Tetra Tech can help our clients understand the requirements of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s 2015 effluent limitations guidelines (ELG) for steam electric power generation for their business. The ELGs set the first federal limits on the amount of toxic metals and other pollutants from six types of waste streams and could result in significant financial commitments from power generators.

The regulations are complex, and power generators should begin planning now. Steam electric power plants across the United States are required to comply with the new regulations within their next NPDES renewal cycle, which could be as early as November 1, 2018.

Tetra Tech provides in-depth understanding, thorough analysis, and expert planning to achieve compliance in a cost-effective manner. We can assist clients with water management, wastewater characterization, solution optimization, and treatment implementation. Our services include prefeasibility, feasibility, pilot plant implementation, and engineering services for industrial water treatment, specializing in the removal of arsenic, mercury, nitrate and nitrite, and selenium. Tetra Tech has practical experience with pilot plant design and operation on flue gas de-sulfurization (FGD) wastewater as well as at coal mining and refinery facilities for selenium removal.

Our experts help clients find solutions for their sites’ specific chemistry and have experience addressing even the most challenging of the newly regulated constituents. FGD wastewater is a complex mixture with high concentrations of calcium, sulfate, chloride, and total dissolved solids (TDS), along with mercury, arsenic, selenium, nitrate, and other trace metals. FGD absorber operation and the quality and composition of the coal used may affect the overall water quality of the FGD wastewater, which can cause large variations in the chemistry and composition of wastewater from a single power plant. Water balance modeling, chemical modeling, FGD chemistry, and oxidation reduction potential will have large impact on treatment.

Tetra Tech helps our clients evaluate treatment technologies for process reliability, operability, chemical use, residual disposal, and flexibility to respond to changing water quality.