GEORGIA'S 1993 TRI DATA

GEORGIA MANUFACTURERS PASS THE 50% MARK IN TOXIC CHEMICAL RELEASE REDUCTION

by Bill Vondersmith, Pollution Prevention Engineer

[From the Source - Spring 1995]

Annual Toxic Release Inventory (TRI) reporting is required under section 313 of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act (EPCRA) of 1986. EPCRA requires manufacturers in Standard Industrial Classifications 20 through 39 with 10 or more employees that manufacture, process, or use a listed toxic chemical above specific threshold quantities to report multimedia releases and off-site transfers to the state and EPA.

The 674 Georgia manufacturers submitting TRI reports for 1993 represent an increase of five percent over the 1992 reporting while realizing an eleven percent decrease in emissions. Part of the decrease can be attributed to the 947 source reduction activities instituted by one-third of the manufacturers. The majority of the activities reported dealt with operation and maintenance, process modifications, and spill prevention (see Figure 1).

>From 1988 to 1993 Georgia companies have achieved an overall reduction in TRI total releases of 55.6 percent (see Figure 2). The total releases shown in Figure 2 are made up of categories which include fugitive and stack air emissions, waste water discharges, land disposal, waste water discharges to Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW), and waste transferred off site for disposal or recycling (see Figure 3). Releases in all of the categories have decreased over the last four years with the exception of land disposal which showed an increase. This increase only represents six tenths of one percent of the 1993 total releases.

The largest reduction in actual pounds released occurred in the stack air category where 1993 releases were 20.6 million pounds less than the 1990 releases. Stack air currently represents over fifty-five percent of the total annual releases. Together stack and fugitive air emissions account for seventy four-percent of the 1993 releases. Analysis of trends in the release of some common solvents (such as benzene, methyl ethyl ketone, and 1,1,1-trichloroethane) shows that solvent usage in the state has declined.

Increased TRI reporting and total releases are anticipated over the next two years due to the EPA adding 32 chemicals in 1994 and 286 in 1995 to the TRI list. These chemicals, while previously regulated under other environmental laws, have not in the past had their releases quantified. Expansion of the TRI chemical list is expected to generate additional interest in pollution prevention activities presenting new opportunities to reduce pollutants entering the environment. Not only will this reduce pollution, but in many cases companies will save money implementing methods that reduce waste streams requiring costly treatment and/or disposal.

The TRI data presented in this article was taken from Georgia's Toxic Release Inventory Report, 1993 published by the Department of Natural Resources, Environmental Protection Division. Copies of this report may be obtained by calling (404) 656-6905.