Outfall

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Revision as of 17:38, 16 June 2025 by imported>Moreau1 (Rewrote description of US requirements. All point source discharges in the US must have an NPDES permit (not just industrial stormwater). Description of the US stormwater permit program is already provided at Stormwater and United States regulation of point source water pollution. Del unreferenced text.)
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File:Bell Wharf CSO outfall in London.jpg
Outfall with a flap valve at River Thames in London

An outfall is the discharge point of a storm drain or waste stream into a body of water. In the United Kingdom, the term may also apply to discharges from a "watercourse", which may be a river, stream or canal.[1]

United States permit requirements

File:FlorhamParkSewerageUtilityOutfall.webm
Outfall from a sewage plant discharging to Passaic River in New Jersey

In the United States, point sources may not discharge pollutants to surface waters without a permit issued through the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES), as required by the Clean Water Act.[2] Most NPDES permits are issued by state environmental agencies. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues permits in some locations.[3]

Point sources include industrial facilities; service industries; municipal governments (particularly sewage treatment plants and stormwater outfalls); other government facilities such as military bases; and some agricultural facilities, such as animal feedlots.[4] Script error: No such module "labelled list hatnote".

See also

References

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  2. United States. Pub. L. Template:Trim/Template:Trim Template:TrimTemplate:Trim: Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 Approved October 18, 1972.
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