The 1977 amendments to the Federal Clean Water Act and the Federal Pretreatment Regulations in 40 CFR Part 403 require Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTWs) that have significant industrial users to administer a local pretreatment program. This local program must control the discharge of pollutants to the public wastewater treatment system from industries such that the industrial discharges do not cause problems at the wastewater treatment facility. The problems can be the discharge of industrial pollutants that:

• cause interference with the operation of the wastewater treatment facility including final disposal of sludge; or
• pass through the treatment facility and cause violations of either the facility's NPDES Permit or the water quality standards of the receiving water body.

POTW Pretreatment Programs must be approved by the Department. A POTW's Pretreatment Program consists of:

1. The legal authority to administer and enforce a local pretreatment program;
2. Procedures to ensure compliance with the requirements of the local pretreatment program;
3. Funding sufficient to administer the program;
4. Local limits on industrial users;
5. An enforcement response plan that outlines how the POTW will investigate and respond to instances of industrial noncompliance; and
6. A list of significant industrial users.

The Wastewater Management Section of the Bureau of Water's Water Facilities Permitting Division is responsible for the approval of POTW Pretreatment Programs. After approval, the Pretreatment Program regulatory requirements are incorporated into the POTW's National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System Permit. Additionally, proposed local industrial user permits are normally reviewed and approved by this Section prior to the POTW issuing these permits to the industrial users.

If an industry must install a wastewater treatment system to pretreat their wastewater prior to their discharge to the POTW's system in order to meet the limits contained in either the POTW's ordinance or their local industrial user permit, a wastewater construction permit must be issued by the Department prior to the industry constructing the pretreatment facility. The Federal/Energy/Pretreatment Section of the Bureau of Water's Industrial, Agricultural, and Stormwater Permitting Division is responsible for permitting of industrial pretreatment facilities.

The POTW Pretreatment Program, Wastewater Construction Permit Program, the Satellite Sewer System Program, the NPDES Permit Program, the Land Application System Permit Program, and the Sludge Program are integrated into a comprehensive water pollution control program on transportation, treatment, and disposal or use of wastewater and sludge.

Laws

• Federal Clean Water Act

Regulations

• Regulation 61-9, Water Pollution Control Permits 
• 40 CFR Subchapter N (Federal Effluent Limitation Guidelines)

Guidance Documents

• South Carolina Procedures Manual for Preparing a POTW Pretreatment Program -
  Request a copy by email to Kayse Jarman.

Contacts

• Permitting - Kayse Jarman, (803) 898-4215
• EA Local Regional Offices
• Compliance - Adam Cannon, (803) 898-4160
• Enforcement - Lorria Caswell, (803) 898-1647

Related Topics

Bureau of Water

• NPDES Permit Program
• Land Application Permit Program
• Sludge Program
• Satellite Sewer Systems Program
• Wastewater Construction Permit Program

EPA

• Pretreatment Program
• NPDES Permit Program

Dental Dischargers - One-Time Compliance Report

Domestic NPDES Pretreatment Program Spreadsheet