Industrial Pretreatment Program

Overview

The Pretreatment Program is an EPA-mandated regulatory program designed to protect the wastewater plant and Laramie River from harmful pollutants generated and disposed to the sewer system with wastewater. By law, Pretreatment Programs focus only on local industry, businesses, and educational institutions.

What is Pretreatment?

Pretreatment refers to the treatment an industrial user of the city sewer system often must provide to its wastewater before it is discharged to the sewer system.

Pretreatment Program: Why Do We Need It?

The Clean Water Act limits the levels of pollutants that industries are allowed to discharge to the sewer system. The "General Pretreatment Regulations" are part of the Clean Water Act and require municipalities to implement Pretreatment Programs in order to protect their wastewater treatment plants, biosolids, and receiving water to which wastewater plants discharge treated effluent. Under the Clean Water Act, the City of Laramie is legally obligated to implement a Pretreatment Program to protect the treatment plant and to ensure proper treatment of our wastewater.

Pretreatment Program Focus

  • To prevent contamination and allow the beneficial use of biosolids generated at the wastewater treatment plant.
  • To prevent pass-through of untreated pollutants that could violate water quality standards in the Laramie River.
  • To prevent the discharge of pollutants that could violate any pretreatment standard or requirement.
  • To prevent the introduction of pollutants into the wastewater treatment plant and collection system that could interfere with treatment operations.
  • To protect the general health and safety of the wastewater treatment plant, employees, and the environment.

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