Industrial Waste Control
In 1972, as part of the Clean Water Act, Congress established the National Pretreatment Program to control the discharge of pollutants from industries into the waters of the United States. Goleta Sanitary District operates one of the first pretreatment programs in the State that requires industrial and commercial customers to keep hazardous substances out of the collection system. The goals of this program are to protect the ocean water quality and the GSD treatment plant by eliminating the discharge of toxic substances to the sewer collection system. The District's Industrial Waste Control Program enforces the general and specific prohibitions, listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Act's (EPA) order 40 CFR 403.5 to ensure compliance with the State of California regulations and EPA-mandated national pretreatment standards and regulations.
Pretreatment and Education
Pretreatment programs keep industrial contaminants from entering the sewer system. These programs require that industries remove their own contaminants on-site before their wastewater enters the sewer system. The District educates, inspects, tests, and if necessary uses enforcement as a tool to eliminate pollutants in the wastewater before it enters the treatment plant.