Operation and Maintenance of Publicly Owned Wastewater Treatment Plants

Many wastewater treatment plants are not meeting the performance standards they were expected to achieve. The failure to meet these standards not only has an adverse impact on the nation's ability to meet its clean water goals, but also represents the potential waste of tens of millions of dollars in federal, state, and local funds. GAO analyzed over 200 randomly selected major wastewater treatment plants and found that the violation of discharge permits is the norm rather than the exception. The problems GAO identified at some of the worst offending plants included: (1) design deficiencies; (2) equipment deficiencies; (3) infiltration and inflow overloads; (4) industrial waste overloads; and (5) operation and maintenance deficiencies. GAO also observed the lack of action taken by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), states, and municipalities to bring plants into compliance. GAO discovered that: (1) technical assistance provided by EPA and the states is limited and not effective in resolving problems; (2) enforcement actions taken by EPA and the states against permit violators followed no consistent pattern; and (3) funding required for plant modifications was not readily approved or available. One way to improve this situation would be to clearly specify who is accountable for ensuring that the plants, once constructed, will work as intended.