&EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
September 2005
EPA530-F-05-017
www.epa.gov/osw
Wastewater Treatment
Exemptions for Certain
Hazardous Waste Mixtures
       The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is taking steps to provide flexible and
   environmentally sound regulatory management by expanding the Wastewater Treatment
   Exemptions for Hazardous Waste Mixtures.  These risk-based exemptions will result in
   net cost savings for affected industries and fully protect human health and the
   environment.

   Action
       EPAis finalizing revisions to the Wastewater Treatment Exemptions for Hazardous
   Waste Mixtures, also known as the "Headworks Rule," originally proposed on April 8,
   2003. Headworks Rule exemptions are a part of the Subtitle C, Resource Conservation
   and Recovery Act (RCRA) that regulate hazardous waste. This rule determines which
   methods of managing hazardous waste mixtures produce discharges that can safely be
   handled under nonhazardous waste standards.
       Wastewater treatment systems receive many different kinds of waste. In certain
   instances, these wastes are a miniscule and treatable part of the wastewater mixture.
   Because the relatively small volume of these wastes can be easily and effectively handled by
   the wastewater treatment system, EPAis taking the following action.
          Adding two solvents (benzene and 2-ethoxyethanol) to a list of solvents whose
          mixtures are exempted from the definition of hazardous waste;
          Adding an option to directly measure solvent chemical levels at the headworks of
          the wastewater treatment system;
          Exempting scrubber waters generated from the incineration of spent solvents from
          hazardous waste management; and
          Making listed hazardous waste (beyond discarded commercial chemical products)
          eligible for RCRA de minimus exemption as well as allowing nonmanufacturing
          facilities to qualify for the de minimus exemption.

   For  More Information
       This fact sheet and other documents are available on the Internet at:
   http://www.epa.gov/epaoswer/hazwaste/id/headworks/index.htm. Find answers to
   additional questions at http://waste.custhelp.com.

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