AQUIFEREnvironmental Health | Water | Non-Domestic Wastewater
Non-Domestic Wastewater
Non-Domestic wastewater is defined as any wastewater that is not produced as sanitary wastewater from restroom facilities, showers or kitchens. Examples of non-domestic wastewater include:
- vehicle wash water
- discharge from floor drains in automotive repair shops
- boiler blow down
- machine shop cooling water
- process waste waters from manufacturing operations.
It can enter the aquifer from floor drains, dry wells, old septic systems or the ground surface. In 1991, PHD formed a Technical Advisory Committee (TAC) to review agency jurisdictions, evaluate treatment and disposal options and prepare recommendations. The TAC concluded that this type of wastewater should no longer be disposed directly to the aquifer but could go to the wastewater treatment plants providing it received an approval form of pretreatment.
PHD was given legal authority in this program to prevent new discharges from occurring while working with the Idaho Department of Environmental Quality and the wastewater treatment plants to stop or clean up existing discharges. A policy was developed in 1993 to summarize the new standards. As mentioned in the Sewage Management Agreement section, this program is also partially funded from the $55 surcharge added to all septic permits over the aquifer.