climb the ladders/ avoid chutes the ladders/ avoid the chutes bob baumgartner clean water services...
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Climb the Ladders/ /Avoid the Chutes
bBob BaumgartnerClean Water Services
Take Away MessageTake Away Message
•• Take Ownership of your analysisTake Ownership of your analysisTake Ownership of your analysisTake Ownership of your analysis
dd b fb f ki h hki h h•• Be prepared Be prepared beforebefore working through process working through process with DEQwith DEQ
ReasoningReasoning
• If Reasonable Potential is found……..– Permit must have limits to ensure pollutants do not cause or contribute to a excursion from Water Quality standard
• There is no going back– Anti‐ backsliding provisions
C li b i– Compliance can be expensive
• Time may help toA k Q ti– Ask Questions
– Evaluate options and alternatives
– Prevent conditions lead to reasonable potentialPrevent conditions lead to reasonable potential
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments (1972)
• Goal: “…restore and maintain the chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the nation’s waters”
• Established core program implemented todayimplemented today
NPDES permit program Industrial pretreatment program
Effl li i b d h l d Effluent limits based on technology and water quality considerations
Construction Grants Program Provided for States to implement
programs Established significant penalties for
permit violations Citizen Lawsuits
Designated UsesWater quality standards must specify appropriate uses to be achieved and protected.Commonly defined uses: • Aquatic life habitat• Wildlife propagation• Recreation
– primaryp y– secondary
• Public water supply• Agricultural water supply• Agricultural water supply• Industrial water supply• Navigationg
Water Quality StandardsQ y
• A water quality standard defines the water quality goals of a waterbody, or portion thereof, by designating the use or uses to be made of the water
d b tti it i t t t thand by setting criteria necessary to protect the uses
• States are responsible for adopting water quality standards for surface watersstandards for surface waters
• Standards are reviewed every 3 years (triennial review) (or so )review) (or so…)
• EPA has oversight authority review and approval
Section 303(d) PlanningSection 303(d) PlanningSection 303(d) PlanningSection 303(d) Planning
Lists water bodies not meeting standardsLists water bodies not meeting standards
Updated every 2 years (or so)
S i fl bl i lStatus may influence Reasonable Potential
• (d)(1)(A) Each State shall identify those waters … for which the effluent(d)(1)(A) Each State shall identify those waters … for which the effluent limitations ..are not stringent enough to implement any water quality standard….
• (d)(1)(C) Each State shall establish for the waters identified ….. the total maximum daily load, for those ……at a level necessary to implement the applicable water quality standards with seasonal variations and a margin of safety which takes into account any lack of knowledge concerning the relationship between effluent limitations and water quality.relationship between effluent limitations and water quality.
Technology & Water Quality Limitsgy y
Basis: Technology Water Quality
CWA Goal: Zero Discharge Fishable/Swimmable
(Performance) (WQ Standards)
Technology‐based Effluent LimitsTechnology based Effluent Limits
• Establish minimum level of pollutant controlsp
• Provide equity among dischargers within categories
• National technology‐based standards gy
– secondary treatment standards for POTWs
– effluent guidelines for certain categories ofeffluent guidelines for certain categories of industrial discharges
• In the absence of national standards
– technology‐based requirements developed on a case‐by‐case basisy
Water Quality based Effluent LimitsWater Quality based Effluent Limits• If technology limits are not protective of water qualityprotective of water quality…
• WQBELs are developedp•Individual pollutant specific•Site specificO tl h•Oregon currently has:
•OAR 340‐41 (Conventional)•OAR 340‐41‐0033•127 Toxic Pollutant Parameters•113 Human Health Parameter
Mixing Zonesg
Reasonable Potential Analysis (RPA)y ( )• CFR 122.44(d)(1)(ii) ..if a pollutant has
bl i l ibreasonable potential to cause or contribute to an excursion from a water quality criterion, h i i ffl li i fthe permit must contain effluent limits for that pollutant.
• Statistically based approach
• Methodology/statistics in EPA’s Technical gy/Support Document for Water Quality Based Toxics Control (1985 – 1991)( )
Screening ExerciseScreening Exercise
• Know suite of pollutants to reviewKnow suite of pollutants to review
• If effluent above a criteria, run through RPA
f i di• If outcome indicates RPA
Start asking questions Start asking questions
Searching for laddersSearching for ladders
Potential Chutes & LaddersPotential Chutes & Ladders• Standards and Criteria
d l• Process has already started
• 303d listing
• Mixing Zone, dilution
• Monitoring Requirements
• Many chutes also ladder
• EPA TSD methodology (DEQ) conservative, creates chutes
• Data Quality– Reporting levels
• Background Data
Effl Q li
• Source needs to build and bring ladders
• Best to know what ladders to • Effluent Quality
• RPA methodology– Conservative
Confidence / Probability
bring before entering process with DEQ
– Confidence / Probability
• Alternative methods
• Treatment\Preventionl• Compliance Strategy
Effective LaddersEffective Ladders • Data precession and amount,
– False positives, outliers, ultra clean, background
• Representative Information – Has something changed ?
• Application of discretion within method– Coefficient of variation, sample frequency, Probability
• Refined analytical methods– Seasonal analysis
– Rigorous statistical analyses, dynamic simulation
• Mixing Zone – Design, dilution, location, flows, dynamic analysisg , , , , y y
• Compliance strategies– Treatment, pretreatment, pollution prevention
– RegulatoryRegulatory
Effective Pollution Control Options
• Legacy Pollutants
Dependent on individual or class of pollutant
g y– Pesticides, PCBs
• Industrial Compounds– Metals, Volatiles
• Consumer Products– Plastizers (2‐bis‐ethyl phthalate)Plastizers (2 bis ethyl phthalate)
• Chlorination byproducts– Trihalomethanes
• Earth Metals• As, Fe, Mn
Pollution Prevention
Compliance Strategiesif after all that …..
How to meet water quality standardsHow to meet water quality standards
• Reduce Discharge
l li f• Regulatory Relief
Implementation may be expensive
Carry regulatory burden
• ReportingReporting
• Compliance
Compliance Options (traditional)p p ( )DomesticDomestic
IndustrialIndustrial
Reduce SourcesIncrease Treatment
CommercialCommercialInfluentInfluentWastewaterWastewaterCommercialCommercial WastewaterWastewater
Reuse/re-evaluate mixing zone
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mixing zone
Compliance Options (Regulatory)
Increase TreatmentReduce Sources
Compliance Options (Regulatory)
Regulatory Tools:Reuse/re-evaluate
mixing zone
Regulatory Tools:•Intake credits•Site specific standards•Variance•UAATMDL
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•TMDLs
Achieve StandardsAchieve Standards
Bridging strategyTMDLsVariancesC li O dCompliance Orders
UAAChange the useChange the useChange the standard
Site SpecificSite SpecificNew criteria
RPA Spreadsheet
Raj KapurClean Water Services
Reasonable Potential Analysis (RPA)y ( )• CFR 122.44(d)(1)(ii) states that if a pollutant h bl i lhas reasonable potential to cause or contribute to an exceedance of a water
li i i h i iquality criterion, the permit must contain effluent limits for that pollutant.
• Statistically based approach
• Methodology/statistics in EPA’s Technical gy/Support Document for Water Quality Based Toxics Control
RPA Spreadsheet Goalsp• RPA spreadsheet is used to answer two basic
iquestions:
• Is there reasonable potential for a discharge to cause or contribute to an exceedance of a water quality criterion?
• For pollutants that have reasonable potential, what effluent limits should be established such that water quality criterion are met?
RPA Spreadsheet Formatp• RPA spreadsheet divided into two general
icategories
– First few tabs determine whether there is reasonable potential
– The last few tabs are to calculate effluent limitsThe last few tabs are to calculate effluent limits for pollutants for which there is reasonable potential
RPA Evaluation – 4 Stepsp• Step 1: Conduct effluent monitoring for required pollutantsrequired pollutants
• Step 2: Conduct screening evaluation to ID POCs that require additional characterization
• Step 3: Conduct effluent/receiving stream• Step 3: Conduct effluent/receiving stream characterization for POCs
• Step 4: Conduct RPA evaluation
RPA Spreadsheet Inputs p p• RPA spreadsheet utilizes the following i f iinformation:
• WWTF effluent data
• Receiving stream characterization (if necessary)
i i dil i i f i (if )• Mixing zone dilution information (if necessary)
• Water quality criteria (already included)
RPA Spreadsheet ConsiderationspSpreadsheet evaluates a number of issues• Effluent variabilityEffluent variability
• # of samples, log normal distribution, statistics, etc.
• Stream characterization• background levels/available assimilative capacity
• Mixing zone information• Dilution factors
• Type of water quality standardsA ti lif t d d /H h lth t d d• Aquatic life standards/Human health standards
• Statistics for effluent concentrations/stream background levels
• Statistics for effluent flows/stream flows to define dilution factors
Summary of Input Variablesy p
RPA Evaluation – Next StepspIs there reasonable potential to exceed
WQS?
YES NO
Options:•Use of robust effluent dataR b t b k d d t
Done
•Robust background data•Seasonality•Mixing zone dilutions•Combination of above
RPA Process – Take Away Messagesy g• Be proactive/stay engaged
• Permittee should conduct screening analysis and full scale RPA evaluation
– Determine need for additional data
f l l (– Determine need for additional evaluations (i.e. mixing zone)
• Ensure that the best available information is used in conducting the analysis