-a O
CD -f
[icial Business
nalty for Prival
5>
8
M^gC
OQ9 2 3
^S-sS-'
K»=.S O
Ufa
2P2. ST
°8g?
K m
^^ ••
ro <.
0 ^
O
3
(D
2
EL
TO
O
%
a
o
3
>
(Q
Q
3
O
:o
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
832-F-92-001
May 1992
Office of Water (WH-547)
m
the MWPP Program
i Printed on Recycled Paper
-------
INTRODUCTION
WHY SS POLLUTION PREVENTION IMPORTANT?
The Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 established
pollution prevention as national policy. This Act sets forth a
formal legislative charter for EPA to establish programs that
promote pollution prevention. Specifically, the Act establishes
a hierarchy of waste management activities placing source
reduction as the most preferred option. Source reduction refers
to preventing or reducing the generation of waste at the source
before it becomes a waste management problem. To accom-
plish this goal in the area of domestic waste treatment, EPA is
initiating the Municipal Water Pollution Prevention (MWPP)
program.
WHAT IS THE WIWPP PROGRAM?
The MWPP Program is a voluntary and cooperative
effort by EPA, State governments, and municipalities to:
• Prevent NPDES permit violations and maintain high
compliance rates by publicly owned treatment works
(POTWs);
• Maximize the useful lives of POTWs through reduced
wastewater flows and loading, and effective operation
and maintenance; and
• Ensure effective and timely planning and financing for
future needs and growth, before permit violations occur.
MWPP PROGRAM COMPONENTS
Corrective
Action
Program
Management
pinancina
Financm9
Support
Large capital investments and effective enforcement
activities have been responsible for the high quality of munici-
pal pollution control infrastructure established in this country.
Growing concerns regarding the termination of Federal finan-
cial assistance, continuing municipal growth, and the emer-
gence :of new pollutants, places increased demands on this
infrastructure and future compliance capabilities.
: Pollution prevention can reduce the need for substan-
tial investment in the infrastructure by emphasizing source
reduction at the facility, instead of increases in the size and
complexity of the treatment works. An MWPP program should
focus attention on a series of actions to prevent pollution in
advance rather than taking more expensive corrective actions.
'These approaches contribute to:
• Improving the usability of sludge;
• Increasing the ability of-local community expansion;
• Reducing operation and compliance costs; and
v Enhancing worker safety.
POLLUTION PREVENTION
Milwaukee
Palo Alto
Winston
Salem
Louisville/
Jefferson
County
A STATE AND LOCAL SOLUTION
-------
GREATER MILWAUKEE TOXICS MINIMIZATION TASK
FORCE
Method: Strategic Planning
The Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District (MMSD)
has sponsored a Toxics Minimization Task Force in the greater
Milwaukee area to implement a Toxics Reduction Strategy.
The Task Force consists of representatives from the business
community, state and local government, labor unions, public
interest groups, and law firms. The group's primary goal is to
minimize the discharge of toxic substances to the sewer system,
surface and ground water, air, and soil from both regulated and
nonregulated sources.
To achieve this goal, the Task Force, meets on a regular
basis to provide a forum for discussion among the diverse
groups who may be affected by pollution prevention legisla-
tion. In addition, the group is developing public outreach
programs to educate industry and the general public about how
to reduce the amount of pollutants that are being discharged to
several media, including the sewer system. Once the Task
Force solicits public opinion through these channels, it makes
recommendations to the City Council regarding potential
pollution prevention legislation.
For additional information, call 414-225-2174.
PALO ALTO SILVER REDUCTION PILOT PROJECT
Method: Regulatory Approach
The Silver Reduction Pilot Program was initiated by the
City of Palo Alto's Regional Water Quality Control Plant
(RWQCP) in 1990 to reduce by 75 percent the amount of silver
being discharged to the South San Francisco Bay. The pilot
program is supported by a Silver Reduction Ordinance, passed
by RWQCP's five member communities. Under the ordinance,
RWQCP regulates all dischargers of silver in spent
photochemicals within the service area.
Those affected by the ordinance include any business that
develops photo and X-ray film including dentists, medical
clinics, photo labs, and newspapers. To comply with the
ordinance, businesses are required to install filtration equip-
ment onsite or ship the materials offsite for treatment and
disposal.
To encourage compliance with the ordinance, Palo Alto
has used several tools, including:
• Involving the affected community in the plan-
ning stages of the ordinance so as to identify
l potential problems that could cause delays later;
• Publishing brochures, newsletters, and articles in
; the local paper describing compliance require-
ments and reminding the public of important
: compliance dates; and
,• Hosting workshops on compliance requirements
and on- and off-site treatment and disposal
options.
For additional information, call 415-329-2514.
PUBLIC OUTREACH IN WINSTON-SALEM
Method: Public Education
Winston-Salem, North Carolina conducts targeted
outreach efforts to educate local businesses (e.g., auto mechan-
ics, battery manufacturers, and metal finishers) about source
reduction opportunities. For example, the City distributed
materials to the auto mechanics addressing the hazards associ-
ated with disposing antifreeze in the sewer system and provid-
ing several alternatives for antifreeze disposal. Included in the
materials was a list of vendors who recover antifreeze and
information on purchasing individual recovery systems.
The City also targets individual households in its efforts
to discourage unnecessary discharges to the sewer system and
promote source reduction. By hosting a regular "Household
Hazardous Waste Day," the City encourages residents to
conduct responsible disposal practices. The City also has set
up a hotline directing residents to alternative disposal options.
For example, a battery manufacturer collects used household
batteries and disposes them in a lead smelter; the City collects
used paint to use for its own purposes; and recycling facilities
collect used oil.
For additional information, call 919-765-0134.
-------
KENTUCKY PARTNERS' WASTE REDUCTION
ASSESSMENTS
Method: Technical Assistance
The Kentucky Partners State Waste Minimization Center
(Kentucky Partners) was established by the Kentucky Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Cabinet in 1988.
Kentucky Partners is a free, non-regulatory, and confidential
service for businesses and industries to provide information and
technical assistance about reducing wastes and preventing
pollution.
Kentucky Partners is currently working on a waste reduc-
tion assessment for the Louisville/Jeffersen County Metropoli-
tan Sewer District. This effort involves site visits and assess-
ments to identify source reduction opportunities at the County's
40 POTWs. The Kentucky Partners' assessment concluded that
POTWs are practicing responsible waste reduction techniques,
and it plans to assist these POTWs in developing innovative
processes for continued pollution reductions.'
For additional information, call 800-334-8635.
'MA 02203 „
'
ion 2 iJSewTfojkj NY
oss Avfr
f1X75202 "'
214 655 7t30, / 1
\ •> \
Region?. Kansas Oty
TSfeW XotfcCKt 102.18
212 26! 8958
7371
(co
One
99948th St.
te 500
23.5
'? ~~" T 303 293 J560 ^ \A Region ^ San Franc^CA
345Courttancf St, 5^ (A^, CA,,dt?, til>^V^RPtiviFJ. AS)
Atlanta GA 30365 75Hawth6~meSl.
404 347-303
Region 5* Chicago, Jt
23US Peatboia St
Chicago, IL 60604
3128860212 ,
Reg;lottlO
(AK^lt), OR, WAT
1200 Sixth Ave (WU 085)
Seattle WA 98W1
•206 553 8575
SOURCE REDUCTION FOR THE POTW AND THE
INDIRECT DISCHARGER
The MWPP program encourages POTWs to apply
elements of the pollution prevention hierarchy. POTWs not
only discharge wastewater, but may contribute to, and play a
valuable role in addressing, the releases of various air emis-
sions and solid waste streams as a result of their activities and
the activities of their indirect dischargers. Thus, MWPP
programs are directed at preventing pollution from both
influent to the POTWs and through activities at the POTWs
themselves.
Several source reduction methods that a POTW may
implement at its own plant or encourage indirect dischargers to
implement include:
y Process modifications;
;• Feed stock substitutions or improvements in purity;
:• Good housekeeping and management practices; and
• Recycling within a process.
Source reduction is the most preferred option to
prevent or reduce the generation of waste. Other options
include water and energy conservation. Some POTWs and
their industrial users are recognizing the benefits derived from
these options. These benefits not only accrue to the environ-
ment but also result in significant cost savings to the facility.
CASE STUDIES
POTWs and state and local waste management
authorities are incorporating successful source reduction efforts
into their MWPP programs. Four case studies, representing
four different approaches to source reduction within the contexi
of MWPP, are included in this brochure.
------- |