?/EPA
United States
Environmental Protection
Agency
Office of Water
EPA 821-F-16-002
June 2016
Fact Sheet: Preliminary 2016 Effluent
Guidelines Program Plan
Summary
EPA published its Preliminary 2016 Effluent
Guidelines Program Plan. The Plan describes EPA's
Clean Water Act rulemakings and other actions
designed to control industrial wastewater pollution.
EPA solicits public review and comment on the
Preliminary Plan to help inform the content of the
Final Plan. Comments will be accepted for 30 days
from the date of publication in the Federal Register.
Background
Effluent limitations guidelines and standards are
national, technology-based requirements for
controlling industrial wastewater discharges to
surface waters and into publicly owned treatment
works (also called municipal sewage treatment
plants).
Clean Water Act section 304(m) requires EPA to
biennially publish a plan for new and revised effluent
limitations guidelines, after public review and
comment. EPA typically publishes a preliminary plan
upon which the public is invited to comment, and
then publishes a final plan.
Decisions and actions in the 2016
Preliminary Plan
This Preliminary Plan does not announce any new or
revised regulations for industrial wastewater
discharges, beyond those that are already underway
(which have been announced in prior Plans).
Those underway include:
• Pretreatment standards for the Dental Category,
• Pretreatment standards for Unconventional Oil
and Gas Extraction, and
• Effluent limitations for the Canned and
Preserved Seafood Category covering Alaska
Seafood Processing.
This Preliminary Plan also provides updates on three
ongoing industry studies announced in prior Plans:
• Petroleum Refining,
• Centralized Waste Treatment Facilities, and
• Metal Finishing.
This Plan describes that EPA is reviewing the
following categories given changes in these
industries since the original guidelines were
developed in the 1980s:
• Battery Manufacturing, and
• Electrical and Electronic Components
Manufacturing.
In addition, the Plan explains that EPA is further
investigating certain pollutants being discharged by
the following categories which may not be
adequately regulated by current effluent guidelines:
• Iron and Steel Manufacturing;
• Organic Chemicals, Plastics, and Synthetic Fibers
(OCPSF); and
• Pulp, Paper, and Paperboard Categories.
Finally, the Plan solicits data and information from
the public on several industrial wastewater
discharge questions and issues that are fully
described in the Federal Register notice.
Where can I find more information?
You can access the Federal Register notice, the
Preliminary 2016 Plan and all supporting documents
on EPA's Effluent Guidelines Plan website at:
https://www.epa.gov/eg/effluent-guidelines-plan.
For other related information, contact Mr. William F.
Swietlik by phone at (202) 566-1129, by e-mail at:
swietlik.william@epa.gov, or by mail at:
U.S. EPA, Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis
Division (4303T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW,
Washington, D.C., 20460.
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