On August 4, EPA published its Final 2014 Effluent Limitations Guidelines (ELG) Program Plan and 2014 Annual Review Report. The development of the Program Plan is required under the Clean Water Act biennially and announces EPA’s current decisions on the control of industrial wastewater discharges, including the status of existing reviews and plans for future actions. The accompanying 2014 Annual Review Report provides additional detail and the latest data underlying the review process.
The Program Plan does not identify the need for any new or revised effluent limitations guidelines and standards (ELGs) beyond those already under development, which include new ELGs for the steam electric power generating category and revised ELGs for the Unconventional Oil and Gas Extraction category. Also, though not identified for ELG development, reviews will continue for several other categories, including metal finishing and pesticide chemicals manufacturing.
All of these ELG review and development processes warrant continued watching to identify opportunities to control potential contaminants prior to entering to drinking water sources. Additional information on the EPA’s Effluent Guidelines Plan and all supporting documents are accessible through EPA’s Effluent Guidelines Plan website.