Clean Water Act

Question 1

What are the 3 types of pollutants that CWA regulate?

Answer 1

Conventional water pollutants, toxic water pollutants, and non-conventional water pollutants

Question 2

What are the 4 types of sources that CWA regulate?

Answer 2

Industrial point sources, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), indirect sources, and non-point sources

Question 3

What are the 3 ways that the CWA regulate?

Answer 3

1. Using technology based controls for point sources
2. Water quality standards as a backup/safety net for impaired waters
3. States lead on non-point sources, which are the largest remaining source of water pollution

Question 4

What are the 3 major programs apart of the CWA?

Answer 4

1. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Program
2. Water Quality Standards
3. Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) Program

Question 5

What are the steps in the water quality standards?

Answer 5

1. EPA provides guidance to states for ambient water quality standards
2. States establish water quality standards&raquo_space;> EPA approves&raquo_space;» standards/criteria incorporated into NPDES permits
3. States prepare and EPA approves list of impaired waters which then leads into the TMDL program

Question 6

What are the steps in the NPDES program?

Answer 6

1. EPA establishes technology based controls for point sources
2. These point sources must have a NODES permit requiring controls before they can operate
3. From there, EPA establishes effluent limitations for specific industrial categories based on control technologies in which its incorporated into the NPDES permits for individual point sources
4. Point sources are able to simply adopt the control technology but can also do other things as long as they meet their effluent limits in their permit.

Question 7

Which 3 sources are in the NPDES.

Answer 7

Point sources, indirect sources, and POTWs

Question 8

What are the steps in the TMDL program?

Answer 8

1. States required to establish TMDLs for impaired waters.
2. States and/or EPA incorporate TMDL requirements into NPDES permits for point sources
3. TMDLs also apply to non point sources

Question 9

What does a POTW do?

Answer 9

Receives discharged from indirect sources and must have a NPDES permit.

Question 10

What do indirect sources do?

Answer 10

They send their industrial discharges to POTWs, and must meet pretreatment requirements for priority pollutants.