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Wastewater Treatment Works


General Description

NESHAPS standards have been established for both industrial and nonindustrial POTWs.

Summary of Federal Requirements

The NESHAPS standards include emissions limitations, operating, reporting, and monitoring requirements.

The air emissions requirements for industrial POTWs apply if the following are all true:

  • the facility owns or operates a POTW that includes an affected source (see definitions)
  • the affected source is located at a major source of HAP emissions, or at any industrial POTW regardless of whether or not it is a major source of HAP
  • the POTW is required to develop and implement a pretreatment program as defined by 40 CFR 403.8 (for a POTW owned or operated by a municipality, State, or intermunicipal or interstate agency), or the POTW would meet the general criteria for development and implementation of a pretreatment program (for a POTW owned or operated by a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal government).

The industrial POTW must meet the same emission points and control requirements specified in the appropriate NESHAPs for each of the industrial users discharging to the industrial POTW.

The air emissions requirements for non-industrial POTWs apply if the following are all true:

  • the facility owns or operates a POTW that includes an affected source
  • the affected source is located at a major source of HAP emissions, or at any industrial POTW regardless of whether or not it is a major source of HAP
  • the POTW is required to develop and implement a pretreatment program as defined by 40 CFR 403.8 (for a POTW owned or operated by a municipality, State, or intermunicipal or interstate agency), or the POTW would meet the general criteria for development and implementation of a pretreatment program (for a POTW owned or operated by a department, agency, or instrumentality of the Federal government).

There are no control requirements for an existing non-industrial POTW treatment plant. There are no control requirements for any new or reconstructed area source non-industrial POTW treatment plant which is not a major source of HAP.

A new or reconstructed major source non-industrial POTW treatment plant which is a major source of HAP must have covers on the emission points up to, but not including, the secondary influent pumping station or the secondary treatment units.

Summary of State Requirements

States typically address these sources through the permit process. They may also regulate smaller turbines than are Federally regulated.

State-by-state guidance concerning air emissions can be found at ENVCAP's Air Pollution State Resource Locator.

Laws and Statutes

The Clean Air Act

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