Certain customers, often known as significant industrial users, must be permitted because of the large amounts of wastewater they discharge each day or because of the potential their wastewater has for adversely affecting the treatment plant operation.
Our wastewater treatment plants are designed to handle wastes from a typical household. Wastewater discharged from a factory, for example, may contain pollutants that could interfere with the operation of the treatment plant.
Industrial and commercial users are required -- in accordance with the permit -- to control the quality of their discharge by installing appropriate treatment systems that will "pretreat" their wastewater prior to discharging to the sewer system.
Charlotte Water regulates with wastewater sampling and on-site inspections of commercial and industrial facilities -- both permitted and non-permitted.
Industrial pretreatment also has a septage receivable program in place for septic tank waste, portable toilet waste, and special industrial discharges.
Industrial Waste Charges
Since wastewater from an industry or business costs more to treat -- even after it has been pretreated at the plant -- the business or industry must also incur the increased costs to the treatment plant. This ensures that proper measures are in place at the treatment plant to adequately treat the higher strength wastewater and that the added costs of this treatment are assumed by the appropriate users.
Commercial and industrial users are typically charged based on the type of establishment they are, not by their specific discharge. Current Commercial and Industrial rates are available online.