7) Does Penn State have water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges (to uphold water quality in order to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare, etc.)?

Yes, Penn State does has water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges that follow EPA Clean Water Act standards. In addition, the university has Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permitting for all discharges to the environment. 

There is a university policy (SY40) to not discharge any wastewater to any surface water body.

Since 1983, spray application of all University Park wastewater goes onto a Living Filter to recharge the groundwater.   Begun as a research project in 1962, the Penn State Waste Water Renovation and Conservation project demonstrated that treated effluent could be successfully recycled back into the water supply when applied to agricultural land under the right conditions. Today, the university pumps hundreds of millions of gallons of waste water each year to land north of the university where, instead of being discharged into streams, it is sprayed on agricultural and forest land, and eventually replenishes local groundwater supplies.

Learn more about Penn State’s Progress on SDG 14 HERE.

Tyler Mankey2024-11-11T16:16:12-05:00November 9, 2022|

@sustainpsu

7) Does Penn State have water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges (to uphold water quality in order to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare, etc.)?

7) Does Penn State have water quality standards and guidelines for water discharges (to uphold water quality in order to protect ecosystems, wildlife, and human health and welfare, etc.)?