Water and Waste Water
Class #5
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES); pretreatment standards.
Announcements
Homework #4 due before begin Class #5. If not, stop and complete/submit homework #4 to Professors Auberle and Jeffery
Others?
NPDES:
Recall Class #3: 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act: First major federal water pollution legislation. Slide #1: 1972 FWPCA – established structure still in effect.
Permit required for discharge. Permit incorporates technology based limitations plus water quality based limitations.
"Except as in compliance with [sections of the CWA], the discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful." I.e., can’t discharge w/o permit (NPDES permit).
Person means an individual, corporation, partnership, association, State, municipality (includes Indian tribes), commission, or political subdivision of a State, or any interstate body
"Except as in compliance with [sections of the CWA], the discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful." I.e., can’t discharge w/o permit (NPDES permit).
Discharge of a pollutant means:
a. Any addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source
b. Any addition of any pollutant to waters of the contiguous zone or the ocean from any point source other than a vessel or other floating craft.
Pollutant means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water.
Pollutant: The term does not mean (A) "sewage from vessels" within the meaning of section 1322 of this title; or (B) water, gas or other material which is injected into a ell to facilitate production of oil or gas, . . . .
Discharge of a pollutant means:
Any addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source
Navigable waters:
Commercial boat? Any boat? Canoe?
Commerce Clause
Discharge of a pollutant means:
Any addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source
Point source means any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
Point source: This term does not include agricultural stormwater discharges and return flows from irrigated agriculture.
"Except as in compliance with [sections of the CWA], the discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful." I.e., can’t discharge w/o permit (NPDES permit).
NPDES Permit
National
Pollution
Discharge
Elimination
System
NPDES Permit
NPDES
Required for discharge of pollutant into waters of US from any point source
Permit conditions
Monitoring and reporting
Schedules of compliance
Effluent limitations
Duration and revocation
Effluent Limitations:
Technology based effluent limitations
Water quality based effluent limitations
Technology based limits:
Pollutants addressed:
Conventional
Toxic "priority pollutants"
Industrial categories
Technology based limits:
Existing sources
Conventional: Best conventional technology (Costs/benefits)
Priority: BAT ("Economically achievable)
New Sources (NSPS)
Pollutant Control + Alternative production processes (No costs)
Effluent Limitations
Technology based effluent limitations
Water quality based effluent limitations
Water quality based limits
Technology = base level
Water quality = more stringent level if necessary to protect water quality
Pollutants covered
- Toxic hot spots
- All pollutants to meet WQS
"Except as in compliance with [sections of the CWA], the discharge of any pollutant by any person shall be unlawful." I.e., can’t discharge w/o permit (NPDES permit).
Recall Discharge of a pollutant:
Discharge of a pollutant means:
Any addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source
What about discharge to POTW rather than to navigable water
Pretreatment standards
Objectives:
Protect operation of POTWs
Prevent pass-through without treatment
Industry specific categorical standards
- Priority pollutants
Approved pretreatment program
4. No homework due before next class, but should be working on case study (due before class 8) and on research paper (due before final exam). Current events any time.
ENV 410B - Lectures