Conserve the fighting strength.
Protect the environment
Reduce the Army's and the Nation's current and future cost for environmental restoration.
Monitoring Environmental Compliance in United States. In the United States, rules and regulations for wastewater
discharges are normally established by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). A state may have an EPA approved
program under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), established under the Clean Water Act
(CWA). The NPDES sets minimum treatment standards for surface water discharges such as Army purification/storage/
distribution operations and also establishes the framework for setting additional discharge standards. Dischargers apply for
and then obtain an NPDES permit (or state equivalent) which contains discharge standards/restrictions applicable to the given
discharger. Before operating any water purification unit in the United States, check with the state and local 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.
Monitoring 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.
Monitoring 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 chef 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 me 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
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