Effluent limits

Scope

Implementation occurs under two related EPA programs, depending on the way an industrial facility discharges its wastewater:

Regulatory citations

• 40 CFR 129 — Toxic pollutant effluent standards
• 40 CFR 401 to 699 — Effluent guidelines and standards

Key definitions

• Act: The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq., 86 Stat. 816, Pub. L. 92-500.
• Blowdown: The minimum discharge of recirculating water for the purpose of discharging materials contained in the water, the further buildup of which would cause concentration in amounts exceeding limits established by best engineering practice.
• Discharge of pollutant(s): (1) The addition of any pollutant to navigable waters from any point source and (2) any addition of any pollutant to the waters of the contiguous zone or the ocean from any point source, other than from a vessel or other floating craft. The term “discharge” includes either the discharge of a single pollutant or the discharge of multiple pollutants.
• Effluent limitation: Any restriction established by the Administrator on quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological and other constituents which are discharged from point sources, other than new sources, into navigable waters, the waters of the contiguous zone or the ocean.
• Effluent limitations guidelines: Any effluent limitations guidelines issued by the Administrator pursuant to section 304(b) of the Act.
• Navigable waters: “Waters of the United States, including the territorial seas,” as defined in 120.2 of this chapter.
• New source: means any building, structure, facility or installation from which there is or may be the discharge of pollutants, the construction of which is commenced after the publication of proposed regulations prescribing a standard of performance under section 306 of the Act which will be applicable to such source if such standard is thereafter promulgated in accordance with section 306 of the Act.
• Noncontract cooling water: Water used for cooling which does not come into direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste product or finished product.
• Noncontact cooling water pollutants: Pollutants present in noncontact cooling waters.
• Point source: Any discernible, confined and discrete conveyance, including but not limited to any pipe, ditch, channel, tunnel, conduit, well, discrete fissure, container, rolling stock, concentrated animal feeding operation, or vessel or other floating craft, from which pollutants are or may be discharged.
• Pollutant: Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal and agricultural waste discharged into water. It does not mean (1) sewage from vessels or (2) water, gas or other material which is injected into a well to facilitate production of oil or gas, or water derived in association with oil or gas production and disposed of in a well, if the well, used either to facilitate production or for disposal purposes, is approved by authority of the State in which the well is located, and if such State determines that such injection or disposal will not result in degradation of ground or surface water resources.
• Pollution: The man-made or man induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological and radiological integrity of water.
• Process waste water: Any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product.
• Process waste water pollutants: Pollutants present in process waste water.
• Standard of performance: Any restriction established by the Administrator pursuant to section 306 of the Act on quantities, rates, and concentrations of chemical, physical, biological, and other constituents which are or may be discharged from new sources into navigable waters, the waters of the contiguous zone or the ocean.
• State water pollution control agency, interstate agency, State, municipality, person, territorial seas, contiguous zone, biological monitoring, schedule of compliance, and industrial user: Shall be defined in accordance with section 502 of the Act unless the context otherwise requires.

The following abbreviations shall have the following meanings:

• BOD5 means five-day biochemical oxygen demand;
• COD means chemical oxygen demand;
• TOC means total organic carbon;
• TDS means total dissolved solids;
• TSS means total suspended non-filterable solids;
• kw means kilowatt(s);
• kwh means kilowatt hour(s);
• Mw means megawatt(s);
• Mwh means megawatt hour(s);
• hp means horsepower;
• mm means millimeter(s);
• cm means centimeter;
• m means meter(s);
• in means inch;
• ft means foot (feet);
• l means liter(s);
• cu m means cubic meter(s);
• k cu m means 1000 cubic meter(s);
• gal means gallon(s);
• cu ft means cubic foot (feet);
• mg means milligram(s);
• g means gram(s);
• kg means kilogram(s);
• kkg means 1000 kilogram(s);
• lb means pound(s);
• sq m means square meter(s);
• ha means hectare(s);
• sq ft means square foot (feet); and
• ac means acre(s).

Summary of requirements

• Comply with the effluent limits in your water permit.
• Monitor discharges for all pollutants in your permit and report them to your permitting authority as required by the permit.