Wastewater Systems

McAllen Public Utility (MPU) Wastewater Systems has two Aerobic WWTPs, one on the North side and one on the South side of McAllen. Aerobic means the wastewater needs oxygen. The North WWTP is known as Extended Aeration Plant and South WWTP is known as Biological Nutrient Removal Plant. These two plants treat over 14 million gallons per day (MGD) of wastewater, but it is important to know why this wastewater should be treated. In a nutshell, to protect public health and protect the environment. Without WWTP we would have diseases spread across our country. If you look at history, WWTP is one of the most important inventions to our society along with the addition of adding chlorine to our water and wastewater system to stop the spread of waterborne illness.

Professional licensed WW Operators. All Operators that work at a WWTP must be license by Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ), who regulates wastewater facilities in Texas. WW Operators must take and pass a state exam and if they fail the exam, they cannot work at the WWTP. There are four (4) licenses they can achieve starting with the lowest TCEQ Wastewater license which is the D, then C, B, and the highest license that can achieve is the A. To get the TCEQ WW “A” license you need over 120 hours of educational classes and 5 years of “hands on” experiences, if you have a college degree; if you do not have a college degree, you need eight (8) years “hands on” experiences. MPU require a TCEQ WW “C” license or higher to work at the WWTPs.

Any person who uses MPU’s system to dispose of wastewater other than sanitary or domestic.

If you discharge anything other than sanitary or domestic wastewater, you must contact MPU Pretreatment Department (CA) about a permit/Control Mechanism. Permit will establish your reporting requirements and limits for discharging constituents (components, elements) found in your particular industrial waste. City of McAllen Local Limit can be located on the City ord. Section 106-182.

To obtain an application, call the MPU Pretreatment Department at 956-681-1760. Ask for a Permit Application or you may obtain an application online. Industrial Users must submit a completed discharge application permit at least 90 days before you wish to discharge wastewater.

• Equipment Review
• Policies and Procedures
• Disposal Options
• Permit Limitations
• Test Methods
• Pollution Prevention Opportunities

In addition to applicable Federal pretreatment standards, discharges must stay within limits based on local wastewater treatment plant specifics. No Significant Industrial User (SIU) shall discharge wastewater containing concentrations (and/or mass limitations) of substances exceeding the following limits. All SIUs are expected to consistently discharge below these levels:

Constituent Maximum Allowable (mg/L)

• All Industrial users who are subject to USEPA categorical pretreatment standards, or
• Any industrial user that discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater, excluding sanitary, non-contact cooling and boiler blow-down wastewater, or
• Any industrial user that contributes a process wastestream that makes up 5% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of a MPU treatment plant

Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) are required to submit reports to MPU, which are listed in your discharge permit. MPU provides assistance in completing the initial forms for these reports.

Other Requirements

• Notification to MPU of changes in wastewater discharge, process changes or permit violations
• On-going compliance with discharge permit

Possible Requirements

• Pretreatment of process wastewater
• Continuous flow and pH monitoring
• Independent wastewater analysis of permit constituents

If you waste exceeds 200 mg/L of Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) or 200 mg/L of Total Suspended Solids (TSS), then fees are levied in addition to actual flow charges. These surcharges are for additional loading. Currently the surcharge fees are:

BOD > 200 mg/L = 0.306

TSS > 200 mg/L = 0.713

Call the Wastewater Pretreatment Department at 956-681-1760 to request assistance.

The USEPA has mandated the use of industrial pretreatment to keep pollutants and substances that disrupt wastewater treatment processes out of the sanitary sewer system, requiring you to control them at the source. Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) and USEPA required that McAllen Public Utility (MPU) Control Authority (CA) to regulate and enforce pretreatment requirements, within the City of McAllen Limits as well as the City of Alton through an Inter-local Agreement. McAllen Public Utility (CA) enforces all requirements through control mechanisms / permits. CA monitors all permits on a regular basis to assure compliance with Federal, State and Local regulations. Industrial Users determined to be in Significant Noncompliance, will be published in a newspaper(s) as required by General Pretreatment Regulations in 40 CFR 403.8. Pretreatment enforcement actions can range from a simple telephone call, to the issuance of a civil penalty and even request to stop discharging.