Document ID: EPA-HQ-OW-2002-0017-0001
Agency: epa
Document Type: Notice
Title: Draft Handbook for Management of Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems; Notice of Availability.
Posted Date: 2003-03-28T05:00Z

15170
Federal
Register
/
Vol.
68,
No.
60
/
Friday,
March
28,
2003
/
Notices
requested
from
any
State/
tribe
contributions
(
in
kind
or
other).

Reports
Awardees
will
be
required
to
submit
semi­
annual
and
final
progress
reports
to
their
project
officer
and
to
David
Piantanida
at
the
address
below.
A
template
reporting
form
will
be
provided
to
all
funded
grantees.
Recipients
will
also
be
required
to
complete
annual
Financial
Status
Reports.
All
reports
must
be
prepared
in
either
Word
or
Wordperfect
formats
and
delivered
electronically
to
the
appropriate
project
officer
and
to
David
Piantanida.

Contact
Information
For
more
information
regarding
this
process,
please
contact
David
Piantanida
at
the
address
below:
David
Piantanida
(
2222A),
US
EPA
 
Ariel
Rios
South
Rm
6149D,
1200
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW.,
Washington,
DC
20460.
piantanida.
david@
epa.
gov.
Tel:
(
202)
564
 
8318.
Fax:
(
202)
564
 
0034.

EPA
Regional
Contacts
EPA
Region
I
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Ken
Moraff
 
moraff.
ken@
epa.
gov.
Enforcement
Division
Director:
Sam
Silverman
 
silverman.
sam@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
II
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Barbara
McGarry
 
mcgarry.
barbara@
epa.
gov.
Enforcement
Division
Director:
Richard
Caspe
 
caspe.
richard@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
III
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Samantha
Fairchild
 
fairchild.
samantha@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
IV
Enforcement
Coordinators:
Sherri
Fields
 
fields.
sherri@
epa.
gov.
Bruce
Miller
 
miller.
bruce@
epa.
gov.
Enforcement
Division
Director:
William
Anderson
 
anderson.
william@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
V
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Tinka
Hyde
 
hyde.
tinka@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
VI
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Walter
Biggins
 
biggins.
walter@
epa.
gov.
Enforcement
Division
Director:
Samuel
Coleman
 
coleman.
samuel@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
VII
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Cecilia
Tapia
 
tapia.
cecilia@
epa.
gov.
EPA
Region
VIII
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Eddie
Sierra
 
sierra.
eddie@
epa.
gov.
Enforcement
Division
Director:
Carol
Rushin
 
rushin.
carol@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
IX
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Jim
Grove
 
grove.
jim@
epa.
gov.

EPA
Region
X
Enforcement
Coordinator:
Lauris
Davies
 
davies.
lauris@
epa.
gov.

Dated:
March
24,
2003.
Michael
M.
Stahl,
Director,
Office
of
Compliance.
[
FR
Doc.
03
 
7509
Filed
3
 
27
 
03;
8:
45
am]

BILLING
CODE
6560
 
50
 
P
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
[
FRL
 
7474
 
5]

Draft
Handbook
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
AGENCY:
Environmental
Protection
Agency.
ACTION:
Notice
of
availability.

SUMMARY:
The
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
is
making
available
the
draft
Handbook
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
(
referred
to
here
as
the
Management
Handbook)
for
public
review
and
comment.
The
purpose
of
the
Management
Handbook
is
to
develop
a
step­
by­
step
guide
for
regulators
and
service
providers
to
implement
a
voluntary
management
program
for
decentralized
wastewater
treatment
systems.
The
Management
Handbook
supports
EPA's
Voluntary
Guidelines
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
(
referred
to
here
as
the
Management
Guidelines)
published
elsewhere
in
today's
Federal
Register.
DATES:
Comments
are
requested
by
May
27,
2003.
ADDRESSES:
Comments
may
be
submitted
electronically,
by
mail,
or
through
hand
delivery/
courier.
Follow
the
detailed
instructions
as
provided
in
section
I.
B.

FOR
FURTHER
INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Any
questions
regarding
the
content
of
EPA's
draft
Handbook
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
can
be
addressed
to
Joyce
Hudson
by
e­
mail
at
hudson.
joyce@
epa.
gov
or
via
U.
S.
mail
to
Joyce
Hudson,
U.
S.
EPA,
Office
of
Wastewater
Management
(
4204M),
1200
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW,
Washington,
DC
20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION:

I.
General
Information
A.
How
Can
I
Get
Copies
Of
This
Document
and
Other
Related
Information?

1.
Docket.
EPA
has
established
an
official
public
docket
for
this
action
under
Docket
ID
No.
OW
 
2002
 
0017.
The
official
public
docket
consists
of
the
documents
specifically
referenced
in
this
action,
any
public
comments
received,
and
other
information
related
to
this
action.
The
official
public
docket
is
the
collection
of
materials
that
is
available
for
public
viewing
at
the
Water
Docket
in
the
EPA
Docket
Center,
EPA
West
Building,
Room
B102,
1301
Constitution
Ave.,
NW,
Washington,
DC.
The
EPA
Docket
Center
Public
Reading
Room
is
open
from
8:
30
a.
m.
to
4:
30
p.
m.,
Monday
through
Friday,
excluding
legal
holidays.
The
telephone
number
for
the
Public
Reading
Room
is
(
202)
566
 
1744,
and
the
telephone
number
for
the
Water
Docket
is
(
202)
566
 
2426.
2.
Electronic
Access.
You
may
access
this
Federal
Register
document
electronically
through
the
EPA
Internet
under
the
Federal
Register
listings
at
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
fedrgstr/.
An
electronic
version
of
the
public
docket
is
available
through
EPA's
electronic
public
docket
and
comment
system,
EPA
Dockets.
You
may
use
EPA
Dockets
at
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
edocket/
to
submit
or
view
public
comments,
access
the
index
listing
of
the
contents
of
the
official
public
docket,
and
to
access
those
documents
in
the
public
docket
that
are
available
electronically.
Once
in
the
system,
select
``
search,''
then
key
in
the
appropriate
docket
identification
number.
Certain
types
of
information
will
not
be
placed
in
the
EPA
Dockets.
Information
claimed
as
CBI
and
other
information
whose
disclosure
is
restricted
by
statute,
which
is
not
included
in
the
official
public
docket,
will
not
be
available
for
public
viewing
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
EPA's
policy
is
that
copyrighted
material
will
not
be
placed
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket
but
will
be
available
only
in
printed,
paper
form
in
the
official
public
docket.
Although
not
all
docket
materials
may
be
available
electronically,
you
may
still
access
any
of
the
publicly
available
docket
materials
through
the
docket
facility
identified
in
section
I.
A.
1.

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/
Vol.
68,
No.
60
/
Friday,
March
28,
2003
/
Notices
For
public
commenters,
it
is
important
to
note
that
EPA's
policy
is
that
public
comments,
whether
submitted
electronically
or
in
paper,
will
be
made
available
for
public
viewing
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket
as
EPA
receives
them
and
without
change,
unless
the
comment
contains
copyrighted
material,
CBI,
or
other
information
whose
disclosure
is
restricted
by
statute.
When
EPA
identifies
a
comment
containing
copyrighted
material,
EPA
will
provide
a
reference
to
that
material
in
the
version
of
the
comment
that
is
placed
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
The
entire
printed
comment,
including
the
copyrighted
material,
will
be
available
in
the
public
docket.
Public
comments
submitted
on
computer
disks
that
are
mailed
or
delivered
to
the
docket
will
be
transferred
to
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
Public
comments
that
are
mailed
or
delivered
to
the
Docket
will
be
scanned
and
placed
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
Where
practical,
physical
objects
will
be
photographed,
and
the
photograph
will
be
placed
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket
along
with
a
brief
description
written
by
the
docket
staff.
3.
Hardcopy.
Copies
of
the
document
may
also
be
obtained
by
downloading
the
document
at
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
owm/
mtb/
decent/,
by
calling
the
USEPA
Publications
Clearinghouse
at
1
 
800
 
490
 
9198
or
submitting
a
request
by
mail
at
USEPA
Publications
Clearinghouse,
PO
Box
42419,
Cincinnati,
OH
45242.

B.
How
and
To
Whom
Do
I
Submit
Comments?
You
may
submit
comments
electronically,
by
mail,
or
through
hand
delivery/
courier.
To
ensure
proper
receipt
by
EPA,
identify
the
appropriate
docket
identification
number
in
the
subject
line
on
the
first
page
of
your
comment.
Please
ensure
that
your
comments
are
submitted
within
the
specified
comment
period.
Comments
received
after
the
close
of
the
comment
period
will
be
marked
``
late.''
EPA
is
not
required
to
consider
these
late
comments.
1.
Electronically.
If
you
submit
an
electronic
comment
as
prescribed
below,
EPA
recommends
that
you
include
your
name,
mailing
address,
and
an
e­
mail
address
or
other
contact
information
in
the
body
of
your
comment.
Also
include
this
contact
information
on
the
outside
of
any
disk
or
CD
ROM
you
submit,
and
in
any
cover
letter
accompanying
the
disk
or
CD
ROM.
This
ensures
that
you
can
be
identified
as
the
submitter
of
the
comment
and
allows
EPA
to
contact
you
in
case
EPA
cannot
read
your
comment
due
to
technical
difficulties
or
needs
further
information
on
the
substance
of
your
comment.
EPA's
policy
is
that
EPA
will
not
edit
your
comment,
and
any
identifying
or
contact
information
provided
in
the
body
of
a
comment
will
be
included
as
part
of
the
comment
that
is
placed
in
the
official
public
docket,
and
made
available
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
If
EPA
cannot
read
your
comment
due
to
technical
difficulties
and
cannot
contact
you
for
clarification,
EPA
may
not
be
able
to
consider
your
comment.
i.
EPA
Dockets.
Your
use
of
EPA's
electronic
public
docket
to
submit
comments
to
EPA
electronically
is
EPA's
preferred
method
for
receiving
comments.
Go
directly
to
EPA
Dockets
at
http://
www.
epa.
gov/
edocket,
and
follow
the
online
instructions
for
submitting
comments.
Once
in
the
system,
select
``
search,''
and
then
key
in
Docket
ID
No.
OW
 
2002
 
0017.
The
system
is
an
``
anonymous
access''
system,
which
means
EPA
will
not
know
your
identity,
e­
mail
address,
or
other
contact
information
unless
you
provide
it
in
the
body
of
your
comment.
ii.
E­
mail.
Comments
may
be
sent
by
electronic
mail
(
e­
mail)
to
owdocket
epa.
gov,
Attention
Docket
ID
No.
OW
 
2002
 
0017.
In
contrast
to
EPA's
electronic
public
docket,
EPA's
e­
mail
system
is
not
an
``
anonymous
access''
system.
If
you
send
an
e­
mail
comment
directly
to
the
Docket
without
going
through
EPA's
electronic
public
docket,
EPA's
e­
mail
system
automatically
captures
your
e­
mail
address.
Email
addresses
that
are
automatically
captured
by
EPA's
e­
mail
system
are
included
as
part
of
the
comment
that
is
placed
in
the
official
public
docket,
and
made
available
in
EPA's
electronic
public
docket.
iii.
Disk
or
CD
ROM.
You
may
submit
comments
on
a
disk
or
CD
ROM
that
you
mail
to
the
mailing
address
identified
in
section
I.
B.
2.
These
electronic
submissions
will
be
accepted
in
WordPerfect
or
ASCII
file
format.
Avoid
the
use
of
special
characters
and
any
form
of
encryption.
2.
By
Mail.
Send
an
original
and
3
copies
of
your
comments
to:
Water
Docket,
Environmental
Protection
Agency,
Mailcode:
4101T,
1200
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW.,
Washington,
DC
20460,
Attention:
Docket
ID
No.
OW
 
2002
 
0017.
3.
By
Hand
Delivery
or
Courier.
Deliver
your
comments
to:
EPA
Docket
Center,
EPA
West
Building,
Room
B102,
1301
Constitution
Avenue,
NW.,
Washington,
DC,
Attention:
Docket
ID
No.
OW
 
2002
 
0017.
Such
deliveries
are
only
accepted
during
the
Docket's
normal
hours
of
operation
as
identified
in
section
I.
A.
1.

C.
What
Should
I
Consider
as
I
Prepare
My
Comments
for
EPA?

You
may
find
the
following
suggestions
helpful
for
preparing
your
comments:
1.
Explain
your
views
as
clearly
as
possible.
2.
Describe
any
assumptions
that
you
used.
3.
Provide
any
technical
information
and/
or
data
you
used
that
support
your
views.
4.
If
you
estimate
potential
burden
or
costs,
explain
how
you
arrived
at
your
estimate.
5.
Provide
specific
examples
to
illustrate
your
concerns.
6.
Offer
alternatives.
7.
Make
sure
to
submit
your
comments
by
the
comment
period
deadline
identified.
8.
To
ensure
proper
receipt
by
EPA,
identify
the
appropriate
docket
identification
number
in
the
subject
line
on
the
first
page
of
your
response.
It
would
also
be
helpful
if
you
provided
the
name,
date,
and
Federal
Register
citation
related
to
your
comments.

II.
Background
Decentralized
wastewater
treatment
systems
(
commonly
referred
to
as
septic
systems,
private
sewage
systems,
individual
sewage
systems,
onsite
sewage
disposal
systems
or
package
plants)
include
onsite
and
clustered
systems
used
to
collect,
treat,
and
disperse
or
reclaim
wastewater
from
individual
dwellings
or
businesses,
or
small
communities
or
service
areas.
State
agencies
report
that
some
of
these
systems
have
failed
because
of
inappropriate
siting
or
design
or
inadequate
long­
term
maintenance.
Historically
high
failure
rates
in
some
areas
indicate
a
need
for
better
management
of
these
systems
to
protect
public
health
and
water
quality.
However,
when
onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
are
properly
managed,
they
may,
in
many
cases,
be
the
most
practical
and
least
expensive
way
to
treat
household
wastewater.
In
response
to
the
need
for
improved
management,
EPA
is
providing
the
Management
Guidelines
to
establish
a
benchmark
for
effective
management.
The
purpose
of
the
Management
Guidelines
is
to
raise
the
level
of
performance
of
onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
through
improved
management
programs.
The
draft
Management
Handbook
supports
the
Voluntary
Management
Guidelines
by
providing
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March
28,
2003
/
Notices
details
on
assessing,
developing,
implementing,
and
sustaining
a
viable
management
program.
All
aspects
of
a
management
program
are
covered,
including
public
education
and
participation,
planning,
performance
criteria,
site
evaluation,
design,
construction,
operation
and
maintenance,
residuals
management,
training
and
certification/
licensing,
inspections/
monitoring,
corrective
actions,
record
keeping/
reporting,
and
financial
assistance.
To
address
these
elements
of
comprehensive
management
programs,
the
Management
Handbook
will
include
the
following:
 
Public
awareness
and
education
tools
 
Case
studies
of
management
programs
 
Options
for
inventories
 
Funding
examples
 
Model
codes
and
ordinances
 
Examples
of
septage
management
The
primary
audience
for
the
Management
Handbook
are
state,
tribal
and
local
regulators
and
community
officials
that
are
responsible
for
regulating
onsite
and
clustered
systems.
Onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
currently
serve
about
25
percent
of
U.
S.
homes
and
approximately
33
percent
of
new
development.
The
vast
majority
of
these
systems
are
conventional
onsite
wastewater
treatment
systems
(
septic
systems).
States
report
that
these
wastewater
treatment
systems
have
failed
because
of
inappropriate
siting
or
design
or
inadequate
long­
term
maintenance
and
that
septic
tank
systems
constitute
the
third
most
common
source
of
ground
water
contamination.
Historically
high
failure
rates
in
some
areas
indicate
a
need
for
better
management
of
these
systems
to
protect
public
health
and
water
quality.
When
onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
are
properly
managed,
they
may,
in
many
cases,
be
the
most
practical
and
least
expensive
way
to
treat
household
wastewater.
In
April,
1997,
EPA
prepared
its
``
Response
to
Congress
on
the
Use
of
Decentralized
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems.''
The
report
concluded
that
decentralized
wastewater
treatment
technologies
offer
a
cost­
effective,
long
term
wastewater
treatment
solution
for
many
communities.
However,
the
report
emphasized
that
decentralized
technologies
must
be
implemented
in
the
context
of
a
responsible
management
program
to
consistently
achieve
water
quality
and
public
health
goals.
The
report
identified
the
current
lack
of
management
as
a
barrier
to
successfully
applying
these
otherwise
promising
technologies.
In
response
to
the
need
for
improved
management,
EPA
prepared
a
concept
paper
in
the
spring
of
1999,
which
received
considerable
input
from
various
stakeholders,
including
other
federal
agencies,
state
health
agencies,
environmental
groups,
trade
associations
and
public
interest
groups.
Based
on
comments
received,
EPA
developed
the
draft
Management
Guidelines
which
were
published
in
October
2000,
along
with
an
annotated
outline
of
this
draft
handbook.
Comments
were
once
again
solicited,
resulting
in
the
final
Management
Guidelines
and
this
draft
Management
Handbook.

Dated:
March
18,
2003.
G.
Tracy
Mehan,
III,
Assistant
Administrator,
Office
of
Water.
[
FR
Doc.
03
 
7505
Filed
3
 
27
 
03;
8:
45
am]

BILLING
CODE
6560
 
50
 
P
ENVIRONMENTAL
PROTECTION
AGENCY
[
FRL
 
7474
 
4]

Voluntary
National
Guidelines
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
AGENCY:
Environmental
Protection
Agency.
ACTION:
Notice
of
availability.

SUMMARY:
The
U.
S.
Environmental
Protection
Agency
(
EPA)
is
making
available
the
final
Voluntary
National
Guidelines
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
(
referred
to
here
as
the
Management
Guidelines).
The
purpose
of
the
Management
Guidelines
is
to
improve
the
level
of
performance
of
decentralized
wastewater
treatment
systems
nationally
through
improved
management
programs.
The
Management
Guidelines
will
help
improve
system
performance
by
raising
the
quality
of
management
programs,
establishing
minimum
levels
of
activity,
and
institutionalizing
the
concept
of
management.
Implementation
of
the
Management
Guidelines
will
also
provide
a
greater
range
of
options
for
cost­
effectively
meeting
wastewater
treatment
needs
and
meeting
water
quality
and
public
health
goals.
The
primary
audience
for
the
Management
Guidelines
are
state,
tribal
and
local
regulators
and
community
officials
that
are
responsible
for
regulating
onsite
and
clustered
systems.

FOR
FURTHER
INFORMATION
CONTACT:
Any
questions
regarding
the
content
of
the
Voluntary
National
Guidelines
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
can
be
addressed
to
Joyce
Hudson
by
e­
mail
at
hudson.
joyce@
epa.
gov
or
via
U.
S.
mail
to
Joyce
Hudson,
U.
S.
EPA,
Office
of
Wastewater
Management
(
4204M),
1200
Pennsylvania
Avenue,
NW.,
Washington,
DC
20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION:
Decentralized
wastewater
treatment
systems
(
commonly
referred
to
as
septic
systems,
private
sewage
systems,
individual
sewage
systems,
onsite
sewage
disposal
systems
or
package
plants)
include
onsite
and
clustered
systems
used
to
collect,
treat,
and
disperse
or
reclaim
wastewater
from
individual
dwellings,
businesses,
or
small
communities
and
service
areas.
State
agencies
report
that
some
of
these
systems
have
failed
because
of
inappropriate
siting
or
design
or
inadequate
long­
term
maintenance.
Historically
high
failure
rates
in
some
areas
indicate
a
need
for
better
management
of
these
systems
to
protect
public
health
and
water
quality.
However,
when
onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
are
properly
managed,
they
may,
in
many
cases,
be
the
most
practical
and
least
expensive
way
to
treat
household
wastewater.
In
response
to
the
need
for
improved
management
programs,
EPA
has
developed
the
Management
Guidelines
to
establish
a
benchmark
for
effective
management.
The
purpose
of
the
Management
Guidelines
is
to
raise
the
level
of
performance
of
onsite
and
clustered
wastewater
treatment
systems
through
improved
management
programs.
The
Management
Guidelines
will
be
supplemented
with
a
handbook
for
state,
tribal,
and
local
governments
to
use
in
upgrading
management
programs.
The
draft
Handbook
for
Management
of
Onsite
and
Clustered
(
Decentralized)
Wastewater
Treatment
Systems
is
being
published
elsewhere
in
today's
Federal
Register
for
public
comment.
The
Management
Guidelines
present
a
set
of
five
model
programs
based
on
a
comprehensive
approach
that
relies
on
coordinating
the
responsibilities
and
actions
among
the
state,
tribal
or
local
regulatory
agency,
the
management
entity
or
service
provider
and
the
system
owner.
The
level
of
management
needed
increases
as
the
sensitivity
of
the
environment
and/
or
the
degree
of
technological
complexity
increases.
A
program's
designation
increases
progressively
from
Model
Program
1
through
Model
Program
5,
reflecting
the
increased
level
of
management
activities
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