Published in the Federal Register on September 2, this program plan presents the results of EPA's 2004 annual review of existing effluent guidelines required by section 304(b) of the Clean Water Act. The notice also represents the final 2004 Effluent Guidelines Program Plan required by section 304(m). Effluent guidelines are national regulations that improve water quality by controlling the discharge of pollutants by specific industries - from manufacturing and agriculture to service industries - into our nation's waters directly or indirectly through publicly owned treatment works. The effluent guidelines that EPA has issued over the past 30 years have prevented the discharge of more than 690 billion pounds of pollutants a year.

The notice identifies facilities in two industries for which EPA will begin a rulemaking that could lead to revised effluent guidelines (these facilities manufacture vinyl chloride, polyvinyl chloride or vinyl chloride monomers, manufacture chlorine using the chlor-alkali process, or conduct a combination of these operations). The notice also identifies two industries without effluent guidelines for which EPA will begin rulemakings that could lead to new effluent guidelines (airport deicing operations and drinking-water supply and treatment). You can find out more information about the plan on EPA's web site at www.epa.gov/guide/plan.html.