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Source Control
About Source Control
The source control section is overseen by the Water Reclamation Manager and two certified environmental compliance inspectors who implement the Pretreatment Program.
Pretreatment Program
The Rancho California Water District operates a Pretreatment Program as required by the federal Clean Water Act. The Pretreatment Program was developed to protect the environment, the health and safety of the public, and agency employees. This program also protects the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, the wastewater collection system, the quality of biosolids generated from the wastewater treatment process, and to reduce costs associated with the treatment of these pollutants. This is done through the enforcement of regulations that limit the type and amount of pollutants businesses can discharge to the sewer.
There are four components of the Pretreatment Program.
Permits
Industrial Waste Discharge Permits are issued to certain types of businesses with the potential to discharge toxic pollutants. The permit includes wastewater discharge limits, and monitoring and reporting requirements, as well as other permit conditions.
Inspections
Permitted industries are routinely inspected to see if there have been any operational changes and to determine compliance with permit conditions. A typical inspection includes viewing manufacturing processes, pretreatment systems, chemical and waste storage areas, and reviewing documentation such as hazardous waste manifests, pretreatment operation and maintenance logs, and employee training logs.
Monitoring
Permitted industries are required to sample their discharge and have it tested by a state certified laboratory. District pretreatment inspectors may also sample and analyze wastewater discharges from commercial and industrial users. Analysis results are compared with permit discharge limits to determine compliance.
Enforcement
Permit violations may be identified during inspections or by reviewing monitoring data. Enforcement actions may include issuing a Notice of Violation, fines, a requirement to install pretreatment equipment, permit suspension, or termination of sewer service.
Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit
If you own or operate a business within the Rancho California Water District Service Area, you may be required to apply for a permit to discharge your wastewater. Even if a permit is not required, there are prohibitions and limits on what can be discharged to the sewer. For more information on these, as well as what types of businesses need an Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit, check out the Pretreatment Ordinance 2002-5-1 (PDF).
Businesses with the potential to discharge toxic pollutants are issued permits and required to regularly sample and analyze their wastewater to make sure they meet their permit limits. The District Pretreatment Inspectors inspect permitted industries and monitor their wastewater discharge to determine compliance with their permit. Enforcement actions are taken against industries found to be in violation.