I am presently investigating wastewater requirements and effluent
charges in the US dairy industry. Can you provide me with an overview
of effluent charges for dairy producers in CA, WI and MA respectively?
I am interested in COD/BOD and TSS concentration limits and wastewater
volume charges. |
Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
24 Feb 2005 10:09 PST
It's been a while since I've done any work on NPDES/SPEDES discharge
permits, but from what I remember, the computation of charges is
complex, and may even vary from site to site within a state. For
instance, discharges to sewage treatment plants are charged according
to the fees set by each STP, rather than a statewide formula.
I fear your question would involve an awful lot of work to get you
information on both fees and discharge limits in three different
states....more than can be justified at the price you've set.
Can you perhaps narrow the parameters somewhat -- or adjust the fee --
so that there's a better match-up?
Thanks for considering this.
pafalafa-ga
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
24 Feb 2005 14:13 PST
Hi pafalafa,
Thanks for the response. How about just focusing on WI and MA then? I
am looking for statewide averages, with highs and lows pointed out. I
am not looking for an all inclusive town-by-town or site-by-site
breakdown. Does that help?
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
24 Feb 2005 17:23 PST
elembe-ga,
Have a look at the information in this report:
http://www.michamber.com/nr/studies/WaterFeesStudy.pdf
It covers some of the info your looking for from Wisconsin, and
compares their fees to other states (but not, alas, MA or CA).
The report will give you a bit of an idea of how complex the fee
structure can be, and what sorts of information are available from
programs.
If the information in this report is of interest, let me know what
additional figures you'd like -- from which states, and what numbers
-- and I'll see what I can rustle up.
Cheers,
paf
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
25 Feb 2005 23:22 PST
Hi Paf,
I found this link for example, which shows a wastewater equation for
Ripon, CA. http://www.cityofripon.org/Business/Infrastructure/utilitity/sewer.htm
I was looking for this type of info, but really like what you found
from MI. Please go ahead and see what you can find of similar info
(MI) on MA and WI.
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
26 Feb 2005 05:35 PST
Let's see if we can get real clear on what you're after, and perhaps I
can help out.
Wastewater from factories and the like is discharged in two ways:
"Direct dischargers" discharge directly into rivers, lakes, or the
ocean. "Indirect dischargers" discharge into sewage treatment plants.
These are two entirely separate programs, with different permits and
different costs. The link you provided is for indirect dischargers
dumping into the sewer in Ripon, CA. This is the info for a single
city in California. It may have no bearing at all at what a similar
discharger would pay in SF, LA, Sacremento, etc.
Nor does it have any real relation to what a direct discharger would pay.
NOW...given all that maddening complexity...How can I help you?
paf
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
26 Feb 2005 10:45 PST
Excellent points, paf. I would like you to find average rates for
direct dischargers in the dairy industry in WI and MA, with focus on
COD/BOD and TSS concentration limits and wastewater volume charges.
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
02 Mar 2005 04:35 PST
Hi Paf,
Are you working on my question? If not, please advise re: what I can do from here.
Best,
elembe
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
02 Mar 2005 04:43 PST
I haven't made too much progress, I'm afraid.
Part of the problem is, dairy producers sometimes come under CAFO
rules...I forget exactly what it stands for, but it has to do with
animal feed lots. The CAFO permits are structured differently than
regular water permits and, of course, have different fees. But it
seems that some dairy farms are CAFO, some not!
I just don't quite know where to turn on this one. It's more complex
-- and would involve a lot more digging -- than I can really justify
at the price offered. And even at a much higher price, I'm just not
sure the information you're looking for is readily available.
paf
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
02 Mar 2005 12:39 PST
Hi again,
Thanks for the answer. I just realized I asked about dairy producers
when I am looking for guidelines for dairy PROCESSORS. Holy cow (no
pun intended) what a big difference - and what a bad question poster I
am.
When I saw CAFO it hit me. I fear however that the situation will be
pretty much the same, although processors are point source polluters
vs. the non-point producers.
I deeply apologize for this mistake, and hope to hear from again.
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
07 Mar 2005 04:59 PST
Any luck Paf?
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Request for Question Clarification by
pafalafa-ga
on
07 Mar 2005 05:28 PST
'Fraid not. I haven't yet come across the type of information you're
looking for. I'll let you know if something turns up, though.
paf
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Clarification of Question by
elembe-ga
on
07 Mar 2005 23:48 PST
Don't mean to pressure you, but I have a deadline coming up pretty
soon. I also want to be sure we are clear that it is PROCESSORS I am
looking for.
So any info would be greatly appreciated.
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