Pennsylvania DEP Sets New Standards for Wastewater Discharges
With High Total Dissolved Solids:
New Limits to Take Effect by January 2011, Interim Permitting
Strategy Announced
USNewswire
15 April 2009
HARRISBURG, Pa., April 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Environmental
Protection acting Secretary John Hanger today announced that new
discharge standards for industrial wastewater that is high in total
dissolved solids, or TDS, will take effect by January 2011.
The department made the announcement at a public meeting of the
Marcellus Shale Wastewater Technology Partnership and said the new
limits will protect aquatic life and drinking water supplies.
"High total dissolved solids in industrial wastewater have been a
problem in the Monongahela River recently and are an impending problem
on a statewide level," Hanger said. "We are establishing base standards
for this water so dischargers move towards actually treating TDS in
industrial wastewater, rather than simply depending on dilution to
protect water quality."
Pennsylvania's streams must assimilate total dissolved solids from a
variety of wastewater sources besides oil and gas well drilling. The
primary sources of these pollutants are stormwater runoff and pollutant
discharges from industrial activities.
The state's rivers and streams are also burdened by uncontrolled
discharges from abandoned coal mines.
Wastewater from certain industrial operations is high in chlorides
(salt) and sulfates which affect the taste and odor of drinking water
and, in high concentrations, can damage or destroy aquatic life.
Drinking water treatment facilities are not normally equipped to treat
these contaminants and rely on normally low levels of chlorides and
sulfates in surface waters used for drinking water supplies.
"DEP and the natural gas drilling industry created the wastewater
technology partnership in 2008 to investigate and deploy new
technologies for treating wastewater from natural gas drilling and
production within two years," Hanger said. "It is vital that new
treatment methods are instituted so that public municipal drinking
water supplies and other industrial uses are not disadvantaged by
increased total dissolved solids and chlorides in our surface waters
and that developing our natural gas reserves is not unduly constrained."
The new permitted limit for discharges of high-TDS wastewater will be
500 milligrams per liter of TDS and 250 mg/l for both chlorides and
sulfates. By January 2011, all facilities accepting high-TDS wastewater
for treatment must meet these discharge limits.
DEP will develop a proposed rulemaking to amend the water quality
regulations this summer with an opportunity for public comment.
To view the Permitting Strategy for High Total Dissolved Solids
Wastewater Discharges, visit www.depweb.state.pa.us, keyword:
Wastewater, then select the 'Marcellus Shale Wastewater Partnership'
link.
CONTACT: Tom Rathbun, (717) 787-1323
SOURCE Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection