Charlotte County Utilities

Treatment Facilities - Industrial Pretreatment Program

Jim Winter, Industrial Pretreatment Compliance Coordinator
email Jim Winter
Phone: (941) 764-4599 or 764-4595 ~ Fax: (941) 627-4603

 

WHY DO WE NEED A PRETREATMENT PROGRAM?
Wastewater treatment plants are effective in treating domestic (household) sewage using a combination of biological, physical and chemical processes. Domestic sewage is characterized by its lack of toxic or potentially harmful substances in significant concentrations, and does not require pretreatment before discharge to the sewer system.

Commercial establishments often use concentrated quantities of solvents, acids, chemicals, heavy metals or other materials, and have a potential to discharge concentrated amounts of such materials into the sewer system. These type substances can destroy sewer lines, produce hazardous gases or create flammable or explosive conditions. These same substances can also interfere with the operation of the wastewater treatment plants or pass through untreated, resulting in a lower quality of effluent. The controlling of these discharges at the source by pollution prevention methods, pretreatment of wastewater before discharge, and by prohibiting the discharge of specific hazardous substances to the sewer system will eliminate many problems associated with non-domestic wastewater discharges.

 

WHAT IS THE NATIONAL PRETREATMENT PROGRAM?
The National Pretreatment Program is a cooperative effort of federal, state, and local regulatory environmental agencies established to protect water quality. The program is designed to reduce the level of pollutants discharged by industry and other non-domestic wastewater sources into municipal sewer systems, and thereby, reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment from these sources.

The national pretreatment program was established by congress under the authority of the Federal water Pollution Control Act of 1972 (Pub.L 92-500) as amended by the Clean Water Act of 1977 (Pub. L 95-217). Implementation requirements of the pretreatment portions of these laws were first codified into 40 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 403 in 1978.  The Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) received authority from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to establish a State National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit program in accordance with section 402 of the Clean Water Act of 1987 (CWA) specifically including the pretreatment program under 40 CFR part 403.  The authority for FDEP to administer the state pretreatment program is established in Chapter 62-625 of the Florida Administrative Code (F.A.C.).

 

WHAT ARE THE OBJECTIVES OF THE PRETREATMENT PROGRAM?

  1. Protect the environment, public health, and safety;
  2. Provide safe working conditions for sewer utility workers;
  3. Protect wastewater, collection, and treatment facilities from damage due to an accidental or deliberate discharge of pollutants;
  4. Prevent the introduction of substances that would block or obstruct the collection system;
  5. Prevent the introduction of pollutants into the collection system which would interfere with the wastewater treatment process, or pass through the plant;
  6. Improve the opportunity to reclaim and recycle municipal wastewater and biosolids.

 

WHAT KIND OF INDUSTRIES ARE REGULATED UNDER THE PRETREATMENT PROGRAM?

All businesses, including industrial, commercial and governmental establishments, that discharge anything other than normal domestic wastewater are technically subject to the requirements of the Pretreatment Regulations. For most businesses, this simply means they cannot discharge anything that will adversely affect the wastewater system or its workers, or the treatment plant effluent or biosolids.

For businesses discharging significant amounts that may be detrimental to the Charlotte County Utilities wastewater system.  There may be additional requirements. These businesses, classified by the Utility as Significant Industrial Users (SIU's) are required to obtain industrial discharge permits in order to discharge to the sewer system. Each permit contains specific limits on the industrial pollutants that are present in an industry's discharge. Permits also contain monitoring and reporting requirements with which the industry must comply if it is to continue discharging to the wastewater system.

 

PROHIBITED WASTES

Businesses will be required to pretreat their wastewater (remove toxic and other restricted substances) and/or apply pollution prevention methods before discharging into the County's wastewater system if the wastestream contains prohibited wastes such as:

  • Flammable or explosive substances;
  • Highly toxic or poisonous substances;
  • Solid or viscous substances which may cause an obstruction to flow;
  • Wastewater having a pH less than 6.0 or greater than 8.5;
  • Pollutants in excess of federal, state and local limits (whichever is more stringent);
  • Wastes which may damage or clog wastewater transmission facilities and pipelines.

Businesses are also restricted from discharging the total quantity of materials entering the wastewater system. Some of those materials are as follows:

  • Acids and/ or bases;
  • Wastes with high temperatures;
  • High B.O.D.(high organic loading);
  • High Suspended solids;
  • Heavy metals;
  • Fats, oils and grease (FOG) in excess of 100mg/l.

 

WHAT BUSINESSES ARE CONSIDERED TO BE SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USERS?

The following types of businesses are considered to be SIU's:

  • Businesses engaged in operations identified as "categorical" processes by EPA. These categorical processes include electroplating, metal finishing, nonferrous metals forming, battery manufacturing and a number of others under Rule 62-625.410 F.A.C., and 40 CFR Chapter 1, Subchapter N.
  • Businesses that discharge 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater, unless they are found by CCU to have no potential to violate local pretreatment standards (Local Limits). Contributes a process waste stream which makes up 5 percent or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the treatment plant.
  • Businesses, regardless of size, whose discharge has a potential to adversely affect the operations of CCU's wastewater system. This includes such facilities as dry cleaners, film processing facilities etc.

 

WHAT IS REQUIRED OF SIU'S?

Besides obtaining an industrial discharge permit, SIU's may be required to install facilities to treat their wastewater prior to discharge to the wastewater system to meet applicable pretreatment standards. SIU's must periodically sample and analyze their discharges to determine compliance, and must report the results to CCU. SIUs who fail to comply with pretreatment standards face the possibility of serious enforcement actions, including monetary penalties and termination of sewer service.

 

HOW DOES AN SIU OBTAIN AN INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGE PERMIT?

Contact Vincent LiCausi, Industrial Pretreatment Compliance Coordinator:
Phone (941) 764-4595 ~ Fax (941) 627-4603 ~ email Jim Winter