2017 & 2009 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) for Massachusetts & New Hampshire
2017 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP)
The Final 2017 NPDES General Permit for Discharges from Potable Water Treatment Facilities in Massachusetts (MAG640000) and New Hampshire (NHG640000) was signed on March 6, 2017 and became effective on that date (the date of signature). This permit replaces the previous PWTF GP that expired on October 2, 2014. The Final 2017 PWTF GP will expire on March 6, 2022, which is five (5) years from the effective date.
The Notice of Availability of the Final PWTF GP is currently being processed and will be published in the Federal Register as soon as possible. A copy of the draft Notice of Availability can be found below. In accordance with 40 C.F.R. Part 23, the permit shall be considered issued for the purpose of judicial review on March 20, 2017 (two weeks from the date of signature on the General Permit). Under section 509(b) of the Clean Water Act, judicial review of this General Permit can be requested by filing a petition for review in a United States Court of Appeals by July 18, 2017 (which is 120 days after the start date for judicial review above).
The PWTF GP provides coverage for potable water treatment facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire that discharge wastewater from one or more of the following treatment processes: Clarification, Coagulation, Media Filtration, Membrane filtration (not including reverse osmosis), and Disinfection. In general, facilities covered under this General Permit must discharge less than or equal to 1.0 million gallons per day (MGD).
The permit establishes permit eligibility conditions, notice of intent requirements, effluent limitations, standards, prohibitions, and best management practices. The eligibility requirements for coverage under the General Permit are discussed in Part 1 of the permit.
Permittees seeking coverage under the Final 2017 PWTF GP, including those facilities covered under the PWTF GP that expired on October 2, 2014, must submit a complete and accurate Notice of Intent (NOI), containing the information in Appendix IV, to both EPA - Region I and the appropriate state agency (where applicable), as follows:
- Proposed New Discharges: Facilities with proposed new discharges that are seeking coverage under this General Permit must submit an NOI to EPA and MassDEP (if applicable) or NHDES, post-marked at least 60 days prior to the commencement of discharge.
- Existing Permitted Discharges Authorized Under Last PWTF GP: Facilities with existing coverage under the PWTF General Permit that expired on October 2, 2014, and that wish to seek coverage under this General Permit, must file an NOI to EPA and MassDEP (if applicable) or NHDES, for coverage under this General Permit within 90 days of the effective date of this permit.
- Facilities with Existing Discharges Not Authorized Under Last PWTF GP and which Use Aluminum in Treatment Process: Facilities that use aluminum in their treatment process but were not authorized under the PWTF General Permit that expired on October 2, 2014 (and submitted an application for an Individual Permit instead) are eligible to seek coverage under this General Permit. Such facilities must file an NOI to EPA and MassDEP (if applicable) or NHDES for coverage under this General Permit within 6 months of the effective date of this permit. Since facilities under this category are required to submit more extensive water quality sampling data (i.e., aluminum) than the other categories, additional time to submit the NOI has been granted. See Appendix IV, particularly Section C.12, for additional details regarding the required water quality sampling.
Refer to Part 4.3 of the permit and Appendix IV for complete details about submitting an NOI.
EPA and MassDEP (when applicable) or NHDES will review the NOI. The facility will receive written notification from EPA stating whether permit coverage and authorization to discharge under the General Permit is approved.
The PWTF GP, and all associated documents, are available from the web links below.
- Draft Notice of Availability Federal Register Notice for Final PWTF GP (pdf)
- Final Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (pdf)
- Appendix I - Standard Conditions and Definitions (pdf)
- Appendix II - National Historic Preservation Act Review & Requirements (pdf)
- Appendix III - Endangered Species Act Guidance & Eligibility Criteria (pdf)
- Appendix IV - Notice of Intent (NOI) Instructions and Suggested Notice of Intent Format (pdf)
- Appendix V - Notice of Termination (NOT) Instructions and Suggested Format (pdf)
- Appendix VI - Agency Addresses (pdf)
- Appendix VII: Dilution Factor Calculations for Massachusetts and New Hampshire (pdf)
- Fact Sheet (pdf)
- Administrative Adjustments to Final PWTF GP (pdf)
- EPA's PWTF GP No Effects Determination for Endangered Species Document to NMFS (pdf)
- NMFS' Concurrence Letter on EPA's PWTF GP No Effects Determination for Endangered Species (pdf)
EPA Contacts
NOI Processing and Technical Questions: Nathan Chien (Chien.Nathan@epa.gov); Telephone 617-918-1649; Mail Code WMP06-1.
State Contacts
MassDEP
- Xiaodan Ruan (Xiaodan.Ruan@state.ma.us), 617-654-6517
NHDES
- Hayley Franz (Hayley.Franz@des.nh.gov), 603-271-0671
Notices of Intent
Notices of Intent (NOI) will be posted on this page for a minimum of 30 days after EPA receives them. Please contact Olga Vergara if you have any questions regarding NOIs. Older NOIs are listed in the 2009 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) NOI archive. EPA will also post Notices of Termination (NOT), if received.
2009 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP)
The Final 2009 NPDES Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) in Massachusetts (MAG640000) and New Hampshire (NHG640000) was signed on September 25, 2009. The Notice of Availability of these Final PWTF GPs was published in the Federal Register on October 2, 2009. Copies of the Final PWTF GPs, attachments e to the Final PWTF GPs, and the Response to Comments, are available from the web links below. The 2009 NPDES Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) expired on October 2, 2014. However, facilities covered under that permit are administratively continued until the 2016 PWTF GP becomes final.
The Final 2009 PWTF GP established permit eligibility conditions, Notice of Intent (NOI) requirements, effluent limitations, standards, prohibitions, and best management practices for facilities that discharge to waters in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (including both Commonwealth and Indian country lands) and the State of New Hampshire. This general permit replaced the Water Treatment Facility GP that expired on November 15, 2005.
2009 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) Documents
- Federal Register Notice
- Final Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (pdf)
- Appendix I: Endangered Species Act Requirements (pdf)
- Appendix II: Endangered Species Act: County Species List (pdf)
- Appendix III: Historic Properties Requirements (pdf)
- Appendix IV: Notice of Intent (NOI) Instructions and Suggested Form (pdf)
- Appendix V: Notice of Termination (NOT) Instructions and Suggested Form (pdf)
- Appendix VI: Agency Addresses (pdf)
- Appendix VII: Dilution Factor Calculations for Massachusetts and New Hampshire (pdf)
Helpful Information and Links
- Response to Comments (pdf)
- Attachment A: Re-evaluation of Discharge Monitoring Report Aluminum Data (pdf)
- Fact Sheet (pdf)
- DMR Form (pdf)
- USFW Endangers Species web site
- National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places web site
Notices of Intent
Notices of Intent (NOI) were posted on this page for a minimum of 30 days after EPA received them. Please contact Nathan Chien (Chien.Nathan@epa.gov; Telephone 617-918-1649) if you have any questions regarding NOIs.
Older NOIs are listed in the PWTFGP NOI archive.