Industrial Pretreatment Program

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires municipalities that operate wastewater treatment plants with capacity greater than 5 million gallons per day and which receive industrial wastewater to develop and implement a Pretreatment Program. The City's Pretreatment Program was established in 1995.

In accordance with the federal Clean Water Act, the objectives of the City's Pretreatment Program are to:

  • Prevent interference with treatment plant operations
  • Protect public health and safety
  • Protect the structure and integrity of the sewage collection system to ensure that personnel working in the system are safe
  • Protect the environment by preventing toxic or hazardous substances from passing through the treatment plant to the receiving water
  • Prevent the contamination of treatment plant sludge, which could affect sludge disposal and future sludge use

Two Related Efforts

Woodland's Pretreatment Program consists of two related efforts: the Industrial Pretreatment Program and the Pollution Prevention Program.

Industrial Pretreatment Program

The Industrial Pretreatment Program regulates discharges from Significant Industrial Users which are industries that discharge at least 25,000 gallons of wastewater per day. Significant Industrial Users have a reasonable potential to interfere with treatment plant operations, to cause pass-through and/or sludge contamination.

Pollution Prevention Program

The Pollution Prevention Program focuses on commercial and industrial discharges not regulated under the Industrial Pretreatment Program. Pollution prevention includes education and enforcement to prevent conditions that lead to sanitary sewer overflows.

Program Staff

Pretreatment Program staff also assist with Woodland's storm-water management program by inspecting storm-water treatment devices.

An Environmental Compliance Specialist and an Environmental Compliance Inspector implement the Pretreatment Program under direction of the City's Laboratory Supervisor.