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Background
Human activities are chiefly responsible for the present state of
environmental pollution. Point sources of pollution, derived from
municipal or industrial operations, are easy to monitor. However, most water pollution
originates from nonpoint sources, which makes it difficult to track and monitor the causes of pollution.
Pollution Prevention Programs
The
National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) was
developed by EPA as a result of the Clean Water Act. It controls water pollution
by identifying and eliminating point sources. Municipal and industrial
waste-generating facilities must have an NPDES permit
if any of their discharges enter surface water.
All states must enforce NPDES permits.
The
Pollution Prevention Program (P2), also developed by EPA, promotes
the idea of waste reduction at the source as the best
pollution prevention tactic. The EPA P2 program address many waste
related issues.
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Persistent Bioaccumulative and Toxic Strategy addresses the
reduction of risks related to toxic substances that can enter the
food chain with long-term or immediate health consequences.
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Green Products is a program that encourages purchase and use of
environmentally friendly products.
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Business Practices agenda encourages business to modify their
practices to adopt P2 efforts. It also provides assistance to small
businesses to help adopt pollution prevention programs.
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Through Design for Environment and Green Chemistry, EPA promotes
environmentally safe processes and management systems to
industry, helping them to eliminate or reduce
production of hazardous substances.
Florida has adopted the national P2 program at the state level.
The
Florida Pollution Prevention Program has many areas of initiatives.
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Hospitals for a Healthy Environment program focuses on eliminating
mercury containing wastes, reduction of total waste generation, and
identification of hazardous substances.
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Commercial and State Office Buildings initiative encourages
reduction of air pollutants by using energy efficient products,
water conservation techniques, reducing the use of chemicals,
adoption of recycling and reuse to reduce solid wastes, improve upon
building resilience and maintenance of worker health.
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Car wash facilities come under a closed-loop recycling system
because water
from these facilities do not follow a regulatory discharge mandate. FDEP is currently developing a pilot program to help these
facilities follow a recycling measure so that no water is
discharged to surface or groundwater.
There are many other initiatives that are underway under Florida
Pollution Prevention Program.
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