Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) for Massachusetts & New Hampshire

• 2023 Final PWTF GP

• 2023 Draft PWTF GP
• 2017 PWTG GP
• 2009 PWTG GP

2023 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP)

The Final 2023 NPDES General Permit for Discharges from Potable Water Treatment Facilities in Massachusetts (MAG640000) and New Hampshire (NHG640000) was signed on July 24, 2023 and is effective on October 1, 2023. This permit replaces the previous PWTF GP that expired on March 31, 2022. The Final 2023 PWTF GP will expire on September 30, 2028, which is five (5) years from the effective date.

The PWTF GP provides coverage for potable water treatment facilities in Massachusetts and New Hampshire that discharge wastewater from one or more of the following treatment processes: Clarification, Coagulation, Media Filtration, Membrane filtration (not including reverse osmosis), and Disinfection. In general, facilities covered under this General Permit must discharge less than or equal to 1.0 million gallons per day (MGD).

The permit establishes permit eligibility conditions, notice of intent requirements, effluent limitations, standards, prohibitions, and best management practices. The eligibility requirements for coverage under the General Permit are discussed in Part 1 of the permit.

Permit Documents

• 2023 Final Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (MAG640000 and NHG640000) (pdf) (934 KB)
  • Appendix A - Freshwater Acute Toxicity Test Procedure and Protocol, February 2011 (pdf) (246 KB)
  • Appendix B - Freshwater Chronic Toxicity Test Procedure and Protocol, April 2013 (pdf) (81 KB)
  • Appendix C - Marine Acute Toxicity Test Procedure and Protocol, July 2012 (pdf) (181 KB)
  • Appendix D - Marine Chronic Toxicity Test Procedure and Protocol, November 2013 (pdf) (224 KB)
  • Appendix E - Endangered Species Act Guidance and Eligibility Criteria (pdf) (256 KB)
  • Appendix F - National Historic Preservation Act Review Requirements (pdf) (87 KB)
  • Appendix G - Notice of Intent (NOI) Instructions (pdf) (216 KB)
  • Appendix H - Site Specific Effluent Limitations (pdf) (126 KB)
  • Appendix I - Reasonable Potential Analysis (pdf) (109 KB)
  • Appendix J - PFAS Analyte List (pdf) (221 KB)
  • Appendix K - List of Eligible Facilities (pdf) (124 KB)
• Response to Comments (pdf) (286 KB)
• PFAS Monitoring Announcement Letter (February 20, 2024) (pdf) (268 KB)

Applying for Coverage

Permittees covered under the 2017 PWTF GP and seeking to maintain coverage under the renewed 2023 PWTF GP must submit a Notice of Intent (NOI), containing the information in Appendix G, to both EPA and the appropriate state agency by November 29, 2023 (within 60 days of the permit effective date). See the EPA and State contact information below. Note that any compliance schedule and/or dilution study requests must be submitted with the NOI. All NOI submissions shall be submitted electronically following the template in Appendix G or a similar format with the same information.

EPA and either MassDEP or NHDES will review the NOI. The facility will receive written notification from EPA stating whether permit coverage and authorization to discharge under the General Permit is approved. Until that time, the Permittee shall abide by the conditions of the expired permit that their discharge covered under.

EPA Contact

NOI Processing and Technical Questions: Nathan Chien - Chien.Nathan@epa.gov or (617) 918-1649

State Contacts

MassDEP: Xiaodan Ruan - xiaodan.ruan@mass.gov or (857) 256-4172

NHDES: Hayley Franz - hayley.franz@des.nh.gov or (603) 271-0671

Appeals

In accordance with 40 C.F.R. Part 23, the permit shall be considered issued for the purpose of judicial review on August 7, 2023 (two weeks from the date of signature on the General Permit). Under section 509(b) of the Clean Water Act, judicial review of this General Permit can be requested by filing a petition for review in a United States Court of Appeals by December 5, 2023 (which is 120 days after the start date for judicial review above).

Notices of Authorization

Final Notices of Authorization (i.e., Authorization Letters) are posted below based on Notices of Intent (NOI) that permittees have submitted to EPA. Please reach out to the EPA and/or State Contacts above if you have any questions regarding the authorization letters or NOI approval. NOIs associated with the Authorization Letters can be requested from EPA. Older Authorization Letters and NOIs are listed in the 2017 and 2009 Potable Water Treatment Facility General Permit (PWTF GP) NOI archive.