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Reauthorizing the Water Treatment Plant General Permit
The Water Treatment Plant (WTP) General Permit, issued by the Washington State
Department of Ecology (Ecology) on June 16, 2004, expires on July 15, 2009.
Ecology proposes to reauthorize the general permit, with minor changes. The
draft WTP General Permit, fact sheet, and fact sheet addendum were available for
review and public comment from May 6, 2009, through June 9, 2009. Ecology
hosted a public hearing on its proposal to reauthorize the WTP General Permit.
Draft Permit
Fact Sheet Addendum
Fact Sheet
Public Notice
Water treatment plants are those facilities that treat water, ground water or surface water, and produce potable water for public consumption or provide primary treatment and produce "industrial water." A wastewater discharge permit is typically required when the treatment of the raw water results in a discharge of wastewater (e.g., backwash) to surface water. Ecology has issued an NPDES general permit for water treatment plants and eligible facilities are required to apply for coverage.
Ecology issued the current Water Treatment Plant Waste Discharge General Permit (WTP General Permit) on June 16, 2004. The permit is effective on July 16, 2004. Click below to view the final permit and fact sheet.
Filtration Treatment:
The general permit provides coverage only for water treatment plants that
produce a wastewater discharge from filtration processes. Wastewater discharges
include:
Filtration processes include:
Ultrafiltration and microfiltration may also be eligible for coverage if the characteristics of their wastewater discharge are similar to conventional filtration backwash.
Surface Water Discharge:
The general permit covers only wastewater discharges to surface water. Surface
waters of the state include lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, inland waters,
saltwaters, estuaries, wetlands, stormwater drainage systems, and all other
surface waters and water courses within the jurisdiction of the state of
Washington. Discharge to a settling pond/basin is considered a discharge to
surface water if there is an overflow from the pond/basin that can flow to
surface water.
Design Production Capacity:
The water treatment facility must have a maximum production capacity of at least
50,000 gallons per day of treated drinking water or industrial water. Maximum
production capacity is the amount of treated water that a treatment facility is
designed to produce at peak output and 24-hour production.
Primary Function:
The treatment and distribution of water must be the primary function of the
facility. Water treatment works that are a part of a larger facility such as a
pulp and paper mill are covered under the NPDES permit issued to the facility as
a whole and are not eligible for coverage under this general permit.
Regeneration wastewater from ion exchange (water softeners) and reverse osmosis wastewater are not eligible for coverage under this general permit. The general permit does not cover discharges to sewage treatment facilities (POTWs) or to land. Slow sand filtration is not covered. These systems typically do not have a discharge and when there is a discharge it typically consists of a return of source water without any processing or additions. Under typical conditions there is no discharge subject to a permit.
A General Permit is similar to an individual wastewater discharge permit except it is written for a group of facilities that are similar in processes and wastewater characteristics. A single permit that looks the same for all facilities is produced rather than a separate permit tailored to each individual facility. This results in a saving of time and money for both Ecology and for the permitted facility.
Water treatment filtration plants are appropriate for the general permit approach because they are similar in treatment processes and the characteristics of their wastewater discharge. The general permit provides a single set of conditions that is both fair to the water treatment facilities and provides adequate environmental protection. Individual facilities may apply for coverage under the general permit by submitting the water treatment plant application for coverage. Click below to view the water treatment general permit and fact sheet:
| The Water Treatment Plant General Permit | The permit states all the requirements (permit conditions) that must be met to discharge |
| The Fact Sheet for the WTP General Permit | The fact sheet explains how permit conditions were developed, presents the legal basis for permit conditions, and provides background information on water treatment facilities. |
Water treatment plants that apply filtration processes, discharge to surface water, and have the capacity to produce at least 50,000 gallons per day of drinking water require coverage under this general permit. An application for coverage must be completed and submitted to Ecology. Please contact the "Permit Coordinator" at the appropriate Ecology Regional Office (click here for list and map) if you have questions about applying for coverage under the water treatment plant general permit. You may obtain a copy of the application from the regional office or download an application below.
| Microsoft WORD Format | Adobe PDF Format |
| WTP Application (MS WORD) | WTP Application (PDF) |
| MS WORD format provides the application as a "form" document. Use the F11 key on your keyboard to move from space to space (the tab key does not work as well). Be aware that when the application form is sent to some printers, the format may change automatically. If you are not able to use this format, viewers or converters should be available from Microsoft or from the home page of your word processor if you are not using WORD. Otherwise, use the PDF format. | The application is also provided in Adobe Acrobat "PDF" format. This format will allow you to print out the application and then fill it in manually. The form should print out correctly, regardless of the type of printer you have. To view and/or print PDF files, you first will need to download and install Adobe Acrobat Reader. |
Questions about this page?
Contact Carey Cholski by e-mail at
cgru461@ecy.wa.gov
Copyright © Washington State Department of Ecology. See http://www.ecy.wa.gov/copyright.html.
