[Federal Register: March 28, 2003 (Volume 68, Number 60)]
[Notices]
[Page 15172-15173]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr28mr03-67]
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
[FRL-7474-4]
Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems
AGENCY: Environmental Protection Agency.
ACTION: Notice of availability.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
SUMMARY: The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is making
available the final Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of
Onsite and Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems
(referred to here as the Management Guidelines). The purpose of the
Management Guidelines is to improve the level of performance of
decentralized wastewater treatment systems nationally through improved
management programs. The Management Guidelines will help improve system
performance by raising the quality of management programs, establishing
minimum levels of activity, and institutionalizing the concept of
management. Implementation of the Management Guidelines will also
provide a greater range of options for cost-effectively meeting
wastewater treatment needs and meeting water quality and public health
goals. The primary audience for the Management Guidelines are state,
tribal and local regulators and community officials that are
responsible for regulating onsite and clustered systems.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Any questions regarding the content of
the Voluntary National Guidelines for Management of Onsite and
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems can be addressed
to Joyce Hudson by e-mail at hudson.joyce@epa.gov or via U.S. mail to
Joyce Hudson, U.S. EPA, Office of Wastewater Management (4204M), 1200
Pennsylvania Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20460.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Decentralized wastewater treatment systems
(commonly referred to as septic systems, private sewage systems,
individual sewage systems, onsite sewage disposal systems or package
plants) include onsite and clustered systems used to collect, treat,
and disperse or reclaim wastewater from individual dwellings,
businesses, or small communities and service areas. State agencies
report that some of these systems have failed because of inappropriate
siting or design or inadequate long-term maintenance. Historically high
failure rates in some areas indicate a need for better management of
these systems to protect public health and water quality. However, when
onsite and clustered wastewater treatment systems are properly managed,
they may, in many cases, be the most practical and least expensive way
to treat household wastewater. In response to the need for improved
management programs, EPA has developed the Management Guidelines to
establish a benchmark for effective management. The purpose of the
Management Guidelines is to raise the level of performance of onsite
and clustered wastewater treatment systems through improved management
programs. The Management Guidelines will be supplemented with a
handbook for state, tribal, and local governments to use in upgrading
management programs. The draft Handbook for Management of Onsite and
Clustered (Decentralized) Wastewater Treatment Systems is being
published elsewhere in today's Federal Register for public comment.
The Management Guidelines present a set of five model programs
based on a comprehensive approach that relies on coordinating the
responsibilities and actions among the state, tribal or local
regulatory agency, the management entity or service provider and the
system owner. The level of management needed increases as the
sensitivity of the environment and/or the degree of technological
complexity increases. A program's designation increases progressively
from Model Program 1 through Model Program 5, reflecting the increased
level of management activities
[[Page 15173]]
needed to achieve increasing water quality and public health goals.
Adoption of the Management Guidelines is voluntary, however, EPA
encourages states and communities to consider them as a basis for
improving their onsite and clustered wastewater management program.
The guidelines apply to both existing communities and to areas of
new development that use onsite and clustered wastewater treatment
systems of any size for residential and commercial wastewater treatment
and dispersal.
Background. Onsite and clustered wastewater treatment systems
currently serve about 25 percent of U.S. homes and approximately 33
percent of new development. States report that these wastewater
treatment systems have failed because of inappropriate siting or design
or inadequate long-term maintenance and that septic tank systems
constitute the third most common source of ground water contamination.
In April, 1997, EPA prepared its Response to Congress on the Use of
Decentralized Wastewater Treatment Systems. The report concluded that
decentralized wastewater treatment technologies offer a cost-effective,
long term wastewater solution for many communities. However, the report
emphasized that decentralized technologies must be implemented in the
context of a responsible management program to consistently achieve
water quality and public health goals. The report identified the
current lack of management as a barrier to successfully applying these
otherwise promising technologies.
In response to the need for improved management, EPA prepared a
concept paper in the spring of 1999, which received considerable input
from various stakeholders, including other federal agencies, state
health agencies, environmental groups, trade associations and public
interest groups. The result was a notice of availability of the draft
Guidelines for Management of Onsite/Decentralized Wastewater Treatment
Systems which was published in the Federal Register on October 6, 2000
(65 FR 59840-59841) for public comment and included an annotated
outline of an accompanying manual/handbook. During follow up outreach
efforts conducted by EPA, stakeholders raised several key issues
concerning the voluntary nature of the Guidelines, their flexibility,
and possible implementation issues. EPA has addressed those issues and
has received support from representatives of public and private
organizations who believe national guidelines are important.
You can get copies of the Management Guidelines by downloading the
document at http://www.epa.gov/owm/mtb/decent/. Hard copies may be
obtained from USEPA Publications Clearing House, PO Box 42419,
Cincinnati, OH 45242. You may access this Federal Register notice
electronically through the EPA Internet under the Federal Register
listings at http://www.epa.gov/fedrgstr/.
Dated: March 18, 2003.
G. Tracy Mehan, III,
Assistant Administrator, Office of Water.
[FR Doc. 03-7506 Filed 3-27-03; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 6560-50-P