MIL-HDBK-1003/7
2
An opacity limit also exists. Opacity must not exceed 20 percent except for one six-
minute period per hour of not more than 27 percent opacity.
Each furnace or boiler is considered a separate unit. The Federal NSPS does
not apply to any units less than 100 million Btu/hr. This is the case even if several
units side by side add up to more than 100 million Btu/hr. Only the state (or local)
emission limits apply to small units.
State or local emission limits will also apply the units covered by the
Federal NSPS. The facility must be designed to meet the most stringent of the federal
or state emission limits. Usually the states have adopted the Federal NSPS but some
states do have more restrictive limits for some pollutants, notably SO2.
18.2
Water Quality Regulations. Wastewater from a power plant is regulated in two
separate ways much as air pollutants are regulated. The first method is by water
quality standards that are established for water bodies. Discharges to a water body
must be analyzed to determine its impact on water quality. The second method is
effluent standards for each specified waste stream from the power plant. However, the
EPA's regulation of effluents from power plants is limited to generating units at an
establishment primarily engaged in the generation of electricity for distribution and
sale which results primarily from a process utilizing fossil-type fuel or nuclear fuel
in conjunction with a thermal cycle employing the steam water system as the
thermohydraulic medium. Therefore, military installation would not ordinarily be
subject to the EPA's effluent guidelines and standards for steam electric power plants.
The regulations of the applicable state must be examined for separate effluent
regulations. Only water quality standards will be addressed in this section.
The major Federal statute regulating water quality and wastewater discharges
is the Clean Water Act (CWA). The objective of the CWA is to restore and maintain the
chemical, physical, and biological integrity of the Nation's waters. The Environmental
Protection Agency (EPA) is responsible for administering the CWA. The CWA includes
provisions to recognize, preserve, and protect the primary responsibilities and rights
of states and for the states to implement permit programs to prevent, reduce, and/or
eliminate pollution. The EPA and the States, acting in coordination, are to develop and
publish regulations specifying minimum guidelines for public participation in such
processes.
Water Quality Standards. The purpose of water quality standards is to define
18.2.1
the water quality goals of a water body, or portion thereof, by designating the use or
uses to be made of the water and by setting criteria necessary to protect the uses.
Water quality standards, should, wherever attainable, provide water quality for the
protection and propagation of fish, shellfish, and wildlife and for recreation in and on
the water and taken into consideration their use and value for public water supplies,
agricultural, industrial, and other purposes including navigation. States are to adopt
water quality standards to protect public health or welfare, enhance the quality of
water, and serve the purposes of the CWA.
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