Pretreatment

The Pretreatment Section of the Environmental Division is responsible for protecting the wastewater collection system which is also referred to as the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW). The principal objectives of Tempe's Industrial Pretreatment Program are to insure that discharges from commercial and industrial users meet local and categorical discharge limits.  The necessity of regulating facilities with a potential to discharge pollutants or unusually strong conventional wastes stems from the need to protect the citizen’s investment in the POTW for which the rate payers of Tempe have paid to construct and operate. 

What does this mean to the citizens of Tempe?

The entire collection system is ultimately funded and built by the citizens through their sewer bill payments. Discharge of unregulated industrial chemicals can destroy the integrity of the collection system costing substantial rate payer revenue to repair or replace.  A damaged collection system can lead to sewer backups, odors, and other health/safety concerns. The citizens are entitled to protection from these types of incidents.  They should not be required to fund repairs to the collection system caused by the actions of commercial businesses and/or industry.  Tempe’s pretreatment program helps protect your assets and investments by regulating these discharges.