What is Pretreatment?

Individuals can help by scraping food waste and grease into the trash can or compost bin, disposing of household hazardous waste and unused medications at recycling facilities, and tossing all wipes, rags, paper towels, and other trash in the trash can.  Additional information is available on the Pollution Prevention page.

Industrial, commercial and other facilities can help by changing operations or activities to reduce the amount of waste sent to the WWTP, replacing harmful chemicals with less harmful options, and installing facility treatment systems to reduce the concentration of chemicals being discharged.

Marion Utilities has a Sewer Use Ordinance that outlines discharges that are acceptable or prohibited.  Some of the prohibitions and limits are based on Federal regulations (40 CFR 403) and others are based on local conditions. 

Marion Utilities monitors industrial facilities and other non-domestic dischargers by sampling their wastewater and inspecting their facilities.  The samples collected are analyzed for the parameters addressed in our Sewer Use Ordinance and the Federal regulations. Should the limits of a parameter be exceeded, the facility is notified and responsible for getting back into compliance.

Additional guidelines are available for industrial facilities, food service establishments, waste haulers, and sewer metered uses.