Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues Effluent Guideline regulations for categories of industrial sources of water pollution under Title III of the Clean Water Act (CWA). [1] The standards are technology-based, i.e. they are based on the performance of treatment and control technologies (e.g., Best Available Technology ...
These regulations can include emission limits that specify the rate, amount, and kinds of pollutants that may be emitted from a given source over a specific period. The EPA's various effluent limitations for water pollution under the CWA are simply a few of the many environmental regulations that are nominally performance standards.
An effluent limitation is a United States Clean Water Act standard of performance reflecting a specified level of discharge reduction achievable by the best available technology or related standards for various sources of water pollution.
The EPA regulations require each facility to apply for a specific permit for its wastewater discharges, and consequently require that each facility treat its wastewater. [101] In addition to effluent limitations, the permits include monitoring and reporting requirements, which are used by EPA and states to enforce the limitations. [17]
EPA promotes "compliance assistance" as an enforcement technique, and has developed sector-specific assistance centers for various industries. [26] EPA and authorized state agencies perform periodic inspections of some discharging facilities. The states are responsible for enforcing the permit requirements that they have issued.
EPA has published technology-based regulations, called "effluent guidelines", for 59 industrial categories. [11] The agency reviews the standards annually, conducts research on various categories, and makes revisions as appropriate. [16] Noncompliance with these standards and all other conditions in the permits is punishable by law. [18]
For industrial categories, EPA publishes Effluent guidelines for existing sources, as well as New Source Performance Standards. [11] For sewage treatment plants, the Secondary Treatment Regulation is the national standard. [12] These standards provide a basic minimum level of treatment requirements across a category nationwide.
EPA published a general definition of "new source" in its wastewater permit regulations. [21] More specialized definitions of "new source" are included in some of the individual category regulations, e.g., the definition for the Pulp, Paper and Paperboard category. [22]