[Federal Register Volume 68, Number 60 (Friday, March 28, 2003)]
[Notices]
[Pages 15172-15173]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 03-7506]


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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY

[FRL-7474-4]


Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and 
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems

AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.

ACTION: Notice of availability.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making 
available the final Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of 
Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems 
(referred to here as the Management Guidelines). The purpose of the 
Management Guidelines is to improve the level of performance of 
decentralized wastewater treatment systems nationally through improved 
management programs. The Management Guidelines will help improve system 
performance by raising the quality of management programs, establishing 
minimum levels of activity, and institutionalizing the concept of 
management. Implementation of the Management Guidelines will also 
provide a greater range of options for cost-effectively meeting 
wastewater treatment needs and meeting water quality and public health 
goals. The primary audience for the Management Guidelines are state, 
tribal and local regulators and community officials that are 
responsible for regulating onsite and clustered systems.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any questions regarding the content of 
the Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and 
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems can be addressed 
to Joyce Hudson by e-mail at [email protected] or via U.S. mail to 
Joyce Hudson, U.S. EPA, Office of Wastewater Management (4204M), 1200 
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Decentralized wastewater treatment systems 
(commonly referred to as septic systems, private sewage systems, 
individual sewage systems, onsite sewage disposal systems or package 
plants) include onsite and clustered systems used to collect, treat, 
and disperse or reclaim wastewater from individual dwellings, 
businesses, or small communities and service areas. State agencies 
report that some of these systems have failed because of inappropriate 
siting or design or inadequate long-term maintenance. Historically high 
failure rates in some areas indicate a need for better management of 
these systems to protect public health and water quality. However, when 
onsite and clustered wastewater treatment systems are properly managed, 
they may, in many cases, be the most practical and least expensive way 
to treat household wastewater. In response to the need for improved 
management programs, EPA has developed the Management Guidelines to 
establish a benchmark for effective management. The purpose of the 
Management Guidelines is to raise the level of performance of onsite 
and clustered wastewater treatment systems through improved management 
programs. The Management Guidelines will be supplemented with a 
handbook for state, tribal, and local governments to use in upgrading 
management programs. The draft Handbook for Management of Onsite and 
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems is being 
published elsewhere in today's Federal Register for public comment.
    The Management Guidelines present a set of five model programs 
based on a comprehensive approach that relies on coordinating the 
responsibilities and actions among the state, tribal or local 
regulatory agency, the management entity or service provider and the 
system owner. The level of management needed increases as the 
sensitivity of the environment and/or the degree of technological 
complexity increases. A program's designation increases progressively 
from Model Program 1 through Model Program 5, reflecting the increased 
level of management activities

[[Page 15173]]

needed to achieve increasing water quality and public health goals. 
Adoption of the Management Guidelines is voluntary, however, EPA 
encourages states and communities to consider them as a basis for 
improving their onsite and clustered wastewater management program.
    The guidelines apply to both existing communities and to areas of 
new development that use onsite and clustered wastewater treatment 
systems of any size for residential and commercial wastewater treatment 
and dispersal.
    Background. Onsite and clustered wastewater treatment systems 
currently serve about 25 percent of U.S. homes and approximately 33 
percent of new development. States report that these wastewater 
treatment systems have failed because of inappropriate siting or design 
or inadequate long-term maintenance and that septic tank systems 
constitute the third most common source of ground water contamination.
    In April, 1997, EPA prepared its Response to Congress on the Use of 
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems. The report concluded that 
decentralized wastewater treatment technologies offer a cost-effective, 
long term wastewater solution for many communities. However, the report 
emphasized that decentralized technologies must be implemented in the 
context of a responsible management program to consistently achieve 
water quality and public health goals. The report identified the 
current lack of management as a barrier to successfully applying these 
otherwise promising technologies.
    In response to the need for improved management, EPA prepared a 
concept paper in the spring of 1999, which received considerable input 
from various stakeholders, including other federal agencies, state 
health agencies, environmental groups, trade associations and public 
interest groups. The result was a notice of availability of the draft 
Guidelines for Management of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Treatment 
Systems which was published in the Federal Register on October 6, 2000 
(65 FR 59840-59841) for public comment and included an annotated 
outline of an accompanying manual/handbook. During follow up outreach 
efforts conducted by EPA, stakeholders raised several key issues 
concerning the voluntary nature of the Guidelines, their flexibility, 
and possible implementation issues. EPA has addressed those issues and 
has received support from representatives of public and private 
organizations who believe national guidelines are important.
    You can get copies of the Management Guidelines by downloading the 
document at http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/decent/. Hard copies may be 
obtained from USEPA Publications Clearing House, PO Box 42419, 
Cincinnati, OH 45242. You may access this Federal Register notice 
electronically through the EPA Internet under the Federal Register 
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.

    Dated: March 18, 2003.
G. Tracy Mehan, III,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 03-7506 Filed 3-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P