WSP02617

• File Number: 8041
• Description: Section D General Studies-NPDES/Water Quality
• State: CO
• Date: 11/1/1975
• Title: 208 Planning-COGnotations-A Report on Program Activities Denver Regional Council of Governments-Water Quality Planning Progresses
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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discharges were either vague or totally absenl. This
meant that states had 10 trace each pollutant to the
discharger and prove who was causing sufficient
diJmage to the river or to public health to warrant
Spl'ClaJ restricLions.

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Old Way Cumbersome
The old way was cumhersome. difficult to
enforce, ffild often incquit;lble among similar
industries or different bodies of water.
To remedy these difficulties, Congress selected
the nationaJ effluent limitation as the primary tool
for water pollution abat.ement and enforcement
action. ln int.roducing the limitations concept., the
Senate Puhlic Works Committee stated:
"Tile concept of effluellt limitations clearly
eslablishes Ihat the discharge of potfutallls is
unlawful. Unfille its predecessor program. whic!Z
permitted the discharge of pollutants ul/der
specifIC condiUons, this lcgi,r;;laUon would clearly
establish the fact that I/O aile has a right to
pollute .- that poilu tiOll col/til/ues because of
technological limits, not because of any inherent
right to llse the nation's waterways {or the
pl/rpose of di.<posillg of wasles. "
The limitation 15 based upon the observation
that use of treatment ted1llology ha, lagged. This
concept will insure that if thC' technology is
available to reduce pollut.ion, then industries and
municipalit.ies must construct. or improve their
prOl:esses to meet minimum federal requirements
for control.
Since different "classes and categories" of
industries may discharge various types and
amounts of pollutants, the limitation will be geared
t.o accollnt for these variations.

Importance for Control
EPA will estahlish precise and uniform controls
I1ntion\vlde - irrespective of t.he water. quality
condilions that rnay exist in parLicul<Jf states Of
bodies of water. This will deter plants from
relocating in St.~Il-I~S \Vhl!'!l oUH'fwise might: have less
string-Pllt polllltioll rl'quin'Ill('llts.
Ulldc'r these controls, jJldtl...t.rit~s and muniei.
palitit's \\t.ill monitor and report discharges on a
cnn~irHling hasls. For \lH~ first. lime, officials W1!1
kno\.\' Lhe nat.ure of polluLants dJschar~cd inL9
w.llenvays. Because limitat.ions arC' enforceable,
they place the burden of cleaning up where it
helongs - on the major sources of pollution..

Seope of 208 Plans
Unique features of Section 208. in contrast with
ot.her requirements of tJ1(' act.. arc the need to:

1. Develop control nwasures for non-point.
sources of poUution.
2. Include industrial treat.mcnl worl,s.
3. Utilize land-use plannin~ or regulatory
changes as 3 control measure.
4. Coordinat.e with other areawide programs,
such as air qualit.y, solid waste, t.ransportat.ion
and HUD 701 plmuung.
The planning process be~ins with a definition of
the problem and ends with an implementable
areawide water quality control plan, including
municipal and industrial treatment works, Ilon.

Because of the complex nature of the 208
program, a partia/list. of technical terms, though
not used in the Cagnotalion text. is provided
here for future reference use hy the layman.

Biochemical Oxygen Demand .. The amount
of oxygen required by bacteria l1ving in a
body of water, for decomposing organic
mat.ter.
Dissolved Oxygen. . . Fish and other aquatic life
in streams and rivers "breathe" oxygen just as
humans do. Some water pollutants have the
effect of decreasing t.he level of dissolved
oxygen in the water. If this level gets too low,
fish and other life will suffocate.
Effluent Sewage water, partially or
completely treatei!, or in its nat.ural state,
flowing out of a specific source.
pH . . . pH is a measure of the acidity of
alkalinity of water. pH of a relatively pure
stream is about 7 on a scale of 0 to 14. The
discharge of certain pollutants into streams
can cause t.he denth of fish and plant life, mild
to severe irritat.ion to swimmers and render
the water supply unsuit.able for both drinking
and industrial uses.
Primary Treatment The removal of
suspended solids 111 water by means or
physical processes i.e. settling.
Secondary Treatment .. Primary treatment
followed hy biolo~ic:al or chemical treatment
to remove approximately R5% of the oxygen
demanding JTInlcrials in t.he water.
Specific Conductivity . . . The measure of how
much eledricity a given body of water will
conduct. This provides an indirect meaSure of
the dissolved soliels in t.he water, such as salt.
St.ream Flow. . .The total volume of water in a
stream channel which passes a point. in a given
amount of time.