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Effluent Limitation Guidelines

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# Effluent Guidelines

Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.

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## Proposed Rule (1998)

Fact Sheet; EPA-821-F-98-018; December 1998

EPA is issuing a supplemental proposal for the Effluent Limitations               Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards               for the Centralized Waste Treatment Point Source Category. This               proposed regulation establishes technology-based effluent limitations               guidelines for the discharge of pollutants into waters of the United               States and into publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) by existing               and new facilities that treat or recover any hazardous or non-hazardous               industrial waste, wastewater, or used material from off-site. 

#### Introduction to Effluent Guidelines

Effluent limitations guidelines are national regulations that establish               restrictions on the discharge of pollutants to surface waters or               to POTWs by specific categories of industries. The requirements               are developed by EPA based on the application of specific process               or treatment technologies to control pollutant discharges. Although               the guidelines are based on particular technologies, EPA does not               require dischargers to use these technologies. Individual facilities               may meet the requirements using whatever types of treatment technologies               and process changes they choose. Since 1974, EPA has promulgated               effluent limitations guidelines and standards for 51 industrial               categories.

#### Background

On January 27, 1995 (60 FR 5465), EPA proposed regulations to reduce               discharges to navigable waters of toxic, conventional and nonconventional               pollutants in treated wastewater from centralized waste treatment               (CWT) facilities. The Agency proposed limitations and standards               for an estimated 85 facilities in three subcategories: (1) Metal-bearing               waste treatment and recovery, (2) Oily waste treatment and recovery               and (3) Organic waste treatment and recovery.

In September 1996 (61 FR 48806), EPA published a Notice of Data                 Availability, providing revised estimates of the number of facilities                 in the oily waste subcategory and a revised description of that                 subcategory.              

#### Definition of Centralized Waste Treatment Facility

The term centralized waste treatment facility means any facility               that treats or recovers any hazardous or non-hazardous industrial               waste, wastewater, or used material from off-site. 

The term CWT facility does not apply to facilities engaged in                 the following activities:              
    - centralized waste treatment operations in which all waste                   is received from off-site solely via pipeline or a fixed delivery                   system;                
    - centralized waste treatment operations at facilities which                   are subject to existing national effluent limitations guidelines                   and standards and which receive wastes from off-site for treatment                   or recovery that would be subject to the same national effluent                   limitations guidelines and standards as the on-site generated                   wastes;                
    - the treatment or recovery of off-site sanitary wastes;                
    - electrolytic plating/metallic replacement silver recovery                   operations on used photographic and x-ray materials;                
    - high temperature metals recovery operations that use heat-based                   pyrometallurgical technologies to recover metals;                
    - used oil filter recycling operations generating no wastewater;                
    - solids recovery operations so long as the solids remain in                   solid form when in contact with water and do not leach any chemicals                   into the water (e.g. aluminum cans, glass, plastic bottles);                
    - treatment or recovery of animal or vegetable fats/oils from                   grease traps or interceptors generated by facilities engaged                   in food service activities;                
    - transportation equipment cleaning (TEC) operations or centralized                   waste treatment of TEC-generated waste-waters (unless the TEC                   wastewaters are mixed with other wastewaters);                
    - centralized waste treatment of landfill wastewaters (unless                   these wastewaters are mixed with other wastewaters); and                
    - centralized waste treatment of industrial combustor wastewaters                   (unless these wastewaters are mixed with other wastewaters).              

#### Scope of the Supplemental Proposal

EPA is proposing to (1) subcategorize the CWT point source category                 into three subcategories; (2) establish effluent limitations for                 new and existing sources discharging wastewater directly to surface                 waters; and (3) establish pretreatment standards for new and existing                 sources discharging wastewater to POTWs.              

EPA is proposing to subcategorize the CWT point source category                 into the following three subcategories based on types of waste,                 wastewater and/or used material accepted for treatment or recovery:              
    - Subcategory A: Metal-bearing waste treatment and recovery                   operations;                
    - Subcategory B: Used/Waste Oil Treatment and Recovery Operations;                   and                
    - Subcategory C: Organic Waste Treatment.              

#### Wastewaters Covered by Proposed Guideline

The wastewater flows covered by the rule include all off-site generated               wastewater and all on-site generated wastewater. This includes waste               receipts (materials received from off-site), solubilization water,               used oil/emulsion breaking wastewater, tanker truck/drum/roll-off               box washes, equipment washes, air pollution control waters, laboratory-derived               wastewater, wastewater from on-site industrial waste combustors               or landfills, and contaminated stormwater. 

#### Costs and Benefits

EPA estimates that compliance with this proposal will reduce the               discharge of pollutants by at least 14.7 million pounds per year               of conventional pollutants and 4.1 million pounds per year of toxic               and non-conventional pollutants. Compliance costs are projected               to be $27.8 million annually, and projected benefits (health, recreational,               etc.) range from $5.3 million to $15.9 million annually.

#### Additional Information

The *Federal Register* Notice and supporting development documents               describing this rule are available on-line. A public hearing on               the proposal is scheduled for February 18, 1998 from 9:30 am to               12:30 pm in the EPA Auditorium at Waterside Mall, 401 M Street SW,               Washington D.C. For additional information, contact Jan Matuszko               at matuszko.jan@epa.gov               or at (202) 566-1035.

316(b) | UNDS | NPDES

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