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Final 2006 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan
Note: EPA no longer updates this information, but it may be useful as a reference or resource.
Fact Sheet; EPA-821-F-06-011; December 2006
EPA is publishing a plan and schedule for its industrial wastewater regulations. These effluent regulations will improve water quality by controlling pollutant discharges from industrial sources. The plan itself does not establish any new requirements for any businesses.
EPA publishes an Effluent Guidelines Program Plan ("Plan") every other year. The Plan is required by Section 304(m) of the Clean Water Act. EPA published the preliminary 2006 Plan for public comment on August 29, 2005. The Agency received 61 comments from a variety of commenters.
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 56 industries. These regulations have prevented the discharge of more than 1.2 billion pounds of toxic pollutants each year.
Summary of Plan
This notice first presents EPA's 2006 review of existing effluent guidelines. Second, it presents our evaluation of indirect dischargers without pretreatment standards to identify potential new categories for national pretreatment standards. Pretreatment standards are Clean Water Act technology-based controls that regulate industrial discharges before they enter sewage treatment facilities and then enter surface waters. Third, this notice presents the final 2006 Plan as required under CWA section 304(m). This includes establishing a schedule for the annual review and revision of promulgated effluent guidelines and for identifying industrial categories without effluent guidelines that might need to be regulated to prevent or control pollution. EPA reviewed all existing effluent limitations guidelines and standards and did not identify any industry sector for an effluent guidelines rulemaking.
This notice also describes EPA's preliminary thoughts concerning its 2007 annual reviews under CWA sections 304(b) and 307(b) and solicits comments, data and information to assist EPA in performing these reviews. EPA will conduct more focused detailed reviews in the 2007 and 2008 annual reviews for a select number of industrial sectors as part of the 2008 Plan: Steam Electric Power Generating, Coal Mining, Health Services, and Coalbed Methane Extraction, which is part of the Oil and Gas Extraction industrial category.
Finally, this notice details how EPA incorporates elements from the draft Strategy for National Clean Water Industrial Regulations, which EPA first solicited public comment on November 29, 2002, and again on August 29, 2005, into its effluent guidelines reviews and planning.
Further Information
For more information about this action, you can contact Mr. Carey A. Johnston (johnston.carey@epa.gov) at (202) 566-1014 at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Office of Water, Engineering and Analysis Division (4303T), 1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW, Washington, D.C.
You can view or download the complete text of the Federal Register notice on the Internet at www.epa.gov/guide/plan.html. To find more information supporting the final Plan, visit EPA's electronic docket at Regulations.gov, searching for Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2004-0032.