City of Ames

Water & Pollution Control Department

300 East 5th Street
Building 1
Ames, Iowa 50010

Phone:
(515) 239-5150

FAX:
(515) 239-5251

Water and Pollution Control Department

Hauled Waste and Special Discharges

Information | Program | Links | Wastewater Treatment Application
Local Limits | Questionnaire   |   Enforcement Response   |   Surcharges
Hauled Wastes & Special Discharges   |   Waste Hauler Tracking Form

Acceptance of hauled wastes and special discharges at the Water Pollution Control Facility is determined on a case-by-case basis. Hauled wastes are accepted at the WPC Facility Monday through Friday 7:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. only. Hauled wastes are not accepted on weekends or city holidays. Hauled wastes must be discharged at the designated discharge point at the wastewater treatment facility. Discharging hauled wastes at any other point in the sanitary sewer system without written prior approval from the Director of the Water and Pollution Control Department or his/her designee is illegal.
General Hauled Wastes
Hauled wastes are wastes that come to the WPC Facility from a location other than “at or near the point of generation”. Typically, the wastes are brought to the WPC Facility via tanker trucks. Some examples of hauled wastes are septic tank wastes, portable chemical toilet wastes, landfill leachates, and wastes from grease traps or grease interceptors. Because hauled wastes vary considerably in their constituents, each load has a potential to adversely impact the wastewater treatment plant. Each hauled load must be accompanied by a complete Septage Waste/Waste Hauler Tracking Form. Part I of the form gathers information about the waste hauler. A listing of licensed waste haulers in Iowa can be found at the Iowa Department of Natural Resources website. Hauled wastes will only be accepted at the WPC Facility from licensed waste haulers. Part I also contains a “no hazardous waste” certification statement. The City of Ames WPC Facility does not accept toxic or hazardous wastes. Part II of the form gathers information for each source of waste included in each load. It is preferred that each load be from only one source. Each load will be sampled. The sample will be tested for pH and general odor prior to release into the wastewater treatment plant. The sample will be held for at least two weeks to ensure there are no adverse impacts due to the hauled waste treatment. If there is an adverse impact to the WPC Facility or the receiving environment, the sample will be analyzed for COD, TSS, TKN, and any other parameters the Director of the Water and Pollution Control Department or his/her designee deems necessary. All analytical costs, costs for additional staff time, resulting fines or penalties, and/or damages to the WPC Facility will be charged back to the hauler. The hauler and hauled waste source will be informed that the WPC Facility will no longer accept loads containing wastes from that source. A Waste Hauler Fee Schedule can be found at the City of Ames Municipal Code. The actual fees charged will vary, depending on the quality and quantity of the wastewater discharged to the treatment facility.
Hauled Landfill Leachates
Landfill leachates are a special hauled waste case. Because disposal of leachates is a planned process and the leachates can contain a larger variety of chemical components, more extensive testing is required prior to transport to the WPC Facility. It is important to note that landfill leachates from new or upgraded landfills discharging to the sanitary sewer system fall under the categorical standard in 40 CFR Part 445. Landfills requesting to haul leachates to the WPC Facility will be required to complete an Industrial Waste Information Questionnaire to apply for a wastewater treatment contract and pretreatment permit. The landfill will also be required to provide two separate analyses for the full priority pollutant list from samples acquired at least two weeks apart. If the priority pollutant analyses indicate that the leachate is hazardous, the WPC Facility will not accept it; and the landfill will need to find another disposal option. If the priority pollutant analyses indicate that the leachate is not hazardous, the landfill will be placed in the pretreatment program. The leachate must be tested at least once each quarter for the full priority pollutant list plus pH, COD, TSS, and TKN. Additional or more frequent sampling and analysis may be required, depending on the leachate characteristics. The landfill and hauler must also fill out the Authorization for Accepting Landfill Leachate Form with each load. A copy of the form can be found at the City of Ames Water and Pollution Control Department website. At least every six months, the landfill will be billed a surcharge if the COD, TSS, and TKN testing indicates the leachate is greater than domestic strength. There will also be a load charge for every load delivered to the WPC Facility. The costs of all sampling and analysis will be billed back to the landfill as detailed in the pretreatment program ordinance.
Special Discharges
Occasionally, there is a need to dispose of a wastewater that is not typical for the generating facility. For example, cooling towers may need to be taken out of service for cleaning once every three years, and the cooling water may need to be discharged to the sanitary sewer. Infrequent or unusual wastewater discharges are deemed special discharges under the pretreatment program. Special discharges are handled on a case-by-case basis. If a facility wishes to release a special discharge to the sanitary sewer system, the facility should contact the city pretreatment coordinator and be prepared to give the following information. Source of the wastewater—cooling tower, boiler, swimming pool, ice rink, etc. Quantity of wastewater MSDSheets and quantities of any chemicals that have been added to the wastewater Any analyses that have been completed on the wastewater Requested release date and location Name of person and title of person in charge of disposal with contact information The pretreatment coordinator will evaluate the potential impact of the discharge on the WPC Facility. Additional analyses or information may be required to complete the evaluation. The costs of all sampling and analysis will be the responsibility of the requester. It should be noted that pretreatment local limits and surcharge rates do apply to special discharge requests. If the WPC Facility is able to accept the discharge, the pretreatment coordinator will give the requester written documentation detailing the terms of acceptance. Often the discharger will be limited to releasing small volumes over a specified length of time. If the WPC Facility is not able to accept the discharge, the facility will need to locate an alternative disposal option.