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Water: Industry Effluent Guidelines

Industrial Regulations

Photos of industrial facilities

Effluent guidelines are national standards for wastewater discharges to surface waters and publicly owned treatment works (sometimes called municipal sewage treatment plants). We issue effluent guidelines for categories of existing sources and new sources under Title III of the Clean Water Act. The standards are technology-based (i.e. they are based on the performance of treatment and control technologies); they are not based on risk or impacts upon receiving waters.

Best Management Practices for Unused Pharmaceuticals at Health Care Facilities - Draft for Public Comment

Questionnaire for Alaskan Seafood Processors

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Regulations Under Development

Existing Regulations

The table below lists the effluent guidelines promulgated by EPA, sorted alphabetically by industry category. The links in the 'Industry Category' column provide an overview of the regulation and available EPA publications for the category. The links under '40 CFR' go directly to the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).

For many of the newer guidelines (especially those promulgated after 1995), we provide individual industry pp. with the Federal Register notices of proposed and final rules, supplemental notices, fact sheets and other background information. For older guidelines, individual pp. are being developed. We provide an interim link to an EPA staff contact.

Existing Effluent Guidelines
Industry Category 40 CFR Part First Promulgated Limitations and Standards
Airport Deicing 449 2012 BAT, NSPS
Aluminum Forming 467 1983 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Asbestos Manufacturing 427 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Battery Manufacturing 461 1984 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Canned and Preserved Fruits and Vegetable Processing 407 1974 BPT, BCT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Canned and Preserved Seafood
(Seafood Processing)		 408 1974 BPT, BCT, NSPS
Carbon Black Manufacturing 458 1978 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Cement Manufacturing 411 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Centralized Waste Treatment 437 2000 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Coal Mining 434 1985 BPT, BAT, NSPS
Coil Coating 465 1983 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Concentrated Animal Feeding Operations
(CAFO)		 412 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production
(Aquaculture)		 451 2004 BPT, BAT, BCT, NSPS
Copper Forming 468 1983 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Dairy Products Processing 405 1974 BPT, BCT, NSPS
Electrical and Electronic Components 469 1983 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Electroplating 413 1981 PSES
Explosives Manufacturing 457 1976 BPT
Ferroalloy Manufacturing 424 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Fertilizer Manufacturing 418 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Glass Manufacturing 426 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Grain Mills Manufacturing 406 1974 BPT, BCT, NSPS, PSNS
Gum and Wood Chemicals 454 1976 BPT
Hospitals 460 1976 BPT
Ink Formulating 447 1975 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Inorganic Chemicals 415 1982 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Iron and Steel Manufacturing 420 1982 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Landfills 445 2000 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Leather Tanning and Finishing 425 1982 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Meat and Poultry Products 432 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS,
Metal Finishing 433 1983 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Metal Molding and Casting
(Foundries)		 464 1985 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Metal Products and Machinery 438 2003 BPT, BCT, NSPS
Mineral Mining and Processing 436 1975 BPT, NSPS
Nonferrous Metals Forming and Metal Powders 471 1985 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Nonferrous Metals Manufacturing 421 1984 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Oil and Gas Extraction 435 1979 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Ore Mining and Dressing
(Hard Rock Mining)		 440 1982 BPT, BAT, NSPS, BMP
Organic Chemicals, Plastics
and Synthetic Fibers (OCPSF)		 414 1987 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Paint Formulating 446 1975 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Paving and Roofing Materials
(Tars and Asphalt) 		443 1975 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Pesticide Chemicals Manufacturing,
Formulating and Packaging		 455 1978 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Petroleum Refining 419 1982 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Pharmaceutical Manufacturing 439 1983 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Phosphate Manufacturing 422 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Photographic 459 1976 BPT
Plastic Molding and Forming 463 1984 BPT, BCT, NSPS
Porcelain Enameling 466 1982 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Pulp, Paper and Paperboard 430 1998 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS, BMP
Rubber Manufacturing 428 1974 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Soaps and Detergents Manufacturing 417 1974 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSNS
Steam Electric Power Generating 423 1982 BPT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Sugar Processing 409 1974 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS
Textile Mills 410 1982 BPT, BAT, NSPS
Timber Products Processing 429 1981 BPT, BAT, NSPS
Transportation Equipment Cleaning 442 2000 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS
Waste Combustors 444 2000 BPT, BCT, BAT, NSPS, PSES, PSNS

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Other Publications Related to Effluent Guidelines

Industry Category EPA Publication
Number		 Publication Date
Best Management Practices for Unused Pharmaceuticals at Health Care Facilities - Draft for Public Comment EPA-821-R-10-006 August 2010
Drinking Water Treatment Residuals Management

Industrial Container and Drum Cleaning EPA-821-R-02-011 June 2002
Industrial Laundries

Petroleum Bulk Stations and Terminals (PDF)
(127 pp, 707K, About PDF)
(Section 7.12 of the Technical Support Document
for the 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan)		 EPA-821-R-04-014 August 2004
Questionnaire for Alaskan Seafood Processors

Tobacco Products Processing (PDF)
(86 pp, 1.0MB, About PDF)		 EPA-821-R-06-017 November 2006
Urban Stormwater Best Management Practices EPA-821-R-99-012 August 1999

Preliminary Studies

Preliminary Studies provide recent technical and economic information on a category of dischargers. The findings are published as "Preliminary Data Summaries", and are not used directly as a basis for rulemaking, but are used by EPA management to help select new rulemaking projects.

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