areawide
waste treatment
management
planning
U.S. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY • WASHINGTON, D.C. 20460
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areawide
waste treatment
management
planning
a new perspective on water pollution
When Congress passed the
Federal Water Pollution
Control Act Amendments of
1972, it recognized that some
water quality control problems in
the United States are so complex
or severe that they can't be
solved by using technology alone.
In most cases, these problems
affect urban areas in which
population and industry are
concentrated. Congress saw that
new concepts and techniques
would be needed to manage and
control water quality efficiently.
For this reason, Congress
incorporated the areawide waste
treatment management planning
process under Section 208 of the
Act. The process gives the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA), the States and local
governments a planning tool with
great potential effectiveness in
the campaign for clean water.
What is areawide waste
treatment management
planning?
The 208 program stresses
planning by local governments.
Specifically, it calls upon local
governments in a particular
planning area to work together to
find and implement solutions to
their common water quality
management problems. It gives
local planning agencies a means
of solving these problems where
simply applying standard waste
treatment technology might not
do the job. It helps local
governments find integrated
solutions that deal with both
environmental and developmental
matters. It also calls for the
selection of a special management
structure to carry out the actions
specified in the plan. Finally, it
provides grants to help local
governments cover planning
costs.
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What does areawide
planning accomplish?
The program sets up a
management structure to insure
that a plan, once completed, is
carried out effectively. The result
is a two-pronged approach to
solving water quality problems—
one stresses systematic planning
to find workable solutions; the
other stresses follow-up
management to insure that those
solutions are carried out properly.
This reliance on management as
an essential component of
areawide planning applies
nationwide, even though
individual problems and solutions
may vary from place to place.
Areawide planning brings
together several aspects of water
pollution control. For example,
it considers the treatment of
municipal and industrial wastes
and the issuing of discharge
permits which require industries
to reduce their discharge of
pollutants over a specified period.
Areawide planning is also the
most effective mechanism
available for dealing with "non-
point" sources of pollutants,
which are special sources that are
often difficult to pinpoint. Some
examples: stormwater runoff
from cities and farms, erosion at
construction sites and the seepage
of chemicals from mines and
areas that rely on septic tanks for
treating wastes.
But areawide planning does more
than tie together different aspects
of the water program.
Specifically, it provides a
structure to coordinate the water
program with other
environmental activities such as
air quality improvement and solid
waste management.
And that's not all: areawide
planning looks at the issue of
development in terms of its
environmental implications. It
enables planners to consider in
environmental terms such related
issues as land use and
development by both the public
and private sectors.
Since it studies so many diverse
issues, areawide planning
provides a unique opportunity—
an effective way to solve our
toughest water pollution
problems and make real progress
in the fight for clean water. In an
urban area, for example, an all-
inclusive plan can be put together
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erosion
municipal waste
storm runoff
industrial waste
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that covers a wide variety of
problems affecting water quality.
And, once the plan has been
approved, State and local
governments can use it to manage
the area's waters in the future as
well as to solve the problems
they're experiencing today.
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How does areawide
planning and manage-
ment fit into the overall
water pollution control
program?
The Water Act emphasizes the
importance of planning and
management in achieving clean
water and maintaining it once we
have it. The Act establishes
several distinct levels of
planning; areawide planning is
but one of them. Each of these
has its own scope and purpose and
depends upon the others for its
ultimate effectiveness. Some of
these planning processes are more
detailed than others. Some deal
with large geographical regions;
others confine themselves to
solving the specific problems of
an individual community or group
of communities.
Section 208 areawide planning
and management has its own
special role within this overall
planning scheme. Since it
complements the other planning
processes established by the Act,
the 208 process can be more
easily understood by seeing how it
relates to these other planning
activities. The schematic map
shows in a simplified way the
typical scope of our most
significant planning processes. In
the example given, the 208
planning area represents a typical
urban-industrial complex.
Although there are exceptions to
the relationships depicted, the
map shows in general terms how
the components of EPA's water
planning program relate to each
other.
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The areawideplan offers comprehensive solutions
to many related problems affecting water pollution
A good example of the
interdependence of planning
processes can be seen by
comparing the 208 areawide plan
with the facilities plan prepared
under Section 201 of the Act.
This 201 planning is conducted
incident to building or modifying
a sewage treatment plant and its
related facilities, such as sewer
lines. The result is a highly
detailed plan that considers a
wealth of technical and
environmental data. The
information is used to evaluate
alternative courses of action so
that a community can get the most
benefit from a given expenditure.
In most cases, the facilities plan
deals with the problems
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Vli
•1 Facilities plan (section 201)
Areawide waste treatment management plan (section 2O8,
I River basin plans (sections 209 and 303)
A Sewage treatment plant
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experienced by an individual
community in treating its
municipal and industrial wastes.
However, it can also apply to a
group of communities in cases
where finding common solutions
is more economical or efficient.
Areawide planning expands the
scope of a facilities plan. The 208
planning area can include one or
more 201 facilities planning
areas—in such cases, the
areawide approach builds upon
the contents of completed
facilities plans. By dealing with
such related issues as land use,
development and the combined
effect of all the treatment plants
within its planning area, the
208 plan permits a more
comprehensive view of the
problem and its possible
solutions.
Consider another example—the
basin plan, prepared under
Section 303. This deals with a
typically large geographical area
—the river basin, which is the
area drained by a river and its
tributaries. The basin plan
assesses the extent to which a
basin's waters are polluted and
defines the nature and volume of
pollutants that can be discharged
without pushing water quality
below certain minimum standards.
It also establishes priorities for
the construction or modification
of treatment plants that are
needed throughout the basin.
Since 208 areawide planning is,
in most cases, concerned with a
particular part of a river basin
and deals with both treatment
plants and water quality goals,
the areawide plan must conform
to the management strategy and
constraints spelled out in the
basin plan.
A third example is the water
resources basin plan (Level B),
prepared under Section 209. This
general plan sets forth a broad
strategy for the long-term
management of a river basin. Its
wide scope encompasses water
supply, water quality, recreation,
transportation and other related
fields needed to map a strategy
for managing the basin's water
resources. For this long-range
approach to be successful,
however, the 209 plan must build
upon the provisions of any
applicable areawide waste
treatment management strategy.
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What does the plan
contain?
Information included in an
areawide waste treatment
management plan identifies:
• All treatment works needed to
maintain acceptable water
quality over a 20-year period.
The list will be revised annually
to reflect changing conditions.
In addition, the plan establishes
priorities for building or
modifying treatment plants and
offers time schedules to put
those priorities into effect.
• Mechanisms to coordinate all
waste treatment planning
activities within the area in
question. This insures that all
such planning contributes to an
organized and integrated solution
to the problem. To do this, these
mechanisms regulate the location,
modification or construction of
all facilities within the area. They
also insure that industrial wastes
are properly pretreated to remove
incompatible or toxic substances
before they are discharged into a
municipal treatment system.
• The management structure to
be responsible for implementing
the plan. This may range from a
single agency to a number of
agencies and government
organizations. It must have the
legal authority to take whatever
actions are necessary to carry
out the plan, either directly or
through contractual agreements.
It will also manage all included
waste treatment works and other
related facilities. Inclusion of this
management provision is one of
the features that gives 208
planning its unique potential.
Therefore, the management
system identified in the plan must
be specifically approved by EPA
before the plan can be put into
effect.
• Means of defining and dealing
with "non-point" sources of
pollutants. This is especially
important in relation to
agricultural, forestry, mining and
construction activities, as well as
salt water intrusion into
groundwater supplies due to
reductions in the flow of fresh
water from any cause.
• Other information needed to
carry out the plan. This includes
data on financing arrangements,
time requirements, the
anticipated cost of implementing
the plan and its probable
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economic, social and
environmental effects on the
planning area.
• Methods to dispose of the
residues and treated waste water
that remain after treatment. This
involves defining the problems
associated with land and
subsurface disposal of these
wastes. Doing this insures that
the many safe uses that have been
found for sewage sludge and
treated waste water will be given
full consideration.
Collecting such diverse and
detailed information will enable
planners to solve a particular
area's water quality control
problems in a way that's socially
acceptable, economically realistic
and environmentally sound. Of
course, the plan does more than
just offer solutions; it also
provides the management
structure that will be needed
once the plan has been approved.
How are 208 planning
areas and agencies
created?
To start the process, EPA issued
regulations to guide the States in
deciding which areas are likely
targets for 208 planning efforts
and who should do the planning.
The Act details what happens next:
• Following publication of EPA
regulations, State governors
decide which areas within their
States should be designated for
208 planning. Although the size
and characteristics of such areas
will vary, the regulations say that
preference should be given to
areas with high concentrations of
population and industry or with
any other conditions that result in
substantial problems in
controlling water quality.
It's possible that a suitable
planning area may include parts
of two or more States. It this were
the case, the Governors
concerned would confer and
decide what action should be
taken. If they decided that the
interstate area should be
designated for 208 planning, they
would continue to work together
through all later stages in the
planning process.
Designating an area for 208
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planning isn't the only course of
action open to a State Governor,
however. When considering a
particular area in his State, he
may decide to take no action;
in other words, he may elect to
"stand silent." If he does this,
however, the chief elected
officials in the area have the
option to act on their own. They
can designate the area if they
feel, based on the Governor's
inaction, that their area is not
getting the attention it deserves.
This designation by local officials
becomes binding once it's
approved by EPA.
A third option is open to the
Governor: he may specifically
"non-designate" a potential
planning area. This is a
complicated way of saying that
he chooses not to designate the
area at the present time, but
reserves the right to do so later.
If an area has been specifically
"non-designated," local officials
may not proceed to designate it
on their own.
These options permit the
Governor to commit his planning
resources to areas having the
highest priority and to withhold
action in less severe cases. Only if
the Governor chooses to stand
silent can local jurisdictions act
by themselves.
• When a Governor designates a
208 planning area, he must also
designate a single agency to do
the planning. This agency must
include elected officials from the
local governments concerned or
their representatives, and must
have the resources and technical
ability to develop an effective
plan. To insure that the agsncy
has that capability, EPA must
approve the agency's designation
before planning can begin. This
review and approval by EPA
guarantees the effective use of
Federal grants which are
available to cover planning costs.
A reminder: don't confuse the
planning agency with the
management agency or agencies.
The former does the planning;
the latter carries out the plan
after it's been completed and
approved.
A note about time
requirements: the planning
agency must get to work no later
than one year after it's approved
by EPA. From that time on, an
initial plan must be completed,
certified bv the Governor and
forwarded to EPA for approval
within two years.
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Who does what?
Areawide planning is intended to
involve local, regional and State
officials and agencies as fully as
possible. Direct Federal
involvement will be held to a
minimum in such matters, for
they are primarily the subject of
State and local concern. The
following describes how local,
State and Federal officials and
agencies participate in 208
planning.
The local role:
• Local elected officials advise the
Governor about the designation
of planning areas and agencies.
In cases where the Governor
stands silent, the area's chief
elected officials may designate the
planning area on their own. They
or their representatives also
serve on the planning agency
itself. They play an important
part, therefore, in working out
solutions to water quality
problems in their own areas.
• Local officials also assist in the
identification of a management
structure that is capable of
carrying out the plan.
The State role:
• The Governor designates
planning areas within his State;
he also designates each planning
agency. In addition, he must
insure that public meetings or
hearings are held on the issues
involved in each area and agency
designation. He certifies the
completed plan before it is
forwarded to EPA for approval
and proposes a suitable
management structure based
upon the plan's recommendations.
He also reviews and certifies the
plan annually to keep it current.
• Members of State agencies may
take part in the preparation of a
208 plan.
• State agencies oversee planning
at the local level to make sure
that it's conducted in accordance
with the State's water pollution
control priorities and goals.
• Once a 208 plan has been
completed and approved, State
agencies help to administer the
plan by monitoring the progress
of the management agencies.
The Federal role:
• Before planning can start, EPA
must approve the designation of
each planning area and planning
agency. And before a completed
plan can be implemented, EPA
must approve both the plan itself
and the designated management
structure.
• EPA, the Army Corps of
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Engineers and other Federal
agencies may provide technical
assistance upon request of the
Governor or the planning agency.
• The Federal Government
makes grants available to
planning agencies to offset their
planning costs. For obligations
made during fiscal years 1974
and 1975, this includes 100
percent of eligible costs incurred
over a two-year grant period.
Like more information?
EPA can provide additional
reading matter on water pollution.
The booklet "A Citizen's Guide
to Clean Water" is a good
introduction to the problem and
what can be done to solve it,
including citizen action. "First
Things First: a Strategy Against
Water Pollution" outlines the
many things EPA is doing; it also
shows how areawide planning ties
in with the rest of EPA's water
program.
If you would like these or other
publications, write the Office of
Public Affairs (A-107), EPA,
Washington, D.C. 20460, or
contact the EPA Regional Office
nearest you.
What is the public's role
in areawide planning?
Solving an area's water quality
problems necessitates making
decisions on a number of relatec
issues. These include the locatio
of treatment plants, control of
"non-point" sources, land use,
development, air quality
improvement and methods for
disposing of solid waste.
Naturally, these decisions can
have a pronounced effect on how
an area's residents live.
Congress recognized the potenth
significance of these decisions.
Therefore, it held that the public
should have a voice in the condui
of water planning. This policy is
reflected in Section 101 (e) of the
Act, which states:
Public participation in the
development, revision, and
enforcement of any regula-
tion, standard, effluent limi-
tation, plan, or program
established by the Adminis-
trator (of EPA) or any State
under this Act shall be pro-
vided for, encouraged, and
assisted by the Administra-
tor and the States.
The law thus requires the Federa
Government and the States to
GPO - 1974 - 625-620
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provide opportunities for (he
public to make a contribution to
areawide pi aiming. Since the
decisions that are made during the
planning proeess-'cio -affect
everyone in a farfleiiftr planning
area, the pubfcslteiiW fake
advantage of every tagjsortanity to
participate,
EPA's Guidelines~.$»
Waste Treatm&tt
describe the essentials of a public
participation piogrtm for 208
planning. The Guidelines call on
the planning agency to seel: out
ideas and eonuneats from the
public at each step in the planning
process, beginning as soon as
possible after the planning area is
designated. The public can give
the planning agency useful
information about community
attitudes toward a number of
issues and alternatives and can
help to define the effect these
alternatives will have on the
community as a whole. Public
involvement would thus begin
early in the planning process and
then continue through the
decision-making and
implementation phases.
Areawide planning gives State
and local governments a unique
opportunity to make
comprehensive decisions to solve
an area's water quality problems.
It also gives every citraea the
chance to make a persoaal
contribution to the making of
those decisions. Seen in this
content, legislation and
regulations, guidelines and
procedures are not enough by
themselves. If we are to realize
the full potential of areawide
planning, every citizen must
participate and do Ms part.
November 1074
The reader is free to quote
or reproduce any part
of this publication
without further permission.
'Available from the Water Planning
Division (WH-454>, BPA, Waterside Mall,
Room 811E, Washington, D.C 20460.
For sale by the Superintendent of Documents,
U.S. Government Printing Office
Washington, D.C, 20402
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