Pathogens Control and Compliance Workgroup
Participants
Open to anyone!
The membership includes the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Southcentral, Northeast, and Southeast regional offices and Central Office of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP), water suppliers, and county health departments.
Goal
Improve NPDES compliance, reduce discharges, and prevent drinking water outbreaks
Objectives
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Set in place Overflow Standard Operation Procedures for all NPDES dischargers in the Schuylkill River watershed
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Reduce the discharges from un-sewered communities
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Reduce discharges of phosphorus from NPDES permitted facilities by 50%
Strategies
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Utilize the permit and compliance process to minimize discharges from wastewater treatment and encourage system upgrades and maintenance
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Implement a strategy to address 'wildcat' sewers and other malfunctioning infrastructure
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Improve the use of the Delaware Valley Early Warning System to minimize threats to drinking water in the event of a discharge
Accomplishments
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The workgroup developed and distributed a compliance assistance fact sheet on phosphorus reduction to 72 treatment plants in the watershed.
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The workgroup offered compliance assistance to operators of small wastewater treatment facilities to ensure all discharge requirements are met.
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The workgroup partnered with the City of Reading to help ensure the wastewater treatment plant will meet its discharge limits. The City of Reading will install a $100 million facility upgrade to reduce nutrients in the effluent.
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The workgroup coordinated water quality monitoring downstream of 67 wastewater treatment plants.
For more information about the SAN Pathogens Control and Compliance Workgroup please contact:
Lisa Trakis at trakis.lisa@epa.gov (215) 814-5433
Cracks in sanitary sewers and infrastructure failures depicted above are an example of one of the problems the Pathogens Control and Compliance Workgroup confronts.