Effluent Limitations Guidelines, Pretreatment Standards, and New Source Performance Standards for the Centralized Waste Treatment Point Source Category

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is amending certain provisions of a wastewater discharge regulation for the Centralized Waste Treatment (CWT) Point Source Category. Today's action deletes the selenium limitations and standards from certain sections of Subpart A, the Metals Treatment and Recovery subcategory. In addition, it deletes the barium, molybdenum, antimony, and titanium limitations and standards from Subpart B, the Oils Treatment and Recovery subcategory. Further, this action deletes the molybdenum, antimony, aniline, and 2,3-dichloroaniline limitations and standards from the Organics Treatment and Recovery subcategory. This action also revises all applicable related sections of Subpart D, the Multiple Wastestream subcategory, to reflect the preceding revisions. Finally this action increases the maximum monthly average BOD<INF>5</INF> limitation for directly discharging facilities subject to a section of the Multiple Wastestreams subcategory. EPA originally established wastewater discharge standards for CWT facilities in December 2000. Following publication of that rule, a number of CWT facilities petitioned EPA to reconsider the limitations and standards for certain pollutants. EPA evaluated the technology basis and other analyses and agreed with many of the suggested revisions. Today's action establishes those changes. As a result, facilities will not be required to comply with certain discharge standards that were erroneously included in the earlier regulation or for which EPA had incorrectly assessed the capability of the technology to achieve the removals.