Environmental Management Division

The Industrial Pretreatment Program has the goal of eliminating pollutants, reducing the concentration of pollutants, or changing the pollutants to a less contaminating state, prior to, or lieu of, discharging them into the sanitary sewer. All non-residential wastewater dischargers may be required to complete an Industrial User Survey. The purpose of the survey is to identify the volume and characteristics of the wastewater to be discharged into the sanitary sewer.

The following questions must be answered to determine if a user must apply for a permit:

• Does the discharger have a manufacturing process that generates wastewater? What is/are the Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) codes for the facility? Are there chemicals of concern stored on site?
• Is there treated groundwater or site remediation wastewater generated?
• Is there more than 25,000 gallons per day of process wastewater generated?
• Is the proposed discharge subject to categorical pretreatment standards under Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations?
• Could the proposed discharge adversely affect the Publicly Owner Treatment Works (POTW)?

The City requires an industrial Wastewater Discharge Permit Application from a Significant Industrial User (SIU) at least 90 days before they wish to dispose of wastewater.

What are Fats, Oils, & Grease (FOG)?

Residential:

Keeping our drains fat free is as easy as 1-2-3!

1. Can the Grease – Pour used cooking grease into an empty, heat-safe container, such as a soup can, and store it in the freezer.  Once solidified, toss the can into the garbage.

2. Soak up – Remaining oils and grease with an absorbent material such as a paper towel and throw it into your garbage.

3. Scrape Your Plate – Wipe all pots, pans, dishes and cooking utensils with a paper towel prior to washing to absorb the grease.

Commercial:

To ensure compliance with the City’s Sewer Use Ordinance, all restaurants, food processing and/or serving facilities, or other industries with oil and grease-containing discharges shall install grease traps, interceptors, oil water separators and/or filter systems, sized and installed in accordance with the current Florida Plumbing Code. Grease traps, interceptors, and/or filter systems shall be cleaned once per month. Interceptors must be completely pumped out during cleaning.

The Florida Department of Environmental Protection requires that all collection/transmission systems shall be operated and maintained so as to provide uninterrupted service. All equipment necessary for the collection/transmission of domestic wastewater shall be maintained so as to function as intended. To that end, the City of Oldsmar has developed a Privately-owned Lift Station (PLS) Inspection Program. All PLS will be inspected annually by the Environmental Management Division and maintenance issues must be addressed to stay in compliance.

The Utility Operations Technician uses GIS and an asset management system to manage assets, projects, work orders, and regulatory reporting requirements for all Public Works divisions. Providing information on assets to helps the department proactively plan for inspections, maintenance, and capital projects. The goal is to manage water, wastewater, and stormwater systems to maintain vitality and resilience.