Discharge Permit & Pretreatment Forms

Do I need a permit?

A discharge permit is issued to regulate the types and concentrations of pollutants a facility may discharge into the Mesa wastewater collection system. A permit is only required for facilities that have a "process" wastewater discharge or a categorical process as defined by 40 CFR 403.

We use the following criteria to determine if your facility will need a discharge permit. This criteria can be found in Mesa City Code and the Federal Code of Regulations, Part 403.

  • Your facility is subject to any categorical standard.
  • Contributes a process wastewater that makes up five percent or more of the average dry-weather hydraulic capacity of any of the treatment plants.
  • Discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater, excluding sanitary wastewater and boiler blowdown.
  • Designated by the Utilities Manager upon a finding that the facility has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting Mesa's treatment/collection operations or violating any pretreatment standard or requirement.  
  • Discharges any pollutants from groundwater that is subject to a remedial action plan that has been approved by an appropriate regulatory agency. Discharges any substances defined in Mesa City Code Title 8, Chapter 4, Section 15.  
  • Has a discharge that is either domestic in nature, or has no discharge at all, but such facility does have significant quantities of pollutants that, if discharged, would be regulated.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does Mesa consider process wastewater to be?
The IPS considers "process" wastewater to be any water that, during a manufacturing or processing operation, comes into direct contact with, or results from the production or use of, any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product.

What happens if I am operating without an industrial pretreatment permit?
All new facilities are required to complete surveys that IPS distribute to new businesses. Mesa's IPS performs site visits at facilities throughout Mesa, as required by federal law. If a facility is operating without a permit, it may be subject to civil and criminal actions.  A facility may face enforcement actions if a preliminary survey is not submitted to us. Once a survey is received, we will determine if a permit is required, based on specific criteria.

How much does an industrial pretreatment permit cost?
Permits are free of charge. However, after a permit is issued, a facility may be assessed a monetary charge on a quarterly basis to compensate for monitoring costs. The amount is determined by the strength or volume of wastewater discharged.

What happens once an industrial pretreatment permit is issued?
Each permit is different, based on the type of operations performed at the particular facility. Once a permit is issued, the IPS will perform a minimum of one compliance inspection per calendar year. Facilities that have a discharge will be required to implement self-monitoring.

 

Industrial Monitoring Program

IPS performs compliance monitoring at all permitted facilities. Contact us to receive a copy of procedures used to ensure quality assurance and control.

Annual Pretreatment Report

As a requirement of the NPDES Permit issued by the EPA, Mesa must submit an annual report describing pretreatment activities for the calendar year. This report includes analytical results for Mesa's water reclamation plants, activities conducted by IPS, and the compliance status of each permitted facility. A copy of the report is available at the Mesa Main Library.

Enforcement Response Plan

This is the document used by IPS to determine what enforcement actions to take when a permitted facility has a violation. This plan is approved by the Environmental Protection Agency, Region 9.