The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency released on January 20 its Effluent Guidelines Program Plan 15 laying out how it will work to apply science-based protection to the nation’s waterways in developing pollution limits and studies on wastewater discharges from industrial sources.
The plan focuses on evaluating the extent and nature of both nutrient and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) discharges to restrict PFAS discharges from industrial sources through a multifaceted program.
Plan 15 reflects the EPA’s decision that revised effluent limitations guidelines and pretreatment standards are warranted for reducing PFAS in leachate discharges from landfills.
Other changes include an expansion of the ongoing study of PFAS discharges from textile manufacturers and a new study of publicly owned treatment works (POTW) influents to characterize the PFAS concentrations from industrial dischargers to POTW and inform implementation of pretreatment programs to address them.
Get more information from the EPA.