More than 200 pretreatment professionals met in San Antonio, TX last week for NACWA’s Pretreatment & Pollution Prevention Workshop.  The Workshop featured presentations by EPA staff from Headquarters and Regional offices, as well as presentations from utilities and consultants. 

Jan Pickrel, EPA’s National Pretreatment Team Coordinator, provided an update of the National Pretreatment Program, including upcoming guidance document updates and the opportunities that NACWA members will have to review and contribute to them. Jan Matuszko, Chief of the Engineering and Analytical Support Branch in EPA’s Office of Water, discussed the effluent guidelines that EPA is studying, including the metal finishing industry, and invited input on this and any other categories.  Ms. Matuszko also held a small group discussion on effluent guidelines during one of the Workshop’s roundtable sessions.

The roundtable discussions and networking opportunities are popular parts of the Workshop.  As in past years, participants cited these opportunities as one of the most valuable features of the Workshop, since meeting with new people in small groups allowed them to get ideas and solve problems more easily.

More than 100 people also participated in the training sessions prior to the Workshop.  The all-day training sessions offered were, “Pretreatment 101,” “Advanced Local Limits,” and “Fats, Oils, and Greases (FOG).”  NACWA thanks all of the training instructors, speakers, and participants for their contributions to the Workshop!