Plano’s Industrial Pretreatment Program

The City of Plano’s Industrial Pretreatment Program was established to protect  wastewater lines, the wastewater collection, and the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) operated by the Noth Texas Municipal Water District (NTMWD) in Wylie. 

We work with local industries to ensure that toxic and dangerous substances are not discharged into the sanitary sewer system by issuing discharge permits, performing site inspections, and enforcing pretreatment standards.

Since the early 1970s, the protection of water quality has been regulated by the creation of the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program and the Clean Water Act. Through this federal program, sources of water pollution are identified and regulated based on discharges from point sources (the POTW and outfalls) and non-point sources (street run-off).

Pretreatment reduces the amount of pollutants and neutralizes wastewater to meet federal and local discharge requirements. Types of pretreatment include, pH neutralization, solids separation, metals removal and oil/water separation. Many industries have installed pretreatment systems and control mechanisms to reduce pollutants in their discharge to meet the regulation standards. Permitted industries must meet the most stringent requirements when comparing local limits to federal limits.

Permits are issued based on the industries’ wastewater characteristics or amount of discharge.  These permits require industries to monitor for pollutants of concern and to comply with reporting schedules, along with general conditions listed in the permit.