WASTEWATER TREATMENT REGULATORY DRIVERS FROM THE CLEAN AIR ACT

The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has determined that wastewater storage, transfer, and treatment equipment are significant sources of air emissions from many manufacturing and production processes. These processes include production of organic chemicals, polymers and resins production, pharmaceuticals production, pesticide active ingredient production, petroleum refineries, pulp and paper processes, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), and other offsite waste and recovery operations. As a result, regulations developed and promulgated under the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 have resulted in wastewater treatment plant modifications, control of emissions from wastewater processes, newly implemented management practices, and monitoring of wastewater content in the manufacturing process.Compliance with these air regulations may require a detailed in-process wastewater stream inventory and sampling effort, air emission controls, a wastewater treatment plant destruction evaluation, upgrades to wastewater conveyance and treatment systems, and implementation of best management practices for the management of wastewater streams. Long-term monitoring, recordkeeping, and reporting requirements are also required for those affected wastewater discharges.Requirements, impacts, and approaches to compliance with the regulations is discussed in this paper. An overview of the status of these programs is discussed, and a methodology for determining applicability, compliance, monitoring, recordkeeping and reporting requirements for these regulations is provided.