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.

• Industry studies
• Existing regulations
• Other publications

Industry Studies

• Oil and Gas Extraction Wastewater Management—Onshore Facilities
• Nutrient Removal and Secondary Technologies

Existing Regulations Being Studied for Possible Revisions

• Electrical and Electronic Components
• Petroleum Refining

Existing Regulations

• 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.

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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)

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