US Environmental Protection Agency

This bullet point format case study gives an overview of a complex permitting process for sewage discharges to the Long Island Sound which contribute the majority of nitrogen to this nitrogen impaired water body. This permitting strategy allocates different pollutant standards based on proximity to problems in the watershed and allows trading between sources. The market for pollutant reductions is opened further by the creation of the Nitrogen Credit Exchange insuring a purchaser for any excess credits produced by the dischargers.