Non-Residential Pre-treatment Program
Pretreatment Program Overview
In accordance with requirement of the Clean Water Act and general Pretreatment Regulations, Lower Bucks County Joint Municipal Authority (Authority) has developed a pretreatment program to control the discharge of non-domestic wastes into the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW).
The Pretreatment Program is designed to prevent the discharge of any pollutant that would create treatment process upset, violations of POTW effluent limits, contamination of municipal sludge or any other discharges that would cause interference with the POTW or Pass Through.
LBCJMA controls these types of discharges by means of a permitting system and enforcement of the Rules and Regulations. The permitting system is done on an annual basis and consists of monitoring from industrial users. Unscheduled monitoring is also carried out by the Authority. If there are any violations, the Authority takes the appropriate Enforcement Action to correct the Noncompliance and to ensure the specific Violation does not recur.
The Authority’s Pretreatment Program is consistently being upgraded to reflect Environmental changes where they are applicable. As the regulations change, so do the Authority’s Rules and Regulations. The new requirements are then passed on to the Industrial Users. Inspections are performed to verify compliance. When additional time is deemed reasonable to bring the user into compliance, the Authority issues a Compliance Schedule, which is carefully monitored.
The Authority’s biggest operational problem is the treatment and disposal of oil and grease. When oil and grease are discharged into the sanitary sewer system, a sewer back-up will usually follow. The amount and/or temperature of grease illegally discharged into the system is irrelevant – a blockage will occur. To legally dispose of oil and grease, it should be placed in a can and put out with normal household or industrial trash.
Food establishments served by the Authority are required to install a 1,000 gallon baffled two compartment grease trap, obtain a permit and to comply with the requirements outlined in the permit. By issuing permits to service area food establishments, the Authority is able to regulate waste. However, our control depends upon compliance. Noncompliance by food establishments and other industries will result in the Authority proceeding with Enforcement Action until compliance is achieved.
The objective of the Authority’s Pretreatment Program is to protect the integrity of the Authority’s POTW. This leads to our ultimate goal of protecting the purity of the receiving waters of the Delaware River.
If you are currently a Business Owner or interested in purchasing a business serviced by the Authority, please review the Authority’s Pretreatment Resolution and the Wastewater Discharge Permit Application