Waste Management

Chem-tek, for the past 13 years has met all of the pretreatment regulations per 40 CFR from the EPA Guidance Manual for Implementing Total Toxic Organics (TTO) Pretreatment Standards.

Chem-Tek has been chosen by the EPA as a satellite site for a company that employs the latest waste treatment technology and shown that it meets or exceeds all EPA regulations.

Chem-tek uses a state-of-the-art waste management system that continuously monitors and controls industrial waste water.

The National Pretreatment Program establishes an overall strategy for controlling the introduction of nondomestic wastes to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) in accordance with the overall objectives of the Clean Air Act. Sections 307(b) and (c) of the Act authorize the Environmental Protection Agency to develop national pretreatment standards for new and existing dischargers to POTWs. The Act made these pretreatment standards enforceable against dischargers to publicly owned treatment works.

The General Pretreatment Regulations (40 CFR Part 403) establishes administrative mechanisms requiring certain POTWs to develop local pretreatment programs to enforce the general discharge prohibitions and specific Categorical Pretreatment Standards. These Categorical Pretreatment Standards are designed to prevent the discharge of pollutants which pass through, interfere with, or are otherwise incompatible with the operation of the POTWs. The standards are technology-based for removal of toxic pollutants and contain specific numerical limitations based on an evaluation of specific technologies for each individual industry category.

Categorical Pretreatment Standards have been or are being established for different categories of industries. Six of the industrial categories have a pretreatment standard established for total toxic organics (TTO). The categories affected by a TTO limit are:

• Electroplating
• Metal Finishing
• Electrical and Electronic Components (Phases I and II)
• Copper Forming
• Aluminum Forming
• Coil Coating (Can-Making Subcategory only)

The reason for a TTO limit in each of these categories is that industry studies have shown there is a significant potential for TTO discharge by these industries.