Clean Water Groups

The Clean Water Issues Group addresses issues concerning industry impacts on surface water quality, including effluents to surface water controlled under EPA’s National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program.

These efforts include:

• assessing regulation of waters under federal and state jurisdiction under the Clean Water Act
• assessing the derivation and implementation of water quality criteria and standards for nutrients, metals, and other pollutants
• evaluating implementation of standards based on pollutant limits in ambient fish tissue rather than in the water column,
• examining procedures for derivation and implementation of water quality criteria protective of human health
• working with regulatory authorities examining technology-based effluent limits for refineries,
• assessing strategies for complying with EPA's Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) program,

Upstream Water Issues Group

The Upstream Water Issues Group addresses issues concerning water regulations affecting the oil extraction sector of the petroleum industry. These efforts include:

• identifying content of waters regulated under the Clean Water Act,
• assessing compliance practices for meeting cooling water intake effluent guidelines on offshore platforms, and,
• evaluating EPA's assessment of the Coal Bed Methane industry for possible development of effluent guidelines.

Soils and Groundwater Technical Group

The API Soil and Groundwater Technical Group is the focus for subsurface research within API. The Group provides an expert, multidisciplinary focal point for soil and ground water issues identified by API committees. Their primary role is to develop and manage research projects that improve approaches to understanding, restoring, and protecting ground water quality. The Group is also charged with disseminating the findings of such research through its publications, technical presentations, and sponsorship of conferences. These efforts include:

• Modeling and establishing site evaluation criteria concerning vapor intrusion into basements,
• Modeling and remediation decision-making based on natural source-zone depletion
• Determining the degradation and fate of ethanol fuels in the subsurface
• Evaluating the fate and transport of light non-aqueous phase liquid (LNAPL) in the subsurface, and the implications for remediation options