Loudoun Water Pretreatment Program
The term "pretreatment" means the treatment of wastewater by commercial and industrial facilities to remove harmful pollutants prior to discharging to a sewer collection and treatment system. Loudoun Water's pretreatment program is a Clean Water Act mandated program that requires Loudoun Water to control industrial and commercial discharges to our sewer collection and treatment system, thereby reducing the amount of pollutants released to the environment from our wastewater treatment plant. Wastewater from certain industrial and commercial sources may contain pollutants at levels that could interfere with or pass through wastewater treatment processes.
Loudoun Water’s Pretreatment Program has the following objectives:
- Enforce all applicable Federal, State and Local Regulations to ensure the protection of public health and the environment.
- Maintain the quality of treated wastewater and biosolids so that they may be beneficially reused as “reclaimed water” and fertilizer.
- Protect the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility from any pollutants that may interfere with treatment processes.
- Prevent the introduction of pollutants to our wastewater collection system that may pass through Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility untreated.
Loudoun Water meets its objectives by establishing discharge standards for pollutants of concern and through permitting Significant and Non-Significant Industrial Users, testing industrial user discharges for compliance with permit limits, and routinely conducting comprehensive facility inspections.
Guidelines for Swimming Pool Discharges to the Sanitary Sewer
Wastewater Discharge Standards
The pretreatment program enforces discharge standards for established by USEPA, known as categorical discharge standards, as well as well as local discharge standards specific to wastewater that flows into the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility. The wastewater of some customers within Loudoun Water’s service area flows to Blue Plains Advanced Wastewater Treatment Plant and is held to discharge standards established by DC Water. Discharge standards apply to all non-domestic sources and are reviewed at least every five years. Industries may be required to pretreat their wastewater discharge if the pollutants exceed or have the potential to exceed the allowable discharge concentrations.
Technically Based Local Limits for the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility, Published 2017
| Parameter | Local Limit |
| Arsenic | 0.23 mg/L |
| Cadmium | 0.07 mg/L |
| Chromium | 2.7 mg/L |
| Copper | 2.3 mg/L |
| Cyanide | 0.06 mg/L |
| Lead | 1.0 mg/L |
| Mercury | 0.046 mg/L |
| Molybdenum | 0.7 mg/L |
| Nickel | 1.5 mg/L |
| Selenium | 0.24 mg/L |
| Silver | 1.75 mg/L |
| Zinc | 11.2 mg/L |
| pH | 5.0-10.0 SU |
| Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG) |
50 mg/L solidifying @ <150ºC |
| Temperature | 40ºC (104ºF) at POTW; 60ºC (140ºF) from S|U |
| Flammability | No 2 consecutive readings at 25% LEL, and no reading of greater than or equal to 10% LEL allowed |
Enforcement
All violations of discharge limitations and permit requirements are met with enforcement action. This enforcement action is outlined in Loudoun Water’s Enforcement Response Plan.
Wastewater Discharge Permits
Businesses and government agencies that meet any of the following criteria are required to have a Loudoun Water issued Wastewater Discharge Permit:
- Users with an average process wastewater flow of 25,000 gallons or more per day.
- Users who contribute 5% or more of the total inflow or organic loading to Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility.
- Federally mandated categorical industries — detailed on the EPA's website.
- Users who have a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the operation Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility or for violating any pretreatment standard or requirement.
Industrial Waste Survey (IWS)
Loudoun Water surveys businesses that have a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the wastewater reclamation facility or for violating any federal or local standards. In 2016, 68 businesses in the Loudoun Water service area were asked to verify their business activity and wastewater characteristics. Loudoun Water will review the survey and, if necessary, sample wastewater discharges to determine if a business should be subject to pretreatment requirements.