WHAT IS
PROJECTXL?
SUM MARY OF
THE CHICAGO
POTW
PROJECT
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of the
Administrator
[Mail Code 1802]
EPA-1OO-F-00-025
August 2000
(http://www.epa.gov)
ProjectXL:
Chicago POTW
POL
ECONOM
INNOVAT
CY
CS
ON
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 the U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency (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 August 2000, twenty-eight pilot experiments are being implemented and
over thirty additional projects are in various stages of development.
The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (District) is a
Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) which treats wastewater from
domestic, commercial, and industrial sources in Chicago and numerous
surrounding communities. Through ProjectXL, the District proposes to
investigate ways to increase the effectiveness of the National Pretreatment
Program to obtain greater environmental benefit. Four interrelated
components of this pilot are for the District to:
obtain flexibility from the General Pretreatment oversight requirements
(i.e., inspection and sampling) for small Categorical Industrial Users
(ClUs) with good compliance records, which will allow the District to
reallocate resources to other activities with greater potential for
environmental benefit;
revise the District's Pretreatment Program Annual Report to include
information on environmental performance that is not currently required,
and only information on Significant Industrial Users (SlUs) found in
significant noncompliance during the report year;
create strategic Performance Partnerships with metal finishing facilities to
develop, test and implement alternative measurement systems that
demonstrate environmental performance; and
develop Toxic-Reduction Action Plans to address non-regulated
pollutants of concern.
The Chicago POTW project, EPA's 29th Final Project Agreement was signed
on August 30, 2000.
The District will achieve Superior Environmental Performance (SEP) through
the alternative environmental monitoring systems and by identifying, ranking
and reducing non-regulated pollutants. The alternative monitoring system will
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provide more frequent and accurate environmental data than traditional
SUPERIOR monitoring data, which could lead to improved process performance,
ENVIRONMENTAL decreased regulated pollutant loadings and water consumption, and
PERFORMANCE increased worker safety.
An added environmental benefit of this pilot is that the Partnerships may
function as an incentive prompting more facilities to join the Strategic Goals
Program. Environmental gains that can be achieved include:
Reduced amount of hazardous and toxic waste generated and
released,
Decreased water and energy consumption,
Decreased worker exposure to toxic materials,
Improved resource utilization,
Decreased demand for raw materials,
Reduced overall loading to the District system, and
Improved quality of effluent and biosolids.
REGULATORY
FLEXIBILITY
STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT
CONTACTS
APPROACHESTO
BETESTED
Regulatory flexibility will be granted to the District to allow self-monitoring and
reporting to be done once per year instead of twice for qualifying Categorical
Industrial Users (CILJs). The District will be required to inspect and sample
these CILJs once every two years instead of annually. The District's
Pretreatment Program Annual Report will be modified to include information
on environmental performance that is not currently required, and detailed
information only on Significant Industrial Users (SlUs) found to be in
significant noncompliance. Alternative measurement systems may be
authorized to demonstrate compliance with applicable Pretreatment
Standards.
Several organizations were invited to participate in a stakeholder group with
the District, EPA, and Illinois EPA (IEPA) to develop the FPA. Meetings were
advertised and open to the public. Meetings to discuss the FPA were held in
Chicago on April 6, May 3, and June 14, 2000. Chicago Metal Finishers
Institute, Citizens for a Better Environment, and North Business and Industrial
Council participated in the FPA development to a substantial degree. Along
with the District, EPA, and IEPA, these three groups and other organizations
and individuals with an interest in the project are welcome to participate as
stakeholders during project implementation.
Can POTWs produce Superior Environmental Performance by reducing
administrative requirements and oversight for good performers; and
reinvesting resources in alternative, non-regulatory environmental
improvement activities?
Regional Contact:
EPA/XL HQ:
State Contact:
Project Sponsor:
Matt Gluckman
Chad Carbone
Linda Martin
Richard Sustich
312-886-6089
202-260-
4296
312-814-7182
312-751-3030
More information about Project XL is available on the Internet at
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http://www.epa.gov/ProjectXL, or via Project XL's Information Line at
202-260-5754.
FOR ELECTRONIC
INFORMATION
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