Direct Discharger in the United States

Direct Discharger in Environmental Law

A person, company, or other entity that sends wastewater to a water body without going through a treatment plant run by someone else. The most common direct dischargers are publicly owned treatment works, the entities that treat sewage for communities. Industrial facilities may also have their own systems to treat wastewater and release it directly without further handling, but they often send their water to publicly owned treatment works after initial treatment. See pretreatment; industrial user.

Anyone who is directly discharging wastewater into waters of the United States must have a permit for the pollutants being released. For all waters within the boundaries of the United States except wetlands, the permit is called a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, available from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) or a state agency [see Clean Water Act]. For wetlands, permission is granted by a Section 404 permit, referring to the section in the Clean Water Act that governs dredging and filling. It is available from the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. Ocean Dumping permit authority is shared by the Corps of Engineers and the EPA. See Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.
Based on “Environment and the Law. A Dictionary”.