What is Industrial Pretreatment?

The National Pretreatment Program is a cooperative effort of federal, state and local regulatory environmental agencies established to protect our water quality.

The program is designed to reduce the level of potentially toxic pollutants discharged by industry and other non-domestic wastewater sources into the municipal sewer system, and thereby, reduce the amount of pollutants released into the environment from these sources.

Learn more about the National Pretreatment Program on the EPA website.

What is Pollution Prevention (P2)?

Pollution Prevention (P2) is reducing or eliminating waste at the source by modifying production processes, promoting the use of non-toxic or less-toxic substances, implementing conservation techniques, and re-using materials rather than putting them into the waste stream.

Learn more about P2 on the EPA website.

Arizona Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention:

The Arizona Department of Environmental Quality (ADEQ) received authorization from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to operate the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Program (Section 402 of the Clean Water Act) on the state level in December 2002.

Objectives of the Pretreatment Program:

1. Protect publicly owned treatment works (POTW) from pollutants that may cause interference with sewage treatment plant operations.
2. Prevent the introduction of pollutants into a POTW that could cause pass through of untreated pollutants to receiving waters.
3. Manage pollutant discharges into a POTW to improve opportunities for reuse of POTW wastewater and residuals (sewage sludge).
4. Prevent introducing pollutants into a POTW that could cause worker health or safety concerns, or that could pose a potential endangerment to the public or to the environment.

City of Tempe Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention:

To administer the City of Tempe’s Pretreatment Program, the city’s Environmental Services Section (ESS) issues permits for wastewater discharges, samples and inspects industries, and manages compliance issues regarding federal, state and local regulations.

To view the City of Tempe's legal authority to implement and enforce this program please refer to Tempe City Code, Chapter 27.

Other useful pretreatment documents can be found under Pretreatment Documents & Information