EMS Lecture 5 2015

Environmental Management Systems

Key Concepts of Clean Air Act

• MACT Implementation– The Clean Air Act required USEPA to develop MACT standards

for all major source categories of HAPs according to a schedule listed in the Act

– The schedule is divided into four groups: 2-year, 4-year, 7-year, and 10-year standards

– The2-year group must include at least 40 source categories (1992promulgation)

– the 4-year group must include source categories to bring the total to 25 percent of the list (1994 promulgation)

– the 7-year group must include an additional 25 percent (1997 promulgation)

– the 10-year group must include the remaining 50 percent 2000promulgation)

– All of the 2-year and 4 year standards have been promulgated on schedule


Environmental Legislation Prevention of water pollution in USA

• Summary of clean water regulation– The principal law governing pollution of the nation’s surface

waters is Clean Water Act

– Originally enacted in 1948, it was totally revised by amendments in 1972 that gave the Act its current shape

– The 1972 legislation spelled out ambitious programs for water quality improvement

• which has been expanded and are still being implemented by industries and municipalities

– Purpose of Clean Water Act (CWA) is to “restore and maintain the chemical, physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters”


• The Act requires states to develop

– water quality standards for each body of water– conduct assessments to determine whether standards are being

met– identify sources of water pollution– implement programs to control pollution

Environmental Legislation Prevention of water pollution in USA


Surface Water Runoff

• This type of pollution is usually called “nonpoint source” pollution – because it comes from a variety of sources rather than from a

single source of discharge

• Indeed, many everyday activities and traditional land use practices contribute to nonpoint source pollution


Storm Water Discharge

• Section 402 of the Clean Water Act directs the EPA to establish a storm water discharge permit program – to govern municipal and industrial storm water discharges

into waters

• Facilities subjects to the storm water requirements may apply for an individual group, or general permit,– depending on a facility’s specific circumstances

• Publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) collect wastewater from homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities– transport it via a series of pipes, known as a collection system,

to the treatment plant



• POTW removes harmful organisms and other contaminants from the sewage – so it can be discharged safely into the receiving stream

• Generally, POTWs are designed to treat domestic sewage only

• However, POTWs also receive wastewater from industrial (non-domestic) users

• POTWs are required to implement an industrial pretreatment program (IPP) – if they receive wastewater from an identified industry and/or in

volumes that exceed regulatory thresholds– Over the last twenty five years IPPs have been largely

responsible for the significant decrease in potentially toxic and hazardous materials being discharged by POTWs



• Thus, EPA and the states aggressively monitor and enforce the industrial pretreatment requirements – Violations are subject to the same CWA penalties

• General Pretreatment Regulations establish responsibilities of Federal, State, and local government – industry and the public to implement Pretreatment Standards to

control pollutants from the industrial users – which may pass through or interfere with POTW treatment

processes or which may contaminate sewage sludge


Spill Prevention and Notification

• Section 311 of the CWA establishes notification requirements relating to the discharge or spilling of oil or hazardous substances into the waters of the United States

• Spill Prevention Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans are – a cornerstone of EPA's strategy to prevent oil spills from

reaching nation's waters– Unlike oil spill contingency plans that typically address spill

cleanup measures after a spill has occurred.

• SPCC Plans ensure that facilities put in place containment and other countermeasures that would prevent oil spills that could reach navigable waters


Ground Water Protection and Control

• Importance of ground water as a source of drinking water

• Cost and difficulty of cleaning it up

• Best way to guarantee continued supplies of clean ground water is to prevent contamination

• Underground Injection Control (UIC) program of the Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) takes charge of the under ground water quality


Water quality regulations

• Clean Water Act (CWA) allows states to set their own water quality standards – requires that all beneficial uses and their protective criteria meet

the goals of the Act


Establishment of Water Quality Standards

• State water quality standards are established through a three-step process

– First, the state must designate the beneficial use for each body of water within the state• Fishing, recreation, and public water supply

are typical beneficial uses– Once the designated are set, the state must then

specify water quality criteria that will protect those designated uses

– After a state develops its water quality protection program, it is sent to EPA for approval


Water Quality Standards

• Water Quality Standards are the foundation of the water quality-based pollution control program mandated by the Clean Water Act

• Water Quality Standards define the goals for a water body by – designating its uses– setting criteria to protect those uses– establishing provisions to protect water bodies from

pollutants


Water Quality Standards

• Water quality standards may serve as the basis not only for imposing effluent limitations on point source dischargers

– but also for establishing controls for nonpoint sources under water quality management plans


Anti degradation

• Anti degradation refers to policies and procedures designed to prevent or minimize the deterioration of water quality below existing levels

• EPA created the anti degradation policy in response to the CWA directive to – “restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and

biological integrity of the nation’s water”


Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDL) Processes

• TMDL is the total amount of particular pollutants or parameters such as temperature – that sources can discharge into a receiving stream without

violating water quality standards

• TMDL process is an important part of the water-quality based approach to pollution control designed by EPA

• Process of calculating TMDL is essentially that of determining the capacity of each stream segment to assimilate pollutant discharges

• TMDL process establishes allowable loadings from the contributing point and non point sources to given water body



• It defines how much pollution reduction is necessary to achieve water quality standards

• TMDL = – non point source pollution and background + – point source waste load allocation +– margin of safety



• TMDL process is designed to provide the following information

– Inventory of all sources of a designated pollutant– An analysis of why pollution control are ineffective– A plan to monitor and evaluate progress toward achieving the

water quality standards– A list of pollution control strategies for reducing sources of the

pollutant– A prediction of the amount of time needed to restore and protect

water quality


Control of Non-Point Sources

• If water quality standards are to be met, non-point source pollution must be controlled

• An estimated two-thirds of the nation’s stream segments that fail to meet water quality criteria do so because of non point discharges

• CWA amended the Act and include:– which directs states to develop management programs to control

non point sources of pollution

• Section 319 requires states to prepare assessment reports to identify – non point source pollution problem areas – categories of non point source pollution


Control of Non-Point Sources

• Section 319 also directs states to identify Best Management Practices (BMPs)– It can be used to control non point source pollution – Develop management programs to document how and when the

states will address their non point management concerns


Best Management Practices (BMPs)

• BMPs are method and practices for preventing or reducing nonpoint source pollution to the level required to achieve water quality standards

• BMPs are identified in Section 319 of the Clean Water Act as the primary mechanism to enable nonpoint sources to achieve water quality standards

• BMPs as: – “Methods, measures, or practices selected by an agency to

meet its nonpoint source control need”

• BMPs can be applied before, during, and other pollution-producing activities to reduce or eliminate the introduction of pollutants into receiving waters


The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

• The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA) was initially enacted by congress in 1974

• Major amendments were made in 1986, and the Act was reauthorized and amended again in 1996

• Under SDWA, EPA sets standards for drinking water quality and oversees – the states, localities, and water suppliers who implement those

standards


The Safe Drinking Water Act (SDWA)

• SDWA

– Authorizes EPA to set standards for maximum levels of contaminants in drinking water

– Regulate the underground disposal of wastes in deep wells

– Designate areas that rely on a single aquifer for their water supply

– Establish a nationwide program to encourage the states to develop programs to protect public water supply wells (i.e., wellhead protection programs)


Applicability of SDWA

• Public Water Systems– According to its terms, the requirements of the SDWA

apply to public water systems– Act defines a “public water systems” as a system

providing piped water to the public for “human consumption”

– if such system has at least “15 service connections or regularly serves at least 25 individuals”

• One court decision has concluded that water for human consumption includes not only water that is used for drinking– but also water that is used for bathing and showering, cooking

and dish-washing, and maintaining oral hygiene


Applicability of SDWA

• Public Water Systems• Any industrial facility that provides water for human

consumption should ensure that they comply with the detailed requirements of the Act– because failure comply can subject the facility to both regulatory

penalties and civil liability

• Public Water System Supervision (PWSS) program– EPA implements and enforces drinking water standards to

protect public health


Primary Drinking Water Standards

• National Primary Drinking Water Regulations (NPDWRs or primary standards) – are legally enforceable standards that apply to public water

systems

• Primary standards protect public health – by limiting the levels of contaminants in drinking water

• Maximum contaminant levels (MCLs) are established for – a variety or organic and inorganic chemicals, turbidity, coliform

bacteria, and various measures of radioactivity


Primary Drinking Water Standards

• These regulations also

– specify monitoring and analytical requirements– Reporting– public notification– and record-keeping – special rules relating to filtration, disinfection, and the control of

lead and copper


Secondary Drinking Water Standards

• A National Secondary Drinking Water Regulation (NSDWR or secondary standard) – a non-enforceable guideline regarding contaminants that may

cause cosmetic effects or aesthetic effects (such as taste, odor, or color) in drinking water

• EPA recommends secondary standards to water systems but does not require systems to comply

• However, states may choose to adopt them as enforceable standards


Emergency Powers

• National drinking water standards are legally enforceable– which means that both US EPA and states can take enforcement

actions against water systems not meeting safety standards

• US EPA and states may issue administrative orders, take legal actions, or fine utilities

• US EPA and states also work to increase water systems, understanding of, and compliance with, standards


Water Discharge Permit

• Water pollution degrades surface waters making them unsafe for drinking, fishing, swimming, and other activities

• As authorized by the Clean Water Act– the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)

permit program was regulated– Controls water pollution by regulating point sources that

discharge pollutants into waters of the United States

• Point sources– These are the readily identifiable inputs where waste is

discharged to the receiving waters from a pipe or drain– Most industrial wastes are discharged to rivers and the sea in

this way



– With few exceptions, most point source waste discharges, are controlled by EPA through a works approval and licensing system

– The license for each input specifies the quality and quantity of the waste permitted to be discharged to a river, lake or the sea at a particular location

• Non Point sources– Non-point sources of pollution refer to those inputs which occur

over a wide area and are associated with particular land uses, as opposed to individual point source discharges

– Examples are Urban land areas, agricultural land use, forest land use

– Control of water pollution using non point sources is much difficult



• Individual homes that are connected to a municipal system, use a septic system, or do not have a surface discharge do not need an NPDES permit– however, industrial, municipal, and other facilities must obtain

permits if their discharges go directly to surface waters

• In most cases, the NPDES permit program is administered by authorized states

• Since its introduction in 1972, the NPDES permit program is responsible for significant improvements to our Nation's water quality


Releases Not Covered by an NPDES Permit

• Discharges from POTWs under an NPDES permit that meet the requirements of the Clean Water Act – generally shielded from Storm water discharge permit

• However, planned or unplanned discharges from sewer systems and discharges originating from locations not specifically listed in the NPDES permit– Not shielded from enforcement actions


Summary of Clean Water Regulations

• Water quality standards especially those for drinking water are set by the – Indian Council of Medical Research

• The discharge of industrial effluent is regulated by the– Indian Standard Codes and water quality standards



• Legislations to control water pollution are listed below– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Act, 1977,

amended 1992 : (http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water7.html)

– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess (Amendment) Act, 2003.

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wc_act_03.doc– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Act, 1974,

amended 1988

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wat1.html– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Cess Rules,

1978

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water8.html


http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wc_act_03.doc

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/wat1.html




– The Water (Prevention and Control of Pollution) Rules, 1975

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/water/water2.html– Central Board for the Prevention and Control of Water Pollution

(Procedure for Transaction of Business) Rules, 1975 amended 1976


• Full Information about Acts, Rules, and notification for water pollution is given in following website

http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/legis.html#A



http://www.envfor.nic.in/legis/legis.html

EMS Lecture 5 2015

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Transcript of EMS Lecture 5 2015