AQUATIC ANIMAL PRODUCTION INDUSTRY EFFLUENT GUIDELINES

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AQUATIC ANIMAL PRODUCTION INDUSTRY EFFLUENT
GUIDELINES

• January 27, 2002

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Possible Rulemaking Outcomes

• No Regulation or Regulation
• Entire Industry Category
• Certain Subcategories
• Certain Size Facilities of a Given
  Subcategory(ies)
• For No Regulation, options include
• EPA issues guidance - BMPs (e.g. voluntary
  approaches, incentive programs)
• EPA does not issue guidance

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Possible Rulemaking Outcomes (Continued)

• For regulation, options include
• EPA establishes numeric limitations
• EPA develops BMPs
• EPA develops combination of numeric limitations
  and BMPs
• Different levels of stringency by industry
  subcategories
• levels of stringency are based on a number of
  factors (e.g., economic impacts, size, production
  systems, discharge levels, performance of control
  technology/practices) and can vary for each
  subcategory. For example
• Subcategory A no regulation
• Subcategory B least stringent option considered
• Subcategory C more stringent option considered

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Major Milestones

• SBREFA
• Management Selects Options Winter 2001/2002
• Interagency Review Spring 2002
• Proposed Rule June 2002
• Notice of Data Availability Summer 2003
• Interagency Review (Final Rule) Spring 2004
• Final Rule June 2004

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SBREFA

• Outreach to Small Entity Representatives
  December 2001
• Small Business Panel Convenes January 2002
• Small Business Panel Concludes
• March 2002

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Proposed Rule

• Administrator Signs Proposal June 30, 2002
• Proposal Published in Federal Register July
  2002
• Comment Period - Probably 60 days

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Current Activities

• Data Collection Activities
• Subcategorization
• Options under consideration
• Pollutants
• Costs and Loadings
• Economic Impact Analyses

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Screener Survey Results to Date

• Summary of Response Rate
• 5989 surveys have been mailed
• 4856 surveys have been received
• 130 Duplicates
• 80 Returned blank
• 500 Returned unopened
• Re-mailings will be made to incorrect addresses
• Follow-up actions for non-responses enforcement
  letter

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Subcategorization Analysis Factors Being
Assessed

• System type and water management strategy
• Species
• Facility age
• Facility location
• Facility size
• Feed type and feeding rate
• Non-water quality environmental impacts
• Disproportionate economic impacts

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Model Facility Approach

• Facility-specific
• Detailed process information for specific
  facilities
• Model Facility
• Reasonable representation of the industry
• Reflect the different characteristics of the
  industry

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Model Facility Approach Sources of Data

• Site visits and sampling
• Information from industry members and
  associations
• Screener and detailed survey
• Aquaculture census
• Published information

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Loadings Approach
Food
Oxygen
Water In
Biomass

• Mass Balance on annual basis
• Predict Effluent Quality
• Determine relationship of feed input to effluent
  quality

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Pollutants Of Interest

• Total Suspended Solids
• Nutrients
• Nitrogen
• Phosphorus
• BOD
• Microbiologicals
• Drugs and Chemicals

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Cost Methodology

• Identify Candidate BMPs and Treatment
  Technologies Regulatory Options
• Develop Cost Equations BMPs and Treatment
  Technologies
• Develop Computer Models Compliance Costs and
  Loadings
• Estimate Total Annualized Costs and Economic
  Impacts

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Cost Methodology (continued)

• Cost and financial estimates for each model
  facility
• Industry-level costs calculated
• Number of facilities
• x
• Model facility cost

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Estimating the Number of Facilities

• USDA Aquaculture Census
• Screener Survey

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Costs

• Capital costs
• Land Equipment
• One-time non capital costs
• Consulting Services
• Annual operation and maintenance costs
• Labor
• Equipment

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Frequency Factors

• Used to adjust for BMPs and Treatment Technology
  options that already exist in the industry

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Example of Frequency Factor Use

• Catfish Farms practice water level management
  100 (based on information from site visits and
  JSA)
• Therefore, no costs included for water level
  management

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Options Being Considered

• System Specific Options
• Best Management Practices
• Treatment Technologies
• Risk Minimization Strategies

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Status of Revisions

• As we discuss the different aspects of the rule,
  we will indicate the changes that have occurred.
• Changes have been made to reflect input from
  various sources and refinement of the options

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Baseline- practices and technologies existing at
  most facilities and primary feature is solids
  removal
• Option 1 considers the development of a BMP Plan
  (HACCP-like approach) to control conventional and
  nutrient pollutants also to address escapes,
  fish pathogens, and drugs and chemicals

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Baseline- practices and technologies existing at
  most facilities and primary feature is solids
  removal
• Option 1 considers the development of a BMP Plan
  (HACCP-like approach) to control conventional and
  nutrient pollutants also to address escapes,
  fish pathogens, and drugs and chemicals

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Option 2 considers additional solids removal and
  establishes a numeric limit for TSS
• Option 3 considers additional treatment for
  specific pollutants such as disinfection to
  control microorganisms and establish limits for
  total coliform

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Option 2 considers additional solids removal and
  establishes a numeric limit for TSS
• Option 3 considers additional treatment for
  specific pollutants such as disinfection to
  control microorganisms and establish limits for
  total coliform

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Pond Systems
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Pond Systems
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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Baseline
• Ponds - Feed management, In-pond treatment, Water
  Management, Discharge Management
• Flow through - Feed Management, Quiescent Zones,
  Sedimentation Basins
• Recirculating- Feed Management, Sedimentation
  basins
• Net Pens Feed Management

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Option 1 - BMP Plan (referred to as PACCP)
• Identifies ways to minimize or control aquatic
  animal pathogens, nonnative species, drug and
  chemical usage.
• The BMP plan consists of same approach for all
  production systems

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Option 2 Additional treatment of TSS
• Ponds- Vegetated ditches, in-pond
  settling(holding water), settling basins
• Flow through microscreen filters
• Recirculating microscreen filters
• Net Pens active monitoring

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Treatment Technologies and Best Management
Practices

• Option 3 Additional Treatment for Specific
  Pollutants
• Ponds Constructed Wetlands (nutrients)
• Flow-through Disinfection (bacteria associated
  with manure storage)
• Recirculating Systems Disinfection (bacteria
  associated with manure storage)

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NPDES Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production
Facility Definition

• EPA considering revising the National Pollutant
  Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) definition
  of a Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production
  Facility (CAAPF).

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NPDES Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production
Facility Definition

• As part of the effluent guidelines rulemaking
  development, EPA is evaluating aquatic animal
  facilities as a whole to determine the
  applicability of the effluent guidelines.

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NPDES Concentrated Aquatic Animal Production
Facility Definition

• Should EPA determine that the effluent guidelines
  apply to facilities that are excluded from the
  current NPDES CAAPF definition, EPA may decide to
  change the NPDES definition.

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Additional Considerations

• For Land Application of Manure (similar to CAFOs)
• Determine N P content
• Record keeping requirements
• Amount of manure disposed
• Frequency of disposal
• Person/entity receiving manure

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Additional information

• To obtain additional information on the
  development or progress of the aquaculture
  guidelines
• http//www.epa.gov/OST/guide/aquaculture
• http//ag.ansc.purdue.edu/aquanic/jsa/effluents/in
  dex.html

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Additional information

• For technical information
• Marta Jordan [phone]
• Jan Goodwin [phone]
• For economic technical information
• Kristen Strellec [phone]

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Types of Systems VisitedTotal 74
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Regional Distribution of Facilities
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Species
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Sampling Events
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Sampling Analytes

• Solids TSS, TDS, SS, TVS
• Nitrogen NH3, NO2/NO3, TKN
• Phosphorus TP, Dissolved P, Ortho P
• Oil grease
• BOD, TOC, COD
• Metals
• Organic compounds (volatile and semivolatile
  compounds)
• Microbiologicals