Effluent Guidelines

Appendix F: Definitions

Administrator: The Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Aerosol container (DOT) leak testing wastewaters: Wastewaters from pressurization/leak testing of pesticide product containers to meet DOT shipping requirements.

Agency: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Appropriate pollution control technology: The wastewater treatment technology listed on Table 10 to Part 455 (Appendix A) for a particular PAI(s) including an emulsion breaking step prior to the listed technology when emulsions are present in the wastewater to be treated.

B.t.: Bacillus thuringiensis, a microorganism pesticide active ingredient that is excluded from the scope of the final PFPR rule.

BAT: The best available technology economically achievable, as described in Section 304(b)(2) of the Clean Water Act.

BCT: The best conventional pollutant control technology, as described in Section 304(b)(4) of the Clean Water Act.

BEJ: Best engineering judgment.

Bench-scale operation: Laboratory testing of materials, methods, or processes on a small scale, such as on a laboratory worktable.

Binder: An ingredient added in order to form films, such as a drying oil or polymeric substance.

BMP or BMPs: Best management practice(s), as described in Section 304(e) of the Clean Water Act.

BOD₅: Five-day biochemical oxygen demand. A measure of biochemical decomposition of organic matter in a water sample. It is determined by measuring the dissolved oxygen consumed by microorganisms to oxidize the organic contaminants in a water sample under standard laboratory conditions of five days and 20°C. BOD₅ is not related to the oxygen requirements in chemical combustion.

BPJ: Best professional judgment.

BPT: The best practicable control technology currently available, as described in Section 304(b)(1) of the Clean Water Act.

Bulk product: Formulated product held in inventory prior to packaging into marketable containers.

CAA: Clean Air Act. The Air Pollution Prevention and Control Act (42 U.S.C. 7401 et. seq.), as amended, inter alia, by the Clean Air Act Amendments of 1990 (Public Law 101-549, 104 Stat. 2399).

CFR: Code of Federal Regulations, published by the U.S. Government Printing Office. A codification of the general and permanent rules published in the Federal Register by the Executive departments and agencies of the federal government. The Code is divided into 50 titles which represent broad areas subject to federal regulation. Each title is divided into chapters which usually bear the name of the issuing agency, and each chapter is divided into parts covering specific regulatory areas. Citations of the Code of Federal Regulations include title, part, and section number (e.g., 40 CFR 1.1 - title 40, part 1, and section 1).

Changeover: Changing from one pesticide product to another pesticide product, to a non-pesticide product, or to idle equipment condition.

CN: Abbreviation for total cyanide.

CO: Abbreviation for carbon monoxide.

COD: Chemical oxygen demand (COD) - A nonconventional bulk parameter that measures the total oxygen-consuming capacity of wastewater. This parameter is a measure of materials in water or wastewater that are biodegradable and materials that are resistant (refractory) to biodegradation. Refractory compounds slowly exert demand on downstream receiving water resources. Certain of the compounds measured by this parameter have been found to have carcinogenic, mutagenic, and similar adverse effects, either singly or in combination. It is expressed as the amount of oxygen consumed by a chemical oxidant in a specific test.

Combustion device: An individual unit of equipment, including but not limited to, an incinerator or boiler, used for the thermal oxidation of organic hazardous air pollutant vapors.

Contract hauling: The removal of any waste stream from the plant or facility, excluding discharges to sewers or surface waters.

Control authority: (1) The POTW if the POTW's submission for its pretreatment program (§403.3(t)(1)) has been approved in accordance with the requirements of §403.11; or (2) the approval authority if the submission has not been approved.

Conventional pollutants: Constituents of wastewater as determined in Section 304(a)(4) of the Clean Water Act and the regulations thereunder (i.e., biochemical oxygen demand (BOD₅), total suspended solids (TSS), oil and grease, fecal coliform, and pH).

CSF: Confidential statement of formula.

CWA: Clean Water Act. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.), as amended, inter alia, by the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Public Law 95-217) and the Water Quality Act of 1987 (Public Law 100-4).

Device (packaging): Any instrument or conveyance (other than a firearm) which is intended for trapping, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest or any other form of plant or animal life (other than man and other than bacteria, virus, or other microorganism on or in living man or other living animals), but not including equipment used for the application of pesticides when sold separately therefrom.

Direct discharger: The discharge of a pollutant or pollutants directly to a water of the United States with or without treatment by the discharger.

DOT: Department of Transportation.

Effluent: Wastewater discharges.

EPA: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.

Equivalent system: A wastewater treatment system that is demonstrated in literature, treatability tests, or self-monitoring data to remove a similar level of pesticide active ingredient or priority pollutants as the applicable appropriate pollution control technology listed in Table 10 to Part 455 (Appendix A).

FATES: FIFRA and TSCA Enforcement System.

FDA: Food and Drug Administration.

FDF: Fundamentally different factors.

FIFRA: The Federal Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide Act, as amended (7 U.S.C. 135 et.seq.).

Formulation: The process of mixing, blending, or diluting one or more pesticide active ingredients with one or more other active or inert ingredients, without a chemical reaction that changes one active ingredient into another active ingredient, to obtain a manufacturing use product or an end use product.

FR: Federal Register, published by the U.S. Government Printing Office, Washington, D.C. A publication making available to the public regulations and legal notices issued by federal agencies. These include Presidential proclamations and Executive Orders and federal agency documents having general applicability and legal effect, documents required to be published by act of Congress and other federal agency documents of public interest. Citations of the Federal Register include volume number and page number (e.g., 55 FR 12345).

GMPs: Good Manufacturing Practices.

GRAS: Generally Recognized as Safe (label given to certain items by the Food and Drug Administration).

Group 1 mixtures: Any product whose only pesticidal active ingredient(s) is: a common food/food constituent or nontoxic household item; or is a substance that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the Food and Drug Administration (21 CFR 170.30, 182, 184, and 186) in accordance with good manufacturing practices, as defined by 21 CFR Part 182; or is exempt from FIFRA under 40 CFR Part 152.25.

Group 2 mixtures: Those chemicals listed on Table 9 to Part 455 of the final regulation, which is included in Appendix A of this document.

Hazardous waste: Any material that meets the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act definition of "hazardous waste" contained in 40 CFR Part 261.

Incinerator: An enclosed combustion device that is used for destroying organic compounds. Auxiliary fuel may be used to heat waste gas to combustion temperatures. Any energy recovery section present is not physically formed into one manufactured or assembled unit with the combustion section; rather, the energy recovery section is a separate section following the combustion section and the two are joined by ducts or connections carrying flue gas.

Indirect discharge: The discharge of a pollutant or pollutants into a publicly owned treatment works (POTW) with or without pretreatment by the discharger.

Inert ingredient: Any substance (or group of structurally similar substances if designated by EPA), other than a pesticide active ingredient, which is intentionally included in a pesticide product.

Inorganic wastewater treatment chemicals: Inorganic chemicals that are commonly used in wastewater treatment systems to aid in the removal of pollutants through physical/chemical technologies such as chemical precipitation, flocculation, neutralization, chemical oxidation, hydrolysis, and/or adsorption.

Interior wastewater sources: Wastewater that is generated from cleaning or rinsing the interior of pesticide formulating, packaging, or repackaging equipment; or from rinsing the interior of raw material drums, shipping containers or bulk storage tanks; or cooling water that comes in direct contact with pesticide active ingredients during the formulating, packaging, or repackaging process.

Leaks and spills: Leaks and spills to be quantified are those which contain a pesticide active ingredient(s), or those which are combined prior to disposal with leaks or spills containing an active ingredient(s).

Line: Equipment and interconnecting piping or hoses arranged in a specific sequence to mix, blend, impregnate, or package, or repackage pesticide products. These products contain one or more pesticide active ingredients with other materials to impart specific desirable physical properties for a product or device, or to achieve a desired pesticide active ingredient concentration for a particular product or device, or to package it into marketable containers. The line begins with the opening of shipping containers or the transfer of active ingredient(s) and other materials from a manufacturer or another formulator/packager, or from inventory of bulk storage. The line ends with the packaging or repackaging of a product into marketable containers or into tanks for application.

Manufacture: The production of pesticide active ingredient(s) involving a chemical change(s) in the raw material(s) or intermediate precursors.

Microorganisms: Registered pesticide active ingredients that are biological control agents listed in 40 CFR 152.20(a)(3) including Eucaryotes (protozoa, algae, fungi), Procaryotes (bacteria), and Viruses.

Minimum level: The level at which an analytical system gives recognizable signals and an acceptable calibration point.

New Source: As defined in 40 CFR 122.2, 122.29, and 403.3 (k), a new source is any building, structure, facility, or installation from which there is or may be a discharge of pollutants, the construction of which commenced (1) for purposes of compliance with New Source Performance Standards, after the promulgation of such standards under CWA section 306; or (2) for the purposes of compliance with Pretreatment Standards for New Sources, after the publication of proposed standards under CWA section 307(c), if such standards are thereafter promulgated in accordance with that section.

Noncontact cooling water: Water used for cooling in formulating/packaging operations which does not come into direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, by-product, waste product, or finished product. This term is not intended to relate to air conditioning systems.

Non-water quality environmental impact: An environmental impact of a control or treatment technology, other than to surface waters.

Noncontinuous or intermittent discharge: Discharge of wastewaters stored for periods of at least 24 hours and released on a batch basis.

Nonconventional pollutants: Pollutants that are neither conventional pollutants nor toxic pollutants listed at 40 CFR Section 401, including many pesticide active ingredients.

Nondetect value: A concentration-based measurement reported below the minimum level that can reliably be measured by the analytical method for the pollutant.

NO_x: Nitrogen oxides.

NPDES: The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System, a federal program requiring industry dischargers, including municipalities, to obtain permits to discharge pollutants to the nation's water, under Section 402 of the CWA.

NRDC: Natural Resources Defense Council.

NSPS: New source performance standards. This term refers to standards for new sources under Section 306 of the CWA.

OPCSF: Organic Chemicals, Plastics, and Synthetic Fibers Manufacturing Point Source Category (40 CFR Part 414).

P2: Pollution prevention (see Source Reduction).

Packaging: Enclosing or placing a formulated pesticide active ingredient into a marketable container.

PAI (Pesticide Active Ingredient): Any technical grade active ingredient used for controlling, preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest. The PAIs may make up only a small percentage of the final product which also consists of binders, fillers, diluents, etc.

Pesticide: A pesticide means any substance or mixture of substances intended for preventing, destroying, repelling, or mitigating any pest or intended for use as a plant regulator, defoliant, or desiccant other than any article that:

1) Is a new animal drug under Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FFDCA) Section 201(w), or

2) Is an animal drug that has been determined by regulation of the Secretary of Health and Human Services not to be a new animal drug, or

3) Is an animal feed under FFDCA Section 201(x) that bears or contains any substances described by 1 or 2 above.

See CFR §122.5 for a definition of pest, §152.8 for a description of products that are not pesticides because they are not for use against pests. See §152.10 for a description of products that are not pesticides because they are not deemed to be used for pesticidal effect and §152.15 for a description of pesticide products required to be registered under the Federal Fungicide, Insecticide, and Rodenticide Act.

Pesticide-producing establishment: As defined under FIFRA, any site where a pesticide product, active ingredient, or device is produced, regardless of whether the site is independently owned or operated, and regardless of whether the site is domestic and producing a pesticidal product for export only, or foreign and producing any pesticidal product for import into the United States.

PFPR/Manufacturers: Pesticide manufacturers that also perform pesticide formulating, packaging, and/or repackaging at their facilities.

PFPR: Pesticide formulating, packaging, and repackaging operations.

Pilot-scale: The trial operation of processing equipment which is the intermediate stage between laboratory experimentation and full-scale operation in the development of a new process or product.

PM: Particulate matter.

Point source category: A category of sources of water pollutants that are included within the definition of "point source" in Section 502(14) of the CWA.

Pollutant (to water): Chemical constituent, dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, certain radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, and industrial, municipal, and agricultural waste discharged into water. See CWA Section 502(6); 40 CFR 122.2.

Pool chemicals: Pesticide products that are intended to disinfect or sanitize, reducing or mitigating growth or development of microbiological organisms including bacteria, algae, fungi or viruses in the water of swimming pools, hot tubs, spas or other such areas in the household and/or institutional environment, as provided in the directions for use on the product label.

POTW or POTWs (Publicly owned treatment works): A treatment works as defined by Section 212 of the CWA, which is owned by a state or municipality (as defined by Section 502(4) of the Act). This definition includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also includes sewers, pipes, and other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a POTW Treatment Plant. The term also means the municipality as defined in Section 502(4) of the CWA, which has jurisdiction over the indirect discharges to and the discharges from such a treatment works.

PPA: Pollution Prevention Act of 1990 (42 U.S.C. 13101 et seq., Pub.L. 101-508, November 5, 1990).

Pretreatment standard: A regulation specifying industrial wastewater effluent quality required for discharge to a POTW.

Priority pollutants: The toxic pollutants listed in 40 CFR Part 423, Appendix A.

Process: The steps performed on a pesticide active ingredient or group of pesticide active ingredients, beginning with the opening of shipping containers containing pesticide active ingredient(s) (or transfer of active ingredient(s) from a manufacturing or another formulating operation), including the physical mixing of these pesticide active ingredients with each other or with nonpesticide materials, and concluding with the packaging of a product into marketable containers.

Process wastewater collection system: A piece of equipment, structure, or transport mechanism used in conveying or storing a process wastewater stream. Examples of process wastewater collection system equipment include individual drain systems, wastewater tanks, surface impoundments, and containers.

PSES: Pretreatment standards for existing sources of indirect discharges, under Section 307(b) of the CWA.

psig: Pounds per square inch gauge.

PSNS: Pretreatment standards for new sources of indirect discharges, under Section 307(b) and (c) of the CWA.

R&D: Research and Development.

RCRA: Resource Conservation and Recovery Act of 1976, as amended (42 U.S.C. 6901, et seq.).

RCRA empty: A container or an inner liner removed from a container that has held any hazardous waste, except a waste that is a compressed gas or that is identified as an acute hazardous waste listed in 40 CFR 261.31, 261.32, or 261.33(e) is empty if:

(i) All wastes have been removed that can be removed using the practices commonly employed to remove materials from that type of container (e.g., pouring, pumping, and aspirating), and

(ii) No more than 2.5 centimeters (one inch) of residue remain on the bottom of the container or inner liner, or

(iii)

(A) No more than 3 percent by weight of the total capacity of the container remains in the container or inner liner if the container is less than or equal to 110 gallons in size, or

(B) No more than 0.3 percent by weight of the total capacity of the container remains in the container or inner liner if the container is greater than 110 gallons in size. (40 CFR 261.7).

Reagents: Chemicals used to cause a chemical reaction.

Repackaging: The direct transference of a single pesticide active ingredient or single formulation from any marketable container to another marketable container, without intentionally mixing in any inerts, diluents, solvents, or other active ingredients, or other materials of any sort.

Reuse: The use in product formulation or cleaning operations of all or part of a waste stream produced by an operation which would otherwise be disposed of, whether or not the stream is treated prior to reuse, and whether the reused waste stream is fed to the same operation or to another operation.

Sanitizer products: Pesticide products that are intended to disinfect or sanitize, reducing or mitigating growth or development of microbiological organisms including bacteria, fungi or viruses on inanimate surfaces in the household, institutional, and/or commercial environment and whose labeled directions for use result in the product being discharged to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs). This definition shall also include sanitizer solutions as defined by 21 CFR Part 178.1010 and pool chemicals as defined in this section (455.10(q)). This definition does not include liquid chemical sterilants (including sporicidals) exempted by 455.40(f) or otherwise, industrial preservatives, and water treatment microbiocides other than pool chemicals.

SBREFA: Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act of 1996 (5 U.S.C. 801).

Septic system: A system which collects and treats wastewater, particularly sanitary sewage. The system is usually composed of a septic tank which settles and anaerobically degrades solid waste, and a drainfield which relies on soil to adsorb or filter biological contaminants. Solid wastes are periodically pumped out of the septic tank and hauled to off-site disposal.

Shipping container rinsate: The water or solvent which is generated by the rinsing of shipping containers.

SIC: Standard Industrial Classification. A numerical categorization system used by the U.S. Department of Commerce to denote segments of industry. An SIC code refers to the principal product, or group of products, produced or distributed, or to services rendered by an operating establishment. SIC codes are used to group establishments by the primary activity in which they are engaged.

Solvent: An ingredient added to a formulation in order to dissolve the active ingredient to form a uniformly dispersed mixture. Also liquids, other than water, used to clean pesticide formulating and packaging equipment.

Source reduction: The reduction or elimination of waste generation at the source, usually within a process. Any practice that: 1) reduces the amount of any hazardous substance, pollutant, or contaminant entering any waste stream or otherwise released into the environment (including fugitive emissions) prior to recycling, treatment, or disposal; and 2) reduces the hazards to public health and the environment associated with the release of such substances, pollutants, or contaminants.

SO_x: Sulphur oxides.

Special or nonroutine conditions: Situations which do not normally occur during routine operations. These may include equipment failure, use of binders, dyes, carriers and other materials that require additional cleaning time, or larger volumes of solvents and/or water.

SRRP: Source Reduction Review Project.

Stand-alone PFPR facility: A PFPR facility where either: 1) no pesticide manufacturing occurs; or 2) where pesticide manufacturing process wastewaters are not commingled with PFPR process wastewaters. Such facilities may formulate, package, or repackage or manufacture other nonpesticide chemical products and be considered a "stand-alone" PFPR facility.

Subcategory C: Pesticide formulating, packaging, and repackaging (PFPR), including pesticide formulating, packaging, and repackaging occurring at pesticide manufacturing facilities (PFPR/Manufacturers) and at stand-alone PFPR facilities.

Subcategory E: Repackaging of agricultural pesticide products at refilling establishments (refilling establishments).

Technical Development Document: Development Document for Best Available Technology, Pretreatment Technology, and New Source Performance Technology for the Pesticide Formulating, Packaging, and Repackaging Industry (EPA 821-R-96-019).

Technical grade of active ingredient: A material containing an active ingredient: 1) which contains no inert ingredient, other than one used for purification of the active ingredient and 2) which is produced on a commercial or pilot-plant production scale (whether or not it is ever held for sale).

Toxic pollutants: The pollutants designated by EPA as toxic in 40 CFR Part 401.15. Also known as priority pollutants.

TSCA: Toxic Substances Control Act (15 U.S.C. 2613).

TSS: Total suspended solids.

UIC: Underground Injection Control.

UMRA: Unfunded Mandates Reform Act of 1995 (Pub. L. 104-4).

UTS: Universal Treatment System, a treatment system envisioned by EPA to be sized to handle small volumes of wastewater on a batch basis and would combine the most commonly used and effective treatment technologies for PAIs (hydrolysis, chemical oxidation, activated carbon, and sulfide precipitation (for metals)) with one or more pretreatment steps, such as emulsion breaking, solids settling, and filtration.

VOCs: Volatile organic compounds.

Waters of the United States: The same meaning set forth in 40 CFR 122.2.

Wet air pollution or odor pollution control system scrubbers: Any equipment using water or water mixtures to control emissions of dusts, odors, volatiles, sprays, or other air pollutants.

Zero/P2 Alternative Option: Regulatory option promulgated by EPA that allows each Subcategory C facility a choice: to meet a zero discharge limitation or to comply with a pollution prevention (P2) alternative that authorizes discharge of PAIs and priority pollutants after various P2 practices are followed and treatment is conducted as needed.

Zero discharge: No discharge of process wastewater pollutants to waters of the United States or to a POTW.

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Effluent Guidelines

Appendix F: Definitions

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