LOTT has an active pretreatment program to ensure businesses meet regulatory requirements to prevent pollution from entering the sewer system. This program is required by state and federal law to protect the safety of wastewater system workers as well as our local water resources. To view the Pretreatment Regulations (PDF), click here.
What is Pretreatment? Pretreatment can refer to one of two things. It is a term used to describe the treatment of industrial or commercial wastewater at the source by physical, chemical or biological means. It also is the name of a regulatory program to prevent discharges into a sewer system that can harm the treatment plant, its workers or effluent quality.
Why is Pretreatment necessary? LOTT’s Pretreatment Program is required by the Washington State Department of Ecology and is a condition of our wastewater discharge permit. The practical reason is that some wastes such as metals are not compatible with our wastewater treatment processes. Toxic substances like mercury and copper can kill off the microbes that treat our wastewater. Other pollutants can pass through the plant untreated and end up in our waterways. If we receive an excess amount of fats, oils and grease, this can block pipes and cause sewer overflows.
How does the Pretreatment Program work? The LOTT Clean Water Alliance along with its partner jurisdictions the cites of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater, and Thurston County establish discharge regulations based on federal and state regulations, and local needs. These regulations are adopted into the partner jurisdictions’ municipal codes. LOTT surveys businesses to determine their wastewater properties and required level of regulatory oversight and conducts inspections to determine compliance with the municipal code.
Who is regulated under the Pretreatment Program? The Pretreatment Regulations apply to all non-domestic sewer dischargers. The degree to which a business is regulated depends on its size, complexity and type of wastewater generating process. Some businesses just need to be informed of proper waste management practices. Others need formal authorization like a Wastewater Discharge Permit. LOTT uses the information gathered from survey responses and site inspections to determine the appropriate level of oversight. For more information, please email us.
What is Pretreatment? Pretreatment can refer to one of two things. It is a term used to describe the treatment of industrial or commercial wastewater at the source by physical, chemical or biological means. It also is the name of a regulatory program to prevent discharges into a sewer system that can harm the treatment plant, its workers or effluent quality.
Why is Pretreatment necessary? LOTT’s Pretreatment Program is required by the Washington State Department of Ecology and is a condition of our wastewater discharge permit. The practical reason is that some wastes such as metals are not compatible with our wastewater treatment processes. Toxic substances like mercury and copper can kill off the microbes that treat our wastewater. Other pollutants can pass through the plant untreated and end up in our waterways. If we receive an excess amount of fats, oils and grease, this can block pipes and cause sewer overflows.
How does the Pretreatment Program work? The LOTT Clean Water Alliance along with its partner jurisdictions the cites of Lacey, Olympia and Tumwater, and Thurston County establish discharge regulations based on federal and state regulations, and local needs. These regulations are adopted into the partner jurisdictions’ municipal codes. LOTT surveys businesses to determine their wastewater properties and required level of regulatory oversight and conducts inspections to determine compliance with the municipal code.
Who is regulated under the Pretreatment Program? The Pretreatment Regulations apply to all non-domestic sewer dischargers. The degree to which a business is regulated depends on its size, complexity and type of wastewater generating process. Some businesses just need to be informed of proper waste management practices. Others need formal authorization like a Wastewater Discharge Permit. LOTT uses the information gathered from survey responses and site inspections to determine the appropriate level of oversight. For more information, please email us.
LOTT is required by federal and state law to identify all businesses and organizations that may be subject to Sewer Ordinance Regulations and to characterize pollutants discharged to the sewer system. LOTT meets this regulation by requiring businesses and organizations that may discharge wastewater to the system to complete a survey.
The surveys listed here include business-specific and general surveys. If you do not see your category of business listed, then complete the general survey. While our surveys can be completed electronically, they must be printed and signed by an authorized representative of the business or the business owner then returned to LOTT.
LOTT will review completed surveys and may contact you if additional information is needed. Businesses that need permits or formal authorization to send nonresidential wastewater to the sewer may also be required to complete a Wastewater Discharge Permit application. LOTT may also provide you with Best Management Practices that detail industry specific methods to manage your wastestream(s).
Commercial food service establishments produce waste fats, oils and grease (FOG). As FOG goes through the sewer system, it cools, becomes solid and coats sewer pipes, which can cause blockages. Blockages can lead to sewage back-ups that require business shutdowns and costly repairs. Food service establishments are required to install and properly maintain grease traps and take other actions to keep FOG from entering the sewer system to prevent grease build-up in the pipes and at the wastewater treatment plant.
LOTT occasionally receives requests to discharge groundwater into the regional wastewater system. These requests are typically related to construction activities or cleaning up contaminated soil or water. LOTT may accept these discharges of groundwater, when pre-approved in writing, as long as they are within discharge limits specified in LOTT’s Pretreatment Regulations. These discharge limits are in place to prevent unpermitted discharges of groundwater affecting LOTT’s treatment processes. They also prevent contaminants from polluted sites from entering LOTT’s treatment plant, and possibly Budd Inlet.
Dental offices that place or remove dental amalgam are required to remove dental amalgam solids from all wastewater, using an approved dental amalgam separator or equivalent, before discharging wastewater to the sewer system. Federal and state rules regulating dental amalgam are designed to prevent mercury from the amalgam from entering wastewater, and ultimately being released into the environment. This is important because mercury bioaccumulates in the food chain and it is a potent neurotoxin that can cause a wide range of health issues.
Businesses are asked to follow Best Management Practices (BMPs) to help prevent pollution from entering the wastewater system. LOTT developed BMPs to assist a variety of commercial customers. These documents contain tips and requirements to control business-specific pollution. Several are available in multiple languages. For more information about pretreatment, send us an email or call (360) 528-5728.
