Wastewater Dischargers Are Not Complying With EPA Pollution Control Permits

GAO reviewed compliance with and the effectiveness of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES).

NPDES was established by the Clean Water Act to limit the type and amount of pollution that a municipal or industrial facility may legally discharge into the nation's waterways. Under NPDES, discharge permits are issued, and GAO found that noncompliance with permit limits was widespread, frequent, and significant. Specifically, GAO estimated that 82 percent of the major dischargers sampled in six states exceeded their monthly average pollution permit limits at least once during an 18-month period and that 31 percent of those dischargers exceeding their limits were in significant noncompliance during that period. GAO stated that current enforcement practices allow noncompliance to continue for long periods and that thousands of dischargers have not been issued permits or hold expired permits. GAO noted that federal funding of water quality programs has significantly declined in recent years.

Recommendations

Our recommendations from this work are listed below with a Contact for more information. Status will change from "In process" to "Open," "Closed - implemented," or "Closed - not implemented" based on our follow up work.

Director: Hugh J. Wessinger Team: General Accounting Office: Resources, Community, and Economic Development Division Phone: (202) 275-5489