Pretreatment Requirements
PFRWTA requires all industrial and commercial users to meet established pretreatment standards in accordance with local, state and federal regulations. These requirements limit pollutants such as heavy metals, corrosive substances, excessive solids, and harmful chemicals before industrial wastewater enters the public sewer system, ensuring protection of treatment processes, worker safety, and water quality.
Each member jurisdiction of the Authority has also adopted the Authority’s Rules and Regulations, or the content thereof related to the industrial pretreatment program, into their sewer ordinances. In most cases, the Authority administers the member jurisdiction pretreatment programs through a letter agreement with the member jurisdictions. Included in the Rules and Regulations is Appendix “A” that contains the numeric limitations for compatible and non-compatible pollutants:
Ammonia: 261 mg/L
BOD5: 1,280 mg/L
Total Phenols: 28.5 mg/L
Total Suspended Solids: 2,090 mg/L
Total Dissolved Solids: 6,000 mg/L
Sulfate: 515 mg/L
Oil & Grease: 100 mg/L
Total Antimony: 12.0 mg/L
Total Arsenic: 0.690 mg/L
Total Barium: 7,160 mg/L
Total Cadmium: 0.100 mg/L
Total Chromium: 1.760 mg/L
Hexavalent Chromium: 0.430 mg/L
Total Copper: 0.280 mg/L
Total Cyanide: 0.580 mg/L
Total Iron: 3.640 mg/L
Total Lead: 0.290 mg/L
Total Manganese: 77.6 mg/L
Total Mercury: 0.020 mg/L
Total Nickel: 0.270 mg/L
Total Selenium: 0.520 mg/L
Total Silver: 0.300 mg/L
Total Zing: 1.430 mg/L
In the case of BOD and TSS limits, discharges in excess of the stated limits are allowable under a surcharge program, and will be considered on a case-by-case basis. In the case of excessive sulfate discharges, a surcharge program is approved by the Authority Board of Directors, but participation in the program must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. In the case of other forms of TDS (sodium chloride, potassium chloride, etc.), the Authority can evaluate such commercial and industrial client needs on a case-by-case basis.