environmental agency for permit requirements. Many military installations may have current discharge
permits for water sources located on the installation which are used by water purification units.
Military Environmental Considerations. When operating in a field or garrison environment,
commanders must comply with EPA, local, or host nation standards. Commanders with field water
purification units participating in field training exercises or contingency operations in the United States or its
possessions will coordinate with the facility engineer to determine how to dispose of wastewater and other
treatment wastes. Outside the continental United States, commanders will coordinate wastewater disposal
with the host nation environmental agency.
Environmental Procedures for Discharges. You will need to enforce procedures for either
regulated or unregulated discharges of wastewater into the environment.
Regulated Discharges: In cases where a discharge permit has been secured, the water purification
section chief will comply with the permit to prevent contamination of the receiving water body. In cases
where a permit has been denied, the water purification section chief will contact the installation
environmental officer to determine what to do. Among some of the actions that can be taken are discharging
wastewater into a sanitary sewer system or holding wastewater in a tank at the point of production, pumping
it into a truck, and transporting it to the wastewater treatment plant. (Such an action should also involve
coordination with the chief of the wastewater treatment plant.)
Unregulated Discharges: If a discharge permit is not required, the water purification section chief
should take precautions to avoid contamination of the receiving body of water. Wastewater should be
discharged at least 50 yards away from the raw water intake and downstream for flowing sources or
downwind for standing bodies of water. Backwash water and sludge should be discharged into sumps to
prevent gross contamination of the water source. Sump dimensions will depend on the amount of water to be
wasted, the type of soil around the location of the sump, and the water table in the area. When the unit
vacates the area, sumps will be properly closed and marked.
Environmental Considerations. When operating in a field or garrison environment, commanders
must comply with EPA, local, or host nation standards. Commanders with field water purification units
participating in field training exercises or contingency operations in the U.S. or its possessions will coordinate
with the facility engineer to determine how to dispose of wastewater and other treatment wastes. Outside the
continental U.S., commanders will coordinate wastewater disposal with the host nation environmental
agency.
Regulated discharges. In cases where a discharge permit has been secured, the water purification
section chief will comply with the permit to prevent contamination of the receiving water body. In cases
where a permit has been denied, the water purification section chief will contact the installation
environmental officer to determine if wastewater could be discharged into a sanitary sewer system, or held in
a tank at the point of production, pumped into a truck, and transported to the wastewater treatment plant.
Unregulated discharges. If a discharge permit is not required, the water purification section chief
should take precautions to avoid contamination of the receiving body of water. Wastewater should be
discharged at least 50 yards away from the raw water intake and downstream for flowing sources or
downwind for standing bodies of water. Backwash water and sludge should be discharged into sumps to
prevent gross contamination of the water source. Sump dimensions will depend on the amount of water to
be wasted, the type of soil around the location of the sump, and the water table in the area. When the unit
vacates the area, sumps will be properly closed and marked.
Disposal of wastewaters. Wastewaters generated during the ROWPU operation are brine, backwash
water from the multimedia filter(s), and wastewater produced from cleaning the reverse osmosis membranes
(ROMs). Chlorinated product water, if not issued, may have to be disposed of as wastewater. The local
environmental authority should be contacted to determine disposal methods.
Disposal of solid wastes - spent reverse osmosis membranes and cartridge filters. To be considered a
hazardous waste, spent cartridge filters must display one of the following characteristics as defined in 40
CFR 261: ignitability, corrosivity, reactivity, or toxicity. Under most circumstances, ROMs and cartridge
filters will not meet this criteria, and thus will not be considered hazardous. Dispose of spent ROWPU
cartridge filters and ROMs as a solid nonhazardous waste in accordance with state and local requirements.
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QM 4923
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