Industrial Pretreatment

Learn More: Fact Sheet

The City's Industrial Pretreatment program is designed to reduce the levels of pollutants discharged into municipal sewer systems. The City received EPA approval in 1983 for our program.

The goals of the Pretreatment Program are to prevent the introduction of pollutants into the sanitary sewer in amounts that could:

• Hinder the ability of our wastewater treatment facilities to operate affectively.
• Pass through the wastewater treatment facility to the receiving river or stream.
• Inhibit the City's ability to economically dispose of wastewater residuals (biosolids).
• Result in concerns for worker health and safety.
• Damage the sanitary sewer system or.
• Cause an obstruction in the sanitary sewer.

All non-domestic users of the sanitary sewer system must comply with Pretreatment standards and regulations as set forth in Title 11-C, Chapter 12. Some users must obtain an Industrial Wastewater Discharge permit or receive written authorization prior to discharging non-domestic wastewater. Discharges that require a permit or written authorization include:

• Discharges from Significant Industrial Users, as defined by Section 1200 of Title 11-C, Chapter 12.
  
• Discharges of trucked waste - Hauled Waste and Grease Handling
• Discharges of groundwater or stormwater Section 1201(A)(2)(l).
• Discharges of wastewater that may contain solids or BOD5 in concentrations greater than 250 mg/l - Section 1201(H)&(I).
• Other discharges which have the potential to adversely impact the sanitary sewer.

The Pretreatment Program may allow certain users of the sanitary sewer system to develop and/or comply with a Best Management Practice (BMP) program in lieu of a wastewater discharge permit.

Pretreatment also administers the City of Tulsa's Grease Handling and Hauling Ordinance Title 11c, Chapter 14.

Federal Laws developed pursuant to the Clean Water Act of 1977 require municipalities to enact sewer use ordinances and policies sufficient to assure continued compliance with the Federal Pretreatment Regulations.

For more information please contact the Pretreatment Program Manager at (918) 591-4393.

Hauled Waste Program