[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 40, Volume 26]
[Revised as of July 1, 2003]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 40CFR423.12]

[Page 655-656]
 
                TITLE 40-PROTECTION OF ENVIRONMENT
 
      CHAPTER I-ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY (CONTINUED)
 
PART 423-STEAM ELECTRIC POWER GENERATING POINT SOURCE CATEGORY--Table of Contents
 
Sec. 423.12  Effluent limitations guidelines representing the degree of effluent reduction attainable by the application of the best practicable control 
          technology currently available (BPT).

    (a) In establishing the limitations set forth in this section, EPA 
took into account all information it was able to collect, develop and 
solicit with respect to factors (such as age and size of plant, 
utilization of facilities, raw materials, manufacturing processes, non-
water quality environmental impacts, control and treatment technology 
available, energy requirements and costs) which can affect the industry 
subcategorization and effluent levels established. It is, however, 
possible that data which would affect these limitations have not been 
available and, as a result, these limitations should be adjusted for 
certain plants in this industry. An individual discharger or other 
interested person may submit evidence to the Regional Administrator (or 
to the State, if the State has the authority to issue NPDES permits) 
that factors relating to the equipment or facilities involved, the 
process applied, or other such factors related to such discharger are 
fundamentally different from the factors considered in the establishment 
of the guidelines. On the basis of such evidence or other available 
information, the Regional Administrator (or the State) will make a 
written finding that such factors are or are not fundamentally different 
for that facility compared to those specified in the Development 
Document. If such fundamentally different factors are found to exist, 
the Regional Administrator or the State shall establish for the 
discharger effluent limitations in the NPDES Permit either more or less 
stringent than the limitations established herein, to the extent 
dictated by such fundamentally different factors. Such limitations must 
be approved by the Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency. 
The Administrator may approve or disapprove such limitations, specify 
other limitations, or initiate proceedings to revise these regulations. 
The phrase ``other such factors'' appearing 
above may include significant cost differentials. In no event may a 
discharger's impact on receiving water quality be considered as a factor 
under this paragraph.
    (b) Any existing point source subject to this subpart must achieve 
the following effluent limitations representing the degree of effluent 
reduction by the application of the best practicable control technology 
currently available (BPT):
    (1) The pH of all discharges, except once through cooling water, 
shall be within the range of 6.0-9.0.
    (2) There shall be no discharge of polychlorinated biphenyl 
compounds such as those commonly used for transformer fluid.
    (3) The quantity of pollutants discharged from low volume waste 
sources shall not exceed the quantity determined by multiplying the flow 
of low volume waste sources times the concentration lised in the 
following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                BPT effluent limitations
                                               -------------------------
                                                              Average of
                                                                daily
                                                              values for
        Pollutant or pollutant property         Maximum for       30
                                                 any 1 day   consecutive
                                                   (mg/l)     days shall
                                                              not exceed
                                                                (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSS...........................................        100.0         30.0
Oil and grease................................         20.0         15.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (4) The quantity of pollutants discharged in fly ash and bottom ash 
transport water shall not exceed the quantity determined by multiplying 
the flow of fly ash and bottom ash transport water times the 
concentration listed in the following table:

[[Page 656]]



------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                BPT effluent limitations
                                               -------------------------
                                                              Average of
                                                                daily
                                                              values for
        Pollutant or pollutant property         Maximum for       30
                                                 any 1 day   consecutive
                                                   (mg/l)     days shall
                                                              not exceed
                                                                (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSS...........................................        100.0         30.0
Oil and grease................................         20.0         15.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (5) The quantity of pollutants discharged in metal cleaning wastes 
shall not exceed the quantity determined by multiplying the flow of 
metal cleaning wastes times the concentration listed in the following 
table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                BPT effluent limitations
                                               -------------------------
                                                              Average of
                                                                daily
                                                              values for
        Pollutant or pollutant property         Maximum for       30
                                                 any 1 day   consecutive
                                                   (mg/l)     days shall
                                                              not exceed
                                                                (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSS...........................................        100.0         30.0
Oil and grease................................         20.0         15.0
Copper, total.................................          1.0          1.0
Iron, total...................................          1.0          1.0
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (6) The quantity of pollutants discharged in once through cooling 
water shall not exceed the quantity determined by multiplying the flow 
of once through cooling water sources times the concentation listed in 
the following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              BPT effluent limitations
                                           -----------------------------
      Pollutant or pollutant property          Maximum        Average
                                            concentration  concentration
                                                (mg/l)         (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free available chlorine...................           0.5            0.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (7) The quantity of pollutants discharged in cooling tower blowdown 
shall not exceed the quantity determined by multiplying the flow of 
cooling tower blowdown sources times the concentration listed in the 
following table:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                              BPT effluent limitations
                                           -----------------------------
      Pollutant or pollutant property          Maximum        Average
                                            concentration  concentration
                                                (mg/l)         (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Free available chlorine...................           0.5            0.2
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (8) Neither free available chlorine nor total residual chlorine may 
be discharged from any unit for more than two hours in any one day and 
not more than one unit in any plant may discharge free available or 
total residual chlorine at any one time unless the utility can 
demonstrate to the Regional Administrator or State, if the State has 
NPDES permit issuing authority, that the units in a particular location 
cannot operate at or below this level or chlorination.
    (9) Subject to the provisions of paragraph (b)(10) of this section, 
the following effluent limitations shall apply to the point source 
discharges of coal pile runoff:

------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                                       BPT effluent
                                                       limitations
        Pollutant or pollutant property         ------------------------
                                                  Maximum concentration
                                                   for any time (mg/l)
------------------------------------------------------------------------
TSS............................................             50
------------------------------------------------------------------------

    (10) Any untreated overflow from facilities designed, constructed, 
and operated to treat the volume of coal pile runoff which is associated 
with a 10 year, 24 hour rainfall event shall not be subject to the 
limitations in paragraph (b)(9) of this section.
    (11) At the permitting authority's discretion, the quantity of 
pollutant allowed to be discharged may be expressed as a concentration 
limitation instead of the mass based limitations specified in paragraphs 
(b)(3) through (7) of this section. Concentration limitations shall be 
those concentrations specified in this section.
    (12) In the event that waste streams from various sources are 
combined for treatment or discharge, the quantity of each pollutant or 
pollutant property controlled in paragraphs (b)(1) through (11) of this 
section attributable to each controlled waste source shall not exceed 
the specified limitations for that waste source.


(The information collection requirements contained in paragraph (a) were 
approved by the Office of Management and Budget under control number 
2000-0194)

[47 FR 52304, Nov. 19, 1982, as amended at 48 FR 31404, July 8, 1983]