Industrial Pretreatment Program
In 1972 Congress passed the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act (CWA), to restore and maintain the integrity of the nation's waters. The CWA established a regulatory program to address indirect discharges from industries to publicly owned treatment works (POTWs) through the National Pretreatment Program, a component of the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit Program. The National Pretreatment Program requires industrial dischargers to obtain permits or other control mechanisms to discharge wastewater to a POTW.
The MFN Regional Wastewater District’s Pretreatment Program officially began in 1988 as a requirement of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). The Pretreatment Program permits, monitors, and regulates a variety of industries to protect the District's treatment facility, its workers, and the Three Mile River from the discharge of harmful pollutants. The program is important because the District’s wastewater treatment facility uses biological organisms to treat sanitary sewage and is not designed to remove heavy metals, cyanide, and other toxic pollutants from wastewater.
Program Benefits
Protects the health and safety of the public and environment.
Prevents the introduction of pollutants into the sewer system that would interfere with the operation of the wastewater treatment plant.
Prevents pass-through of pollutants from the treatment plant into the Three Mile River.
Prevents contamination of treatment plant sludge.
Protects the District's wastewater collection system, treatment plant, and workers.
Complies with EPA pretreatment regulations.
Apply for the Program
The program serves the towns of Mansfield, Foxborough, Norton, Easton, and Sharon, MA. Use of the District’s facility and participation in the program must follow Section 2 of the MFN Sewer Use Regulations.
Download and fill out the application linked below to apply for the Industrial Pretreatment Program.
Categorical and Significant Industrial Users
General Industrial Users
Contact us for more information about the program.
For more information about industrial pretreatment generally, visit the links below:
U.S. EPA National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System