The Clean Water Act of 1972 established the framework for the National Pretreatment Program, which controls the discharge of pollutants from industries into municipal sewer systems. Goleta Sanitary District operates one of the first pretreatment programs in the State that requires industrial and commercial customers to keep hazardous substances out of the collection system. The goals of this program are to protect ocean water quality and the GSD treatment plant by eliminating the discharge of toxic substances to the sewer collection system. The District's Industrial Waste Control Program enforces the general and specific prohibitions, listed in the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's (EPA) regulations at 40 CFR 403.5 to ensure compliance with State of California regulations and EPA-mandated national pretreatment standards.

Pretreatment and Education

Pretreatment programs keep industrial contaminants from entering the sewer system. These programs require industries to remove their own contaminants on-site before their wastewater enters the sewer system. The District educates, inspects, tests, and, if necessary, uses enforcement to eliminate pollutants in the wastewater before it enters the treatment plant.

2025 IWC Annual Report.pdfEPA National Pretreatment Program Overview.pdf