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Enforcement
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Water Enforcement Policy, Guidance and Publications

This section provides policy and guidance documents related to enforcement of the clean waters and drinking water.

On this page:
 
Clean Water Act Policy and Guidance Documents
  • General / National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
    • Enforcement
    • Compliance
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance
  • Stormwater
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance
  • Oil Pollution Act
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance
  • Wetlands
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance
  • Pretreatment
  • Combined Sewer Overflows / Sanitary Sewer Overflows (CSOs/SSOs)
  • Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)
  • Citizen Suits
Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Policy and Guidance Documents
  • Penalty Policies and Guidance
  • Emergency Authority
  • Enforcement Response

Clean Water Act Policy and Guidance Documents

General/NPDES

  • Enforcement​

    • Approval of NPDES Wastewater Expedited Settlement Agreement Pilot Program
    • Integrated Planning
    • Guidance and Procedures for Administrative Orders Issued Under Section 309 of the Clean Water Act
    • Interim Guidance to Strengthen Performance in the NPDES Program
    • Enforcement Management System Guide
  • Compliance

    • Promoting Water, Superfund and Enforcement Collaboration on Contaminated Sediments 
    • Significant Noncompliance for Chlorine
    • Memorandum: Revision of NPDES Significant Noncompliance (SNC) Criteria to Address Violations of Non-Monthly Average Limits
  • Penalty Policies and Guidance

    • Revised Interim Clean Water Act Settlement Penalty Policy
    • Guidance on the Distinction among Pleading, Negotiating, and Litigating Civil Penalties for Enforcement Cases under the Clean Water Act 
    • Guidance on Effect of Clean Water Amendment Civil Penalty Assessment Language 
    • Guidance on State Action Preemption Civil Penalty Actions under the Federal Clean Water Act
    • Guidance on Claim Splitting in Enforcement Actions under the Clean Water Act 

Stormwater

  • Penalty Policies and Guidance
    • Expedited Settlement Agreement Pilot for Industrial Stormwater Non-Filers Under the Clean Water Act
    • Supplemental Guidance to the 1995 Interim Clean Water Act Settlement Penalty Policy for Violations of the Industrial Stormwater Requirements
    • Supplemental Guidance to the Interim Clean Water Act Settlement Penalty Policy (March 1, 1995) for Violations of the Construction Storm Water Requirements
      • Supplemental to the 2018 Penalty Inflation Memo for Industrial Stormwater
    • Revised Expedited Settlement Offer Program for Storm Water Construction
      • Extension of the Revised Expedited Settlement Agreement Program Pilot for Construction Stormwater (pdf) (184.74 KB)
  • Oil Pollution Act

    • Revised Expedited Settlement Agreement for the Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Program
    • Final Guidance on the Issuance of Administrative Orders under Section 311(c) and (e) of the Clean Water Act 
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance
      • Civil Penalty Policy for Section 311(b)(3) and Section 311(j) of the Clean Water Act
  • Wetlands

    • Injunctive Relief Requirements in Section 404 Enforcement Actions 
    • Penalty Policies and Guidance​
      • Revised CWA Section 404 Settlement Penalty Policy
  • Pretreatment

    • Local Limits Developmental Guidance 
    • Local Limits Developmental Guidance Appendices
    • Enforcement Initiative for Failure to Adequately Implement Approved Local Pretreatment Programs
    • Guidance Manual on the Development and Implementation of Local Discharge Limitations under the Pretreatment Program
    • Guidance Manual for Implementation of Total Toxic Organics (TTO) Pretreatment Standards 
    • Guidance Manual for Iron and Steel Manufacturing Pretreatment Standards
    • Guidance for Pulp, Paper and Paperboard and Builders Paper and Board Mills Pretreatment Standards
  • Combined Sewer Overflows / Sanitary Sewer Overflows (CSOs/SSOs)

    • Achieving Water Quality Through Integrated Municipal Stormwater and Wastewater Plans
    • Protecting Water Quality with Green Infrastructure in EPAs Water Permitting and Enforcement Programs
    • EPA Enforcement Preventing Backup of Municipal Sewage into Basements
    • Guidelines for Federal Enforcement in CSO/SSO Cases
    • Pilot Enforcement Approach in MOM Cases in Region 4
    • EPA's Report to Congress on Implementation and Enforcement of the CSO Control Policy
    • Compliance and Enforcement Strategy Addressing Combined Sewer Overflows and Sanitary Sewer Overflows
    • Enforcement Management System (EMS) National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System
  • Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations (CAFOs)

    • Producers' Compliance Guide for CAFOs
  • Citizen Suits (Section 505)

    • Procedures for Agency Response to Clean Water Act Citizen Suit Activity
    • Clean Water Act Section 505, Effect of Prior Citizen Suit Adjudications or Settlement on the United States ability to sue for same violations
    • Notes on Section 505 CWA Citizen Suits

Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) Policy and Guidance Documents

Penalty Policies and Guidance

Emergency Authority (Section 1431)

Enforcement Response

  • New Public Water System Supervision Program Settlement Penalty Policy
  • UIC Program Judicial and Administrative Order Settlement Penalty Policy
  • Internet Publications of Notice of Proposed Penalties under Section 309(g) and 311(b)(6) of the Clean Water Act and Section 1423(c) of the Safe Drinking Water Act
  • Updated Guidance on Emergency Authority under SDWA Section 1431 - Guidance on invoking EPA’s emergency authority, granted under Section 1431 of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA), 42 U.S.C. § 300i. 
  • Enforcement Response Policy under the Safe Drinking Water Act 
  • Enforcement Response Guide for Section 1433 of the Safe Drinking Water Act
  • Enforcement Home
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  • National Enforcement and Compliance Initiatives
  • Enforcement and Compliance Annual Results for FY 2022
  • Air Enforcement
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  • Data and Results
  • Policy, Guidance and Publications
Contact Us to ask a question, provide feedback, or report a problem.
Last updated on March 11, 2022
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