[Federal Register Volume 83, Number 170 (Friday, August 31, 2018)]
[Notices]
[Pages 44623-44625]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2018-19016]
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ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0420; FRL-9983-12-OW]
Public Listening Session; Stakeholder Input on Peak Flows
Management
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
ACTION: Notice.
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SUMMARY: The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is interested in the
views of the public on possible approaches to updating the National
Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) regulations related to
the management of peak wet weather flows at Publicly Owned Treatment
Works (POTWs) treatment plants serving separate sanitary sewer
collection systems. Consequently, EPA is inviting interested members of
the public to three planned listening sessions on: October 16, 2018 at
EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC, October 24, 2018 at EPA Region 7 in
Lenexa, Kansas, and October 30, 2018 to be held online. EPA welcomes
oral or written information at the listening sessions as well as any
other information the public may wish to provide EPA through the docket
(Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0420).
DATES: The in-person listening sessions will be held at EPA
Headquarters in Washington, DC on October 16, 2018 from 9:00 a.m. to
2:00 p.m. EDT; and in EPA Region 7 in Lenexa, Kansas on October 24,
2018 from 9:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. CDT. In addition to the in-person
listening sessions, EPA will hold an online listening session on
October 30, 2018 from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT.
For those who intend to submit written statements to the docket,
EPA is asking that this information be provided before October 31,
2018.
ADDRESSES: The in-person listening sessions will be held at the
following locations:
For the EPA Headquarters in Washington, DC listening
session: US EPA Headquarters, William Jefferson Clinton East Building,
Room 1153, 1201 Constitution Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20004;
For the EPA Region 7 listening session: 11201 Renner
Blvd., Lenexa, KS 66219.
The online listening session will be accessible though https://www.epa.gov/npdes/peak-flows-sewage-treatment-plants.
To register for any of the listening sessions go to: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/peak-flows-sewage-treatment-plants.
To submit written information to EPA: Submit any written statements
or input, identified by Docket ID No. EPA-HQ-OW-2018-0420, to the
Federal eRulemaking Portal: http://www.regulations.gov. Follow the
online instructions for submitting comments. Once submitted, comments
cannot be edited or withdrawn. EPA may publish any comment received to
its public docket. Do not submit electronically any information you
consider to be Confidential Business Information (CBI) or other
information whose disclosure is restricted by statute. Multimedia
submissions (audio, video, etc.) must be accompanied by a written
comment. The written comment is considered the official comment and
should include discussion of all points you wish to make. EPA will
generally not consider comments or comment contents located outside of
the primary submission (i.e., on the web, cloud, or other file sharing
system). For additional submission methods, the full EPA public comment
policy, information about CBI or multimedia submissions, and general
guidance on making effective comments, please visit http://www2.epa.gov/dockets/commentingepa-dockets.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jamie Piziali, Water Permits Division,
Office of Water, Environmental Protection Agency, 1200 Pennsylvania
Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20460; telephone number: 202-564-1709; or
email: [email protected]. Also see the following website for
additional information regarding the rulemaking: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/municipal-wastewater.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
[[Page 44624]]
I. General Information
A. Public Listening Session
i. Public Listening Sessions: EPA will hold two public listening
sessions to gather feedback from interested members of the public on
the issues and concerns that the Agency should be aware of during this
rulemaking. The public listening sessions will begin with EPA providing
a brief background on peak flows management issues and EPA's goals for
this rulemaking. This will then be followed by an opportunity for the
public to provide input on these issues. EPA is asking that oral
statements be limited to three minutes or less and is welcoming written
statements at the sessions. Each listening session will begin at 9:00
a.m. local time and continue until all those wishing to speak have had
a chance to provide comments, or until 2:00 p.m., whichever comes
first. A transcript of oral remarks made during the listening sessions
will be at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/municipal-wastewater and included
in the rulemaking docket.
ii. Online Listening Session: In addition to the in-person
listening sessions, EPA will also hold a ``virtual'' listening session
via a webcast on October 30, 2018, from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. EDT.
The same format will be followed as that for the in-person listening
session. After a presentation from EPA, members of the public may call
in and give brief (three-minute or less) statements. Audience members
will be able to listen to the webcast and all public statements through
their computer speakers. A transcript of oral remarks made during the
listening sessions will be at https://www.epa.gov/npdes/peak-flows-sewage-treatment-plants and included in the rulemaking docket.
B. Additional Information and Public Meeting Registration
Prior to each listening session, EPA will post any relevant
materials to the following website: https://www.epa.gov/npdes/peak-flows-sewage-treatment-plants. Information posted to the website will
include any handouts that may be provided at the meeting as well as a
web link that participants may use to register for the public meeting
in advance. Advanced registration is not required, but is requested so
that EPA can ensure there is sufficient space and time allotted for
those who wish to participate. The listening session will continue
until all speakers in attendance have had a chance to provide comments,
or the listed end time, whichever comes first. If you choose not to
pre-register to speak, it is recommended that you arrive at the start
of the listening session to register in person in order to ensure the
opportunity to participate.
II. Background
EPA is providing the following background information to assist the
public in preparing for the listening sessions. Under the Clean Water
Act (CWA), municipal sewage treatment plants or Publicly Owned
Treatment Works (POTWs) treatment plants are required to comply with
prescribed restrictions on their discharges to a water of the United
States. Specifically, each POTW must obtain an NPDES permit that will
require, at a minimum, that the treatment plant's discharge meet
effluent limitations for secondary treatment. See CWA Sec.
1311(b)(1)(B) and Sec. 1342(a), 40 CFR 133 and 40 CFR 122.44(a)(1).
The permit will also require meeting any more stringent effluent
limitations that are necessary to meet applicable water quality
standards. See CWA Sec. 1311(b)(1)(C), Sec. 1342(a), and 40 CFR
122.44(d). The permit will also require the POTW operator to comply
with other terms and conditions based on the NPDES regulations at 40
CFR 122. These include, for example, requirements regarding monitoring
and reporting of discharges and proper operation and maintenance of
POTW facilities and systems of treatment.
Many sewage treatment processes may be used to comply with these
effluent requirements. Most municipalities use a series of unit
processes to treat wastewater prior to discharge including the
following:
Preliminary treatment or screening to remove large solids,
primary clarification (or preliminary sedimentation) to
remove floating and settleable solids,
biological treatment (also referred to as secondary
treatment) to remove biodegradable organic pollutants and suspended
solids, and
disinfection to deactivate pathogens.
Some facilities also provide more advanced treatment, which is
designed to reduce constituents, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, that
are not removed in any significant quantity by traditional biological
treatment processes.
Sanitary sewer collection systems are designed to remove wastewater
from homes and other buildings and convey it to a wastewater treatment
plant. The collection system is a critical element in the successful
performance of the POTW's wastewater treatment operation. Collection
systems are designed in one of two ways. Combined sewer systems are
designed to collect both stormwater and sanitary wastewater for
delivery to the treatment plant. By contrast, separate sanitary sewers
are designed to carry only sanitary wastewater (separate sanitary
sewers typically are built with some allowance, however, for higher
flows that occur during storm events in order to handle minor and non-
excessive amounts of stormwater or groundwater that enter the system
through infiltration and inflow or ``I/I''). EPA notes that, at this
time, it contemplates the scope of the rulemaking would be limited to
peak flows at POTWs with separate sanitary sewer systems.
Significant increases in flows at a treatment facility can create
operational challenges and potentially adversely affect the treatment
efficiencies. Biological treatment components at treatment plants are
particularly vulnerable to high-volume peak flows. Where peak influent
flows during periods of wet weather exceed the treatment capacity of
existing biological or advanced treatment units, POTWs must consider
ways in which to prevent damage to their treatment plant, while
maintaining effective operation of the system to meet applicable NPDES
permit limitations. Under these conditions, POTW operators use several
different strategies which may include a combination of alternative
treatment approaches, storage, and sewer maintenance and rehabilitation
work to minimize the amount of stormwater that enters the collection
system through I/I.
Among the peak flow management approaches that have been used or
considered are those involving the diversion of a portion of the peak
flows around biological or advanced treatment units. The diverted flow
is then recombined with flows from the biological treatment units.
Other alternatives include the installation of various treatment
processes at the POTW that supplement the plant's ability to process
and treat peak flows. Refer to EPA's Draft Summary of Blending
Practices and the Discharge of Pollutants for Different Blending
Scenarios (EPA, June 2014) at https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/sso_lit_review_draft.pdf. These approaches have
been the subject of previous EPA policymaking efforts that have not
been adopted. See 68 FR 63042 (November 7, 2003), and 70 FR 76013
(December 22, 2005). EPA has also looked at the potential public health
implications of these different approaches. See Summary of June 19-20,
2014, Experts Forum on Public Health Impacts of Blending (EPA, May
2015) at https://
[[Page 44625]]
www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-10/documents/
experts_forum_summary.pdf.
POTWs with separate sanitary sewer systems can also lessen the
impact of peak flows by implementing a variety of strategies to
minimize the introduction of stormwater into the collection system.
While virtually every separate sanitary sewer system has some
groundwater infiltration and stormwater-derived I/I, it may be
considered excessive when it is the cause of overflows or causes
disruptions in the treatment system. POTWs with excessive I/I have a
number of different methods for identifying the largest sources of I/I
in their sewer system. These include system mapping, flow monitoring,
conducting smoke or dye tests, sensor technology, and using optical
devices to view sections of the system. Developing plans for correcting
and rehabilitating the highest priority sources of I/I into the
collection system may involve such strategies as repairing manholes,
replacing and repairing private building lateral pipes, ensuring
building downspouts are not connected to the sewer system, sealing
sewer joints, inserting sewer liners, or even replacing sections of the
sewer line. Other strategies may focus on maximizing existing
collection system capacity through real-time controls to optimize flows
within the system, or building additional storage within the collection
system or treatment plant.
EPA acknowledges the significant expertise that exists among
states, tribes, POTWs and municipal officials, engineering firms,
public health agencies, and the public related to these issues. These
listening sessions are designed to take advantage of this information
from a variety of perspectives to help provide a complete picture of
the considerations that should go into any rulemaking to address
permitting requirements for the management of peak flows at POTWs with
separate sanitary sewer systems.
III. Areas of Feedback Requested for Public Listening Sessions
Interested members of the public who plan to provide oral or
written testimony at the listening sessions, or to submit written
material to EPA separately as detailed in the instructions provided in
the ADDRESSES section of this notice, are welcome to provide their
input on any issue related to the topic of peak flow management at POTW
treatment plants with separate sanitary sewer systems. But EPA
particularly welcomes feedback from the public on the following
specific questions.
What strategies have you found to be successful in
reducing peak flow volumes at the POTW treatment plant?
What permitting or other regulatory approaches are you
aware of that in your opinion provide a good basis for any rulemaking
in this area?
What treatment technologies have POTWs with separate
sanitary sewer systems used successfully to manage peak excess flows
during wet weather? How effective are these technologies at meeting
effluent limitations? What are examples of technologies addressing
other pollutants not typically subject to discharge requirements in
NPDES permits (e.g., pathogens)? Related to these questions, do you
have supporting treatment efficacy data that you would be willing to
share with EPA for this rulemaking?
What are your specific suggestions regarding conditions
that could be included in NPDES permits to allow diversions of some
peak flows around biological treatment units to protect the treatment
plant? Considerations could include:
--What information might the NPDES permitting authority need in order
to determine whether such diversions are necessary to protect the
treatment plant?
--Should the number of times such diversions are permitted to occur be
limited or reported?
--Are there any requirements that should be considered for ensuring
that the treatment plant is operated and maintained in an effective
manner to minimize the number of peak flow diversions that occur?
--What requirements would be appropriate for ensuring that maintenance
of the collection system to minimize the introduction of stormwater
into the sanitary system through inflow and infiltration is occurring?
--What monitoring and reporting requirements would be important to
demonstrate that applicable effluent limits are still being met?
--How may the permit ensure that public and ecological health is
protected?
Authority: Clean Water Act, 33 U.S.C. 1251 et seq.
Dated: August 24, 2018.
Martha Shimkin,
Acting Director, Office of Wastewater Management.
[FR Doc. 2018-19016 Filed 8-30-18; 8:45 am]
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