Wisconsin Legislature: NR 220.02(55)

NR 220.10NR 220.10 Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to provide for the incorporation of effluent limitations into discharge permits required under s. 283.31, Stats., as soon as possible after the promulgation of regulations establishing effluent limitation guidelines.

NR 220.10 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; renum. from NR 207.01 and am. Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88; CR 17-002: am. Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18.

NR 220.11NR 220.11 Applicability. This subchapter is applicable to discharge permits issued for all categories and classes of point sources listed in s. NR 220.02.

NR 220.11 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; am. Register, April, 1983, No. 328, eff. 5-1-83; renum. from NR 207.02 and am. Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88.

NR 220.12NR 220.12 Definitions. Terms used in this subchapter are defined in s. NR 205.03. Abbreviations used in this chapter are defined in s. NR 205.04. Other terms for this chapter are defined as follows:

NR 220.12(1)(1) “Effluent Limitation Guidelines” or “ELGs” are federal or state technology based guidelines or standards that are used to establish effluent limitations for industrial categories or classes of dischargers. They include federal guidelines, standards, and limitations that are established under 33 USC 1311, 1314, 1316, 1318, 1342 and 1361 and state promulgated guidelines, standards, and limitations in chs. NR 221 to 297.

NR 220.12(2)(2) “Fundamentally different factors variance” or “FDFV” means a variance or an adjustment to an effluent limitation when data specific to a permittee indicates the presence of factors that are fundamentally different from the factors considered by EPA in development of the effluent limitation guidelines 33 USC 1311 and 1314.

NR 220.12 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; renum. from NR 207.03 and am. Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88; CR17-002: renum. 220.12 to (intro.) and am., cr. (1), (2) Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18; correction in (1) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2018 No. 748.

NR 220.13NR 220.13 Establishment of limitations based upon federal regulations.

NR 220.13(1)(1) Listed industrial categories. In the event that the EPA promulgates an effluent limitation guideline for a category or class of point sources listed in s. NR 220.02 that is more stringent than the promulgated effluent limitation guideline for that category or class, the department shall include an effluent limitation based on the EPA-promulgated effluent limitation guideline in an issued, reissued, or modified WPDES permit for a point source that belongs to the federal category or class of point sources in accordance with the federally required compliance date.

NR 220.13(2)(2) Industrial categories not specifically listed. In the event that the EPA promulgates an effluent limitation guideline for a category or class of point sources not listed in s. NR 220.02, the department shall include an effluent limitation based on the EPA-promulgated effluent limitation guideline in an issued, reissued, or modified WPDES permit for a point source that belongs to the federal category or class of point sources in accordance with the federally required compliance date.

NR 220.13(3)(3) Less stringent limitations. If a promulgated federal effluent limitation guideline results in an effluent limitation that is less stringent than an existing applicable technology based limitation contained in a WPDES permit, the department may only include the less stringent limitation if the antibacksliding requirements in ch. NR 207 are satisfied.

NR 220.13(4)(4) Compliance. Prior to any permit modification, revocation and reissuance, or reissuance to incorporate a limitation for a toxic substance based on a revised federal effluent guideline promulgated under 33 USC 1317, the permittee shall comply with the federally promulgated guideline by the required compliance date even if the permit has not yet been modified, revoked and reissued, or reissued to include a limitation based on the revised guideline.

NR 220.13 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; am. Register, April, 1983, No. 328, eff. 5-1-83; renum. from NR 207.04, Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88; CR 17-002: r. and recr. Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18.

NR 220.14NR 220.14 Establishment of effluent guideline limitations in the Wisconsin administrative code. The department shall, as soon as possible after the promulgation of any federal regulations establishing effluent guidelines for certain categories and classes of point sources, adopt appropriate effluent guideline limitations for such point sources in the Wisconsin administrative code.

NR 220.14 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; am. Register, April, 1983, No. 328, eff. 5-1-83; renum. from NR 207.05, Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88.

NR 220.15NR 220.15 Disposal of pollutants into publicly owned treatment works, land treatment systems, or land application of wastewater.

NR 220.15(1)(1) In this section, “surface waters” means waters of the state, excluding groundwater.

NR 220.15(2)(2) When part of a discharger’s process wastewater is not being discharged into surface waters because it is disposed into a POTW, into a land treatment system, or via land application of wastewater, thereby reducing the flow or level of pollutants being discharged into surface waters, applicable effluent standards and limitations for the discharge in a WPDES permit shall be adjusted to reflect the reduced raw waste resulting from such disposal. Effluent limitations and standards in the permit shall be calculated by one of the following methods:

NR 220.15(2)(a)(a) If none of the waste from a particular process is discharged into surface waters, and effluent limitations guidelines provide separate allocation for wastes from that process, all allocations for the process shall be eliminated from calculation of permit effluent limitations or standards.

NR 220.15(2)(b)(b) In all cases other than those described in par. (a), effluent limitations shall be adjusted by multiplying the effluent limitation derived by applying effluent limitation guidelines to the total waste stream by the amount of wastewater flow to be treated and discharged into surface waters, and dividing the result by the total wastewater flow. This method is expressed algebraically as:

Where:

P is the final, adjusted permit effluent limitation,

E is the limitation derived by applying effluent guidelines to the total wastestream,

N is the wastewater flow to be treated and discharged to surface waters, and

T is the total wastewater flow.

NR 220.15(2)(c)(c) In addition to the adjustment in par. (b), effluent limitations and standards may be further adjusted under a fundamentally different factors variance under s. NR 220.20 to make them more or less stringent if discharges to POTWs or land treatment systems change the character or treatability of the pollutants being discharged.

NR 220.15 NoteNote: “Land treatment system” is defined in s. NR 214.03 (24). Wells as defined in s. NR 812.05 (1) (b) are not land treatment systems. Disposal of pollutants into wells is prohibited by s. NR 812.05.

NR 220.15(3)(3) Sub. (2) does not apply to the extent that effluent limitations guidelines do any of the following:

NR 220.15(3)(a)(a) Control concentrations of pollutants discharged but not mass.

NR 220.15(3)(b)(b) Specify a different specific technique for adjusting effluent limitations to account for land application or disposal into POTWs.

NR 220.15(4)(4) This section does not alter a permittee’s obligation to meet any more stringent limitations or requirements established under other WPDES permit program regulations, including those under chs. NR 204 and 214.

NR 220.15 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, July, 1981, No. 307, eff. 8-1-81; am. Register, April, 1983, No. 328, eff. 5-1-83; renum. from NR 207.06 and am. Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88; CR 17-002: r. and recr. Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18.

subch. III of ch. NR 220Subchapter III — Best Professional Judgment Effluent Limitations for Point Sources

NR 220.20NR 220.20 Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to provide for the application of effluent limitations in permits for discharges from point sources which are not subject to the effluent limitations in chs. NR 221 to 299 inclusive.

NR 220.20 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, June, 1976, No. 246, eff. 7-1-76; renum. from NR 217.01 and am. Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88.

NR 220.21NR 220.21 Application of effluent limitations.

NR 220.21(1)(1) The department may specify effluent limitations applicable in permits for the discharge from point sources:

NR 220.21(1)(a)(a) Which do not include the classes or categories of point sources identified in ch. NR 220, subch. I,

NR 220.21(1)(b)(b) Which belong to classes or categories of point sources for which effluent limitations have not been adopted in chs. NR 221 to 297 inclusive, or

NR 220.21(1)(c)(c) Which belong to classes or categories of point sources excluded from, or not specifically included in, the applicability provisions of the effluent limitations of chs. NR 221 to 299 inclusive.

NR 220.21(2)(2) In permits for discharges from point sources identified in sub. (1) effluent limitations shall be those which the department determines are achievable by the application of the best practicable control technology currently available, or, where appropriate, the best available control technology economically achievable.

NR 220.21(3)(3) In making such determinations the department shall in part be guided, where appropriate, by transferable technology identified in guideline development documents, published by the U.S. environmental protection agency pursuant to Public Law 92-500, as best practicable control technology currently available or best available control technology economically achievable and by effluent limitations achievable by such technologies as set forth in chs. NR 221 to 299 inclusive.

NR 220.21 HistoryHistory: Cr. Register, June, 1976, No. 246, eff. 7-1-76; renum. from NR 217.10 and am. (1) (a), Register, September, 1988, No. 393, eff. 10-1-88; correction in (2) made under s. 13.93 (2m) (b) 4., Stats., Register, September, 1988, No. 393.

subch. IV of ch. NR 220Subchapter IV — Variances to Effluent Limitation Guidelines

NR 220.30NR 220.30 Purpose. The purpose of this subchapter is to establish the criteria and standards to be used in determining whether effluent limitations alternative to those required by chs. NR 221 to 297 or by federal effluent limitation guidelines should be included in a WPDES permit for a discharger because factors relating to the discharger’s facilities, equipment, processes, or other factors related to the discharger are fundamentally different from the factors considered by the department or the EPA in development of the effluent limitation guidelines. This subchapter also provides expedited variance procedures for fundamentally different factors variances and for other variances under 33 USC 1311(c).

NR 220.30 HistoryHistory: CR 17-002: cr. Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18; correction under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2018 No. 748.

NR 220.31NR 220.31 Fundamentally different factors variances.

NR 220.31(1)(1) General. The department may adjust an effluent limitation that is based on a requirement in chs. NR 221 to 297 or based on a federal effluent limitation guideline established under 33 USC 1311 and 1314 on a case-by-case basis to make the limitation more or less stringent for a permittee within an industrial category or subcategory. An FDFV may only be approved for a limitation if data specific to the discharger indicates the presence of factors fundamentally different from those considered by EPA or the department in developing the limitation at issue. Any request for a variance and department approval of a variance shall comply with the requirements in 33 USC 1311(n) and 40 CFR 125 subpart D.

NR 220.31(2)(2) Who may request an FDFV. Any interested person, including the permittee, believing that the factors relating to a discharger’ facilities, equipment, processes, or other facilities related to the discharger are fundamentally different from the factors considered during the development of the effluent limitation guidelines may request an FDFV. An FDFV may also be proposed by the department in the draft permit.

NR 220.31(3)(3) FDFV restrictions. A fundamentally different factors variance may not be granted for any new source performance standard and does not apply to the BPT limitations for steam electric power generating, contained in s. NR 290.12 (1). The department may not include an alternative limitation based on a fundamentally different factors variance in a permit unless the EPA has approved the variance under 40 CFR 124.62.

NR 220.31 HistoryHistory: CR 17-002: cr. Register April 2018 No. 748, eff. 5-1-18; correction in (1) under s. 13.92 (4) (b) 7., Stats., Register April 2018 No. 748.