United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
(4204 M)
Washington, DC 20460
EPA 832-F-00-075
November 2001
Environmental Management Systems and the Clean
Water State Revolving Fund
Several publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) have been or will
shortly be certified to ISO 14001. These include San Diego, CA,
Lowell, MA, Charleston, SC, Eugene, OR and Gastonia, NC. Other,
more tailored EMS programs are also underway. For example, under
the National Biosolids Partnership (NBP), the EPA's Office of Water,
along with the Water Environmental Federation (WEF) and the
Association of Metropolitan Sewerage Agencies (AMSA), is helping to
develop and implement an EMS program tailored to the biosolids
industry. EPA, AMSA and WEF are also beginning a project to analyze
the feasibility of developing a utility-wide EMS template that would
integrate the use of other utility management tools like asset
management. More information about the NBP' s EMS program can be
found on their web site at www.biosolids.org.
The Problem
Public and private enterprises face an increasingly heavy burden of
responsibility for the future condition of our environment.
Wastewater treatment systems in particular are getting more complex
and face numerous environmental challenges, requiring dynamic, top
quality environmental management. A systematic method for
addressing environmental consequences is often needed - not only for
current issues of legal compliance but also to address additional
community and environmental concerns. One method of managing
environmental impacts has been codified into a series of protocols:
environmental management systems (EMS). The EMS method holds
particular promise as an information-rich and inclusive framework for
addressing environmental issues.
This fact sheet will briefly discuss what an environmental
management system (EMS) actually is and how the Clean Water
State Revolving Fund may be tapped to establish an EMS program.
What is an EMS?
An EMS is a formal set of procedures and policies that define how an
organization will manage and reduce its impacts on the environment.
The basic elements of an EMS include:
• reviewing the organization's goals;
• analyzing its environmental impacts and legal
requirements;
• setting environmental objectives and targets;
• establishing programs to meet objectives and targets;
• monitoring and measuring progress;
• ensuring employee environmental awareness and
competence;
• reviewing progress of the EMS and making
improvements.
As an integrative process, EMS is a continual cycle that involves
planning, implementing, reviewing and improving so that an
organization can reduce its environmental impacts.
EMSs are increasingly being developed in conformance with the
voluntary International Organization for Standardization (I SO) 14001
standard for EMSs. Over 1300 organizations in the U.S. are attracted
to the ISO EMS because it provides a documented, externally
verifiable system. Firms adopting an ISO 14001-based EMS can
demonstrate due diligence in regulatory compliance, a positive
statement of environmental philosophy, and a competitive advantage
in public, customer, and business partner relationships. EPA has
established a policy of promoting the development of EMSs in key
sectors, including wastewater, because the EMS method can help
improve overall environmental performance, reduce costs, and bring
about improved facility management in many other ways. A number
of states are also promoting EMS adoption by various sectors.
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund
The CWSRF programs, in every state and Puerto Rico, work like
banks. Federal and state contributions are used to capitalize or set up
the programs. These assets, in turn, are used to make low or no-interest
loans for important water quality projects. Funds are repaid to the
CWSRFs over terms as long as twenty years. Repaid funds are then
recycled to fund other water quality projects. Nationally, the CWSRF
has in excess of $34 billion in assets (includes loans already made and
funds available to make loans). The CWSRF is funding water quality
projects at a rate of more than $3 billion per year.
Potential incentives for funding CWSRF EMS projects include special
recognition, such as acknowledgment onEPA's web site, opportunities
to be featured in EPA publications, and participation in information
exchanges such as EMS practitioner forums.
Benefits in Using Environmental Management Systems
for CWSRF Projects
EMS can help local government entities address their regulatory and
non-regulatory issues in a systematic and cost-effective manner. This
proactive approach can help reduce the risk of non-compliance and
improve health and safely practices for employees and the public. The
EMS can also help address non-regulatory issues such as odor
management and energy conservation. Implementation of EMS can
result in significant energy savings. The EMS can promote stronger
operational control and employee stewardship. Local government
entities are also using EMSs to manage growth. In addition to the
advantages available for local governments, state agencies benefit by
extending the coverage of their CWSRF by making more efficient and
effective use of their loan funds in achieving water quality benefits.
Eligibility for Funding
The EPA is pursuing a policy of actively promoting the adoption of
EMSs. The Clean Water State Revolving Fund can be used for
developing an EMS, provided it is part of the construction,
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modification or expansion of a POTW. While CWSRF loan
funds can be used to help establish an EMS program in the context of
wastewater treatment, CWSRF funds may not be used to maintain or
operate the EMS. However, research shows that EMS development
costs usually far exceed the costs of implementing the EMS. Again,
only EMS development costs are eligible and only those costs can
only be funded as part of the construction, modification, or expansion
of a POTW. EMS projects are not eligible for loans as a stand alone
activity.
Learning by Example
While CWSRF funds were not used to develop and set up the
following EMS projects, these projects would have been eligible for
funding as part of a POTW construction, expansion or modification.
The City of Lowell, Massachusetts, Lowell Wastewater Utility
was selected as a project participant in the USEPA EMS Pilot
Program for Local Government Entities. The Utility is an activated
sludge wastewater treatment facility providing primary and secondary
treatment to 170,000 users in five communities. The EMS focused on
waste stream management, chemical use management, energy
reduction, odor control, and industrial notification. Energy reduction
alone resulted in a savings of $7,000 over a 10-month period. Other
benefits include improved communication at all levels of the
organization, greater participation in decision making, more creative
solutions, employee empowerment, and increased operation
efficiencies and better service to customers. These improvements
resulted from a rather modest expenditure of about $42,000. Formore
information contact Mark Young, (978) 970-4248, e-mail:
myoung@ci.lowell.maus.
The Wastewater Division within the City of Eugene, Oregon
has developed an EMS for a 49 million-gallon- per-day regional
secondary wastewater treatment plant, a biosolids processing facility,
a land application site for irrigation using vegetable cannery
wastewater, and 49 local sewage pumpingstations. The EMS centers
on the Wastewater Division's core responsibilities of protecting health
and environment, and clarifies guiding policies, ensures integration of
the different functional components of the regional wastewater
program to optimize environmental benefits, and helps to establish and
maintain an effective documentation system. The EMS objectives
target reductions in natural resources consumption, power
consumption, non- recyclable wastes, and improvement of the quality
of treated wastewater. For more information, contact: Peter Ruffier at
(541) 682-8606 or via e-mail at Peter. J.RUFFIER@ci.eugene.or.us
North City Reclamation Plant, and reductions of over 8% and 30%,
respectively, of their normalized process chemical use for the Point
Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant and the Metro Biosolids Center.
The EMS has also prepared the Division to effectively respond to other
regulatory and wastewater industry standards, like the US EPA's
Capacity, Monitoring, Operations, and Maintenance (CMOM)
Program requirements and the National Biosolids Partnership's EMS
for Biosolids Initiative. For more information contact Chris Toth at
(858)654-4265,
e-mail: CJT@sdcity.sannet.gov.
Challenges Ahead
EPA has been encouraging the states to open their CWSRFs to the
widest variety of water quality projects, while addressing high priority
projects in targeted watersheds. EMSs are one important tool to help
this process. Those interested in establishing an EMS (in conjunction
with the construction, expansion or upgrade of a wastewater treatment
plant) should contact their state for information on the CWSRF
application process.
For more information on Environmental Management Systems,
please contact:
The EMS web site (http://epa. gov/owmitnet/ems.htm) or Jim Home at
(202) 564-0571 or through email at
home.james@epa.gov.
For more information on the CWSRF or for a program
representative in your state, please contact:
The Clean Water State Revolving Fund Branch
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
EPA East
1201 Constitution Avenue, NW
(Mail Code 4204M)
Washington J3.C. 20004
Phone: (202) 564-0752 Fax: (202) 501-2403
Internet: http://www.epa.gov/owm/fina i.htm
City of San Diego, California Metropolitan Wastewater
Department's Operations and Maintenance Division. The
Department manages a regional sewer system service area of 4,560
square miles serving a population of two million people. Utilizing the
ISO 14001 standard, the Division developed and implemented the first
ISO-certified EMS for POTWs within the United States. The EMS
established four system-wide environmental programs focusing on
reductions in energy consumption, chemical usage, solid waste
disposal, and potable water use. Successful implementation of the
EM Sresulted in a reduction of 10% in normalized electrical use by the
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