STATE OF CALIFORNIA

CALIFORNIA REGIONAL WATER QUALITY CONTROL BOARD

SAN FRANCISCO BAY REGION

STAFF SUMMARY REPORT (Michael Chee and Selina Louie)

MEETING DATE: January 23, 2002

ITEM: 13

SUBJECT: Status Report on Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention Programs

DISCUSSION: The attached Status Report (Appendix A) describes the regulatory oversight activities and requirements of the Regional Board’s Source Control Program that is comprised of the Pretreatment and Pollution Prevention Programs. The collaborative efforts of the Board’s programs and the local source control agencies have helped reduce the total heavy metal loading to the Bay by 59 percent. At the Board meeting this informational item will include presentations by a 2001 EPA award winning pretreatment program and an overview of an innovative high school wastewater laboratory that is gaining national attention.

Our Regional Board began requiring POTWs to develop and implement local Pollution Prevention Programs (P2 Programs) in 1988, and for the next 12 years, it was the only Regional Board in California to require P2 Programs from POTWs. During these 12 years, local P2 Programs have resulted in almost 27,000 businesses region-wide to eliminate or reduce the amount of pollutants discharged into the sanitary sewers. In addition, local P2 Programs have educated Bay Area residents on numerous pollution prevention topics in English, Spanish and Chinese.

Present and future accomplishments of the source control programs rely heavily on the local agencies diligence in implementing the goal of reducing the amount of toxic pollutants that are discharged into the Bay. Board staff would like to thank all of the local source control agencies for their contributions to attaining this goal and will continue to assist and encourage their efforts. Board staff would work with local agencies that currently don’t have source control programs to develop and implement such programs.

RECOMMEN-

DATION: This report is presented for informational purposes only.

APPENDIX A: Status Report