Environmental Compliance

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Keeping it Clean

The Environmental Compliance Division (ECD) helps protect the City's wastewater infrastructure along with human and environmental health by ensuring compliance with federal and state environmental laws and regulations. The division is audited on a regular basis and laboratory performance studies are conducted bi-annually to ensure valid results.

Environmental Specialists collect samples from various locations, including water reclamation facilities, industrial facilities, the Cosme drinking water plant and pump stations, wastewater lift stations, injection and monitoring wells, and recreational beaches. Trained Laboratory Chemists then analyze the samples using advanced technology and procedures. Samples are tested for a variety of compounds, outlined in a detailed Laboratory Analysis Report. 

The Water Quality Report (also known as the Consumer Confidence Report) is designed to inform customers about the quality of the drinking water and services delivered to utility customers over the previous year. It is required by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency while ensuring regular monitoring of drinking water contaminants to meet and/or exceed federal and state laws, as well as industry rules and regulations.

Industrial Pretreatment Program

The City's Industrial Pretreatment Program ensures compliance with Federal and State regulations.

The major objectives of the industrial pretreatment program are:

  • Preventing the introduction of pollutants into the City's Water Reclamation Facilities (WRF) which will interfere with the operation of the treatment works or contaminate the resulting biosolids or reclaimed water.
  • Preventing the introduction of pollutants into the City's WRF's which may pass through any treatment plant inadequately treated into receiving waters, injection wells, biosolids, reclaimed water or the atmosphere or be incompatible with the WRF. 
  • Improving the opportunity to recycle and reclaim municipal and industrial wastewaters and biosolids.
  • Helping ensure the City does not violate its treatment plant operating permits. 

The program issues permits to industries that are subject to regulation under federal, state and the City of St. Petersburg's City Ordinance. The program also collects wastewater samples from various locations and continuously monitors the system for unknown sources of toxic pollutants. The program has escalating enforcement powers including termination of sewer service to industries that show patterns of repeat violations with no active effort to come into compliance with their permits. 

Dental Effluent Discharge Program

The U.S Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has enacted pretreatment standards to reduce discharges of mercury from dental offices into publicly owned treatment works (“POTWs”). This rule, 40 Code of Federal Register Part 441, states that all dental offices must submit a One-Time Compliance Report to the Control Authority, i.e., the City of St. Petersburg. The rule also requires dental offices that place and/or remove amalgam to install an amalgam separator, to implement two Best Management Practices (BMPs), and to conduct on-going operation and maintenance of the amalgam separator, and maintain associated documentation and records.

Download the One-Time Compliance Report