Austin Water regulates all liquid waste haulers operating within the City of Austin's jurisdiction in accordance with City Code. The wastes regulated include sewage, water and wastewater treatment plant sludge, and wastes from septic tanks, grease traps, grit traps and portable toilets. Austin Water also operates an approved receiving station for certain types of hauled liquid wastes. Managing these wastes and disposing of them properly are critically important to protecting health, public safety and the environment.
Permitting Requirements
Prior to collecting, transporting, or disposing of hauled liquid waste from any generator within the City of Austin's jurisdiction, the hauler must first obtain a permit, and each vehicle must pass an inspection by Austin Water's Special Services Division. Generators of such waste located within the City's jurisdiction must have the liquid waste removed and transported by a Liquid Waste Hauler with a valid City of Austin permit.
To obtain the required permit from Austin Water, the hauler must first register with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ). New and existing customers must submit the application form listed below. Existing customers may add new vehicles, new drivers or updated vehicle identification information to their existing permit by submitting the corresponding forms to Austin Water. Applicable permit, inspection and/or re-inspection fee payment will be required with application submission.
Forms
- Application to Operate as a Liquid Waste Hauler (Adobe PDF, MS Word)
- Vehicle Addition Request (Adobe PDF, MS Word)
- Driver Addition Request (Adobe PDF, MS Word)
- Updated Vehicle Identification Form (Adobe PDF, MS Word)
- Application for Disposing of Wastewater Treatment Plant Waste (Adobe PDF)
Vehicle Inspections
Austin Water inspects each vehicle’s condition and ensures all inspections are current (See sample inspection form and vehicle inspection checklist). Confirmation of the truck's discharge capacity and other pertinent information will be used to set up an account for those trucks that may be eligible to discharge at the City’s approved receiving station. These inspections must be scheduled in advance through the Austin Water's Special Services Division (SSD). Once scheduled, inspections for haulers with a single vehicle will be held at the SSD office location at 3907 South Industrial Drive. Those inspections scheduled for haulers with multiple vehicles will be held on the 4000 block of Commercial Center Drive (which is about a quarter of a mile from the SSD Offices). Vehicles that fail an inspection must make all required corrections and then contact the SSD to schedule another inspection.
Manifest Forms
All hauled liquid waste collected in the City of Austin's jurisdiction must be manifested using the City’s manifest forms. In 2020, these manifest forms were revised to improve compliance tracking of grease trap waste related to Austin City Code required minimum cleaning frequency rules. The form was also modified to include an expanded list of different waste types (for example, there is now an option to check for: “wastewater from a mobile food vendor”).
These changes are described in more detail in this communication (Adobe PDF) that was sent to all permitted liquid waste haulers on July 10, 2020. Refer to the document: Manifest / Trip Ticket for Hauled Liquid Waste Usage Instructions (Adobe PDF) for step by step instructions for filling out, delivering and maintaining these records for each load of hauled liquid waste transported.
The form now requests the inclusion of the Pollution Control Device ID for all grease trap waste loads removed from generators in the City of Austin's jurisdiction. The report and mapping tools below have been developed to aid you in providing the newly requested information. Both links allow access to the Pollution Control Device IDs for those grease traps that have been assigned one (if an ID has not yet been assigned, simply check the “unknown” box on the form).
- Report - Austin Water Industrial Waste Control / Pretreatment Pollution Control Devices
- Map - Austin Water Industrial Waste Control / Pretreatment Pollution Control Devices
Each manifest form has an original and four attached copies, with specific delivery and record-keeping requirements for the generator, transporter and disposal facility. Trip ticket entries must be complete and legible. Also, all transfers of waste from one vehicle to another vehicle must be documented properly as described in the instructions. An example set of transfer manifests is also available to aid you.
Manifest Form Purchases and Returns
Manifests books are sold by Austin Water and can be purchased using a credit card, check or money order (see the Rates & Fees page for the current charges for these books). To make a request to purchase these books, call the SSD at (512) 972-1090 or email awlwh@austintexas.gov.
Once the purchase request has been processed, the payment for these manifests may be completed over the phone by calling (512) 972-0009 or in person at the Waller Creek Center Cashier’s Office. The Cashier’s Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 AM to Noon and 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM. Any voicemails left on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be responded to by the Cashier’s Office staff the next business day.
Manifest books purchased can be picked up in person at the SSD office location. Alternatively, manifest books can be shipped directly to any customer. To receive manifest books by mail, liquid waste haulers are required to provide the SSD with an envelope and a prepaid mailing label (SSD does not cover the cost of mailing manifest books). If not pre-ordered, please also indicate how many books should be mailed.
Each manifest book contains 25 trip tickets and must be returned within 30 days to Austin Water after all trip tickets have been used. Completed manifest books can be mailed to or dropped off at the SSD office location. There is a Drop-Off Box at the front entrance of the SSD office that can be used for returns 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Disposal Fee Collection Procedures
Liquid waste haulers must pay disposal fees to Austin Water prior to discharging any liquid waste loads at the City approved receiving station. Austin Water establishes accounts that customers can use for their entire fleets and draw from in conjunction with each load discharged at the receiving station. Disposal fees are drawn from the customer’s account on a per gallon basis, based on a per load basis and applied as 100% of the truck’s discharge capacity. No disposal account can be activated until the hauler has obtained all necessary permits.
Existing customers may contact the SSD at 512-972-1090 to request a purchase of these volume-based disposal credits.
Once the purchase request has been processed, the payment for these disposal credits may be completed at the Waller Creek Center Cashier’s Office in person or over the phone at (512) 972-0009. The Cashier’s Office is open Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:00 AM to Noon and 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM.
Discharging at the City Approved Receiving Station
The City’s approved receiving station for hauled liquid wastes is located at the Walnut Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant at 7113 East Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. (FM 969). The facility accepts septic tank waste, portable toilet waste, and waste-activated sludge from residential wastewater treatment plants (pre-approval required). Refer to the Receiving Station Disposal Instructions that must be followed whenever discharging at this facility. The receiving station is normally opened for business Mondays through Fridays between 6:30 AM and 2:30 PM and Saturdays between 7:00 AM and 2:45 PM. The facility is closed on Sundays and a number of other holidays. Any permitted hauler may make an online request (see step by step instructions) to extend the receiving station hours of operation. The request should be made at least two weeks in advance, and, if approved, payment of all applicable fees must be made before the additional hours will be scheduled (see applicable rates and fees).
Waste from Wastewater Treatment Plants
Austin Water Utility currently accepts waste sludge from area wastewater treatment plants satisfactorily meeting the City's acceptance criteria. These criteria are designed to prevent incompatible waste from interfering with the City's wastewater treatment operations.
Wastewater treatment plants wishing to discharge waste at the City’s approved receiving station must fill out an Application for Disposing of Wastewater Treatment Plant Waste (Adobe PDF). For more information, visit the Waste from Wastewater Treatment Plants webpage.