Industrial Pretreatment

Department of Public Services

ENVIRONMENTAL CONTROL SERVICES
INDUSTRIAL PRETREATMENT

The Environmental Control Services (ECS) Division monitors local industrial users and indirect discharges to Lewisville’s Publically Owned Treatment Works (POTW). Their efforts ensure compliance with the requirements of Lewisville’s Industrial Pretreatment Program and applicable Federal Pretreatment requirements, which include:

Protecting the POTW from pollutants which may cause interference with the treatment plant operations;
Preventing the introduction of pollutants that could cause the pass through of pollutants to the body of water that receives the plant’s discharge;
Managing pollutant discharges to the POTW to improve potential beneficial reuse of the POTW treated water and residual sludge.;

Protecting the public, the environment and worker health and safety by preventing the introduction of pollutants that present a potential threat.

ECS Inspectors collect samples of wastewater discharged from local industries. These samples are sent to an independent laboratory for testing to determine if there are pollutants present in the discharge that could be harmful to the sensitive biological treatment process or to the environment in general. Testing for substances such as arsenic, cyanide, oil and grease and metals including mercury, cadmium, copper, nickel, lead, silver and zinc is conducted routinely.

Industrial Users are those that produce wastewater which may contain pollutants that could affect the Wastewater Treatment Plant or its employees if it were discharged directly to the sewer system. Industrial users are required to treat the wastewater to within designated parameters before it is discharged into the city sewer system. In addition, ECS Inspectors oversee the clean up of unauthorized discharges and spills to protect the quality of water in our creeks and streams.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What can I do with my leftover paint?
You can donate unopened paint to an organization such as Christian Community Action (CCA), you can take your paint to the City of Ft. Worth's Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge Street, Ft. Worth, (214) 637-6434 using a voucher provided by the City of Lewisville, Environmental Programs, or you can take it to the household hazardous waste collection site.r>

2.	What is the proper way to dispose of my used motor oil? Most automotive products can be recycled through participating automotive parts stores.<br>

3.	I have a 2-gallon bottle of pesticides, where can I dispose of it? *American Spill Control of Dallas* at (214) 391-9444 can take most pesticides and harmful solvents.<br>

4.	Where can I recycle batteries? Most Radio Shack and similar electronics stores accept Lithium and Nickel Cadmium batteries for recycling. Some offices take Alkaline batteries.<br>

5.	Where can I get rid of those plastic "peanuts" that come with things that are shipped to me? You can give them to most stores that mail out packages.<br>

Should I wash labels off of cans? glass? plastic?
Cans and glass are put into furnaces and melted - so the labels are burned off. Plastic is melted - but does not get hot enough to burn off the labels. Now, lots of plastic containers have plastic labels rather than paper labels off of plastic, but you don't need to wash any labels off of cans or glass. When in doubt - don't wash off the label.<br>

I was changing the oil/antifreeze in my car and some spilled onto the ground, what should I do?
Oil and/or antifreeze can be harmful to children and animals; your first response should be to put an absorbent on top of the spill. Kitty litter is an appropriate absorbent for most automotive spills. Place absorbent over the spilled area, capturing the liquid on the ground. Then sweep up the absorbed material into a plastic container. Dispose of the product through the City of Ft. Worth's Environmental Collection Center, 6400 Bridge Street, Ft. Worth, (214) 637-6434 using a voucher provided by the City of Lewisville, Environmental Programs.<br>

What does an Environmental Control Services (ECS) Inspector do?
An ECS Inspector monitors Local Industrial Users to insure compliance with requirements of Lewisville's Industrial Pretreatment Program and applicable Federal Pretreatment requirements. Additionally, Inspectors investigate any complaints involving hazardous waste spills, unauthorized discharges to sewer system, creeks, streams, and aid in the clean up of these spills.<br>

Have questions? Send us e-mail.