WASHINGTON, D.C. — The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is offering a webcast titled, "Introduction to the National Pretreatment Program," on Thursday, June 30, 2011, from 1:00-3:00 p.m. Eastern time. The webcast is designed to provide a brief overview of the National Pretreatment Program for interested parties, including but not limited to states, publicly owned treatment works (POTWs), and industry stakeholders, who are unfamiliar with the program's requirements.

The National Pretreatment Program is a cooperative effort of federal, state, and local regulatory environmental agencies established to protect water quality. The program is designed to reduce the level of pollutants discharged by industry and other non-domestic wastewater sources into municipal sewer systems, and, thereby, reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment through wastewater. The objectives of the program are to protect POTWs from pollutants that may interfere with plant operation, to prevent pollutants that may pass through untreated from being introduced into POTWs, and to improve opportunities for POTWs to reuse wastewater and sludges that are generated.

Topics covered during the webcast will include: how the Clean Water Act pertains to the National Pretreatment Program, an overview of the general pretreatment regulations (40 CFR Part 403), and POTW pretreatment program implementation requirements.

For more information on the webcast, including information on speakers and instructions on how to register, visit www.epa.gov/npdes/training. For additional information on EPA's National Pretreatment Program, visit http://cfpub.epa.gov/npdes/home.cfm?program_id=3.