United States
               Environmental Protection
               Agency	
Office of Water (4303T)
Washington, DC 20460
EPA-821-F-02-005
June 2002
               Fact  Sheet
                     Proposed Effluent Guidelines Plan

Summary
EPA is proposing a plan and schedule for developing and revising effluent guidelines. These
regulations will improve water quality by controlling discharges from industrial sources.
Background on Effluent Guidelines Plan

EPA publishes an Effluent Guidelines Plan  every
other year. The Plan is required by Section 304(m) of
the Clean Water Act (CWA).

Background on Effluent Guidelines

Effluent guidelines  are  national regulations that
control the discharge of pollutants to surface waters
and to publicly  owned treatment works (POTWs).
Effluent guidelines are specific to an industry. EPA
writes effluent guidelines for  all types of industrial
discharges — from manufacturing, agricultural, and
service industries.

The effluent guidelines program is one of EPA's most
successful environmental protection programs.
Effluent guidelines have helped  reverse the  water
quality degradation that accompanied industrialization
in this country. These regulations reduce the discharge
of pollutants that have serious environmental impacts,
including pollutants that:

• •kill or impair fish and other aquatic organisms;
• 'cause health problems through contaminated water,
  fish, or shellfish; and
• 'degrade aquatic ecosystems

EPA has already issued effluent guidelines for 55
industries. These regulations  have  prevented the
discharge of more than 1.6 billion pounds of toxic
pollutants each year.
          Summary of Plan

          This notice presents and seeks comment on EPA's
          proposed Effluent Guidelines  Program  Plan  for
          2002/2003. The proposed Plan describes the effluent
          guidelines program and the Agency' s current effluent
          guidelines development efforts. It also gives a brief
          update on the  status of EPA's draft "Strategy for
          National Clean Water Act Regulations"  which EPA
          may use to develop future biennial plans.

          Further Information

          For additional information concerning this action, you
          can contact Pat Harrigan at (202) 566-1666 or Jan
          Matuszko  at  (202)  566-1035  at  the  U.S.
          Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water,
          Engineering and  Analysis Division (4303T), 1200
          Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D. C.; or y ou
          can  send   an   e-mail   to   emails:
          harrigan.patricia@epa.gov or matuszko.jan@epa.gov.
          You can view or  download the complete text of the
          Federal  Register  notice on  the Internet  at
          http://www.epa.gov/waterscience/guide/plan.html.

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