Sept 9, 2004

2) New Guide to Help Wastewater Utilities Develop EMSs and  Manage
Critical Issues
The Office of Water has issued an important new tool to help wastewater
utilities develop environmental management systems (EMS) for their
operations entitled Achieving Environmental Excellence:An Environmental
Management Systems (EMS) Handbook for Wastewater Utilities. EMSs are a
powerful and proven tool that can help utilities realize a number of
important benefits and address a wide array of challenges--including the
need to ensure sustainable infrastructure.

The Handbook, which was developed in cooperation with the  Global
Environment and Technology Foundation (GETF), takes utilities through a
step-by-step process for developing an effective EMS, using numerous
examples and other tips from utilities that have successfully implemented
EMSs for their own operations.

The Handbook is available at www.peercenter.net and www.epa.gov/ems
and www.amsa-cleanwater.org and www.wef.org

For further information, please contact Jim Horne at (202) 564-0571,
horne.james@epa.gov

3) 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan Published
Published in the Federal Register on Sept. 2, this notice presents the
results of EPA's 2004 annual review of existing effluent guidelines
required by section 304(b) of the Clean Water Act.  The notice also
presents the final 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan required by
section 304(m).  Effluent guidelines are national regulations that improve
water quality by controlling the discharge of pollutants by specific
industries -- from manufacturing and agriculture to service industries --
into our Nation's waters.  The effluent guidelines that EPA has issued
over the past 30 years have prevented the discharge of more than 690
billion pounds of pollutants a year.

The notice identifies facilities in two industries for which EPA will
begin a rulemaking that could lead to revised effluent guidelines.  (These
facilities manufacture vinyl chloride, polyvinyl chloride or vinyl
chloride monomers, manufacture chlorine using the chlor-alkali process, or
conduct a combination of these operations.)   The notice also identifies
two industries without effluent guidelines for which EPA will begin
rulemakings that could lead to new effluent guidelines (airport deicing
operations and drinking water supply and treatment). You can find more
information about the Plan on EPA's web site at
www.epa.gov/guide/plan.html.