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Wastewater is the spent or used water from homes, communities, farms and businesses that contains enough harmful material to damage the water's quality. Wastewater includes both domestic sewage and industrial waste from manufacturing sources. Metals, organic pollutants, sediment, bacteria and viruses may all be found in wastewater. As a result, untreated wastewater can cause serious harm to the environment and threaten human life. EPA regulates the discharge and treatment of wastewater under the Clean Water Act. The National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) issues permits to all wastewater dischargers and treatment facilities. These permits establish specific discharge limits, monitoring and reporting requirements and may also require these facilities to undertake special measures to protect the environment from harmful pollutants.
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Browse these EPA Wastewater subtopics
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Aquatic Ecosystems
Coral Reefs,
Estuaries,
Freshwater Ecosystems,
Lakes,
Marine Ecosystems,
Oceans,
Rivers and Streams,
Watersheds,
Wetlands
Drinking Water
Drinking Water System,
Protection
Ground Water
Discharge,
Hydrogeology,
Protection,
Runoff,
Wells
Storm Water
Industrial Storm Water,
Permits,
Sanitary Sewer Overflows (SSOs),
Wet Weather Programs
Surface Water
Dumping,
Marine Debris
Wastewater
Biosolids,
Discharges,
Effluent Guidelines,
Effluents,
Industrial Wastewater,
Municipal Wastewater Treatment,
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES),
Permits,
Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs),
Standards,
Treatment,
Wastewater Systems
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Water Pollutants
Arsenic,
Contaminated Sediment,
Disinfection Byproducts,
Lead,
Mercury,
Microbial Pathogens
Water Pollution
Community Involvement,
Nonpoint Sources,
Point Sources,
Reporting,
Testing
Water Pollution Control
Pretreatment,
Primary Treatment,
Remediation,
Trading,
Wastewater Treatment
Water Pollution Legal Aspects
Compliance,
Guidance,
Legislation,
Permits,
Regulations,
Standards,
Total Maximum Daily Loads (TMDLs)
Water Quality Monitoring
Bioassessment,
Criteria,
Health Advisories,
Models,
Standards
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