WEP enforces the Sewer Use Rules and Regulations for industries via Wastewater Discharge Permits. Typical requirements under an Industrial Wastewater Discharge permit include:

• Permitted wastewater discharges
• Prohibited wastewater discharges
• County, state, and federal wastewater discharge limits
• Requirements for pretreatment of wastewater discharges, as applicable
• Self-monitoring (sampling) and reporting
• Requirements for reporting accidental discharges, changes in discharge characteristics, and transfer of ownership
• Routine inspections
• The County's right of entry and monitoring (sampling) protocols

Any industry or commercial business within Onondaga County's Consolidated Sanitary District that is connected to the sewer system and could be considered an industrial user (IU) must complete an industrial questionnaire for WEP to determine if they need an Industrial Wastewater Permit (IWP).

Industrial users meeting the requirement of a significant industrial user (SIU) or an industrial user meeting the requirement of a categorical industrial user (CIU) which is subject to categorical pretreatment standards must obtain an IWP.

Treatment Fees

Industrial wastewater treatment fees include a volumetric fee and a high-strength waste surcharge, if applicable. The volumetric fee is billed annually through a sanitary unit charge rate based on the amount of water purchased by the industrial user, with a minimum of one (1) unit and an Industrial Wastewater Surcharge. The Industrial Wastewater Surcharge covers costs associated with treating high-strength wastewater. High-strength wastewater is wastewater that contains higher concentrations of commonplace pollutants than the average household.

Wastewater samples collected through monitoring by WEP and the industrial user are analyzed and compiled to calculate the Industrial Wastewater Surcharge. The formula for this calculation involves subtracting the threshold concentration value from the concentration of the parameters detected in the wastewater sample. The result is then multiplied by a fee. Click to download an Industrial Wastewater Surcharge Calculator.

Parameters subject to the Industrial Wastewater Surcharge Fee include:

• 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5)
• Total suspended solids (TSS)
• Total phosphorus (TP)
• Total Kjeldahl nitrogen (TKN)

Permit application fees for industrial users in Onondaga County are based on the requirements of an Significant Industrial User (SIU) versus a Non-Significant Industrial User (Non-SIU), which is an industrial user that does not meet the criteria of an SIU or more stringent Categorical Industrial User (CIU).