Pretreatment Program
SacSewer’s Wastewater Source Control Section administers the Pretreatment Program and is responsible for providing regulatory oversight of industrial and commercial sewer discharges to protect public health, the environment, the sewage collection system, and the EchoWater Resource Recovery Facility.
Additionally, SacSewer implements significant source reduction programs, outreach and education programs, incident response, and permit administration of industrial and commercial non-domestic waste streams discharged to sewer.
Discharge Permits
Discharge permits are issued to both federally regulated categorical industries and to industries that discharge pollutants of local concern, such as high flow and/or high strength waste streams discharged to the sewer. Entities that meet any of the following criteria may need to obtain a discharge permit.
- Discharges 25,000 gallons or more of process wastewater per day (excluding domestic, non-contact cooling, and boiler blowdown portion of the dishcarge)
- Contributes a process waste stream that makes up 5% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the treatment plant
- Temporary or long-term discharges of non-domestic process waste streams that have a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the SacSewer sewer system or for violating any Pretreatment Standard or Requirement, or as determined by SacSewer
- Discharges more than 37.5 pounds of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD), 37.5 pounds of total suspended solids (TSS), or 8.3 pounds of Total Kjeldahl Nitrogen (TKN) per day
- Is classified as a “categorical user” in accordance with the listing established by the EPA (40 CFR Chapter 1, Subchapter N, Parts 405-471)
- Discharges from groundwater remediation projects
- Performs mobile pressure washing or liquid waste hauling
Common types of entities that need a permit include industrial bakeries, laundries, food and beverage processing, metal finishers, water treatment plants, liquid waste haulers, mobile pressure washers, groundwater remediation, landfill leachate, temporary discharges of construction waste streams or off-spec product, and chemical companies.
Compliance tips
If you miss a sampling day in a business week, the sampling must be made up within the same month. In some cases, sampling can be rescheduled in the following month on the same day of the week as the missed day(s). Any changes should be communicated to your inspector as soon as possible, and reported on the monthly compliance report form.
If you keep your pH probe clean through routine maintenance, you will reap the rewards of more accurate readings, faster response time, and an extended life.
- pH electrodes for grab pH sampling should have a wet sponge positioned at the bottom of the cap to keep the glass membrane and junction moist.
- For continuous pH sampling, pick a probe type that is compatible with your waste stream.
- Before and after use, rinse probe with clean water.
- Avoid touching the glass membrane.
- Know your probe: perform cleaning according to manufacturer instructions.
Pretreatment Bulletin
Congratulations to the permitted industries that exhibited 100% compliance with their discharge permit requirements for the 2023 calendar year!
We recognize the challenges and demands entities face in achieving financial success while adhering to numerous rules, restrictions, and regulations. We greatly appreciate their commitment to compliance with discharge permits, which plays a vital role in helping SacSewer fulfill its mission and vision.
2023 Permitted Industries with 100% Compliance
- Confidential Proprietary Information – The SacSewer Treatment and Resource Recovery Ordinance Section 2.6.14, 40 CFR Part 2, and 40 CFR 403.14 regulations allow certain qualifying proprietary information of permitted industrial users to remain confidential during a Public Records Act request. Contact your inspector for an application for confidential status under the pretreatment program if you think this applies to you. Effluent data, including constituents, results, and water quality characteristics must remain public information.
- Unannounced Inspections or Sampling – Beginning January 2025, we will implement unannounced site visits at Class I and II permitted industries as part of our ongoing process improvements and to independently verify compliance with pretreatment regulations (40 CFR 403). These visits may include spot inspections and/or sampling.
Incorporating unannounced, on-demand inspections and sampling into the pretreatment program enhances our ability to capture real-time snapshots of business operations. These visits encourage consistent compliance, ensuring entities meet requirements at all times—not just during scheduled inspections. Unannounced inspections are also a key EPA-recommended component of a quality pretreatment program.
Permits with the prefix MIS, CLN, or ILN will be renewed in 2025. This is part of our process to spread out renewal cycles by permit type.
Programs
To educate our customers about how they can help us control pollutants at the source, SacSewer has developed a number of outreach programs that encourage sustainable habits that keep our environment healthy. We encourage our customers to review the helpful pollution prevention tips and make small daily efforts. Over time they will add up and benefit the health of our natural environment.
Dentists who place or remove amalgam are required to install amalgam separators and implement two EPA-required Best Management Practices (BMP). All dentists must now be in compliance.
Partners
Sacramento Business Environmental Resources Center (BERC)
City of Folsom
City of Sacramento
City of West Sacramento
Forms & Documents
- Annual Pretreatment Program Reports
- Class I, II, and Groundwater Permit Standard Conditions
- Enforcement Response Plans
The following is a list of industrial categories for which specific categorical pretreatment standards or requirements have been promulgated. Pretreatment Standards apply to discharges to Publicly Owned Treatment Works. If your business conducts one of the below processes, please contact us for a permit evaluation.
