TO: Mayor and City Council
FROM: Beth Beatty, City Manager
SUBJECT:
title
Ordinance Amending Chapter 31 of the Code of Ordinances in Regard to Local Limits and Administrative Enforcement Remedies
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BACKGROUND:
The United States Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) regulations require wastewater treatment plants have an Industrial Pretreatment Program. The City of Joliet instituted its Industrial Pretreatment Program in 1986 in accordance with federal guidelines. The federal regulations require industrial wastewater customers to comply with certain discharge standards called local limits. The local limits that are adopted by the City must be based on scientific data derived from actual samples from the City’s collection system, receiving streams and wastewater treatment plants which are utilized to calculate the plants’ effective removal rates. The City of Joliet’s NPDES (National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System) permits require a periodic re-evaluation and revision (if needed) of the local limits. The Public Service Committee will review this matter.
CONCLUSION:
The Department of Public Utilities has undertaken the process of re-evaluating the local limits. After sampling was completed, the data was processed using the guidelines set forth by the USEPA and revisions to the City’s local limits were calculated. Proposed changes to the local limits were submitted to the Public Service Committee on March 6, 2023 for permission to submit to USEPA for approval. Upon approval from the Public Service Committee the local limits were sent to USEPA. On July 18, 2024 the USEPA tentatively approved the proposed local limits.
RECOMMENDATION:
recommendation
Based on the above, the Administration recommends that the Mayor and City Council approve the attached ordinance amending Chapter 31 of the Code of Ordinances in regard to local limits and administrative enforcement remedies.
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