News Release 221

WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES
WILL SEE COST OF PERMITTING INCREASE WITH IMPLEMENTATION OF NEW STANDARDS

Volume 36-221

Contact: Renee Bungart

(For immediate release)

573-751-4465

JEFFERSON CITY, MO. APRIL 24, 2008 -- Because of the implementation of federal water quality standards, wastewater treatment facilities throughout Missouri will begin seeing tougher requirements when seeking to renew their operating permits.  These standards may require costly facility upgrades.

Wastewater treatment facilities, which operate under permits issued by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, must renew their permits every five years. In a facility's next permit cycle, its permit may contain new or revised limits and a timeline for meeting those new limits. These new requirements include limits for bacteria, ammonia and metals. New or expanding facilities will also have to conduct an antidegradation review.

In 2005, the Clean Water Commission adopted a rule change that added bacterial standards to protect swimming uses for about 16,000 miles of Missouri streams and 300 lakes, in addition to those already protected.  At the next permit renewal for many of these facilities, a deadline will be provided for when the facilities must begin disinfecting to meet the new bacterial standards. Facilities may be given up to five years after their renewed permit is issued to begin disinfecting or until Dec. 31, 2013, whichever date comes first.

A facility's next permit may also include either ammonia limits or monitoring requirements.  If there is ammonia data available for the department to determine limits, the permit will include ammonia limitations, and a facility will have up to three years to meet the new limits.  If there is not enough data, the permit may require in-stream monitoring to gather the data to determine ammonia limits in the following permit cycle.

Also, in 2005, the commission adopted the federal requirements for metals.  Therefore, if a facility's permit has metals limits, it most likely will receive lower limits in its next permit. If a facility's permit does not have metals limits, but there are industries that are likely to discharge metals to the facility, the new permit may include metals limits. The facility will have up to three years to meet the new limits.

Starting in August, all permit applications for new or expanded discharges will be required to follow the new Missouri Antidegradation Rule and Implementation Procedure. All waters of the state are categorized into three tiers.  Tier III waters are the Outstanding National and State Resource Waters; Tier II waters have water quality significantly better than water quality standards; and Tier I streams are near or at the minimum standards for water quality. An antidegradation review is required when a new and expanded facility discharges to a Tier II water, and significant degradation of the water quality is proposed for a pollutant of concern.  The department will require an alternatives analysis of less-degrading and non-degrading alternatives to the selected treatment process.  These alternatives must be evaluated for practicability and economic efficiency and may also be evaluated for affordability.  Some lowering of water quality may be deemed necessary to accommodate important economic or social development. However, the water quality can not go below the national water quality standard.

"To meet the requirements of the federal clean water law, many facilities are going to have to take additional steps and make plant improvements that have not been required for past permits," Department of Natural Resources Director Doyle Childers said. "Unfortunately, additional costs are required to ensure water entering our streams, rivers and lakes achieve current standards to protect public health and the environment."

While most of the costs will ultimately be born by the facilities and their customers, the department strives to provide financial assistance to help communities through the State Revolving Loan Fund.  Through the State Revolving Fund, the department provides low-interest loans to municipalities, water and sewer districts saving them 60 to 70 percent of the interest cost of a conventional loan. 

In addition, to alleviate the strain of meeting the new standards, Gov. Matt Blunt approved the sale of $50 million in Water Pollution Control Bonds in 2007 for public drinking water and wastewater infrastructure grants statewide.  These funds are intended to help cover the cost to upgrade these facilities.

For more information on what services the department provides, visit our community assistance Web page at http://www.dnr.mo.gov/assistance.

For Department of Natural Resources news releases on the Web, visit www.dnr.mo.gov/newsrel. For a complete listing of the department's upcoming meetings, hearings and events, visit the department's online calendar at www.dnr.mo.gov/calendar/search.do.

###