What is pretreatment?
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.
What is a pretreatment program?
A pretreatment program is an EPA-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, the Broad Run Water Reclamation Facility (BRWRF). Wastewater from certain industrial and commercial sources may contain pollutants at levels that could interfere with or pass through wastewater treatment processes at BRWRF.
What are the goals of Loudoun Water’s industrial pretreatment program?
- 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.
Why does Loudoun Water have a pretreatment program?
The Clean Water Act requires Loudoun Water to control pollutants from industrial and commercial sources that discharge to our sewer collection and treatment system. Loudoun Water also holds a discharge permit issued by Virginia Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ) which tightly regulates the water quality of BRWRF’s treated effluent and reclaimed water. This discharge permit contains the requirement to implement a pretreatment program that prevents pollution from being passed along to the environment or to users of reclaimed water.
Why perform the Industrial Waste Survey (IWS) now?
To ensure that Loudoun Water receives Pretreatment Program approval from Virginia DEQ prior to completion of the BRIPPI project, the IWS must be complete by April 2016.
As a business, how do I know if I am subject to pretreatment program requirements?
Loudoun Water will send survey’s to business that have a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the wastewater reclamation facility or for violating any federal or local standards. In 2016, outreach will be made to 68 Loudoun businesses to verify their business activity and wastewater characteristics. Loudoun Water will review the survey and, if necessary, sample your wastewater discharge to determine if your business should be subject to pretreatment requirements. Significant Industrial Users are subject to pretreatment program requirements.
What are the benefits of completing the IWS?
Completing the IWS and applying for DEQ’s Pretreatment Program approval is required for Loudoun Water to remain in compliance with federal and state laws. Further, identifying and characterizing the nature and quantity of industrial pollutants discharged in our service area is fundamentally important to ensuring that Broad Run WRF continuously remains in compliance with the discharge limits established by its VPDES permit.
What is a Significant Industrial User?
Pretreatment program requirements apply to all Significant Industrial Users (SIU). An SIU is defined as an industry that:
- Is subject to federal Categorical Pretreatment Standards
- Discharges 25,000 or more gallons per day of process water (excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and boiler blow down wastewater)
- Contributes 5% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the publicly owned treatment works (Broad Run WRF or Blue Plains AWTP)
- Has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the wastewater reclamation facility or for violating any standard or requirements.
If I am determined to be a Significant Industrial User, what do I have to do?
Significant Industrial Users must hold an industrial wastewater discharge permit issued by Loudoun Water. Based on Federal Categorical Standards and Local Limits established by Loudoun Water, these discharge permits will restrict the amount of pollution (e.g. heavy metals and other toxic substances) that a customer can discharge to the sewer collection system. In addition to maintaining compliance with discharge limitations, permit holders must also comply with the reporting, monitoring, and record-keeping requirements. Loudoun Water’s pretreatment program is dedicated to working collaboratively with SIUs to implement pollution prevention and compliance strategies that are cost-effective and reliable. Loudoun Water staff will share their expertise and experience to guide SIUs through the legal and technical requirements of pretreatment program compliance.