The City’s industrial pretreatment program is in Billings Municipal City Code (BMCC), Article 26-600 and was first adopted by City Council in 1985.  The program has been modified several times by the City Council and the United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) since that time.  The most recent revisions were in 2013.  This program controls substances discharged into the City’s sanitary sewer system by the City’s commercial and industrial customers.  The proposed modifications are necessary for the City’s program to continue to meet USEPA standards.  This ordinance will update the local limits for pollutants.  These are limits which are more inclusive or restrictive than the national pretreatment standards and are calculated based on the City’s collection and treatment system.  These updates are required as part of the City’s MPDES permit issued in April of 2015.  This ordinance is in keeping with the USEPA streamlining rule for pretreatment.  This rule was designed to reduce the regulatory burden on both the pretreatment users of the sanitary system and the City of Billings.  After Council adopts the ordinance, the USEPA must review and approve it before the City may enforce it.

City Council may:

• Approve the ordinance modifying and updating Article 26-600 of the BMCC on first reading to be in compliance with current USEPA standards and requirements for pretreatment; or,

•Not approve the ordinance. If the ordinance is not approved the pretreatment program will not be updated to current USEPA standards and will not allow certain Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) to discharge into the City’s wastewater collection system in the future.
 

 

There is no direct budget/financial impact from this action.

Staff recommends that the City Council hold a public hearing and approve first reading of the ordinance that amends City Code Article 26-600, Industrial Waste Discharge.