Obtaining & Renewing a Discharge Permit
A permit from Austin Water's Pretreatment Program is required to discharge any industrial wastewater into the City's wastewater collection system. Permit types vary based on the nature of the business and the volume and characteristics of the wastewater discharged. Discharging industrial wastewater without a valid permit is a violation of Chapter 15-10 of the Austin City Code.
- To verify your business is properly permitted, see the List of Active Wastewater Discharge Permits. If you do not have a required permit, complete an application and contact the Pretreatment Program as soon as possible.
- Permit fees are based on the class of industrial user and applicable analytical requirements, billed monthly through the City utility bill as "Monthly Discharge Permit Fee" under "Wastewater Service."
- Permits for chemical descaling operations, liquid waste haulers, utility piping systems and waste from wastewater treatment plants are covered on dedicated pages.
- General Industrial Users
Commercial, manufacturing or trade establishments, including nonprofits, government agencies and businesses that discharge industrial waste to the City's sanitary sewer must obtain a permit. Most industrial waste producers fall in this category.
To qualify as a General Industrial User (GIU), all of the following must be true:
- No discharge is subject to a federal categorical pretreatment standard
- The combined discharge of all process waters is less than 25,000 gallons per day
- Those discharges are less than 5% of the average hydraulic or organic loading capacity of the receiving wastewater treatment plant
- The user does not have a reasonable potential to adversely affect the City's treatment plants or collection system operations
GIU permit holders must submit a permit application, operate and maintain pretreatment devices, keep waste manifest documents and comply with all City effluent limitations and notification requirements under Chapter 15-10 of the Austin City Code. GIU permits have no self-monitoring requirements, though the Pretreatment Program conducts periodic inspections and monitoring.
Examples of General Industrial Users include:
- Analytical laboratories
- Laundry facilities
- Automotive repair shops
- Photo processors
- Bakeries
- Print shops
- Car washes
- Schools
- Day care facilities
- Silk screen operations
- Doctor and dentist offices
- Food service establishments
- Grocery stores
To apply, submit the General Industrial User Wastewater Discharge Permit Application (PDF).
If Austin Water determines that the complexity of your operations, the types of pollutants present, the potential for slug discharges or other site conditions warrant it, you may be required to submit the Significant Industrial User Wastewater Discharge Permit Application (PDF) instead.
Printing or Renewing a GIU Permit
All GIU Wastewater Discharge Permits renew automatically each December for the following calendar year. To print your current permit:
- Go to the General Industrial User Wastewater Discharge Permit page.
- Enter your permit number when prompted. Your permit number can be found on any prior permit, in the annual courtesy notification sent by the Utility Compliance Services Division each December or in the List of Active Industrial Wastewater Discharge Permits.
- Select Submit. Your permit will appear with the option to print.
You can only print one permit at a time. If your business has multiple permits, repeat the steps for each one. If you have trouble accessing or printing your permit, contact the Pretreatment Program for assistance.
- Significant Industrial Users
Significant Industrial Users (SIUs) are industrial waste producers that, by federal definition, require a specific level of regulatory attention. SIUs must meet self-monitoring and reporting requirements for effluent limitations, sample collection, reporting schedules, record keeping and hazardous materials management. Each SIU must submit an application to discharge industrial wastewater to the City's sanitary sewer.
Categorical SIUs are subject to Categorical Pretreatment Standards under 40 CFR 403.6 and 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N. Any industrial user in a business area subject to those standards is considered a Categorical SIU.
Non-Categorical SIUs are subject to federal reporting requirements but not to categorical pretreatment standards. A user is a Non-Categorical SIU if it meets any one of the following:
- Discharges an average of more than 25,000 gallons per day of industrial waste
- Contributes a process waste stream making up 5% or more of the average dry-weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the receiving wastewater treatment plant
- Has a reasonable potential to adversely affect the City's treatment plants or collection system operations, or to violate pretreatment standards or requirements
To apply, see Pretreatment Forms, Applications and Reports for the SIU Wastewater Discharge Permit Application.
- Remediation Sites
Groundwater remediation projects remove pollution from groundwater. Before applying to Austin Water for a wastewater discharge permit, potential dischargers from remediation projects must first apply to the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality or Austin Watershed Protection for a permit to discharge to surface water or the storm sewer.
A Wastewater Discharge Permit for remediation discharges is issued on a temporary basis for up to two years while the applicant pursues a stormwater discharge permit. If an applicant has exhausted all efforts to obtain a stormwater permit without success, consideration may be granted for a permit extending beyond the two-year period.
Austin Water may issue a Wastewater Discharge Permit for remediation discharges to the sanitary sewer if all of the following conditions are met:
- A Wastewater Discharge Permit Application for Remediation Projects is filed well in advance of the anticipated discharge date — see Pretreatment Forms, Applications and Reports for the application
- Permission for direct discharge to surface water or storm sewer is being actively pursued, with a letter confirming the status of the TCEQ or Watershed Protection permit application included with the submission
- Alternative disposal methods are not feasible
- Engineering plans for wastewater metering have been submitted and approved
- A wastewater-only billing account has been approved and established
Permitted remediation sites are subject to periodic sampling and inspections, and permits include self-monitoring and reporting requirements for effluent limitations, sample collection, reporting schedules, record keeping and waste manifesting.
- Other Political Subdivisions
A political subdivision within the Austin Water service area that discharges wastewater to the City's collection system is subject to pretreatment standards, regardless of whether a permit is required. Compliance with all discharge limitations is required.
A political subdivision with no industrial wastewater sources is not typically required to hold a Wastewater Discharge Permit, though special circumstances such as a requirement to perform sulfide monitoring may trigger the need for one.
Any political subdivision with internal sources of industrial waste must obtain a Wastewater Discharge Permit before discharging into the City's system. As a prerequisite, the political subdivision must establish its own pretreatment authority to enforce standards at least as stringent as Chapter 15-10 of the Austin City Code. To meet this requirement, the political subdivision must do one of the following:
- Enter into an interlocal agreement with the City of Austin for pretreatment program services
- Enforce its own industrial waste rules
- Hire a third-party contractor to enforce its rules
For more information, contact Austin Water's Industrial Waste / Utility Compliance Services Division:
Glen Bell Service Center
3907 South Industrial Drive, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78744
Phone: 512-972-1060, option 5
Fax: 512-972-1260
Hours: Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–3:30 p.m.
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