Wastewater Treatment

About the Division


The Wastewater Treatment Division operates and maintains the City's 26 MGD treatment plant. The division protects the health of the community and environment by reclaiming an average of 14.5 million gallons of wastewater each day from all residential, commercial, and industrial sources. From this process, two recycled products are provided - clean water discharged into the Great Miami River and approximately 1,500 dry tons/year of processed biosolids, which are applied to farm land for its nutrient and soil conditioning value.
Wastewater Treatment Plant Aerial

Industrial Pretreatment Program


The primary objectives of the Pretreatment Program are to: 1) Protect the environment, and public health and safety; 2) Provide safe working conditions for sewer utility workers; 3) Protect the sewers and wastewater treatment plant from damage due to an accidental or deliberate discharge of pollutants; 4) Prevent the introduction of substances that would block or obstruct the sewer system; 5) Prevent the introduction of pollutants into the sewer system which would interfere with the wastewater treatment process, or pass through the plant and into the Great Miami River; 6) Improve the opportunity to reclaim and recycle municipal wastewater and biosolids.

Responsibilities


The City of Middletown's Industrial Pretreatment Program provides the authority, through the Sewer Use Ordinance, for the Pretreatment Program staff to:
  • Identify and define prohibited wastes;
  • Develop local limits on specific pollutants;
  • Obtain access to facilities for inspections and sampling;
  • Require non-residential dischargers to provide an adequate sampling location;
  • Require treatment of non-domestic wastes to meet discharge standards;
  • Require non-residential dischargers to obtain discharge permits;
  • Require non-residential dischargers to monitor their discharge and submit reports;
  • Take enforcement action for non-compliance with the program regulations.

Specialized Industrial Pretreatment Program


The division operates a specialized Industrial Pretreatment Program that involves regular inspection and monitoring of industries to ensure that their wastewaters are suitable for release into the City's sewer system. The City's Industrial Pretreatment Program is a branch of the federal Industrial Pretreatment Program developed and overseen by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA). The Pretreatment Program is a delegated program, which means that the USEPA has delegated authority to administer the program to the Ohio EPA, and the Ohio EPA has in turn delegated this authority to the City of Middletown. The City has the authority to issue permits, monitor discharges, and issue penalties if necessary.

Pretreatment & Prohibited Wastes


Each industrial facility will be required to pretreat its wastewater (remove toxic and other restricted substances) and/or apply pollution prevention methods before discharging into the City's sewer system if its waste stream does not meet the local limits for the following pollutants:
  • pH - 5-12 S.U.
  • TSS - > 300 Milligrams Per Liter (mg/L) surcharged at $246.52/ton
  • BOD - > 240 mg/L surcharged @ $111.46/ton
  • Cyanide (T) - 5.0 mg/L
  • Cadmium (T) - 3.0 mg/L
  • Chromium (T) - 7.5 mg/L
  • Copper (T) - 5.0 mg/L
  • Mercury (T) - 0.2 mg/L
  • Nickel (T) - 15.0 mg/L
  • Zinc (T) - 10.0 mg/L