FTN completed a use attainability analysis (UAA) for the receiving stream for the Jonesboro City Water & Light (CWL) Westside Wastewater Treatment Plant. The UAA led to revised water quality standards for chloride, sulfate, and total dissolved solids (TDS) in the receiving stream. The revised criteria allowed CWL to avoid permit limits that were not economically feasible to meet.
The UAA included field studies, toxicity testing, mass balance modeling, engineering analysis of alternatives for discharge/treatment, and an analysis of designated uses and water quality criteria associated with the CWL receiving stream. The field studies evaluated physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of the stream that occurred during spring and summer flow conditions. The biological assessment included toxicity testing and fish and benthic macroinvertebrate sampling during each field study.
The UAA was approved by the Arkansas Department of Environmental Quality and EPA. FTN’s proposed criteria were approved by the Arkansas Pollution Control and Ecology Commission and incorporated into the water quality standards.
