PA SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

PA SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

FOR RELEASE: FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 16, 1996

EPA PROPOSING TO LIFT RESTRICTIONS ON SOME DISCHARGE REQUIREMENTS FOR SOME SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANTS

In a streamlining action designed to provide more flexibility for certain sewage treatment plants that discharge into marine waters, EPA is proposing to lift some restrictions on how these facilities meet Clean Water Act waste removal requirements. Under the Clean Water Act (section 301(h)), municipal facilities discharging to marine waters can obtain a waiver from secondary treatment requirements if they remove at least 30 percent of the oxygen-depleting waste. Currently, the 30 percent requirement must be based on a monthly average. Last year, the city of Anchorage, Alaska, and other Alaskan municipalities filed a lawsuit challenging the existing provision on eligibility of facilities to apply for a longer averaging period for meeting the 30 percent requirement. In response, EPA is proposing to lift the restriction and allow the 45 municipalities that operate under the 301(h) program to apply for a longer averaging period. This change would provide the affected municipalities with additional flexibility and, in some cases, cost-savings without compromising environmental quality. The proposal, which will be subject to a public comment period, will be published in the Federal Register within the next two weeks. For more information, the general public can call Virginia Fox-Norse in EPA's Water Office at 202-260-8448.

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