POTWs Want EPA Help Dealing with Effluent from Oil and Gas Facilities

Date: August 18, 2016

Source: News Room

Municipal wastewater utilities are asking EPA to broaden its planned review of centralized waste treatment (CWT) plants, saying that some treatment plants have inadequately characterized and treated wastewater often containing metal-bearing, oily, and organic wastes from oil and gas facilities. Some publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) -- municipal treatment plants -- "have experienced problems related to waste from CWTs, resulting from inadequate characterization and treatment of the wastes received," according to the National Association of Clean Water Agencies (NACWA) that represents POTWs. The group says that hauled wastes from CWTs that handle industrial wastewater can be taken to multiple POTWs and in multiple states, making tracking and trouble-shooting difficult for POTWs. "Additional federal standards for this category could help prevent pass-through and interference for POTWs."

NACWA also identifies two other areas the group says EPA should consider reviewing the current effluent rules -- landfills and the soap and detergent manufacturing sector. The group says that some POTWs have experienced interference with their ultraviolet (UV) disinfection from landfill leachate, and that the issue should be further studied to determine if national pretreatment standards for landfill leachate are necessary.

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