*EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of the
Administrator
[Mail Code 11011
Project XL: Denton
Pretreatment Project
EPA-100-F-00-003
February 2000
(http://www.epa.gov)
PE I NV E » 'I C t
WHAT IS
PROJECT XL?
Project XL, which stands for "excellence and Leadership," is a national
initiative that tests innovative ways of achieving better and more cost-
effective public health and environmental protection. The information and
lessons learned from Project XL are being used to assist EPA in
redesigning its current regulatory and policy-setting approaches. Project
XL encourages testing of cleaner, cheaper, and smarter ways to attain
environmental results superior to those achieved under current regulations
and policies, in conjunction with greater accountability to stakeholders. It
is vital that each project tests new ideas with the potential for wide
application and broad environmental benefits. As of February 2000, 19
pilot experiments are being implemented and thirty-five additional projects
are in various stages of development
SUMMARYOF
THE DENTON
PROJECT
In 1997, the City of Denton Environmental Services Division and the
University of North Texas (UNT) Institute of Applied Sciences conducted
an 18 month study to assess the feasibility of integrating the industrial
pretreatment program activities with those required under the Phase II
Stormwater regulations. Denton's XL project will allow it to continue to
implement the recommendations resulting from that study, which was
completed in March of 1998. Denton will reduce its monitoring and annual
inspections for certain individually approved facilities and focus on
pollutants in the urban stormwater drainage. The Final Project
Agreement (FPA), EPA's 20th XL project, was signed on February 22,
2000.
Denton's proposal is unique in that it will integrate its flash-flood early
warning system with transmission of realtime water quality data from
remote monitoring stations both up and down stream of the water
treatment facility. The system will be connected to dispatchers, emergency
response crews, and the facility. Through this experiment Denton will
determine if the biological sensors recently developed by UNT can trigger
automatic samplers to take water samples. Denton will also develop
alternative best management practices (BMPs) to prevent erosion and
runoff from the biosolids composting operation.
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SUPERIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PERFORMANCE
FLEXIBILITY
STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT
APPROACHES TO
BE TESTED
Saved resources will be reapportioned to watershed protection activities
including inspections of vehicle maintenance facilities, recycling centers,
junkyards, salvage yards, municipal and school district fleet service
operations, construction sites, establishment of a remote creek monitoring
network, and incorporation of pollution prevention BMPs into the local
code of ordinances.
Denton will be reducing its monitoring and inspection frequencies for
certain individually approved facilities, so that it can redirect resources to
focus on pollutants in the urban stormwater drainage.
Denton held public meetings to request input on the project. These
meetings were publicized through local newspapers and personal
contacts. Comments on the project and EPA's response are attached to
the FPA.
CONTACTS
FOR ELECTRONIC
INFORMATION
Can integrating industrial pretreatment program activities with those
required under the Phase II Stormwater regulations improve the
environment?
Can a combination of pollution prevention measures, including BMPs,
buffer zones and public education increase control of run-off from point
and non-point sources?
Regional Contacts:
EPA/XL HQ:
State Contacts:
Project Sponsor:
Adele Cardenas
Chad Carbone
Ken Zarker
Jim Coulter
214-665-7210
202-260-4296
512-239-3144
940-349-7194
More information about Project XL is available on the Internet at
http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL, or via Project XL's Information Line at 202-
260-5754.
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