Below is the formula for calculating Industrial Waste charges beginning on January 1, 2024. The new rate structure was approved by City Council on July 24, 2012. Rates were established by Resolution No.20254 (N.C.S).
INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT
WASTEWATER DISCHARGE FEES
Cost per month =
Service Fee $263 + ($0.29 x Average Month BOD) + ($1,389 x Average Month Flow (in millions of gallons)
Reserved Allocation Charge (Per Million Gallon Allocation $91)
The formula above was determined by the City who contracted with consultants Brown and Caldwell to assist with determining the revenue needs of the Industrial Wastewater Treatment Plant. These needs included funding of the state certified personnel required to run the Industrial Waste Treatment Plant, monies needed for short- and long-term Capital Improvement programs and to fund administrative assistance in updating Industrial Waste Discharge Permits, perform facility inspections, conduct water sampling and prepare monthly billing. The City contracts with the Monterey One Water (Formally Monterey Regional Water Pollution Control Agency (MRWPCA) to carry out these functions on behalf of the City.
Average Monthly Flow:
- The industrial customers are responsible for submitting their flow meter readings at the end of each month.
- These flow readings are taken from your final discharge point flow meter and is intended to capture all process flow from your facility.
- Each industry reports the flow meter reading each month on a form provided by the City and is faxed or emailed to the Monterey One Water each month.
- That flow is divided by the number of days in the month to obtain an average in million gallons per day.
- The final average number is multiplied by $1,389 per the formula above.
Average Monthly BOD:
- If an Industry is considered a Significant Industrial User (SIU). The definition of SIU is defined at the bottom. The facility discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater to the Industrial Waste Treatment Plant (excluding sanitary sewer, noncontact cooling and boiler blow down wastewater).
- The City determines BOD through a weekly grab sample of the facilities discharge.
- As an SIU, a grab sample is taken of your discharge flow once weekly or 4 times monthly.
- The samples are taken to the Monterey One Water Certified Chemistry Laboratory and the BOD in the process water is determined each week.
- The BOD results are added together at the end of the month and divided by 4 to obtain an average.
- The average BOD number is multiplied by $0.29 per the formula above.
Monthly Service Fee:
- The third component is the standard Service Fee of $263.
Reserved Allocation Charge:
- Per Million Gallon Allocation $91
Additional Sampling Requirements
The City must also conduct 24 hour composite sampling twice each year with a composite sampling machine at all Significant Industrial Users. This sampling cost is charged back to the industry and is performed by the City as a courtesy. There are extended regulations if an SIU decides to conduct the 24 hour composite monitoring that would result in additional costs to the industry.
EPA Definition of SIU:
(i) All Industrial Users subject to Categorical Pretreatment Standards under 40 CFR 403.6 and 40 CFR chapter I, subchapter N; and
(ii) Any other Industrial User that: discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater to the POTW (excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and boiler blow down wastewater); contributes a process waste stream which makes up 5 percent or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the POTW Treatment plant; or is designated as such by the Control Authority on the basis that the Industrial User has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the POTW's operation or for violating any Pretreatment Standard or requirement (in accordance with 40 CFR 403.8(f)(6)).
Monterey One Water and the City’s Environmental Compliance Inspector also conducts Annual Stormwater Compliance Inspections. Both of the Industrial Waste Program and the Stormwater Program are mandated by Permits issued to the City by the Region 3, Central Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board.