1

MEMORANDUM 

TO: Public Record for the 2008 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 

 EPA Docket Number EPA-HQ-OW-2006-0771 (www.regulations.gov) 

FROM: Carey A. Johnston, P.E. 

USEPA/OW/OST 

ph: (202) 566 1014 

johnston.carey@epa.gov 

DATE: 23 April 2008 

SUBJECT: American Dental Association and National Association of Clean Water Agencies 

Meeting Summary (22 April 2008) 

Introduction

 The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) met with representatives from the 

American Dental Association (ADA) and the National Association of Clean Water Agencies 

(NACWA) on 22 April 2008 to discuss the EPA Office of Water’s (OW) Detailed Study of the 

Health Services Industry (HSI). EPA identified the HSI, which includes dental facilities, for 

additional review in the final 2006 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan.1

 Topics of the meeting 

include ADA’s amendments to its best management practices (BMPs) for dental amalgam, 

results of studies showing the impacts of using amalgam separators on POTW influent, biosolids, 

and the comments from NACWA and ADA on the preliminary 2008 Effluent Guidelines 

Program Plan. 2 Table 1 at the end of this memorandum lists the meeting participants. 

 Ms. Mary Smith, Director of EPA’s OW Engineering and Analysis Division, and Ms. 

Samantha Lewis gave a brief overview of EPA’s review of the public comments and data for the 

HSI Detailed Study. Ms. Smith explained that EPA’s goal for the dental amalgam portion of the 

Health Services Industry Detailed Study is to collect good information on the mercury discharges 

from dental offices and the best practices and technologies for controlling these discharges. She 

noted that EPA will use this information to inform its decision-making on whether to initiate an 

effluent guidelines rulemaking. Meeting participants discussed the NACWA and ADA public 

comments, submitted in response to the Agency’s preliminary 2008 Plan, regarding options for a 

national voluntary partnership program. The meeting concluded with NACWA and ADA 

agreeing to develop a draft framework for this national voluntary partnership program and to 

share the draft framework with EPA. 

 

1

 See 21 December 2006; 71 FR 76644. 

2

 See 30 October 2007; 72 FR 61335. [Available at: http://epa.gov/guide/304m/]. 
2

U.S. EPA/NACWA/ADA Meeting Participants 

EPA Headquarters (Washington, DC) 

Tuesday, 22 April 2008 

Name Organization Phone Number E-mail 

William Walsh Pepper Hamilton LLP 

(attorney for ADA) 202-220-1424 walshw@pepperlaw.com 

Jerome Bowman American Dental Association 312-440-2877 bowmanj@ada.org

Chris Hornback National Association of Clean 

Water Agencies 202-833-9106, x 302 chornback@nacwa.org 

Elizabeth Toot-Levy † Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer 

District 216-641-6000, x 2236 toot-levye@neorsd.org 

Keith J. Linn † Northeast Ohio Regional Sewer 

District 216-641-6000 linnk@neorsd.org 

Carey Johnston U.S. EPA, Office of Water 202-566-1014 johnston.carey@epa.gov 

Jan Goodwin U.S. EPA, Office of Water 202-566-1060 goodwin.janet@epa.gov 

Mary T. Smith U.S. EPA, Office of Water 202-566-1000 smith.maryt@epa.gov 

Samantha Lewis U.S. EPA, Office of Water 202-566-1058 lewis.samantha@epa.gov 

† Participated via teleconference.