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Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Involving the Federal, State and local governments EPA HQ

Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Involving the Federal, State and local governments EPA HQ EPA Regions DOJ State Water State AGs District Attorneys Sewer Districts Municipals Counties Greg V. Arthur, US EPA Region 9, San Francisco, California, USA. EPA Environmental Engineer

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Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Involving the Federal, State and local governments EPA HQ

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  1. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Involving the Federal, State and local governments • EPA HQ • EPA Regions • DOJ • State Water • State AGs • District Attorneys • Sewer Districts • Municipals • Counties • Greg V. Arthur, US EPA Region 9, San Francisco, California, USA

  2. EPA Environmental Engineer • EPA Region 9, Clean Water Act Compliance Office • Sewage Treatment • Industrial Wastewater • Municipal / State Audits • Civil Enforcement • inspections / audits • administrative orders • judicial settlements • Criminal Enforcement • investigations • judicial trials local sewer district guys Federal EPA regional guy

  3. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Mostly Above Board • Little corruption • Diffused power • Defined compliance • achievable • clear pathways • measurable • consistent • Open access to • records batch industrial wastewater treatment unit for oil and toxic shipyard process waters

  4. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • National Standards • Best-Available- • Technology • treatment (BAT) • BAT defined for • most high-strength • wastewaters • The end result has • been widespread • treatment activated sludge aeration tanks at a municipal sewage treatment plant

  5. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Broad Public Support • clean air • clean water • unspoiled lands • getting rid of • toxic dumps • wildlife protection • The public benefits • but does not bear • the costs directly industrial wastewater treatment unit for toxic metals and acids at a plating shop

  6. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US But, no broad agree- ment on the value of environmental protection by those who are regulated So … what motivates dischargers to comply with water pollution laws? facultative lagoon for organics destruction and nitrogen capture at an animal feed lot

  7. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Level Playing Field • national standards • national enforce- • ment policies • recovery of the • economic benefit • of non-compliance • states / locals must • be as stringent • political independence deep shaft bioreactors with dissolved air flotation of solids from cheese wastes

  8. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Protection of • Public Investment • domestic sewers • storm sewers • sewage treatment • water supplies • irrigation districts • landfills • metal cleaning and plating wastewaters at a faucet company captured for off-hauling

  9. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Data-driven and • Predictable • compliance deter- • mined by sampling • national guidelines • for test methods • national policy: • not sampling is • equal to a failure • to meet standards biotower preceding activated sludge contact at a municipal sewage treatment plant

  10. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Most work done by • state / local agencies • delegation of • authorities • partial national • funding for states • national oversight • national reporting • mandated • requirements rotating-drum electrowinning silver recovery for a movie film processing plant in California

  11. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Reasons for effective environmental enforcement in the US • Little corruption • National standards • Broad public support • Level playing field • Protection of • Public investment • Data-driven and • Predictable • State delegation • Locally mandated As a result, Most compliance is achieved through voluntary compliance. Some is achieved through administrative enforcement. Use of governmental power through courts is rarely necessary. control room for a sewage treatment plant owned by a small city, under a State permit

  12. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Some weaknesses in environmental enforcement in the US • Data management • Governmental • Sources of Pollution • Federal installations • State agencies • City utilities • Developing State • capability • National goals • New technologies chemically-aided de-emulsion and oil water separation unit for oily ships bilge waters

  13. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger Arizona copper mine – smelter, concentrator, open pit mining, heap leaching, solvent extraction / electrowinning, rod plant

  14. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger Pinal Creek Old Webster Lake Tailings Mining Area Heap Leach

  15. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger • Mining started • 100 years ago • Acidic drainage • impounded in • Webster Lake • 1.4 billion gals • Leaked through • underground • stream gravel • pH ~ 2.0 Pre 1989 – artist’s rendition Old Webster Lake – Dry since 1989

  16. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger Perennial Flow 14 stream miles LPC Wellfield and Slurry Barrier Wall LPC Ground Water Treatment Plant Lower Pinal Creek Webster Lake

  17. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger • Leading edge • captured and • pumped to the • LPC Ground • Water Treat- • ment Plant • All underground • stream flows • intercepted LPC Wellfield and Slurry Barrier Wall

  18. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger • Two-stage • metals precipi- • tation at pHs • of 7 and 10 • Floc / settling • Tertiary filters • $2 million per • year to operate • 30% total cost • of mine closure Lower Pinal Creek Water Treatment Facility

  19. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger • Restoration • of the creek • No surfacing of • acidic or • metals-bearing • ground waters • Salts are still • flushing out of • stream bed Discharge from LPC Water Treatment Plant

  20. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Cooperative Discharger • 1983 CAAG Study • 1987 EPA Order • 1988 USGS Study • 1990 Arizona Ground • Water Permit • 1992 Arizona WQARF • “state superfund” • 1997 Discharger Study • 2000 NPDES permit • 2007 NPDES renewal Pinal Creek downstream

  21. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Case Study – Uncooperative Discharger California job-shop electroplater discharging to a municipal sewer system under municipal permit

  22. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act

  23. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Warehouse Plating Shop Wastewater Treatment Plating Shop Plating Shop

  24. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act treatment

  25. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act concealed standpipe #1 dye bypassed treatment standpipe cover

  26. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act treatment

  27. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act treatment

  28. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act concealed under pump assembly concealed standpipe #2 dye bypassed treatment

  29. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act Cr 0.9 mg/lZn 18.0 mg/lCd 1.7 mg/l treatment Cr 1.0 mg/lZn 20.7 mg/lCd 0.8 mg/l

  30. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act treatment

  31. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • best-available-technology • cyanide destruction • chromium reduction • metals precipitation • flocculation • settling • sand filtration • filter press and dryer • adequate capacity • segregated treatmen • batch treatment of spents • acids • cyanide-bearing

  32. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act sample point filter press dryer cyanide destruct influent wastewaters sludge hold cn-sump gen-sump acid-sump chrome reduxn metals precip sand filt cyanide destruct floc clarifier

  33. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act sample point filter press dryer cyanide destruct influent wastewaters sludge hold cn-sump gen-sump acid-sump chrome reduxn metals precip sand filt cyanide destruct floc clarifier

  34. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act diversion valve closed discharge line cyanide return line

  35. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act diversion valve open sewer cyanide return line

  36. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act sample point filter press dryer cyanide destruct influent wastewaters sludge hold cn-sump gen-sump acid-sump chrome reduxn metals precip sand filt cyanide destruct floc clarifier

  37. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act diversion valve open Cd – 48.0 mg/l Zn – 2490. mg/l CN – 18.0 mg/l Pb -2.07 mg/l Cr – 67.6 mg/l Cu – 10.9 mg/l Ni – 2.36 mg/l diversion valve closed Cd – 0.7 mg/l Zn – 1.3 mg/l

  38. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act 1983 – quarterly local inspections 1993 – EPA audit of local program 1999 – informant tip to FBI 2000 – joint search under warrant 2001 – local daily sampling 2002 – Federal criminal settlement

  39. Enforcement of the Clean Water Act • Questions or Comments • EPA HQ • EPA Regions • DOJ • State Water • State AGs • District Attorneys • Sewer Districts • Municipals • Counties • Greg V. Arthur, US EPA Region 9, San Francisco, California, USA

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