Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
Under.CWA.Section.301(a),.it.is.unlawful.for.a.person.to.discharge.any.pollutant.into.
the.waters.of.the.United.States.“except.as.in.compliance.with”.an.NPDES.permit.[45].
Wastewater. containing. nanoscale. materials. is. subject. to. efluent. limitations,.
whether.technology-based.or.water.quality-based,.set.forth.in.an.NPDES.permit..To.
date,.however,.the.EPA.has.not.released.publicly.how.it.intends.to.develop.efluent.
limitations. speciically. for. engineered. nanoscale. material-containing. wastewaters,.
or.even.if.it.intends.to.do.so..Nor.has.it.given.any.indication.as.to.whether.engineered.
nanoscale.materials.constitute.conventional,.nonconventional,.or.toxic.pollutants,.a.
distinction.that.bears.directly.on.the.type.of.technology.that.a.permitted.discharger.
must. employ. to. achieve. a. particular. efluent. limitation.. Little. currently. is. known.
about.the.availability.and.economic.feasibility.of.technology.to.control.wastewater.
discharges.containing.engineered.nanoscale.materials.
4.4.3 p
retreatment
s
tandards
The.NPDES.permit.program.applies.to.so-called.direct.dischargers.—.that.is,.facili-
ties.that.discharge.pollutants.directly.to.waters.of.the.United.States..It.does.not.apply.
to.what.are.known.as.indirect.dischargers.—.that.is,.facilities.that.discharge.wastewa-
ter.to.publicly.owned.treatment.works.(POTWs).rather.than.directly.to.waterbodies.
[46].. The. EPA's. pretreatment. program,. mandated. by. CWA. Section. 307(b),. estab-
lishes.pretreatment.standards.for.this.latter.category.of.dischargers.[47].
As.with.efluent.limitations,.it.would.appear.that.the.EPA.is.considering.these.
issues.but.has.yet.to.release.any.information.on.its.development.and.issuance.of.pre-
treatment.standards. speciic.to.nanoscale.material-containing. wastewater.streams..
It. bears. noting,. however,.that.the. OPP's. December. 2006. determination,.discussed.
above,
.that.Samsung.Electronics'.silver.ion.generating.washing.machine.warrants.
registration.as.a.pesticide.under.FIFRA.was.precipitated.in.large.part.by.letters.sent.
to.the.OPP.by.the.National.Association.of.Clean.Water.Agencies.(NACWA).and.an.
organization.representing.California.POTWs..The.NACWA.and.the.POTWs.were.
concerned.about.the.discharge.of.silver.ions.to.wastewater.treatment.plants.
.
the ResouRCe ConseRVation and ReCoVeRY aCt (RCRa)
4.5.1 rCra s
tatutOry
and
r
egulatOry
b
aCkgrOund
The. Resource. Conservation. and. Recovery. Act. (RCRA). manages. the. generation,.
transport,.and.disposal.and.recycling.of.materials.deined.as.“hazardous.waste.”.The.
EPA. is. well. aware. of. the. potential. promise. found. in. nanotechnology. applications.
to. detect,. monitor,. and. clean. up. environmental. contaminants.. Many. of. the. EPA's.
resources. to. date. have. been. devoted. to. this. aspect. of. nanotechnology,. as. opposed.
See.OPP,.“Regulatory.Status.Update:.Ion.Generating.Washing.Machines”.(December.6,.2006),.avail-
able. at. http://www.epa.gov/oppad001/ion.htm.. Shortly. after. the. OPP. issued. its. announcement,. the.
Natural. Resources. Defense. Council. (NRDC). wrote. to. the. OPP. Director. and. applauded. the. “recent.
decision.to.regulate.the.use.of.nanosilver.as.a.pesticide.under.[FIFRA].”.NRDC.Letter.to.Jim.Jones,.
OPP.(November.22,.2006),.Available.at.http://www.nrdc.org/media/docs/061127.pdf.
.See,.e.g.,.Letter.to.Jim.Jones,.OPP,.from.Chuck.Weir,.Tri-TAC.(January.27,.2006),.available.at.http://
www.tritac.org/documents/letters/2006_01_27_EPA_Samsung_Silver_.Wash.pdf.
