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Pretreatment

Stormwater

Permits and Forms

Frequently Asked Questions

The Pretreatment Program is a requirement of the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) discharge permit for each of the SAWS wastewater recycling centers. It is a method to control the pollutants discharged into sanitary sewer systems and used to reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment.

Wastewater from homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities is collected and transported through the sanitary sewer collection system to one of the regional wastewater treatment plants. These plants remove harmful organisms and contaminants from the wastewater before discharge into the receiving river.

SAWS wastewater recycling centers are designed to treat domestic wastes from households, but do not to treat toxic pollutants from industrial or commercial facilities. The toxic pollutants from industrial and commercial facilities may cause serious problems at publicly owned treatment works that use biological treatment. Problems may be prevented by recycling, waste minimization, chemical substitution, pretreatment, or other best management practices to reduce or eliminate the pollutants from commercial or industrial facilities.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) developed the General Pretreatment Regulations under 40 CFR Part 403 to set responsibilities for federal, state, and local government, industry, and the public to achieve the National Pretreatment Program objectives. The EPA describes this national program in its "Introduction to the National Pretreatment Program."