EPA's Innovative Technology Program for Waste Water Treatment Needs Better Controls

Gao ID: RCED-84-79 August 20, 1984

GAO discussed the need for better controls in the Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) innovative technology program for wastewater treatment. The program has significant potential to improve wastewater treatment technology and can reduce expenditures for energy, construction, and operation of future projects.

GAO found that EPA awarded $20.2 million to questionable projects and $7.3 million to projects which could not be assessed for innovative sewage treatment technologies. Further, project engineers in two of the three regions reviewed by GAO generally did not ensure that projects were innovative. GAO concluded that, although the program was designed to break down barriers hindering development of innovative technology in wastewater treatment, the program has had limited success. The program does not provide sufficient incentives for consulting engineers and states to take the risk or incur the additional cost of developing innovative projects.

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


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