70    LARGE SCALE COMMERCIAL PRETREATMENT
FACILITY TREATS NONHAZARDOUS WASTEWATERS
AT FORMER MUNICIPAL WWTP
Neil A. Webster, President
Webster Environmental Associates, Inc.
Pewee Valley, Kentucky 40056
Thomas A. Bogel, President
Industrial Water Recycling, Inc.
Jeffersonville, Indiana 47130
INTRODUCTION
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and state agencies are increasingly
exerting regulatory control over the handling of hauled wastewaters from industry and food service facilities; and in addition, municipal or publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) are recognizing the operational burden these industrial waters and grease trap wastes place on them,
and are banning this material from their systems.
Numerous small to medium sized industries and commercial businesses generate nondomestic,
nonhazardous water-based waste streams. These waste streams are normally contained temporarily, then hauled off site for pretreatment prior to allowable release into public disposal systems.
Industrial Water Recycling, Inc. (IWR) was formed in 1992 to respond to a need created by
changes in environmental laws and regulations. In 1993, IWR purchased a 4.5 millon gallon per
day (MGD) former municipal wastewater treatment plant and converted it into a nonhazardous
treatment facility which pretreats waters hauled in by truck or drum.
Within six months of the August 1994 start-up date, the facility was receiving more than 2.0
million gallons (MG) of wastewater per month or about 400 tankers per month. The facility uses
physical, chemical and biological systems to process leachate, holding tank waters, grease trap
wastes, coolant waters, oily wastes and waters with heavy metals. The unit processes are discussed in this paper and the plant's sequential biological reactor (SBR) treatment system is described. The plant uses air stripping prior to the activated sludge process and treatment of odorous volatile organic compounds (VOCs) with a biosoil filter.
A high level of removal efficiency has been achieved in meeting IWR's pretreatment discharge
permit as shown in the plant operating data presented. Each load received is manifested in and is
screened in accordance with IWR's strict compliance plan. All loads are sampled and may be
checked for pH, flash point, oil content, solids content, heavy metals, VOCs or other constituents
to verify that it is nonhazardous and meets the manifest specifications.
COMPANY BACKGROUND
IWR was formed in Louisville, Kentucky in 1992 by a group of individuals with experience in
the waste treatment business. The United States EPA, Commonwealth of Kentucky, and State of
Indiana had recently enacted regulations which exerted extensive regulatory control over the
management and disposal of various types of industrial and commercial wastes. Many POTWs
were recognizing the operational burdens placed upon them by accepting industrial wastes and
commercial grease trap wastes. IWR grew out of these changing regulations and POTW policies.
IWR identified several types of waste which appeared to fall into a "gray area" between the intense regulation of the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA) and domestic sewage.
Generators of this type of waste were often prohibited from disposal at the POTW, yet did not
50th Purdue Industrial Waste Conference Proceedings, 1995, Ann Arbor Press, Inc., Chelsea. Michigan 48118.
Printed in U.S.A.
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