The District's Ryder Street Treatment Plant was designed to treat domestic sewage. Non-domestic or industrial wastewater can contain harmful pollutants including heavy metals, volatile organics or other chemicals that have the potential to harm or upset the mechanical and biological treatment processes used at the treatment plant. To prevent upsets of the plant, Vallejo's non-domestic discharges (businesses and industries) are required to use treatment techniques and management practices to reduce or eliminate the discharge of harmful pollutants to the sewer system. The act of treating wastewater prior to discharge to the sewer system is called "pretreatment". The District's Pretreatment Program regulates the discharge of wastes into the sanitary sewer in order to protect the Ryder Street Treatment Plant, employee health and to prevent the discharge of hazardous substances that would pass through the treatment process to the Bay.

 History of the District's Pretreatment Program

In the early 1970's, Congress passed the Clean Water Act to protect and restore the quality of our nation's waters. As a part of this Act, Congress created the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program to control water pollution by permitting point source discharges to waters of the United States. The Ryder Street Treatment Plant is a permitted point source (direct discharge) to the San Francisco Bay. The District maintains compliance with a variety of discharge requirements listed in their NPDES permit; one of which included the development and implementation of a Pretreatment Program.

 What does the Pretreatment Program do?

Pretreatment programs require municipal treatment plants to function as "control authorities" in addition to their more traditional role as service providers. The District's Environmental Services Department operates the Pretreatment Program as part of a cooperative federal, state and local effort to reduce the level of pollutants discharged by industry and other non-domestic wastewater sources into the sewer system.

The District's Pretreatment Program controls the amounts of pollutants that are discharged to the sewer system through active regulation of numerous industrial and commercial businesses in Vallejo. Program activities include periodic on-site inspections, permit writing and administration, sampling of various discharges and maintaining a list of industrial and commercial businesses.

 Need more information?

Please give us a call if you would like to know more about the District's Pretreatment Program or requirements. Our friendly and knowledgeable employees will be more than happy to assist you.

 Program Contact:
Doug Scott
Pretreatment Program Coordinator
450 Ryder Street
Vallejo, CA 94590
707.644.8949x261

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© 2005 Vallejo Sanitation and Flood Control District