of toxic or "nonconventional" pollutants, such as nutrients. USEPA published the 2004 effluent guidelines program plan (September 2, 2004; 69 FR 53705) and identified the "drinking water treatment point source category" as a candidate for effluent guidelines or pretreatment standards or both. It is important to note, however, that USEPA has made no decisions about whether any national technology-based discharge controls are necessary for residuals produced by drinking water treatment facilities. More detailed investigations are warranted in order to support a final action. Consequently, USEPA is conducting a rulemaking to evaluate whether USEPA should establish any national technology-based discharge controls for this point source category. The Clean Water Act directs USEPA to take final action by September 2007. USEPA is developing a set of documents to facilitate the technology options and costing methodology for drinking water treatment residuals management. Four documents are to be prepared by USEPA and include: Identification and Characterization of Typical Drinking Water Treatment Residuals; Identification of Technology Options; Evaluate Potential Subcategorization Options for the Category; and, Application of Prevention and Treatment Technology Options. The impact to utilities is discussed.