Industrial Effluent Guidelines
Effluent Guidelines are national standards for industrial wastewater discharges to surface waters and publicly owned treatment works (municipal sewage treatment plants). We issue Effluent Guidelines for categories of existing sources and new sources under Title III of the Clean Water Act. The standards are technology-based (i.e. they are based on the performance of treatment and control technologies); they are not based on risk or impacts upon receiving waters.
On this page:
Regulations Under Development
Industry Studies
Existing Regulations Being Studied for Possible Revisions
Existing Regulations
The table below lists the Effluent Guidelines promulgated by EPA, organized by industry category.
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For some of the regulations, the links in the 'Category Overview' column provide a summary of the regulation and available EPA publications for the category.
- The links under '40 CFR' go directly to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR). 'Initial' indicates the year of the first rulemaking for the category, and 'Last' indicates the most recent substantive revision.
| Category Overview | 40 CFR | Initial | Last |
|---|---|---|---|
| 449 | 2012 | 2012 | |
| Aluminum Forming | 467 | 1983 | 1988 |
| Asbestos Manufacturing | 427 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Battery Manufacturing | 461 | 1984 | 1986 |
| Canned and Preserved Fruits and Vegetable Processing | 407 | 1974 | 1976 |
| Canned and Preserved Seafood (Seafood Processing)¹ | 408 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Carbon Black Manufacturing | 458 | 1976 | 1978 |
| Cement Manufacturing | 411 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Centralized Waste Treatment² | 437 | 2000 | 2003 |
| Coal Mining | 434 | 1975 | 2002 |
| Coil Coating | 465 | 1982 | 1983 |
| Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFO) | 412 | 1974 | 2008 |
| Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production (Aquaculture) | 451 | 2004 | 2004 |
| Construction and Development | 450 | 2009 | 2014 |
| Copper Forming | 468 | 1983 | 1986 |
| Dairy Products Processing | 405 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Dental Office | 441 | 2017 | 2017 |
| Electrical and Electronic Components | 469 | 1983 | 1983 |
| Electroplating | 413 | 1974 | 1983 |
| Explosives Manufacturing | 457 | 1976 | 1976 |
| Ferroalloy Manufacturing | 424 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Fertilizer Manufacturing | 418 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Glass Manufacturing | 426 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Grain Mills | 406 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Gum and Wood Chemicals Manufacturing | 454 | 1976 | 1976 |
| Hospitals | 460 | 1976 | 1976 |
| Ink Formulating | 447 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Inorganic Chemicals Manufacturing | 415 | 1982 | 1982 |
| Iron and Steel Manufacturing | 420 | 1974 | 2005 |
| Landfills | 445 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Leather Tanning and Finishing | 425 | 1982 | 1996 |
| Meat and Poultry Products | 432 | 1974 | 2004 |
| Metal Finishing² | 433 | 1983 | 1986 |
| Metal Molding and Casting (Foundries) | 464 | 1985 | 1985 |
| Metal Products and Machinery | 438 | 2003 | 2003 |
| Mineral Mining and Processing | 436 | 1975 | 1979 |
| Nonferrous Metals Forming and Metal Powders | 471 | 1985 | 1989 |
| Nonferrous Metals Manufacturing | 421 | 1976 | 1990 |
| Oil and Gas Extraction | 435 | 1975 | 2016 |
| Ore Mining and Dressing (Hard Rock Mining) | 440 | 1975 | 1988 |
| Organic Chemicals, Plastics and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF) | 414 | 1987 | 1993 |
| Paint Formulating | 446 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Paving and Roofing Materials (Tars and Asphalt) | 443 | 1975 | 1975 |
| Pesticide Chemicals | 455 | 1978 | 1996 |
| Petroleum Refining² | 419 | 1974 | 1982 |
| Pharmaceutical Manufacturing | 439 | 1976 | 2003 |
| Phosphate Manufacturing | 422 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Photographic | 459 | 1976 | 1976 |
| Plastics Molding and Forming | 463 | 1984 | 1984 |
| Porcelain Enameling | 466 | 1982 | 1982 |
| Pulp, Paper and Paperboard | 430 | 1974 | 2002 |
| Rubber Manufacturing | 428 | 1974 | 1974 |
| Soap and Detergent Manufacturing | 417 | 1974 | 1975 |
| Steam Electric Power Generating | 423 | 1974 | 2015 |
| Sugar Processing | 409 | 1974 | 1984 |
| Textile Mills | 410 | 1974 | 1982 |
| Timber Products Processing | 429 | 1974 | 1981 |
| Transportation Equipment Cleaning | 442 | 2000 | 2000 |
| Waste Combustors | 444 | 2000 | 2000 |
¹ Amendment pending ² Industry study
Other Publications Related to Effluent Guidelines
- Chlorine and Chlorinated Hydrocarbon Manufacturing (2012)
- Carbon Disulfide Discharges from Cellulose Products Manufacturers (2011)
- Drinking Water Treatment Residuals Management (2011)
- Unused Pharmaceutical Disposal at Health Care Facilities (2009)
- Tobacco Products Processing (2006)
- Industrial Container and Drum Cleaning (2002)
- Industrial Laundries (2000)
- Urban Stormwater Best Management Practices (1999)