OCEAN DISCHARGE RESEARCH PROJECTS.

SEC. 509. OCEAN DISCHARGE RESEARCH PROJECTS. (a) In General.—Notwithstanding any other provision of law, the Administrator is authorized to issue a research permit to the Orange County, California, Sanitation Districts for the discharge of preconditioned municipal sewage sludge into the ocean for the purpose of enabling research to be conducted in assessing and analyzing the effects of disposing of sewage sludge by pipeline into ocean waters— (1) if the Administrator is satisfied that such local governmental agency is actively pursuing long-term land-based options for the handling of its sludge with special emphasis on remote disposal alternatives set forth in the 1980 LA/OMA sludge 101 STAT. 80management project and on reuse of sludge or use of recycled sludge; and (2) if the Administrator determines that there is no likelihood of an unacceptable adverse effect on the environment as a result of issuance of such permit and that such permit would meet the requirements of paragraph (2) of section 301(h) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended by this Act, and of the sentences following the first sentence of such section if such permit were being issued under such section. (b) Permit Terms.— (1) Period.—The permit for the discharge of sludge shall be for a period of 5 years commencing on the date of such discharge and shall not be extended or renewed. (2) Monitoring.—Such permit shall provide for monitoring (including whole effluent monitoring) of permitted discharges and other discharges into the ocean in the same area and the effects of such discharges (including cumulative effects) in conformance with requirements established by the Administrator, after consultation with appropriate Federal and State agencies, and for the reporting of such monitoring to Congress and the Administrator every 6 months. (3) Volume of discharge.—Such permit shall provide that the volume of such local agency’s sludge disposed of by such experimental pipeline shall be no more than one and one-half times that being disposed of by such remote disposal and alternatives for the reuse of sludge and the use of recycled sludge. In no event shall the agency dispose of more than 50 percent of its sludge by the pipeline. (4) Termination.—The permit shall provide for termination of the permit if the Administrator determines that the disposal of sewage sludge is resulting in an unacceptable adverse impact on fish, shellfish, and wildlife. The Administrator may terminate a permit issued under this section if the Administrator determines that there has been a decline in ambient water quality of the receiving waters during the period of the permit even if a direct cause and effect relationship cannot be shown. If the effluent from a source with a permit issued under this section is contributing to a decline in ambient water quality of the receiving waters, the Administrator shall terminate such permit. (c) Limitation on Precedent.—The facts and circumstances described in subsection (a) present a unique situation which will not establish a precedent for the relaxation of the requirements of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act applicable to similarly situated discharges. (d) Report.—Such districts shall report the results of the program and an analysis of such program to Congress under this section not later than four and one-half years after issuance of the permit.