Industrial Pretreatment

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Sewer Use Ordinance

The Sewer Use Ordinance applies primarily to commercial and industrial businesses that discharge wastewater other than sanitary sewage to the sewer system.

Many business types are required to have a permit; these include food service establishments, auto service facilities, auto dealerships, retail gasoline stations, car washes, some medical offices, manufacturing facilities, laundries, and grocery stores. Businesses operating within the City are required to complete one or more of the below-listed discharge wastewater applications depending on their specific business need:

Industrial Pretreatment Program

The City's Industrial Pretreatment Program is mandated through the Federal National Pollutant Discharge Elimination Program. The Industrial Pretreatment Program monitors commercial and industrial waste discharges into the sewer system.

This program is designed to prevent toxic and hazardous material from entering the sanitary sewer system and Water Quality Control Plant. The City employs Environmental Compliance Inspectors who work with local businesses to ensure toxic and hazardous materials are not released into the sewer system.

Waste Discharge Requirements

To help reduce sanitary sewer overflows, the State Water Resources Control Board issued Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems in May 2006. A major component of the Order was for sanitary sewer systems to create a Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP).

The SSMP includes Design and Performance Provisions, Overflow Emergency Response Plan, Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) Control Program, and Program Audits. The City's SSMP was adopted on April 20, 2008.

Many of the Sanitation Division's pretreatment activities, such as inspecting grease interceptors and educating businesses and residents on the dangers of grease in the sewer system, are an integral part of implementing the SSMP.

For more information regarding the City's SSMP, please call (805) 583-6440.

For information regarding the FOG program, please call (805) 583-6412.

Homes and Businesses

Wastewater from homes and businesses is transported to the Water Quality Control Plant through a series of sanitary sewer lines. At the Water Quality Control Plant, the wastewater is put through treatment processes to remove the harmful pollutants in the water.

Chemicals and other pollutants that enter the drain anywhere in the City will end up in the wastewater that comes into the Water Quality Control Plant. In some cases, the pollutants that enter the plant may interfere with the processes used in the plant to remove waste, or they may pass through the plant and enter the Arroyo. Either of these situations can cause the Water Quality Control Plant to be in violation of its National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit, in addition to releasing harmful pollutants into the environment.

Environmental Compliance Inspectors visit permitted businesses in the City of Simi Valley to discuss how their operations affect the water quality of the City and the Watershed. Working together with the business community, the Industrial Pretreatment Program helps to protect our community's water and the environment.

Businesses in Simi Valley are classified into categories based on the type of processes conducted at the facility. Depending on the type of industry, an Inspector may require the wastewater to be treated prior to leaving the facility. This pretreatment may be something as simple as a grease trap or interceptor for a restaurant or a more involved pretreatment process for a manufacturing plant.