Navigating EPA’s Effluent Limitation Guidelines: Keeping PFAS out of Industrial and Municipal Wastewater Discharge

Per- and poly­flu­o­roalkyl substances (PFAS) pose significant envi­ron­men­tal and health risks leading to increased regulatory pressure on industries to limit the discharge of PFAS in their wastewater. In 2023, the U.S. Envi­ron­men­tal Protection Agency (EPA) initiated changes to the effluent limitation guidelines (ELG) under Plan 15 to evaluate and manage PFAS discharge to the environment through programs such as the NPDES permit process. ELGs are national standards that set the maximum allowable pollutant levels in wastewater discharges from industrial and commercial facilities. The EPA is considering developing ELGs for each industry sector based on discharge monitoring reporting (DMR). Some states have also started imple­ment­ing their own PFAS discharge limits, creating variability for industrial dischargers. This presen­ta­tion will provide an overview of PFAS and ELGs and discuss the federal and state-level regulations, challenges, case studies, treatment tech­nolo­gies, costs, and consid­er­a­tions for negotiating discharge limits with regulators. 

As federal and state regulations regarding PFAS in wastewater continue to evolve and many industrial and municipal leaders are worried about how to best address current regulations while preparing for future regulations. 

• Develop a better under­stand­ing of EPA’s Effluent Limitations Guidelines and timelines for developing ELGs for different industry sectors
• Understand how different states are imple­ment­ing changes to their permit require­ments to manage PFAS
• Learn the difference between an industrial and public approach to estab­lish­ing and setting ELGs
  
   

Presenters:

Tamzen Macbeth, PhD, PE, BCEE, is an inter­na­tion­ally recognized remediation expert with over 24 years of technical leadership including the last 10 years focused on PFAS inves­ti­ga­tion, design, and remediation programs. Leading multi-disci­pli­nary teams, she has spearheaded more than 100 complex inves­ti­ga­tions for federal, state, and private clients, special­iz­ing in PFAS site char­ac­ter­i­za­tion, fate and transport, and treatment across various media, including wastewater, surface water, stormwater, sediments, groundwater, soils, and biosolids. Her contri­bu­tions to the field are underscored by over 100 technical publi­ca­tions and presen­ta­tions. 

Mark Salvetti, PE is a senior chemical engineer with over 35 years of experience as a project manager, technical lead, and lead engineer for remedial inves­ti­ga­tions, feasibility studies, remedial design, and construc­tion projects on diverse sites.  He has experience designing, permitting, and optimizing performance of large groundwater treatment systems utilizing air strippers, UV advanced oxidation, metals pre-treatment, and media such as activated carbon and ion exchange systems. For the past several years, Mark has been working with industrial and landfill clients to manage challenges associated with PFAS remediation, treatment, and discharges to the environment.