Clean Water Act (CWA)

Wastewater and Surface Water

The CWA was promulgated to control industrial effluent contaminants that could potentially make their way into the waters of the United States and regulate quality standards for surface waters. The analytical methods utilized for these regulations are specific for these matrices. Alpha Analytical supports testing for compliance under Clean Water Act programs including the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), the Stormwater Discharge Monitoring and Surface Water Quality programs. Alpha also supports testing for both state and local programs such as the Massachusetts Water Resource Authority (MWRA) Discharge Monitoring program. Testing is performed routinely for the following categories:

• Volatile Organics by EPA Method 624

• Semivolatile Organics by EPA Method 625

• Pesticides/PCB by EPA Method 608

• Trace Metals by EPA Methods 200.7 or 200.8 (6010B/6020A)

• Inorganic Parameters: Residue, Demand, Minerals, Nutrients, Cyanide, Phenol, Sulfide

• Water Quality Indicator Parameters

For further information on the Clean Water Act and State programs, these links are provided as regulatory resources:

• Clean Water Act, USEPA
• National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES)
• Massachusetts Water Resources Authority (MWRA)