Revised Water Quality Standards Approved For Chicago & Calumet Rivers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has approved the State of Illinois' new and revised water quality standards for five segments of the Chicago and Calumet Rivers. The approved standards apply to the North and South Branches of the Chicago River, the North Shore Channel, the Cal-Sag Channel and the Little Calumet River. EPA continues to review the other new and revised water quality standards that the State of Illinois has proposed for the Chicago Area Waterway System and the Lower Des Plaines River.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

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EPA Requires New Water Quality Standards For Chicago and Calumet Rivers

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has issued a notification to the State of Illinois that water quality standards for portions of the Chicago and Calumet Rivers must be revised. According to EPA, to attain the new water quality standards, the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRDGC) will likely be required to disinfect sewage discharged from its North Side and Calumet treatment plants. MWRDGC ceased disinfection at these facilities in the mid-1980s.

EPA has directed the Illinois Pollution Control Board to adopt new or revised water quality standards for the North and South Branches of the Chicago River, the North Shore Channel, the Cal-Sag Channel and the Little Calumet River. If the board does not act, the Clean Water Act authorizes U.S. EPA to take what the agency considers to be the necessary actions. Since 2007, U.S. EPA has recommended that Illinois upgrade water quality standards for the waterway system.

In 2009, U.S. EPA made a similar determination under its Clean Water Act authority for a 28-mile portion of the Mississippi River near St. Louis.

[read more about 2009 EPA action in Missouri]

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at info@calthacompany.com or Caltha LLP Website

316(b) Standards Proposed For Cooling Water Intakes

As required by Section 316(b) of the Clean Water Act and pursuant to a settlement agreement, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has released for public comment standards to protect fish and other aquatic organisms potentially drawn into cooling water systems at large power plants and factories. Safeguards against impingement will be required for all facilities above a minimum size; closed-cycle cooling systems may also be required on a case by case basis when, based on thorough site-specific analysis by permitting authorities, such requirements are determined to be appropriate. EPA is proposing this regulation as a result of a settlement agreement with Riverkeeper, Inc. and other environmental groups.

Technology Standards:

Fish Impingement: Existing facilities that withdraw at least 25 % of their water exclusively for cooling purposes and have a design intake flow of greater than 2 million gallons per day (MGD) would be required to reduce fish impingement under the proposed regulations. The owner or operator of the facility will be able to choose one of two options for meeting best technology available requirements for reducing impingement. They may conduct monitoring to show the specified performance standards for impingement mortality of fish and shellfish have been met, or they may demonstrate to the permitting authority that the intake velocity meets the specified design criteria. EPA estimates that more than half of the facilities that could be impacted by this proposed rule already employ technologies that are likely to put them into compliance with the proposed standard.

Fish Entrainment: EPA is proposing a site-specific determination to be made based on local concerns and on the unique circumstances of each facility. This proposed rule establishes requirements for the facility owner to conduct comprehensive studies and develop other information as part of the permit application, and then establishes a public process, with opportunity for public input, by which the appropriate technology to reduce entrainment mortality would be implemented at each facility after considering site-specific factors. Because new units can incorporate the most efficient, best-performing technology directly into the design stage of the project, the proposed rule would require closed-cycle cooling (cooling towers) for new units at existing facilities, as is already required for new facilities. The public will be able to comment on the proposed rule upon its publication in the Federal Register. EPA will conduct a 90 day comment period, and consider comments before taking final action on the proposal. Final rules must be published by July 27, 2012.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at info@calthacompany.com or Caltha LLP Website

Stormwater Priorities Under EPA Clean Water Act Enforcement Plan

Stormwater runoff from industrial, construction and urban lands is included as a priority under US EPA's recent Clean Water Act enforcement initiative.

EPA has announced that it is stepping up efforts on Clean Water Act enforcement. A plan "Clean Water Action Enforcement Plan" has been drafted as a first step in revamping the compliance and enforcement program. The plan outlines how EPA will strengthen the way it addresses modern water pollution challenges. These challenges include pollution caused by numerous, dispersed sources, such as concentrated animal feeding operations, sewer overflows, contaminated water that flows from industrial facilities, construction sites, and runoff from urban streets. Elements of the plan include:

• Develop more comprehensive approaches to ensure enforcement is targeted to the most serious violations and the most significant sources of pollution.
• Work with states to ensure greater consistency throughout the country with respect to compliance and water quality.
• Ensure that states are issuing protective permits and taking enforcement to achieve compliance and remove economic incentives to violate the law
• Use modern information technology to collect, analyze, and use information in new, more efficient ways and to make that information readily accessible to the public.

Caltha LLP provides expert consulting services to public and private sector clients nationwide to address Stormwater Permitting & Regulatory Support, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans (SWPPP), Stormwater Monitoring and Stormwater Training.

For more information go to:

Stormwater Training, SWPPP Template and Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plan Services

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info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website

Industrial Stormwater Permit Compliance - SWPPP

Caltha LLP provides technical support to facilities nationwide to comply with US EPA and State stormwater discharge permit requirements. Caltha specializes in industrial site permitting and compliance.

Caltha LLP maintains a library of SWPPP Templates developed to meet the requirements of individual States. Separate stormwater plan templates are provided to Industrial, Municipal (MS4) and Construction stormwater dischargers. Using a SWPPP Template, the level of effort required to complete a stormwater pollution prevention plan meeting State permit requirements is significantly reduced. The quality, ease-of-use, and effectiveness of the plan are also enhanced.

Caltha also provides Stormwater Training courses developed to meet the requirements of individual States. Separate stormwater training programs are provided to meeting the needs of Industrial, Municipal (MS4) and Construction stormwater dischargers. Training is offered in a number of flexible formats, ranging from traditional classroom training presented periodically in different locations, to facility-level training conducted at individual sites to meet employee and/or contractor training needs. Caltha offers web-based and remote training options. Caltha also creates facility-specific training materials and conducts “train-the-trainer” sessions for facility training staff.

For more information, go to:
Caltha Stormwater SWPPP Compliance

Other SWPPP Services
Stormwater Inspections
Stormwater Monitoring
Spill Prevention Plans – SPCC Rule Compliance
Stormwater Permitting

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website

Regulatory Updates - Environmental Compliance Requirements

Caltha LLP maintains several websites to provide regulatory updates and discussion of current environmental, health and safety topics, as listed below. Interested parties can register to receive automatic notification when a new topic is posted.

SWPPP - Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans - Stormwater Permits - Stormwater Training
Discussions and comments on stormwater permitting programs in all States, including industrial, municipal (MS4) and construction sites. Topics include general stormwater permits, Stormwater Pollution Prevention Plans, monitoring, training, spill prevention and control, SPCC compliance.

Water Quality Standards - Aquatic Toxicology - NPDES Permit Limits
Discussion of a variety of topics related to State and Federal water quality standards, ambient water quality criteria, sediment criteria, NPDES & site-specific discharge standards, water quality management, aquatic toxicology, aquatic community impacts, and water quality assessment.

Environmental Sustainability - Sustainable Environmental Management Systems
Discussion of sustainability topics, including pollution prevention, waste reduction, material reuse, environmental management systems, product stewardship, and international environmental standards.

Environmental Due Diligence - Site Assessments - Phase I ESA - Environmental Liability
Discussions and comments regarding environmental due diligence, environmental liabilities, CERCLA liabilities, Phase I environmental site assessments, corporate liabilities, environmental compliance liabilities, quantitative environmental liability assessment.

Regulatory Briefings
Regulatory Briefings are published periodically by Caltha to highlight new or proposed regulations on a wide range of environmental, health & safety topics. These briefings are generally 2- to 4-pages in length and provide an overview of the regulations and discuss potential impacts on the regulated community. Participants must sign up to receive an email link to new Regulatory Briefings as they are posted.

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website

Environmental Training in Ilinois - EHS Training Courses

Caltha LLP offers a wide variety of Environmental Training courses developed to meet requirements of numerous regulatory programs.

Training is offered in a number of flexible formats, ranging from traditional classroom training presented periodically in different locations, to facility-level training conducted at individual sites to meet employee and/or contractor training needs. Caltha offers web-based and remote training options. Caltha also creates facility-specific training materials and conducts “train-the-trainer” sessions for facility training staff.

Caltha provides training in the following areas:
[Click on area to request information on upcoming training programs and training options]

RCRA - Hazardous Waste Generator (LQG) Training
HazCom - Hazard Communication Training
Stormwater Pollution Prevention - SWPPP Training [read more about State-specific SWPPP training]
Spill Prevention Control & Countermeasure - SPCC Training
Internal Compliance Audit Training
Internal EMS Audit Training
Contractor Training Programs
Facility Environmental Regulatory Overview Course

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website

Illinois Environmental Consultant – Environmental Consulting Services

Caltha LLP provides expert technical consulting services to private and public sector clients across Illinois. For further information, click on links below:

Illinois (IEPA) Environmental Compliance – Permitting Services
Illinois (IEPA) Stormwater Permit Compliance – Storm Water Permitting Services
Illinois Environmental Assessment– Phase I (Phase 1) ESA Services
Illinois RCRA Compliance Services
Illinois Haz Com – Hazard Communication Compliance Services
Illinois EHS Staffing - Contract Employee Services
Illinois Wastewater Compliance - NPDES Permitting Services

Caltha LLP provides expert environmental consultant services in Illinois to obtain air and wastewater permits, evaluate regulatory requirements, and to develop cost effective compliance programs.

For further information contact Caltha LLP at
info@calthacompany.com
or
Caltha LLP Website