Water Pollution Control Division

Industrial Pretreatment Program

Protecting Our Waterways and Wastewater Systems

The U.S. Congress established the National Pretreatment Program in 1972 under the Clean Water Act to protect wastewater treatment plants and the nation’s waterways from harmful pollutants and toxic discharges.

The Water Pollution Control Division (WPC) operates a local Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) under Chapter 13.10 of the City’s Sewer Use Ordinance, approved by the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (RIDEM) and consistent with EPA regulations.

This program ensures that wastewater generated by local industries and businesses is properly pretreated before entering the public sewer system, safeguarding:

  • The City’s sewer collection infrastructure
  • The Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP)
  • The health and safety of employees
  • The water quality of Narragansett Bay

Who Must comply?

Businesses or facilities that discharge large volumes of wastewater or any substances other than domestic sewage that enter the Newport sewer system are subject to the City’s IPP regulations.

This includes users in:

  • Newport
  • Middletown
  • Naval Station Newport
  • Naval Undersea Warfare Center
  • Portsmouth (Septic/holding tank collection industries)

Typical regulated industries and businesses include:

  • Restaurants, cafeterias, and supermarkets
  • Vehicle and boat maintenance facilities
  • Dry cleaners and laundromats
  • Laboratories and medical centers
  • Photo processing facilities
  • Food and beverage production operations

The IPP is administered by Veolia, WPC’s wastewater management contractor. Veolia’s Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator oversees the program, including permitting, inspections, and compliance support.

What is required under WPC’s IPP?

Businesses covered by the program must comply with specific wastewater pretreatment requirements designed to prevent pollutants from entering the public system. These may include:

The Water Pollution Control Division’s Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) issues Wastewater Discharge Permits to sewer system users that discharge large volumes of wastewater or any substance other than domestic sewage.

Entities meeting these criteria and discharging to the Water Pollution Control Plant (WPCP) are subject to the City’s pretreatment regulations under the IPP.

Eating establishments must also submit a Grease and Solids Interceptor Permit Application and review the following sections on:

  • Standards for Grease Recovery Systems
  • Grease Trap Cleaning Log Requirements

Applicants who believe their establishment qualifies for an exception to the Grease Recovery Device (GRD) requirement should contact the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator prior to submitting their application.

Most eating establishments are required to install automatic grease recovery devices (GRDs) and maintain a current Grease and Solids Interceptor Permit.

GRDs play a critical role in preventing sewer blockages by capturing fats, oils, and grease (FOGs) from wastewater before it enters the public sewer system.

Key Requirements:

  • GRDs must be automatic electrical or mechanical units and sized according to the manufacturer’s written recommendations.
  • The influent water temperature must not exceed 150°F.
  • A sampling valve must be installed on the discharge piping with a minimum clearance of eight (8) inches to allow IPP representatives to collect samples.
  • Dishwasher wastewater may only be directed to a GRD if it originates from a pre-rinse station. All other dishwasher wastewater must bypass the GRD and discharge directly to the municipal sewer system.
  • Food or garbage disposal units are not permitted to discharge into a GRD.
  • All GRD connections must include a backflow preventer conforming to the Building Officials and Code Administrators (BOCA) Basic National Plumbing Code, Article 10, Section P-1003.0, or its most recent revision.

Installation & Inspection Procedures:

All approvals required under the Sewer Use Ordinance must be obtained before installing a GRD.

  • Applications & Plans
    • Submit a completed Grease and Solids Interceptor Permit Application and two sets of plumbing plans showing the proposed configuration to the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator.
  • Notification & Inspection
    • Notify the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator at least 24 hours prior to installation of an approved GRD.
    • An IPP inspector will conduct an on-site inspection to verify the approved device, plumbing layout, and compliance with regulations.
  • Review & Approval
    • Upon review of the application and any required revisions, the Industrial Pretreatment Program will issue an approval letter.
    • The Grease and Solids Interceptor Permit will be formally issued after final inspection by the IPP.

Grease Trap Log Requirements:

Permitted businesses that utilize grease recovery devices (GRDs) are required to ensure that grease collected from their systems is properly disposed of by a licensed rendering or grease disposal service.

Owners or operators of eating establishments mandated to install GRDs under the Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) must maintain a Grease Trap Cleaning Log documenting all cleaning and maintenance activities.

This log must include:

  • The date of each cleaning
  • The quantity of grease removed
  • The representative’s signature from the service provider performing the maintenance
  • The signature of the manager present at the time of maintenance

The Grease Trap Cleaning Log must be kept on-site and made available to IPP inspectors upon request to verify compliance.

All businesses must meet the local Discharge Maximum Limits. Dilution is not allowed as a means of meeting the discharge limits.

Parameter Surcharge Limit Upper Limit
Cadmium 0.040
Chromium 1.710
Copper 1.000
Lead 0.100
Silver 0.240
Zinc 1.200
Nickel 2.000
Cyanide 0.650
Mercury 0.060
Arsenic 0.120
Total Toxic Organics (TTO) 2.130
BOD 300 200 lbs/day
TSS 300 1000
TPH 2.0
Gold 3.0
Iron 15.0
Tin 0.0
Metals not mentioned 2.0
Sulfides (S) 100.0
Sulfates (SO4) 500.0
Fluoride 5.0
Mercuric Chloride (as Mercury, Hg) 0.5
Phenols (not to exceed) 1.0
Solvents 0.0
Total Oil & Grease 100.0

Certain users holding a Wastewater Discharge Permit may be required to:

  • Conduct periodic self-monitoring and sampling of their wastewater, and
  • Install and maintain pretreatment equipment as a condition of their permit.

These requirements are designed to ensure that all discharges meet the standards established by the WPC’s Industrial Pretreatment Program (IPP) and the Rhode Island Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (RIPDES).

The Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator will inform each permittee of any monitoring, reporting, or equipment installation obligations during the application and permitting process.

All permitted users regulated under the WPC’s IPP are also subject to routine inspections to verify compliance with discharge limits, pretreatment standards, and maintenance requirements.

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