Wisconsin Administrative Code › Department of Natural Resources › NR 400-499 - Environmental Protection - Air Pollution Control › Chapter NR 468 - Emission standards for hazardous air pollutants for miscellaneous processes › Section NR 468.30 - Industrial process cooling towers

Current through June 24, 2024
(1) APPLICABILITY.
				The provisions of this section apply to the owners and operators of all new and
				existing industrial process cooling towers that are operated with
				chromium-based water treatment chemicals on or after September 8, 1994, and are
				either major sources or are integral parts of facilities that are major
				sources.
(2) DEFINITIONS. As used
				in this section, terms not defined in this subsection have the meanings given
				in ch. NR 400. In addition, the following definitions apply to the terms used
				in this section:
(a) "Chromium-based water
				treatment chemicals" means any combination of chemical substances containing
				chromium used to treat water.
(b)
				"Construction" means the onsite fabrication, erection or installation of an
				industrial process cooling tower.
(c) "Cooling tower" means an open water
				recirculating device that uses fans or natural draft to draw or force air
				through the device to cool warm water by direct contact.
(d) "Existing industrial process cooling
				tower" means any industrial process cooling tower on which construction or
				reconstruction commenced on or before August 12, 1993.
(e) "Industrial process cooling tower" means
				any cooling tower that is used to remove heat that is produced as an input or
				output of a chemical or industrial process, as well as any cooling tower that
				cools a chemical or industrial process in combination with any heating,
				ventilation or air conditioning system.
Note: Cooling towers that only cool heating, ventilation and
				  air conditioning systems and that are operated with hexavalent chromium-based
				  water treatment chemicals are regulated by
				  40
				  CFR 749.68.
(f) "Initial startup" means the initiation of
				recirculation water flow within the cooling tower.
(g) "Major source" means any stationary
				source, or group of stationary sources, that is located on one or more
				contiguous or adjacent properties and is under common control of the same
				person or persons under common control, that emits or has the potential to
				emit, in the aggregate, 10 tons per year (tpy) or more of any hazardous air
				pollutant which has been listed pursuant to section 112 (b) of the act (
				42 USC
				7412(b) ) or 25 tpy or more
				of any combination of these hazardous air pollutants.
(h) "New industrial process cooling tower"
				means any industrial process cooling tower on which construction or
				reconstruction commenced after August 12, 1993.
(i) "Reconstruction" means the replacement of
				components of an industrial process cooling tower to such an extent that the
				fixed capital cost of the new components exceeds 50% of the fixed capital cost
				that would be required to construct a comparable new industrial process cooling
				tower.
(j) "Water treatment
				chemicals" means any combination of chemical substances used to treat water in
				cooling towers, including corrosion inhibitors, antiscalants, dispersants and
				any other chemical substances used to treat cooling tower water.