Overview
Gainesville Regional Utilities’ Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) is responsible for administering the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) National Pretreatment Program within areas served by GRU's water reclamation facilities.
The National Pretreatment Program began in 1972 under the Clean Water Act and is a cooperative effort among federal, state, and local environmental agencies.
GRU’s IPP permits, monitors, and inspects industrial facilities that discharge process wastewater into its sewer system leading to GRU’s water reclamation facilities. The program helps protect the wastewater treatment facilities by ensuring businesses follow proper wastewater discharge rules that meet the requirements of the EPA and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP).
The program helps to:
- Keep harmful pollutants out of the wastewater system
- Prevent pollutants from passing through treatment without being removed
- Support the recycling and reuse of wastewater and biosolids
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Pretreatment?
Pretreatment is the reduction or elimination of pollutants — or the alteration of pollutant properties — in an industrial waste stream before it is introduced into the sewer system.
Who Must Comply?
All industrial, commercial, and governmental businesses or entities operating within GRU’s service area that discharge any non-domestic wastewater to the sanitary sewer are subject to IPP requirements.
For most businesses, compliance simply means following the prohibited discharge criteria outlined in GRU's current Sewer Use Ordinance (link).
Some operations are subject to additional requirements, such as implementing a wastewater pretreatment process, Best Management Practices (BMPs), and regular monitoring. These operations are designated Minor Industrial Users (MIUs), Significant Industrial Users (SIUs), or Categorical Industrial Users (CIU).
Dental Facilities
Dental facilities and offices are required to install and maintain amalgam separators under the Dental Office Category Rule (40 CFR Part 441).
Local Discharge Limits
Local limits are pollutant-specific concentration limits that apply to commercial and industrial facilities discharging to the publicly owned treatment works (POTW). These limits are established to prevent pass-through and interference with treatment efficiency, and to protect the POTW (including collection system infrastructure), receiving waters, worker health and safety, and biosolids disposal practices.
No commercial or industrial user shall discharge non-domestic wastewater exceeding the following instantaneous limits:
|
Parameter
|
Local Limit (mg/L)
|
|
Arsenic
|
0.15
|
|
Barium
|
450
|
|
Cadmium
|
0.08
|
|
Chromium
|
3.0
|
|
Copper
|
0.5
|
|
Iron
|
100
|
|
Lead
|
0.2
|
|
Manganese
|
7.0
|
|
Mercury
|
0.0002
|
|
Molybdenum
|
0.35
|
|
Nickel
|
0.8
|
|
Selenium
|
0.15
|
|
Silver
|
0.1
|
|
Zinc
|
2.5
|
|
Cyanide
|
0.1
|
|
pH (Standard Units)
|
Lower Limit, 5.5 / Upper Limit, 11
|
|
|
Kanapaha WRF Limit
|
Main Street WRF Limit
|
|
TSS
|
1,000
|
1,000
|
|
CBOD5
|
5,000
|
2,000
|
|
TKN
|
418
|
350
|
Related Forms and Manuals
Contact Us
GRU — Industrial Pretreatment Program
Water/Wastewater Department
IndustrialPretreatment@gru.com