What is Wastewater?
Wastewater is the liquid or liquid-borne waste discharge from any facility, building, or dwelling that enters a sewer system. Wastewater generates from both domestic and non-domestic sources. Domestic wastewater is the wastewater generated by households and from the kitchens and bathrooms of commercial or industrial facilities. Non-domestic wastewater is the wastewater generated from any other source such as industrial processes or operations.
Regulatory Highlights
Applies to:
Wastewater discharge into the sewer system (excluding domestic wastewater such as wastewater from restrooms and lunchroom facilities) from any stationary business
- Wastewater discharge into the sewer system from mobile businesses including pressure washers/surface cleaners and liquid waste haulers
- Businesses with sumps containing waste that is pumped out by a non-hazardous liquid waste hauler for eventual discharge to the sewer system
What you must do:
- All businesses in the unincorporated area of Sacramento County and the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, Folsom, Rancho Cordova, and Sacramento must file a Sewer Use Questionnaire (SUQ) with Sacramento County Department of Water Quality (applies to all discharges except for domestic wastewater such as that from restrooms and lunchrooms)
- Obtain a wastewater discharge permit for:
- Process wastewater discharges of more than 25,000 gallons per day (excludes domestic water)
- Process wastewater discharges exceeding 37.5 lbs. per day of total suspended solids (TSS) or wastewater strength as measured by biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) (excluding domestic wastewater)
- Any business falling into industries designated at the federal level as "categorical users"
- Wastewater discharges from liquid waste haulers, pressure washers, surface cleaners and other mobile business operations
- Dry cleaning wastewater discharges
- Groundwater remediation projects discharging wastewater
- Wastewater discharges that contain significant amounts of heavy metals including but not limited to arsenic, cadmium, copper, lead, mercury, nickel, silver, chromium and zinc
- Any wastewater discharges containing a "pollutant of concern" or determined to be of a "special nature" as determined by the local sewer district
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- Obtain approval, by submission of construction plans, for sewage disposal system design or modification involving access to the sewer system
- Pay sewer impact fees for new connections made to the sewer system (or for significant use changes)
- Follow federal pretreatment standards before discharging wastewater to the sewer if business falls into industries designated at the federal level as "categorical users"
- Obtain a sump waste permit for sump waste disposed of to the sewer through a non-hazardous waste hauler or septage hauler
- Obtain a temporary wastewater discharge permit for one-time or non-routine wastewater discharges to the sewer system
Primary Regulatory Agencies:
Local
In the unincorporated area of Sacramento County and the cities of Citrus Heights, Elk Grove, and Rancho Cordova:
Wastewater Source Control Section
(916) 875-6470
10060 Goethe Road
Sacramento, CA 95827
http://www.sacsewer.com/
In the City of Sacramento:
City of Sacramento Utilities Department
(916) 808-5371
http://www.cityofsacramento.org/utilities/
In the City of Folsom:
City of Folsom Utilities Department
(916) 355-8324
https://www.folsom.ca.us/government/finance/utility-billing
In the City of Galt:
City of Galt Public Works Department
(209) 366-7260
http://www.ci.galt.ca.us/index.aspx?page=74
In the City of Isleton:
City of Isleton
(916) 777-7770
http://www.isletoncoc.org/
Federal
US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Office of Wastewater Management
(202) 564-9545 or - 4203M
1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 2046
http://water.epa.gov/polwaste/wastewater/index.cfm
