Overview of Central San’s Pollution Prevention

Program

Colleen HenryBAYWORK Training Buffet

November 14, 2019

Pollution Prevention is simple…right?

Identify the Pollutants of Concern

Ask, what can we do to prevent them?

Get out there and prevent them!

(Note: if it were this simple, my presentation would be done)

The Fact is…Pollution Prevention takes a village

Communication ServicesEnvironmental Compliance

Household Hazardous Waste Facility

Laboratory

Regulatory Compliance

Village of Central San

How POTWs Approach Pollutants of Emerging Concern

POTW community becomes aware of study results that show impact on an aquatic species due to a pollutant.

POTWs determine potential sources and pathways for pollutant to wastewater stream

POTWs take action where possible, which usually includes an outreach component

Sometimes POTW action on pollutants can be very involved (pharmaceuticals)

Central San’s 2018 Priority Pollutants of Concern

• Acrylonitrile• Ammonia• Dioxins

• Fats, Oils & Grease (FOG)• Flushable & Non-Dispersible

Products

National Pollutant DischargeElimination System Permit Limits

Regional Requirements

• Copper• Cyanide• Mercury• PCBs• Selenium

Contribute to Sanitary Sewer Overflows

“Watch List” Pollutants

• Bis-2(ethyl-hexyl)phthalate

Pollution Prevention

(P2) Program

Community Outreach

Pretreatment Program

Collaborative Relationships

Regulatory & Legislative

Efforts

Household Hazardous

Waste (HHW)

HOUSEHOLD HAZARDOUS WASTECOLLECTION FACILITY

HHW Collection Program Collected over 2 million pounds (lbs) of HHW Collected over 38 lbs of mercury waste393,956 feet of fluorescent lamps848 thermometers

Collected over 26,000 lbs of pesticides Collected about 16,880 lbs of pharmaceuticalsOver 127,000 lbs since program inception (2009)

PHARMACEUTICAL DISPOSALMore than 127,000 lbs. of pharmaceuticals collected

since the program began in February 2009! Town of Alamo City of Clayton City of Concord Town of Danville City of Lafayette City of Martinez Town of Moraga City of Orinda City of Pleasant Hill City of San Ramon City of Walnut Creek Contra Costa County

Did I mention wipes?

https://youtu.be/VSP70FLhiYc

Pretreatment Program In 2018, conducted 1,265

inspections at 918 businesses

Administer 781 discharge permits

Monitor pollutants in our collection system

Implement our Mandatory Dental Amalgam Program

Community Outreach

Delta Discovery Voyage

Community Outreach Pollution Prevention articles in our Pipeline

newsletter mailed to all customers Reached over 5,700 students through our

student education programsWater Wizards, Sewer Science & Delta

Discovery Public Service AnnouncementsFacebook, Twitter, YouTubePlastics, non-dispersibles, FOG, paints

Collaborative Partnerships

Collaborative PartnershipsContra Costa Green Business Program5 new businesses certified (340 total)

Contra Costa Clean Water Program1,029 inspections at 832 businesses

Sustainable Contra CostaVisionary partnerPollution Prevention Awards

2019 Central San Pollution PreventionAwards Program

Sustainable Contra Costa’s Annual Awards Gala – Sept. 17, 2019

Recycled Water Champions

Water Quality Community Partners

Pollution Prevention Partner

Pollution Prevention Awards

Recycled WaterChampions

Recycled WaterBusiness Champion

Brosamer & Wall, Inc.

Brosamer & Wall is currently working on the Highway 4 widening project between Martinez and Concord. So far they have used over 7775,000 gallons (and growing!) of recycled water for dust control and other construction purposes.

Recycled WaterCitizen Champion

George Markison is Central San’s 2019 Recycled Water Citizen Champion. From July 2018 to June 2019, Mr. Markison visited Central San’s Residential Recycled Water Fill Station 232 times. Over the past year he has used more than 26,000 gallons of recycled water for landscape irrigation.

Water QualityCommunity

Partners

Water Quality Community Partners ~ Criteria ~

• Have a discharge permit with Central San

• Maintain full compliance with the permit, sanitary sewer and storm water regulations

• Recognition is for consecutive years of compliance

Water Quality Community Partners ~ Recognition ~

Each business received a Certificate recognizing their achievement

Years of Compliance Number of Businesses

1-5 Years 28

6-10 Years 11

11-15 Years 5

16+ Years 1

Total 45

Pollution Prevention Partner

Pollution Prevention Partner Mary Watson Craft Group

Mary Watson and her craft group have keen eyes for potential; they use recycled materials to create an array of decorative items. Mary sources her materials from many places, including discarded pallets from hardware stores, old fences, and the Reuse Room at Central San’s Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility!

Contra Costa Newspapers2505 Dean Lesher Drive, Concord

Contra Costa Newspapers practices Pollution Prevention in various ways throughout their process. They switched their

plate process from a wet chemical to a digital process, switched all their outdoor lights to LED, installed low flow

toilets, and they recycle all scrap paper and aluminum.

Pacific Gas & ElectricApplied Technology Services

3400 Crow Canyon Road, San Ramon

PG&E Applied Technology Services practices pollution prevention by collecting and off-hauling federally regulated high-strength wastewater. They eliminated all discharges to the sanitary sewer from their chemistry lab by removing and capping all sinks. PG&E also removed all mercury-bearing

materials from their chemistry lab.

Regulatory & Legislative EffortsSupport Regulatory & Legislative efforts Via California Association of Sanitation

Agencies (CASA) www.casaweb.org Via the Bay Area Pollution Prevention Group

(BAPPG) www.baywise.org Directly

Examples Current: Assembly Bill 1672, Solid Waste: Flushable Products

Ongoing: Pesticide regulatory tracking

Complete: EPA requirement to properly label Copper-based pesticides

2019 Pollutants of Emerging Concern• Pesticides• Flame retardants (PFAS)• Nanoparticles• Nonylphenol Ethoxylates• Pharmaceuticals and Personal-care

products • Microplastics• Air toxics

Questions or Comments?