The Clean Water Act allows POTWs to grant removal credit based on what?

The Clean Water Act allows publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) to grant removal credit based on the degree of removal actually achieved at the facility. This means that the credit given is directly linked to the effectiveness of the wastewater treatment processes in removing pollutants from the influent water.

The rationale behind this is that the Clean Water Act aims to ensure that water quality standards are met through actual performance data rather than projections or estimations. By focusing on the tangible degree of removal, regulatory bodies can verify that the POTW is fulfilling its mandate to protect water quality and public health effectively, based on real outcomes rather than theoretical models or future expectations.

In terms of context, while projected future removals or the amount of pollutants discharged could be important for planning purposes, they do not provide a reliable measure of the treatment facility's current effectiveness. Similarly, the volume of sewage collected is not indicative of how well the treatment process is performing; it is the removal of contaminants that ultimately impacts environmental compliance and water quality standards.