Storage, treatment, and disposal of wastewater have been one of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s areas of attention when it comes to hydraulic fracturing operations. EPA has been studying the feasibility of existing options for such use—including the use of publicly owned treatment works for treatment and disposal for such wastewater. In that vein, EPA recently proposed effluent limitation guidelines for hydraulic fracturing wastewater that would prevent the discharge of untreated shale wastewater into publicly owned treatment works.
Wastewater from hydraulic fracturing poses unique treatment problems for POTWs. This wastewater often contains salts, minerals, organic and inorganic compounds, metals, and naturally occurring radioactive materials that are not found in wastewater typically handled by POTWs. These substances can interfere with the plants’ treatment systems or pass through them untreated before being discharged into the environment.
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