Clean Water Advocacy - Newsroom - NACWA in the News
EPA proposes expanded storm regulation for sewage treatment plants
Tasha Eichenseher, E&ENews PM reporter
U.S. EPA will more strictly regulate and monitor sewage
treatment practices during storms -- when many wastewater plants are unable to
fully treat all of the sewage they receive, the agency announced today.
Under the draft, a sewage treatment operator would be denied a permit to
discharge effluent into rivers and lakes if the plant's manager had not explored
all possible alternatives to diverting flows around secondary treatment during
wet weather.
In many cases, the volume of storm water pouring into a treatment plant can
exceed its capacity and cause potential backups in local homes and streets. When
this happens, utility operators have bypassed secondary treatment and discharged
primary treated sewage directly into waterways.
The new proposal would require that all discharged effluent meet Clean Water Act
requirements. In addition, the policy allows increased public input into
permitting and public notification when wastewater is diverted.
The new rules would apply to sewer systems that serve more than 150 million
people, said EPA's Office of Water Assistant Administrator Benjamin Grumbles.
There are approximately 40,000 sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs) annually, caused
by severe weather, outdated systems, improper maintenance and vandalism. The
policy does not apply to Combined Sewer Overflows, which serve about 40 million
people, according to EPA.
Proposal reflects recommendations by industry, enviros
The agency's proposed policy closely mirrors recommendations submitted in
October by the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) and the
Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC).
NRDC has said the rule would help protect public health by reducing the amount
of "inadequately" treated sewage, and therefore pathogens, entering the nation's
water supply. EPA has called SSOs a threat to public health as well.
Industrial sources, represented by NACWA, have said up until now EPA has left
treatment plant operators guessing about appropriate measures to take during
storms. The new guidelines would eliminate some of this uncertainty, NACWA says.
In May, EPA decided it would not finalize its own guidance that would have
allowed the "blending" of partially and fully treated wastewater as a means of
dealing with overflow associated with wet weather at aging treatment plants (E&ENews
PM, Oct. 27).
The draft policy would also penalize treatment plants that do not upgrade or
properly maintain out-of-date or dysfunctional infrastructure. The policy does
not, however, offer any additional federal financial assistance to communities
faced with repairs. Currently 90 percent of these infrastructure costs are born
by local communities and ratepayers.
During a press conference today, Grumbles emphasized the importance of full-cost
pricing for water services and highlighted federal clean water state revolving
loans, which provided $4.9 billion in community assistance last year. The SRF
offers low-interest loans, which communities can use to leverage more funding.
The proposal will be published in the Federal Register this week and is subject
to a 30-day public comment period, EPA says.