Utah Wastewater Treatment: UPDES, Great Salt Lake & Nutrient Reduction
Two regulatory forces define the compliance landscape a Utah wastewater operator works within: the state's delegated discharge permitting program, and an active statewide effort to reduce nutrient loading.
UPDES: Utah's Delegated NPDES Program
The Utah Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (UPDES), administered under Utah Administrative Code R317-8, is Utah's federally-delegated equivalent of the EPA's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES). Rather than receiving permits directly from EPA, Utah wastewater dischargers are permitted through UPDES by the Utah Division of Water Quality. Operators should think of UPDES as functionally equivalent to NPDES in purpose and permit structure, just administered at the state level.
The Great Salt Lake Discharge Permitting Program
As the Great Sal