POTW General Permit

The notice of availability of the final NPDES general permits for certain Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) and other treatment works treating domestic sewage in the States of Massachusetts and New Hampshire, and Indian Country Lands located in the State of Massachusetts was published in the Federal Register on September 23, 2005 (see 70 Fed. Reg. 55855 - 55856). The general permits establish notification requirements, permit eligibility conditions, effluent limitations, standards, and prohibitions for discharges to fresh and marine waters. These general permits are effective on September 23, 2005 and will expire five years from this date.

Coverage under these permits is available to facilities in Massachusetts (MAG580000) classified as minor facilities and to facilities in New Hampshire (NHG580000) classified as major or minor facilities. The eligibility requirements, including the requirement that the facility have a dilution factor equal to or greater than 50:1 in the receiving water, are provided in the general permits. Owners and/or operators of POTWs and other treatment works, including those facilities currently authorized to discharge under individual NPDES permits, are eligible to apply for coverage under the final general permits. Following submission of the required information to EPA and the appropriate State, EPA will provide the facility with a written notification whether permit coverage and authorization to discharge under one of the general permits is approved.

You will need Adobe Reader to view some of the files on this page. See EPA's PDF page to learn more about PDF, and for a link to the free Acrobat Reader.

Final POTW General Permit (PDF) (43 pp., 143 KB)

Response to Comments (PDF) (11 pp., 82 KB)

Fact Sheet (PDF) (30 pp., 203 KB)

Attachment A - Freshwater Acute Toxicity Test (PDF) (8 pp., 77 KB)

Attachment B - Marine Acute Toxicity Test (PDF) (7 pp., 78 KB)

Attachment C - National Historic Preservation Act Review (PDF) (3 pp., 26 KB)

Attachment D - Endangered Species Act Review (PDF) (10 pp., 68 KB)

Sludge Compliance Guidance (PDF) (70 pp., 535 KB)

Part IV. Standard Conditions (PDF) (19 pp., 135 KB)

The EPA contact is Bill Wandle (wandle.bill@epa.gov or 617-918-1605).

Massachusetts DEP application and transmittal forms