&EPA
                 United States
                 Environmental Protection
                 Agency
                 Office of Water
                 (4204)
EPA 833-K-98-001
May 1998
http://www.epa.gov/owm/
Waste water  Primer

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 Contents
Introduction                                              5
The Problem: Water Pollution                              5
The Solution: OWM Programs                             7
    National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
        (NPDES) Permit Program                          7
    State NPDES  Programs                                7
    Section 316(b) - Cooling Water Intake Structures         8
    NPDES Watershed Strategy                            8
    Stormwater Management                              9
    Combined Sewer Overflows                            9
    Sanitary Sewer Overflows                             9
    Animal Feeding Operations                           10
    Hardrock/Mining                                     10
    Coal Mining                                        11
    Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)                       11
    Pretreatment                                        11
    Biosolids                                           11
    Financial Support and Flexibility -
        Construction  Grants/State Revolving Fund          12
        Public-Private Partnerships (P3)                   12
        Section 106 Water Pollution Grants                13
        Water Quality Cooperative Agreements             13
    Indians Grants Management                           13
        Indian Set-Aside Grants                           13
        Alaska Native Village Sanitation                  13
    Wastewater Assistance to U. S. Colonias On the
        Mexico Border                                  14
    Small Community Initiatives                          15
        Small Community Outreach and Education
            (SCORE) Program                           15
        Rural Community Assistance  (RCAP) Program     15
        National Small Flows Clearinghouse (NSFC)       ^
        National Environmental Training Center
            For Small Communities (NETCSC)            15
        Wastewater Operator Onsite Technical
            Assistance                                  16
    Technical Assistance Programs                       16
        Municipal Technologies                          16
        Innovativea nd Alternative Technologies           16
        Clean Water Needs Survey                       16
        Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency
            (WAVE) Program                           17
        Youth and the Environmental Program             17
        National Wastewalcr Management Excellence
            Awards Program                             17
Voluntary Environmental Management Systems            17
Reinvention Efforts                                      18
Information Resources                                   18

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         The United States Environmen-
         tal Protection Agency's Office
         of Wastewater Management
         (OWM) oversees a range of
programs contributing to the well-being
of the nation's waters and watersheds.
Through its programs and initiatives,
OWM promotes compliance with the
requirements of the Federal Water
Pollution Control Act, commonly
referred to  as the Clean Water Act,

 OWM   Programs Include:

.Direction  of the National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
Permit Program, including stormwater
management, and control of combined
sewer and sanitary sewer overflows
.Oversight of the National Pretreatment
Program, emphasizing control and
prevention  of water pollution from
industrial facilities
.Enhancement of the Agency's biosolids
(sewage  sludge) management program
that promotes the understanding and
compliance with the Federal Part 503
biosolids rule as well as the adoption of
additional user and environmentally
friendly practices for managing biosolids
.Administration of the  Clean Water
State Revolving Fund (CWSRF) and the
Clean Water Action Section 106 and the
Water Quality Cooperative Agreements
Section 104(b)(3) grant programs for
environmental infrastructure investment
. Completion and closeout of the
wastewater Construction Grants program
.Provision  of technical advice and
training to industries  and municipalities
in an effort to improve compliance with
wastewater regulatory requirements
. Support of the North American Free
Trade Agreement (NAFTA) environ-
mental infrastructure  program in the
U.S.-Mexico border area
.Administration of programs to ensure
that animal feeding operation (AFO)
wastes are managed to minimize
environmental and public health effects
.Administration of outreach, technical
assistance and training programs to help
small, rural and underserved communi-
ties provide adequate wastewater
treatment and disposal services; targeted
populations include Alaska Native
Villages, Indian tribes, and U.S.-Mexico
border - colonias
.Management of EPA's National award
recognition program for wstewater
management  excellence  in municipalities
and wastewater treatment facilities,
presented for outstanding and innovative
practices in operations and maintenance,
beneficial biosolids use, pretreatment
management, storm water and combined
sewer overflows controls
.Collaboration with other federal
agencies (DOI, USDA) and states  to
address pollution from abandoned mines
.Reporting on the nation's water
requirements  in the Clean Water Needs
Survey
 The  Problem:  Water  Pollution

 Cleaning and protecting the nation's
 water is an enormous task. Under the
 Clean Water Act, the Office of Wastewa-
 ter Management (OWM) works in
 partnership with EPA regions, states and
 tribes to regulate discharges into surface
 waters such as wetlands, lakes, rivers,
 estuaries, bays, and oceans, Specifically,
 OWM focuses on control of wastewater
 that  is collected in discrete conveyances
 (also called point sources),  including
 pipes, ditches, and sanitary or storm
 sewers.
   Traditionally, the Agency has had
 separate programs for point sources and
 nonpoint sources (which include
 agricultural runoff, erosion, and other
 sources not directly linked to  a specific
 source of pollution).  Now, however, as
 we adopt a more comprehensive strat-
 egy,  OWM is working with other EPA
 offices and with our stakeholders to
 apply a watershed approach to water
 management, promoting integrated
 solutions to address all sources of
 pollution to surface water, groundwatcr,
 and habitats on a watershed basis.
   A watershed may be affected by
 discharges from municipal  and/or
 industrial facilities, as well as pollutants
 from other sources that are  not as easily
 identified, and therefore harder to
 control.
   Municipal wastewater consists
primarily of domestic wastes from
households and industrial wastewater
from manufacturing and commercial
 activities. Both types of wastewater are
collected in sanitary sewers, and  are
usually treated at a municipal wastewater
treatment plant. After treatment, the
wastewater is discharged to its receiving
water (e. g., a river, an estuary, or an
ocean).
   Wastewater entering a treatment
plant may contain  organic pollutants
 (including raw sewage), metals, nutri-
ents, sediment, bacteria, and viruses.
Toxic substances used in the home -
motor oil, paint, household cleaners, and
pesticides - or substances released by
industries, also make their way into
sanitary sewers.
   Industrial processes, such as  steel or
chemical manufacturing, produce

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billions of gallons of wastewater daily.
Some industrial pollutants are similar to
those in municipal sewage, but often are
more concentrated.  Other industrial
pollutants are more exotic and include a
variety of heavy metals and synthetic
organic compounds. In sufficient
dosages, they may present serious
hazards to human health and  aquatic
organisms.
   Unlike municipal or industrial
sources of pollution, which come from a
single discrete facility, other sources are
usually more diffuse.  For example, rain
water or snowmelt washing over
farmlands may  carry topsoil and fertil-
izer residues into nearby  streams. This
type of runoff, called stormwater, may
carry oil and gasoline, agricultural
chemicals, nutrients, heavy metals, and
other toxic substances, as well as
bacteria, viruses,  and oxygen-demanding
compounds.
   A recent EPA study indicated that
roughly one third of identified cases of
water quality impairment nationwide are
attributable to stormwater, whether from
farmland, streets, parking lots, construc-
tion sites, or other sources.
   Animal Feeding Operations (AFOS)
are livestock-raising operations, such as
hog, cattle and poultry farms, that
confine and concentrate animal popula-
tions and their waste. Animal waste, if
not managed properly, can run off to
nearby water bodies and cause serious
water pollution and public health risks.
There are approximately 450,000 AFO's
in the United States.
    Acid Mine Drainage is one of the
most significant environmental impacts
resulting from past and current mining
activities. It has been cited as a major
cause of stream pollution in northern
Appalachia (PA, W. VA, VA, MD);  over
50 percent of streAm miles in PA and
WV do not meet water quality standards
because of acid mine drainage impacts.
In addition, there are an estimated
200,000 abandoned hardrock mines
nationwide and somewhere between
2,000 and 10.000  active ones. Some of
these mining operations produce waste
material and other conditions that resulf
in acid mine drainage as well as dis-
charges of heavy metals which affect
aquatic life and drinking water sources.
Mine sites may also affect public safety
because of mine debris and open entry-
ways, shafts and processing facilities.
    Combined sewer overflows (CSSOSO)
arc mixtures of sewage, industrial
wastewater, and storm water discharged
prior to reaching a treatment plant. They
can cause beach closings, shell fishing
bans, and a range of public health
problems  and can occur in  about 1,100
communities  that have antiquated water
infrastructure.
    Sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs)  are
raw sewage overflows from separate
sanitary sewer  collection systems. Over
the years, many sanitary sewer collection
systems have deteriorated due to
inadequate preventive maintenance and
insufficient rehabilitation and replace-
ment. SSOs can discharge to surface
waters,  flood basements, and overflow
from manholes into streets  and across
private  properly. Cracked and leaking
sanitary sewers can also discharge  raw
sewage during dry weather periods.
Sanitary sewer overflows can result in
health risks, properly damage, and water
quality impacts.
    Sewage sludge,  now generally
referred to as biosolids, is the semi-solid
residue  from  wastewater treatment
processes. Although biosolids result
from the treatment of wastewater, they
can be utilized as a valuable resource.

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 The  Solution: OWM  Programs

 In 1993, the Government Performance
 and Results Act (GPRA) was signed into
 law requiring agencies to establish
 measurable goals and objectives as part
 of a strategic planning process. Accord-
 ingly, EPA created a strategic plan that
 sets a number of specific objectives that
 allow the Agency to meet its overall
 environmental protection goals.
    One of the goals is Clean and Safe
 Water for all Americans. To help meet
 this goal, the Agency has committed to
 achieve a 20 percent reduction by 2005
 in pollutant discharges from key point
 sources and nonpoint sources from 1992
 levels. To achieve this objective, OWM
 is committed by 2005 to reducing annual
 point source loadings from combined
 sewer  overflows (CSOS), publicly  owned
 treatment works (POTWS), and industrial
 sources by  30 percent from 1992 levels.
 Recognizing that the nation's waters are
 significantly impaired by other sources,
 such as CAFOS and storm water runoff,
 we are also working to develop perfor-
 mance measurement approaches for
 them.
    The Office of Wastewater Manage-
 ment (OWM), in cooperation with states,
EPA offices, and other stakeholders,
manages the following programs to
 achieve the goals and to continuously
improve the quality of the nation's
waters.
 • Regulatory  Programs
 and  Tools
 This section of the Primer deals with
 OWM's regulatory programs, which
 operate under authority of the Clean
 Water Act,

National  Pollutant  Discharge
Elimination System  (NPDES)
Permit  Program
    The Clean Water Act requires that all
 point source  wastewater dischargers
 obtain and comply with an NPDES
 permit. NPDES permits regulate the
 discharges from publicly owned waste-
 water treatment facilities, other wastewa-
ter treatment  facilities, industrial
facilities, concentrated animal feeding
operations, aquiculture, and other  "point
source" dischargers,  The NPDES
program also regulates wet weather
discharges such as stormwater dis-
charges from industrial activities (e.g.
factory stomwater runoff)  and munici-
pal stormwater discharges including,
urban stormwater runoff, combined
sewer overflows, and storm sewer
overflows.
    NPDES permits are developed to
 ensure that such discharges to receiving
 waters are protective of human health
 and the environment. They establish
 specific discharge limits, monitoring,
 and reporting requirements and may also
 require that dischargers undertake
 measures to reduce or eliminate pollu-
 tion to receiving  waters.  Violations  of
 permit conditions are enforceable under
 the Clean Water Act. EPA uses a variety
 of techniques to monitor permitters
 compliance status, including on-site
 inspections and review of data submitted
 by  permitters. NPDES permits  are
 issued for a term of five years (or less).

State NPDES  Programs
    The Clean Water Act provides that
 states may be authorized to operate their
 own NPDES programs provided such
programs meet minimum federal
requirements, As  of February 1998,  42
 states and the United States Virgin
Islands have authorized NPDES pro-
grams. Indian nations can also be
authorized to operate an NPDES
program, More than 200,000 sources are
regulated by NPDES permits nationwide,

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Section  316(b)  CWA  -  Cooling
Water Intake Structures

    OWM is currently developing
regulations under Section 316(b) of the
Clean Water Act ("'CWA"), 33 U.S.C.
Section 1326(b). This section provides
that any standard established pursuant to
sections 301 or 306 of the Clean Water
Act and applicable to a point source shall
require that  the location,  design, con-
struction, and capacity of cooling water
intake structures reflect the best technol-
ogy available for minimizing adverse
environmental impact, This regulation is
unique in that it applies to the intake of
water and not the discharge, The goal of
this regulation is to minimize the
impingement (where fish and other
aquatic life  are trapped in cooling water
intake screens) and entrainment (where
aquatic organisms, eggs and larvae are
sucked into  cooling water systems) of
fish and other aquatic organisms as they
are drawn into an industrial facility's
cooling water intake.
NPDES Watershed Strategy

OWM developed the NPDES Water-
shed Strategy with input from states
and EPA regions. The final strategy
reflects a first step towards the Office
of Water's goal of fully integrating
the NPDES permitting program into
the agency's broader watershed
protection approach.
   The Watershed Strategy identifies
six areas that must be addressed to
improve water quality on a watershed
basis nationwide.
.Statewide coordination:  support  the
development of state-wide basin
management frameworks,  and
coordinate interstate basin efforts  to
facilitate implementation of the
watershed protection approach.
.NPDES Permits: streamline  the
process for NPDES permit develop-
ment, issuance, and review, and
develop innovative approaches to
permitting on a watershed basis where
feasible
.Monitoring and assessment:  develop
a state-wide monitoring strategy, and
establish point-source ambient moni-
toring requirements.
.Programmatic measures and environ-
mental indicators: revise existing
national accountability measures to
facilitate implementation of the
watershed protection approach.
.Public participation:  utilize existing
NPDES public participation process in
development of watershed protection
plans, and seek broad public participa-
tion in identifying local environmental
goals.
.Enforcement: include emphasis on
facilities that discharge to priority
basins.
    Implementation  of the watershed
strategy is now underway, and will
include the completion of assessments
of each state's watershed protection
activities and needs. OWM will
coordinate with other EPA Offices and
states to ensure that ongoing program
activities take watershed planning into
consideration.

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NPDES Watershed Permitting
   A NPDES Watershed Strategy has
been developed to ensure that the
NPDES Program protects watersheds as
effectively as possible.

NPDES Wet-Weather Strategies
   Chief among the NPDES program's
responsibilities is the effective
implementation of EPA's wet-weather
strategies, including stormwater
management and the control of
combined sewer and sanitary sewer
overflows.
 Stormwater Management
    Stormwater discharges from many
 sources are largely uncontrolled. For
 this reason, the mandate of the
 Stormwater Program is particularly
 challenging.
   Amendments to the Clean Water Act
 established a two-phased approach to
 address stormwater discharges. Phase 1,
 currently being implemented, requires
 permits for separate storm water systems
 serving large and medium-sized
 communities (those with over 100,000
 inhabitants), and for stormwater
 discharges associated with industrial and
 construction activity involving at least
 five acres.
   To address the large number of
 industrial dischargers of stormwater—for
 populations over 100,000-EPA has
 developed a strategy with a tiered
 framework to control administrative
 burden while emphasizing reduction in
 risk to human health and ecosystems.
 Phase 2, now under development, will
 address remaining stormwater
 discharges. A proposed regulatory
 approach would require permits for
 municipalities in urban areas with
 populations under 100,000, and smaller
 construction sites.

 Combined Sewer Over-ows (CSOS)
   A combined sewer overflow is a
 discharge from a sewer system that is
 designed to carry sanitary wastewater
 and stormwater in the same pipe to a
 sewage  treatment plant. In periods of
rainfall or snowmelt, a  combined sewer
 system can discharge excess wastewater
directly  to rivers, lakes, and estuaries,
cause health and environmental hazards
because treatment plants can not handle
the extra flow.
   In Apnl 1994, EPA issued the CSO
 Control  Policy, which calls for
communities to control  CSOS using a
combination of immediate measures,
 such as  public notification and better
operation and maintenance, and long-
term control activities, such as
construction of storage  or treatment
facilities for wet weather flows. Despite
 its rigorous approach to controlling
CSOS, the CSO Control Policy provides
communities with the flexibility to
develop a workable,  cost-effective
solution to a major environmental
problem.

Sanitary Sewer Overflows

   EPA  is currently  evaluating the
extent of sanitary sewer overflows across
the country.  The agency will work with
the public and with constituent groups
across the country to identify and
evaluate issues associated with these
overflows to protect human health,
properly, and water quality.

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Animal  Feeding  Operation
(AFOS)
    There are approximately 450,000
AFOS throughout the United States,
ranging from small livestock production
facilities with few  animals to the current
trend of large and geographically
concentrated facilities generating animal
wastes equivalent with a medium-sized
city. AFOS, either singularly, or in
    Under Section 502 of the Clean
Water Act, concentrated animal feeding
operations (CAPOS) are point sources
and must apply for a National Pollutant
Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
permit. Of approximately 6,600 CAFOS,
fewer than a quarter have NPDES
permits.
    During the past few years, significant
attention to AFOS has put the issue in the
spotlight. The lagoon spills from hog
combination with other AFOS in a
watershed, have been shown to cause
significant environmental and public
health concerns, including nutrient
enrichment of surface waters,
contamination of drinking water
supplies, fish kills, and odor problems.
farms in North Carolina in the summer
of 1995 and public concerns about the
potential relationship between nutrient
enrichment and occurrence of the
microorganism, Pfiesteria, that attacks
fish, is an example of environmental
and public health issues.
Mining
    Active and inactive mines throughout
the United States present many complex
environmental and regulatory issues.
Mining is regulated under various
federal  and state authorities. Federal
statutory authority  is spread among
several  agencies; no one agency has
overall  responsibility.
    Regulation of hardrock activities
occurs via a complex web of sometimes
overlapping jurisdictions, laws and rules
covering several environmental media.
Recognizing the significance of
environmental impacts and the statutory
and regulatory complexities of hardrock
mining activities, EPA published the
Hardrock Mining Framework document
in September 1997. Developed by a
national workgroup, the Framework is
designed to help EPA implement a
multi-media, multi-statute approach that
focuses on understanding and improving
the use of existing EPA authorities and
improving EPA's partnership role with
other federal agencies and stakeholders.
    To focus scarce financial and human
resources on priority sites, several
federal agencies have  developed a joint
watershed approach to address
abandoned mines on federal lands,
which  includes a collaborative effort
with state and local agencies, tribes, and
private parties.  This approach  consists
of four phases and utilizes a flexible
schedule and pace for conducting each
phase,
1 ) identifying and prioritizing
watersheds
2) characterizing and ranking individual
sites
3) developing and implementing a cost-
effective  mitigation plan for priority
watersheds
4) monitoring for environmental, public
health, and safety objectives and
effectiveness
10

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   Coal Mining

      Abandoned coal mines cause many
   of the greatest  impairments to water
   quality throughout the Appalachian
   region of the United States. EPA, the
   Office of Surface Mining (OSM), the
   Interstate Mining Compact Commission
   (IMCC)  and concerned states have
   combined their efforts to develop a
   proposed comprehensive watershed
   restoration program to help improve
   water quality in the areas where
   abandoned mines are  located. These
   efforts are designed to clean up rivers
   and streams polluted by coal mine
  drainage, as well as continuing to work
  with all affected stakeholders.
     The program includes,  among other
  things, efforts to provide incentives for
  remining of abandoned sites, use of best
  management practices (BMPs) to
  achieve limitations on various chemicals,
  and an increased focus on a cumulative
  watershed approach that relies upon total
  maximum daily  loads (TMDLs) to
  achieve compliance with water quality
  standards  (WQS).

  Whole Effluent Toxicity (WET)

  WET is the total  toxic effect Of an
 effluent measured by a biological
 toxicity test.

     A WET test captures the effect of all
 toxicants on exposed test organisms
 without requiring the identification of
 specific toxicants.
     WET replicates to the greatest extent
 possible the actual environmental
 exposure of aquatic life to effluent
 toxicants. WET tests use the same
 essential procedures as those used to
 generate water quality criteria.
    WET is used  in NPDES permits in
 two fundamental  ways:

 .to regulate the toxicity of a discharge

 .to generate data  on the toxicity of a
 discharge
    NPDES permit limits for WET
 typically are expressed either as a
 concentration of effluent in clean water
 that must not result in an unacceptable
WET test endpoint (such as lethality of
more than half of the test organisms) or a
   number of toxic units (such as 3 TU)
   which corresponds to an effluent
   concentration.
      WET  limits are typically calculated
   to ensure  that state water quality criteria
   for toxicity (numeric or narrative) are
   attained and  maintained. Alternatively,
   WET monitoring requirements instead of
   WET limits are often included in NPDES
   to generate toxicity data for use in
   making future decisions about whether
   WET needs to be controlled at a
  particular  discharge point.

  Pretreatment
     The National Pretreatment Program
  is a cooperative effort of federal, state,
  and local regulatory environmental
  agencies established to protect water
  quality.  The program is  designed to
  reduce the level of pollutants discharged
  by industry and other non domestic
  wastewater sources into municipal sewer
  systems, and thereby, reduce the amount
  of pollutants released into the
  environment through wastewater. The
  objective of the program is to protect the
  Publicly Owned Treatment Works
  (POTW) from pollutants  that may
  interfere with plant operation, prevent
  untreated pollutants from being
  introduced  into the POTW, and to
  improve opportunities for the POTW to
 reuse wastewater and biosolids that are
 generated.
     The General Pretreatment
 Regulations require POTWS that meet
 certain requirements to develop 1 ocal
 pretreatment programs to  control
 industrial discharges into  their municipal
 sewer systems. These programs must be
 approved by either EPA or the state
 acting as the pretreatment Approval
 Authority. More than 1,500 POTWs
 have developed Approved Pretreatment
 Programs.
    EPA has also developed national
 categorical pretreatment standards that
 apply numeric pollutant limits to
 industrial users in specific industrial
 categories. The  General Pretreatment
Regulations  include reporting and other
requirements necessary to  implement
these categorical standards.
  Biosolids

      OWM's National Biosolids Program
  regulates biosolids (sewage sludge) that
  are used or disposed of through land
  application,  surface disposal, or
  incineration. Anyone who works with
  biosolids is probably regulated under this
  program. While all compliant practices
  are permitted by this program, EPA and
  other federal agencies have continued to
  promote the  beneficial use of the
  valuable biosolids resource.
     EPA's program for biosolids
  management was mandated by the Clean
  Water Act. OWM's enhanced biosolids
  program promotes understanding and
  compliance with the Federal Part  503
  biosolids rule as well as the adoption of
  additional user and environmentally
  friendly practices for managing
  biosolids. Through partnerships with
  stakeholders  OWM is working for the
  adoption of a biosolids environmental
  management  system that goes beyond
  compliance with federal and state rules
  and helps gain public acceptance  of
  biosolids recycling.
     OWM and other EPA offices also
 offer guidance and technical assistance
 for the beneficial use of biosolids  as soil
 amendments and fertilizer,  By helping
 the public understand the benefits  or
 using biosolids and other similar by-
 products, EPA enhances pollution
 prevention by promoting the recycling of
 biosolids—a beneficial technology for a
 better environment.

 Biosolids  Environmental Management
 System (BEMS) is a stakeholder-based
 program for biosolids management that
 goes beyond compliance with federal
 and state rules. BEMS is expected to
 include a code of good practice,
 guidance for meeting the code,  action
plans for entities pledging to meet  the
code, training  programs, and various
forms of third-party verification that
entities are adhering to their  action  plans.
                                                                                                                        11

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  Types of regulated Pollutants

  CONVENTIONAL POLLUTANTS are
  contained in the sanitary wastes of
  households, businesses, and
  industries. These pollutants include
  human wastes, ground-up food from
  sink disposals, and laundry and bath
  waters.  Conventional pollutants
  include:
  PATHOGENS are organisms which
  cause disease in humans.
  TOXIC POLLUTANTS are a group of
  more than 100 pollutants that have
  been found to be harmful to animal
  or plant life by certain pathways of
  exposure. They  are primarily
  grouped into organics (including
  pesticides, solvents, polychlorinated
  biphenyls (PCBS), and dioxins) and
  metals (including lead, silver,
  mercury, copper, chromium, zinc,
  nickel, and cadmium).
  NONCONVENTIONAL
  POLLUTANTS are any additional
  substances that are not conventional
  or toxic  that may require regulation.
  These include nutrients such as
  nitrogen and phosphorus.
                                          • Financial Support
                                              As a leader in wastewater control,
                                          OWM is involved in many activities that
                                          promote improved wastewater treatment.
                                          The Office provides direction and
                                          assistance to national, state, and local
                                          programs  abate and prevent municipal
                                          water pollution.  Here is an overview.
 Construction Grants
 Program

 During the 1970s and 1980s, the
 Construction Grants Program  was a
 major source of federal funds,
 providing more than $60 billion for
 the construction of publicly owned
 and operated wastewater treatment
 projects. These projects, which
 constituted a significant contribution
 to the nation's water infrastructure,
 included sewage treatment plants,
 pumping stations, and collection and
 interceptor sewers; rehabilitation of
 sewer systems; and the control of
 combined sewer overflows.  EPA's
 effective management of the
 construction grants program  led to
 the improvement of water quality in
 thousands of municipalities
 nationwide.
    With the 1987  amendments to
 the Clean Water Act, Congress set
 1990 as the last year that funds
 would be appropriated for the
 Construction Grants Program. By
 phasing out the construction  grants
 program, EPA shifted the primary
method  of municipal financial
 assistance from grants to loans
provided by  State Revolving  Funds
 (see below), Since 1990, Congress
has continued to earmark grant funds
for special projects, frequently  at
 levels exceeding $100 million per
year.  As a result of this  earmarking,
 OWM continues to manage a new-
construction grants program.
                                        Public-Private Partnerships (P3)

                                            EPA's Public-Private Partnerships
                                        (P3) initiative removes barriers to the
                                        private ownership of municipal
                                        wastewater facilities for those facilities
                                        constructed with EPA grant funds.
                                        Local officials are in the best position to
                                        develop capital financing options that
 State Revolving Funds

 The Clean Water State Revolving
 Fund (CWSRF or SRF) program is
 an innovative method of financing a
 range of environmental projects.
 Under the program, EPA provides
 grants or "seed money" to all 50
 states plus Puerto Rico to capitalize
 state loan funds. The  states, in turn,
 make loans to communities,
 individuals, and others for high
 priority water quality  activities. As
 money is  paid back into revolving
 funds, new loans  are made to other
 recipients that need help in
 maintaining the quality of their
 water. Currently,  the  program has
 over $26 billion in assets with
 approximately $3 billion distributed
 in new loans  annually.
    The SRF  program is a powerful
 partnership between EPA and the
 states.  It allows states the flexibility
 to provide funding for projects that
 will address their highest-priority
 water quality needs. Since the
 program is managed largely by the
 states, project eligibility varies
 according to each state's program
 and priorities. Eligible loan
 recipients  may include communities,
 individuals, citizens' groups,
 nonprofits, and others. Loan funds
 may be used to better  the quality of
 watersheds through a wide range of
 water-quality  related projects; loans
 may also be used  for the protection
 of groundwater resources.
    In additional to managing the
 CWSRF program, OWM is
 supporting OGWDW in managing
the new Drinking  Water SRF
program.
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meet their particular needs. EPA is
committed to supporting these
communities and allowing them
flexibility in financing the wastewater
treatment infrastructure needed to
achieve the highest possible level of
environmental protection.

Section 106 Water Pollution Control
Program Grants
    Section 106 of the Clean Water Act
authorizes EPA to provide federal
assistance to states (including territories,
the District of Columbia, and Indian
tribes) and interstate agencies to
establish and implement water pollution
control  programs.
    Prevention and control measures
supported by State Water Quality
Management programs include
permitting; pollution control activities;
surveillance, monitoring, and
enforcement; advice and assistance to
local agencies;  and the provision of
training and public information.
    Increasingly, EPA and states are
working together to develop basin-wide
approaches to water quality
management. The  Section  106 program
is helping to foster a watershed
protection approach at the state level by
looking at states water quality problems
holistically, and targeting the use of
limited finances available for effective
program management. In the near term,
the program is seeking ways to
streamline the grants process to ease the
administrative burden on states.
    Federal assistance is available to
qualified Indian tribes under section 106
for developing and establishing Water
Quality programs on reservation lands.
Activities supported by tribal water
quality programs include developing
water quality standards, water quality
monitoring and problem assessment,
and initiating actions to establish
permitting and enforcement programs.
 Water Quality Cooperative Agreements
    Through this program and under
 authority of Section 104(b)(3) of the
 Clean Water Act, EPA makes grants to
 state  water pollution control agencies,
 interstate agencies, municipalities and
 other nonprofit institutions,
 organizations, and individuals to
 promote the coordination of
 environmentally beneficial activities.
 These activities  include municipal
 compliance  with the Clean Water Act,
 stormwater  control, sludge management,
 and pretreatment.
    Among  the efforts eligible for
 funding under this program are research,
 investigations, experiments, training,
 environmental technology
 demonstrations,  surveys, and studies
 related to the causes, effects,  extent, and
 prevention of pollution.
    EPA's regional offices select grant
 proposals that are most likely to advance
 the states' and EPA's ability to deal with
 water pollution.  Headquarters also
 manages grants that address concerns of
 a national scope. Unlike the Section 106
program, these grants may not be used  to
fund ongoing program activities or
 construction except to a limited extent  as
part of demonstrations.
Indian  Grants  Management

 Tribal communities and Native Alaskan
 Villages face significant human health
 and environmental problems due to the
 lack of adequate wastewater treatment
 systems. The office  of Wastewater
 Management is committed to working
 with tribes and other federal agencies to
 assure that funding will be available to
 help Native Americans and Alaskan
 Villagers preserve their environmental
 and public health,

 Clean Water Act Indian Set-Aside Grant
 Program
    In 1987, the Indian Set-Aside Grant
 (ISA) Program was created under section
 518(c) of the Clean Water Act (CWA)
 Amendments to increase Indian tribes'
 ability to plan design, construct, operate,
 and maintain wastewater treatment
 systems. The program is  administered in
 cooperation with the Indian Health
 Service. This partnership maximizes the
 technical resources available through
 both agencies to address tribal sanitation
 needs. Millions of dollars in grant  funds
 have been made available for wastewater
 projects on Indian lands and in Alaska
 Native Villages. To date, CWA ISA
 Program has disbursed more than $78
 million in funding.

Alaska Native Village Sanitation
 Program
    There are 268 communities in
 Alaska, of which 70 percent are
 considered Alaskan Native Villages
 (ANVs). Many of these villages lack
 basic drinking water and sewage
 disposal systems to service their
 residents. In 1995, EPA created a grant
 program for ANVS and rural Alaska
 communities to assist them with funding
 to construct water and wastewater
 sanitation facilities.  Other sources  of
 funds are also provided for training and
 technical assistance activities.  To date,
 $47 million  has been  made  available to
 improve sanitation in Alaska rural
 communities  and Native Villages.
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 Wastewater Assistance to  U.S.
 Colonias on the Mexico Border
    Colonias are impoverished
 communities along the U.S.-Mexico
 border which lack basic services such as
 roads, safe drinking water or wastewater
 treatment. Over 1,200 (total population
 of over 300,000) have been identified in
 Texas and New Mexico. EPA grants,
 matched by state resources, provide for
 construction of wastewater facilities in
 these communities. $320 million has
 been appropriated by Congress for this
 program.
  EPA Activities on the
  U.S. - Mexico Border

  The United States and Mexico 2000+
  miles of common border. More than
  nine million people live along it,
  mostly in fifteen "sister city" pairs.
  The rapid increase in population and
  industrialization in the border cities
  has overwhelmed  existing wastewater
  treatment, drinking water supply, and
  solid waste disposal facilities.
  Untreated and industrial sewage often
  flows north into the United States from
  Tijuana, Mexicali, and Nogales, and
  into the Rio Grande.
     Some 300,000 people on the
  United States side of the border also
  lack safe drinking water, wastewater
  collection and treatment systems,  and
  adequate solid waste disposal
  facilities.  They live in unincorporated
  areas called colonias.
     As part of the Administration's
  efforts to implement the North
American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA), EPA is working with other
federal, state, and local agencies to help
find and fix environmental problems on
the border. Some $8 billion in a mix
from federal, state, local, and private-
sector finding will be required to
adequately protect public health and the
border ecosystem.

OWM's and Regional partners, border
development activities include:
.Identification of border community
needs, and help in meeting them
• Grants for funding of wastewater
treatment construction in the colonias
and elsewhere on the border
.Helping improve  environmental
information collection on the border
.Providing technical assistance and
training to officials and border residents
   EPA will continue working to
improve environmental conditions
along the border. Border offices have
been opened in San Diego and El Paso
to serve as community outreach centers
for people on both sides of the border.
EPA will also continue to support the
work of the Border Environment
Cooperation  Commission,  the  North
American  Development Bank, the
U.S.-Mexico  Foundation for  Science,
as well as other initiatives to improve
the border  environment  and  the health
of its residents.
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Small  Community Initiatives

Living without basic indoor plumbing or
adequate wastewater disposal systems is
a common lifestyle in many small rural
communities, including Alaska Native
Villages, Indian tribes and economically
disadvantaged communities along the
United States - Mexico border
(colonias).  OWM's Small, Underserved
Communities Team directs several
programs to provide financial and
technical assistance, information and
outreach to help these communities
address health and environmental
problems and meet Clean Water Act
requirements. The team focuses on
communities with fewer than 10,000
people.
 Small Community Outreach and
 Education (SCORE) Program
    SCORE is a national information
 and outreach network that aims to help
 small  communities with fewer than
 10,000 people provide self-sufficient
 wastewater facilities. SCORE'S message
 is that the keys to self-sufficient facilities
 are appropriate technology, sound
 financial management and operations,
 pollution prevention, and public
 education. SCORE works through
 states, federal agencies, public interest
 and advocacy groups, and educational
 institutions to deliver its messages. The
 headquarters SCORE coordinator
 conducts periodic teleconferences with
 EPA regional office  SCORE
 coordinators to keep abreast of issues
 that effect their small community
 audiences.

 Rural  Community Assistance  (RCAP)
 Program
    RCAP is a national network of
 nonprofit organizations which provide
 onsite  technical assistance through a
 cooperative agreement to help small
 rural communities develop and maintain
 adequate water and wastewater disposal
 systems. RCAP coordinates work with
 state and local officials to provide
 technical assistance,  including facilities
 development, management and finance,
 operations and maintenance (O&M),
 program planning and supplemental
 funding needs in small rural
 communities. The program's focus is on
 unsewered communities under
 administrative orders, small systems with
 O&M  problems, communities with
 permitting violations and other
 management, financing, and construction
 needs.

National Small Flows Clearinghouse
 (NSFC)
   Funded by EPA, the NSFC serves as
 the national collection and distribution
 center  for information on small
 community wastewater systems and
 innovative/alternative  technology.  The
 Clearinghouse provides a variety of
 services, including a toll-free technical
 assistance hotline, a free computer
 bulletin board system, Internet home
 page, computer databases.  2 newsletters,
 a journal and technical publications and
 videos.  The Clearinghouse also manages
 the National Onsite Demonstration
 Program. This four-phased program
 funded by EPA seeks to demonstrate the
 successful implementation of alternative
 onsite wastewater technologies in small
 communities  nationwide.  The program
 funds the design, installation and
 monitoring of wastewater systems in
 selected  communities,  objectives
 include the development of model
 programs for managing and maintaining
 onsite systems and for training  local
 officials, installers and engineers.

 National Environmental Training Center
for Small Communities (NETCSC)
    The  Municipal Assistance Branch
 manages a cooperative agreement with
 the NETCSC  at West Virginia University
 in Morgantown, WVA. NETCSC serves
 as a national environmental training
 center that supports environmental
 trainers nationwide to improve the
 quality of wastewater, drinking water,
 and solid waste services in communities
 with fewer than 10,000 people.
 NETCSC develops new training
 curricula, redesigns existing ones, and
 presents training courses around the
 country to help small communities meet
 federal and state environmental
 compliance requirements.  Services  also
 include a toll-free technical assistance
 center, quarterly newsletter, resource
 catalog, web site, and electronic
 databases.
                                                                                                                      15

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 Waste water Operator Onsite Technical
Assistance
    Using funding under Section 104(g)
of the C WA, this program operates
through a network of operator training
personnel in states to provide over-the-
shoulder operator training and technical
assistance to small wastewater treatment
plants (under 5 MGD) with compliance
problems. Approximately 800 facilities
receive this assistance annually from
state water pollution control agencies or
state training centers.

Technical Assistance Program

EPA provides technical assistance to
other EPA offices and regions, state
agencies, other federal agencies,
municipalities, and a range of other
constituents.

Municipal Technologies
    The Agency provides both direct and
indirect assistance in municipal
wastewater treatment technologies.
Direct assistance includes one-on-one
discussions about design, operation, and
maintenance of systems, and the
identification and solution of problems.
Indirect assistance includes support for
the development of regulations; technical
information;  guidance, assessments,
evaluation, and cost estimates for the
design, construction, and operation and
maintenance of municipal wastewater
treatment  facilities. Areas of expertise
include:
.conventional  collection/pumping
systems
.combined sewer and sanitary sewer
overflow treatment and control
.stormwater treatment and management
.fixed film and suspended growth
biological processes
.physical/chemical treatment processes
.advanced treatment processes
.conventional sludge treatment and
disposal procedures
.biosolids technologies
.disinfection and odor control
.operation and maintenance
.safety
.plant startup and post-disaster
assistance

Innovative and Alternative Technologies
   EPA also provides technical
assistance for the development of
innovative and alternative treatment
technologies. Areas of expertise include:
.alternative collection systems
.on-site treatment systems
.land application of effluent
.innovative and alternative treatment
technologies
.biosolids  technologies
.land application of biosolids
.constructed wetlands
.comporting technologies
.alternative disinfection technologies
.odor control
.operation and maintenance

Clean Water Needs Survey (CWNS)
    The Clean Water Needs Survey
(CWNS) is a biennial cooperative effort
between EPA and the states.  In 1996,
the overall needs for water quality
projects and other activities were $139.5
billion, The heart of the CWNS is the
database with technical and cost
information on 16,000 publicly owned
wastewater treatment facilities. The
database also contains cost and technical
information for other programs and
projects that target documented water
quality or public health problems.  The
CWNS does not address private
wastewater treatment facilities — these
are, of course, integral parts of the
nation's water quality infrastructure.
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 Water Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency
 (WAVE)  Program
    In 1992, EPA established the Water
Alliances for Voluntary Efficiency
 (WAVE)  Program to help businesses
 reduce water use. WAVE is a voluntary
 efficiency program whose goal is to
 prevent pollution by conserving water
 and reducing associated energy use.
    At present, WAVE is focused on
 improving water efficiency  in the
 lodging industry. Hotel/Motel Partners
 commit to surveying their facilities for
 opportunities to upgrade water-using
 devices and improving operating
 practices. The WAVE program will be
 expanded to office buildings and
 educational institutions in 1998.
    To assist Partners, EPA established a
 WAVE Supporter program with
 equipment manufacturers and
 distributors, water management
 companies, utilities, state and local
 governments, and others. Supporters
 promote  the benefits of water efficiency
 and provide information to WAVE
 partners  and water conservation
professionals.
    EPA  assists Partners and Supporters
by publicly recognizing the
environmental efforts of participants,
 and by providing materials they can use
to educate their customers and
employees about water efficiency.
 Youth and the Environment Program
    Introduced in 1990, the Youth and
 the Environment Program gives
 economically disadvantaged urban and
 rural youth the chance to explore career
 opportunities in the environmental field.
    By combining summer employment
 with academic training and hands-on
 experience, this program exposes
 students to many environmental career
 options. Students have worked in water
 supply management, wastewater
 treatment, recycling, energy, marine
 environments, hazardous waste, and
 natural resources protection.
    Besides providing valuable work
 experience for disadvantaged teenagers,
 Youth and the Environment fosters a
 sense of stewardship among the
 participants,

National Wastewater Management
Excellence Awards Program
    OWM manages a national awards
recognition program that publicizes
water quality achievements made in
wastewater treatment facilities and
programs. Award winners demonstrate
exceptional technical expertise and a
dedicated commitment to clean water.
Traditionally, the Assistant
Administrator for Water presents an
engraved plaque to honor municipalities,
individuals and programs for
outstanding, innovative practices in the
areas of operations and maintenance,
beneficial  biosolids use, pretreatment
management, stormwater and combined
sewer overflow controls.
 Voluntary Environmental Management
 Systems
    The use of voluntary environmental
 management systems (EMS) by
 organizations is rapidly  increasing
 around the world.  These systems provide
 a framework for organizations and
 communities to more effectively manage
 their environmental obligations,
 including those required to comply with
 applicable statutes and regulations. In
 addition, these systems can be useful for
 moving beyond compliance, improving
 overall environmental performance, and
 making greater use of pollution
 prevention approaches. From a business
 standpoint, EMSs  can help organizations
 meet their environmental obligations
 more efficiently, thus maintaining their
 competitive position  in the global
 marketplace.
    The most prominent  environmental
 management systems standard now in
 place is the ISO  14001 International
 Standard, which was completed in
 September, 1996.  Organizations around
 the world are now beginning to put in
 place EMSs based on ISO 14001. Many
 are also considering becoming certified
 to the standard by  third-party auditors.
    Government  agencies, especially  at
 the federal and state level, are now
 beginning to look closely at the
 possibility  of integrating environmental
 management systems  into their
 regulatory programs,  including the ISO
 14001 standard, EPA and several states
 are pursuing pilot projects with various
 organizations, to test these EMSs to
 determine if they really can help
 improve  environmental performance.
Another important project EPA is
undertaking focuses exclusively on
 counties  and municipalities.  Specifically.
EPA is providing focused training and
 other forms of assistance to a select
 group of these communities who are
 interested in establishing an
environmental management  system
based on the ISO 14001  standard.
 Information on these projects is available
 on the OWM Home Page at http://
WWW.EPA. GO V/OWM/
wm046200.htm.
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                                          Reinvention Efforts

                                           The Permits Division in OWM is
                                          engaged in many reinvention
                                          activities that simplify the process by
                                          which permit and permit program
                                          decisions are made. Some of these
                                          result in regulatory changes, but
                                          others do not.  Here is a short
                                          summary of these activities.
                                              Revising permit applications to
                                          obtain necessary information more
                                          efficiently through electronic
                                          submission, eliminating unnecessary
                                          data requests, and giving waivers
                                          from reporting information already
                                          available through other sources.
                                              Revising the pretreatment
                                          program to give POTWs greater
                                          flexibility to streamline their
                                          programs and to reduce the burden to
                                          both the cities and industrial users.
                                              Revising state  program
                                          requirements for biosolids to
                                          enable states with well run biosolids
                                          programs to more quickly become
                                          authorized without making
                                          unnecessary administrative changes
                                          in their  programs.
                                              Making several improvements to
                                          NPDES permit regulations to
                                          eliminate  unnecessary regulations,
                                          reduce the administration of the
                                          NPDES program, and expand the use
                                          of general permits. This is a
                                          continuing project, and further
                                          changes might likely be made.
                                              following electronic  submission
                                          of NPDES reporting to make
                                          reporting faster and less expensive.
                                              Reducing reporting and
                                          monitoring  burdens  based  on
                                          levels of compliance to allow for an
                                          overall 27% reduction in reporting
                                          without sacrificing any assurance of
                                          environmental protection.
 Information  Resources
    The Office of Wastewater
Management provides public access to
information about its programs. Please
contact the following for additional
information about wastewater and other
EPA issues.

FOR DOCUMENTS :
Water Resource Center
U.S. EPA
Mail Code RC-41OO
401 M Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C.  20460
Telephone: (202) 260-7786
Fax: (202) 260-0386
Internet:  waterpubs@epamail.epa.gov
National Small Flows Clearinghouse
West Virginia University
Post Office Box 6064
Morgantown, WV 26506
Telephone: (800) 624-8301
Fax: (304)293-3161
Internet:  http://www.nsfc.wvu.edu
National Center for Environmental
Publications and Information (NCEPI)
 11029 Kenwood Road
Building #5
Cincinnati, OH 45242
Telephone: (513) 489-8190 or (800)
490-9198

FOR MORE SPECIFIC
INFORMATION ABOUT
WASTEWATER PROGRAMS:
Office  of Wastewater Management
(OWM)
U.S. EPA
Mail Code 4201
401 M Street, S. W.
Washington, D.C.  20460
Internet:  http://www.epa.gov/owm/

FOR GENERAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THE U.S.  EPA:
EPA Information Resources Center
U.S. EPA
Mail Code 3404
401 M Street, S. W.
Washington, D. C. 20460
Telephone: (202) 260-5922
Fax: (202) 260-6257
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