United States         August 1980
Environmental Protection
Agency
Water and Waste Management
Industrial Effluent
Standards

A Major Step
in Improving Water Quality

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( The Effluent Guidelines Division has the lead in
developinq industrial effluent limitations and pre
treatment standards that will contrilM.Jte to the
restoration and maintenance of the chemical,
physical, and biological integrity of the Nation’s
waterways. These include those activities man
dated by the 1977 Clean Water Act, the specific
requirements of the NRDC “Settlement Agreement,” ______
and an expanding involvement in the Agency’s
inteqrated waste management and toxics control
strategy.
To obtain additional information on this program,
please write directly to:
The Effluent Guidelines Division
Distribution Officer (WH-552)
401 M St., S.W.
Washitigtuii, D.C. 20460

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Although a decade of concerted effort has
notably improved many U.S. waterways, the
fact remains that over half of our river basins
are still affected  by pollution. This pollution
includes hundreds of elements, ranging from
relatively simple  algae scums to highly toxic
stews  of industrial and chemical wastes. The
sources of these pollutants are just as
diverse—industrial plants, animal feedlots,
mining operations, waste treatment facilities,
landfills, and agricultural runoff. Among
industrial facilities alone, almost 35,000
plants  discharge  process wastewaters directly
into U.S. waterways; another 40,000 plants
discharge wastewater to some form of pub-
licly owned treatment works. As the kepone
disaster in Virginia has taught us, these
industrial wastes constitute an environmental
time bomb. Improperly or ineffectively
treated, they are  an invisible threat to public
health  and safety.
  Because of their potentially  hazardous and
pervasive environmental effects, industrial
wastes have become the principal focus of
pollution control  efforts by the Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA). This booklet high-
lights those aspects of Federal law that deal
with industrial  pollution. It explains  how
EPA's Effluent  Guidelines Division (EGD)
develops limitations for pollutants and
applies them to various industries, and also
how the public can participate in the devel-
opment process.
Introduction

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ConvenrioliQI . iutdIi s ir , ,iuo . iOD (bio-
logical oxygen demandi, suspended solids,
pH, oil and grease, total cohform, and any
other pollutants that EPA defines as conven-
tional. These poHutants are controfled by
effluent limitations based on a new tech- -
nology category- BCT BCT represents the
best conventional pollutant control tech- - I
nology and replaces BAT tor tht control n - ____
conventional pollutants. In deveioping lirnita- -
tions based on BCT. EGD must use a “cost -‘
reasonableness” test, which compares the - -: -
costs and benefits of reducinq conventional --: - “s ’
pollutants at POTW with the COsts and -
benefits of reducing them at the industrial ; - -
source. The deadline t)r achieving BCT , , -
limitations is Ju ’ 1 1984
p—-’ ‘t --
The question of toxic pollutants has been ‘. ,
settled by legislative fiat—the 1977 Act
4) tcificaIly labels as toxic an initial list of 65 - -
pollutants arid classes ‘ pollutants ‘see . , .
AppendlA 1 These are controlled by liniita- - - - ,
tions based or BAT, the compliance deadline
is July 1 1984 or 3 years after a substance •
is placed or the to*ic pollutant list by EPA
Nonconventional po ut r1ts include all 1
pollutants not classified by EPA as either “ .
toxic or conventional Nunconveritronal pollu- . I.
tants are also Controlled by limitations based -‘ - -•- - ‘ , ‘
on BAT. The compliance deadline is July 1,
1984, or within 3 years of the date EGD — , -
establishes effluent Mn iitatrons, but not later
than July 1 1987. - I -
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H The fffm d:ese
pollutant ciasses is a comp icated 1 )CCSS
Standards that must conform to over pping gislatiue
are requirements and instructions.
The most basic requirements are those of
Develo ed the Clean Water Act tselt. The Act directs
EGO to develop imitations for each of at
least 21 major industrial categories (see
Appendix 2). Based on specific statutory
• - , critena, each of these may be divided into
subcategories that also require effluent
7 limitations.
The limitations themselves are based on
complex engineering studies to determine
the technical and economic capabilities of
each industry, These studies are summarized
in devett pment documentsfralid economic
impact analyses that: _____
• Analyze typic& ndustrAste ad ‘I”
• ldentif ’ i ; iif,cant pollutants and their
______ effects
• Assess the ent:re range of measures
• - available to control and treat these
pollutants
• Estimate tre economic costs ‘id ri
water iabtv environmental impacts ot
pos ib L4 atIon
• Recon-’rnend limitations and standards
of performance based on the appropridte
techno lc ies
All of these factors must be reviewed in light
of specific considerations required under the
Act, as well as EGDs engineering judgmer”
- EGD publishes these studies when
____ proposed lirnstations for each industr)
in the Federal Register; at that time, they
also become available for study in the Public
Information Reference Units at EPA head-
quarters and regional offices. In addition,
EGD circulates the documents for review to
. go ernmental agencies, public iflte1est dr 1 r
_____ environmental groups. and indust ..
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point are considered by EGO and, if neces- _____
sary, the proposed regulations are modified - — - -
to reflect new information. EPA then promul-
gates final limitations and standards that __________
also are published in the Federal Register. • ______
i t ______
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination . — — y
System (NPDES)
To ensure the proper implementation of EPA _____________
regulations, all point sources of pollution are
required to obtain a discharge permit. issued _____
under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimi- _____
nation System INPDES). EPA has the basic __________
authority to issue NPDES permits but may
delegate this authority to any State that
agrees to implement all NPDES program ____ ____
requirements. Basically, the permit translates
effluent limitations and standards into spe-
cific requirements for each point source of
pollution, prescribing the max mum allow- -
able rate of discharge and the maximum
allowable concentration or amount of each S.
pollutant. The NPDES permit also sets forth .
other pollution abatement requirements. -
grants variances, develops a schedule for i .
compliance and monitoring, and establishes
reporting requirements to ensure compli-
arice, NPDES perrnit5 are required for dO
municipal and industrial dischargers; they .
must be renewed, and possibly upgraded,
every 5 years.
The Clean Water Act of 1977 requires that
EPA or the States pubhcly report all dis-
chargers not in compliance with their per-
mits. Failure to meet any requirements in the ‘0
NPDES permit, including any comp’iance
schedule, constitutes a violation of the per- ,. . “
mit and carries severe civil and criminal . . ,,
penalties
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BPT Best Practicable T chnoIogy
BAT Best Available Technology
BCT Best Conver t,onaI Technology
NSPS New Source Performance Standards
PSES -- Pretreatment Standards for Existing Sources
PSNS Pretreatment Standards fur New Sources
BMP Best Management Practices
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Applicability Direct Discharger (from point source)
of
Effluent f EXISTING SOURCES
Limitation I
Guidelines
B PT
BCT
NEW SOURCES
BAT
NSPS
BMP
BMP
Indirect Discharger (to P01W)
EXISTING SOURCES
PSES
NEW SOURCES
PSNS

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ACTIVITY
RESULT
I Technical and
economic studies
and surveys
performed
Development docu-
ment circulated
among concerned
industry and
experts
Preliminary standards
Pubhc review of
proposed regulation
• Written comments
• Public hearings
Effluent
Guidelines
DEVELOPMENT and
1 Standards
D evelopment
P Process
PROPOSED
REGULATION
PUBLIC REVIEW
EPA considers and
evaluates all
comments
Standard may be reviseci
Final regulation
published
FINAL REGULATION
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Appendix 1 acenaphthene
• • acrolein
Priority Poliutants* acrylonitrile
benzene
benzidine
carbon tetrachioride
(tetrachioromethane)
Chlorinated benzenes (other than
dichlorobenzenes)
chlorobeniene
1 ,2,4-trichlorobenzene
hexachlorobenzene
Chiorina ted ethanes (including
_________ 12dichloroethane, 1,1, 1-trichloroethane
and hexachioroethane)
1 ,2-dichloroethane

-
‘ : 1 ,1-dichioroethane
1 1 2trichloroethane
1 :1 ;2,2-tetrachloroethane
c/oroalky;ethers(chioroniethy/
-. his (chinrornethy)) ether ______
• ‘ 9 bis (2-chloroethyU ether
- 2chloroethyl vinyl ether (mixed)
‘ Chlorinated naphtha/ene ____
% - 2-chloronaphthalene
• p
W chlorinated phenols (other than those
‘ listed elsewhere; includes
a - trichlorophenols and chlorinated cresols)
- - 2,4,6-trichiorophenol
• parachiorometa cresol
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T/i i( i/i ii ’d Co,7?pOUfl(JS repre. - ii: t/i
C/ilSS(IS Of pollutants listed in the Settkiinent
Agreement. Those compounds indented are
t/ e specific compounds on the list vi pr’ont
pollutants,
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Appendix 3 ACtTh Clean Water Act.
Glossary BAT—The best available technology
nornically achievable, applicable to effluent
______________ limitations to be achieved by July 1, 1984,
for industrial discharges to surface waters,
as defined by Section 304(bX2)(B) of the
Clean Water Act.
BCT— The best conventional pollutant con-
trol technology, applicable to discharges of
- conventional pollutants from existing indus-
trial point sources, as defined by Section
304(b)(4) of the Clean Water Act.
BMP— Best management practices, as
defined by Section 304(e) of the Clean
Water Act.
1 BOO 5 —Biological oxygen demand, defined
as a conventional pollutant in the Clean
L Water Act.
4
______ BPT—The best practicable control technol-
ogy currently available, applicable to effluent
limitations to be achieved by July 1. 1977,
‘ , ‘ for industrial discharges to surface wutet’s,
1 i,,. as defined by Section 304(b)(1) of the Clean
Water Act.
r . Clean Water Act--The Federal Water Pollu-
tion Control Act Amendments of 1972 (33
t . U S C 1251 et seq) as amended by the
ffr ________ Clean Water Act of 1977 (Pub L 95 217)
r r . ____ k . ‘ . Conventional Pollutants—- Constituents of
% wastewater as determined by Section
/ 304(a)(4) of the Clean Water Act, including,
but not limited to pollutants classified as
biological oxygen demand, suspended solids,
oil and grease, fecal coliforrn, and pH.
4 -!’ .
Effluent Limitation A maximum amount
per unit of production (or other unit) of each
specific constituent of the effluent that is
subject to limitation from an existing point
source.
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F ,
EGD—Effluent Guidelines Division, Office of
Water and Waste Management, EPA, the
division responsible for the development of
the industrial effluent limitations and _____
standards.
Federal Water Pollution Control Act
Amendments of 1972—Pub. L. 92-500,
which provides the legal authority for current
EPA water pollution abatement projects,
regulations, and policies. The Federal Water
Pollution Control Act was amended further
in 1977 in legislation referred to as the Clean
Water Act.
NPDES—National Pollutant Discharge Elimi-
nation System, a Federal program requiring
industry and municipalities to obtain permits
to discharge plant effluents to the Nation’s
water courses, under Section 402 of the
Clean Water Act.
NSPS—New source performance standards,
applicable to industrial facilities whose con-
struction is begun after the publication of
the proposed regulations, as defined by See-
tion 306 of the Act.
Point Source—Any discernible, confined,
and discrete conveyance from which pollu-
tants are or may be discharged.
POTW — Publicly owned treatment works,
facilities that collect, treat, or otherwise dis-
pose of wastewaters, owned and operated
by a village, town, county, authority, or
other public agency. __________
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rreireatmenj tanaara inaustrial waste-
water effluent quality required for discharge
to a publicly owned treatment works.
PSES Pretreatment standards for existing
sources of indirect discharges, under Section
307(b) of the Clean Water Act.
PSNS Pretreatment standards for new
sources of indirect discharges, urìder Section
307(b) arid (c) of the Act.
Settlement Agreement Agreement en
tered into by EPA with the Natural Resources
Defense Council and other environmental
r. j groups and approved by the U.S. District
Court for the District of Columbia on June 7,
— 1 976, One of the principal provisions of the
Settlement Agreement was to direct EPA to
consider an extended list of 65 classes of
pollutants in 21 industrial c ’dtegoril!s in the
development of effluent limitations guide-
lines and new source performdnce stiiidar ds.
Toxic Pollutants All compounds specifi
— cally nanied or referred to in the Settlement
Agreement, as well as recommended specific
.. cornpo inds representative of the nonspecific
___________________________ or ambiguous groups or compounds named
in the aqreeniei it. This list of f)Olh J tants WaS
__________ (luveloI)e(l based on the usi. of cr iterci such
as known occurrence in point SO 1rCe effhj•
ents, in the aquatic environment, in fish, in
drinking water, and through evaluations of
cdrcinoqenicity, other chronic T( )xlciIy. l)iO-
acciriitilatinr , arid l)E r ;i ;tence
TSS Total suspended solids, defined as a
conventional pollutant in the Clean Water
Act.
-& ___
GPO : 1 I8fl 0 — 327—195
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