Pretreatment Program 

Like all major wastewater treatment plants, American Bottoms administers a pretreatment program which regulates industrial wastewaters discharged to the treatment plant. US EPA and Illinois EPA establish requirements for industrial wastewaters that American Bottoms administers in our service area. These requirements are intended to control pollutants which may:

  • pass through to the Mississippi River,
  • interfere with treatment processes,
  • contaminate sewage sludge, or
  • create unsafe conditions for workers in the collection system or treatment plant.

The Pretreatment Program protects the treatment process by working with local businesses to control pollutant discharges. Pretreatment program personnel review pretreatment designs, issue permits, inspect facility operations, sample wastewater for analysis, review industry self-monitoring reports, and enforce the requirements of the pretreatment program.

Does your facility need a pretreatment permit?  The pretreatment ordinance requires that some industrial customers obtain pretreatment discharge permits in order to discharge industrial wastewater legally.

You do need a pretreatment permit if:

You may need a pretreatment permit if:

  • you have a highly concentrated wastewater or one with a high solids content,
  • you discharge more than 25,000 gallons per day of industrial process wastewater, including rinsewaters and washwaters, or
  • your wastewater contains metals, solvents, acids, or other industrial chemicals

You do not need a pretreatment permit if your business is one of the following types:

  • medical office
  • dental office
  • gas station
  • only office space
  • warehouse with no chemical storage
  • coin-operated laundry

If you would like assistance with determining whether a pretreatment permit is needed, call (618) 337-9725 or email PretreatmentCoordinator@AmericanBottoms.com

If you would like information about discharging wastewater via truck, see our Hauled Wastewater information here