• EPA
                     United States
                     Environmental Protection
                     Agency	
                            Office of the
                            Administrator
                            [Mail Code 11011
EPA-100-F-00-002
February 2000
(http://www.epa.gov)
 Project XL: Albuquerque
 Pretreatment Project
      PE I NV E » 'I C t
WHAT IS
PROJECT XL?
 SUMMARY OF
 THE
 ALBUQUERQUE
 PROJECT
SUPERIOR
ENVIRONMENTAL
PERFORMANCE
  FLEXIBILITY
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 January 2000,
eighteen pilot experiments are being implemented and thirty-five
additional projects are in various stages of development

This project aims to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the
environment from industries and businesses in Albuquerque by integrating
pollution prevention (P2) activities with the existing Industrial Pretreatment
Program (IPP). The City of Albuquerque's proposal allows the present IPP
program to shift resources from certain less productive requirements
towards innovative activities likely to yield superior environmental results.
Albuquerque will also initiate a variety of outreach efforts  designed to
increase the number of businesses using P2 techniques.  The Final Project
Agreement (FPA), EPAs nineteenth XL project, was signed on February
3, 2000.

Albuquerque will attempt to initially reduce loadings of aluminum,
cadmium, chromium, copper, cyanide, fluoride, lead, mercury,
molybdenum, nickel, selenium, silver, and zinc by 10 - 25%. In addition to
reducing pollution loadings for these 13 pollutants of concern and
improving the area's overall water quality, this project will reduce mass
and concentration loadings of influent, effluent and biosolids. To help
reach these goals, Albuquerque plans to increase the number of
businesses  using P2 techniques by 25 new businesses per year.

Albuquerque will modify some permits for burden reduction, replace
certain permits with general use permits, and revise its enforcement
response plan. These changes will allow Albuquerque to shift resources
to cover P2  outreach and other costs associated with reducing certain
pollutants by 10-25%.
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STAKEHOLDER
INVOLVEMENT
APPROACHES TO
BE TESTED
 CONTACTS
Albuquerque 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.
                      Is sewer sub-basin monitoring a better method to determine where certain
                      pollutants predominate in a watersshed?
FOR ELECTRONIC
INFORMATION
Regional Contacts:
EPA/XL HQ:
State Contacts:
Project Sponsor:
Adele Cardenas
Chad Carbone
Patricia Gallagher
Robert Hogrefe
214-665-7210
202-260-4296
505-827-0677
505-873-7030
                    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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