DeKalb staff detail industrial pretreatment program, enforcement steps for large water users

DeKalb County staff presented an overview of the county's industrial pretreatment program and how it protects wastewater treatment processes and downstream waters. Dora, assistant director for regulatory compliance, told the committee the county is the control authority under federal EPA and state EPD frameworks and described the program's core elements: three-year permits, at-least-annual inspections, monthly self-monitoring reports and local contaminant limits designed to protect biochemical treatment processes.

Dora said the county issues permits, inspects facilities and enforces its ordinance when discharges exceed limits. "We issue the permits. We do the inspections. We monitor that, all their effluents are connected to our pretreatment before discharge it to our sewer system," she said. Dora told commissioners the county aims to preserve sample integrity (chain of custody and professional sampling) so monitoring results are defensible and enforceable.

Commissioners pressed for metrics and stronger verification for large or unfamiliar users. When asked how many IPP permits the county currently manages, Dora cited "about 69, 70 industry." Commissioners proposed stepped-up oversight for heavy users or new facility types (for example, quarterly checks rather than annual) and asked staff to provide noncompliance statistics tracked for EPA reporting. Staff said they can increase inspection frequency and provide the requested compliance-rate data.

The presentation also described the graded enforcement pathway for recurring violations: written notice (notice of violation), a 15-day response window for corrective-action plans, follow-up inspections and, for persistent noncompliance, escalated remedies up to discontinuing service if necessary. Staff emphasized the program balances protecting the public and the treatment system with being business-friendly where feasible.