Water Quality & Waste Management Flashcards
7 cards from real CEA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Water Quality & Waste Management flashcards as text
Which wastewater treatment process removes nitrogen through sequential anoxic and aerobic zones where bacteria convert ammonia to nitrogen gas?
Answer: Biological nitrification-denitrification
Biological nitrification-denitrification uses nitrifying bacteria (aerobic) and denitrifying bacteria (anoxic) to convert ammonia to nitrate and then to nitrogen gas.
A CEA auditor finds that a company's waste oil storage tanks lack secondary containment. Which regulation is most likely violated?
Answer: 40 CFR Part 279 used oil management standards
40 CFR Part 279 establishes used oil management standards including secondary containment requirements for used oil storage tanks.
Under the Clean Water Act, what is the distinction between a 'point source' and a 'nonpoint source' discharge?
Answer: Point sources are confined discrete conveyances; nonpoint sources are diffuse runoff
Point sources are identifiable, confined conveyances (pipes, ditches) subject to NPDES permits, while nonpoint sources are diffuse pollutant inputs such as agricultural runoff not regulated by NPDES.
Which characteristic makes a solid waste 'ignitable' under RCRA hazardous waste regulations (40 CFR Part 261.21)?
Answer: Flash point below 60°C (140°F) for liquids
A liquid waste is ignitable (hazardous characteristic D001) if it has a flash point below 60°C (140°F) as determined by standardized test methods.
An auditor discovers a facility has an unpermitted discharge of process wastewater to a storm drain connected to a local creek. Which enforcement action is EPA most likely to pursue initially?
Answer: Administrative compliance order under CWA Section 309
EPA typically begins with an administrative compliance order under CWA Section 309(a) requiring the facility to cease the unauthorized discharge and come into compliance.
What is the purpose of a Toxicity Characteristic Leaching Procedure (TCLP) test in waste classification?
Answer: To simulate leaching of contaminants from waste in a landfill environment
TCLP simulates the leaching that occurs when waste is co-disposed in a municipal solid waste landfill, identifying wastes toxic enough to contaminate groundwater.
Which document must accompany a hazardous waste shipment from a generator to a TSDF under RCRA?
Answer: Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest
The Uniform Hazardous Waste Manifest must accompany all hazardous waste shipments, tracking the waste from generator to transporter to receiving TSDF.