How can you be sure the Wastewater Treatment Facility is doing it´s job?
The City of Ottawa´s Wastewater Treatment Facility is highly regulated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. These agencies perform random testing of the facilities effluent. The USEPA, through the IEPA, issues a National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit. Included in the NPDES Permit are specific guidelines concerning the testing of the facility´s effluent. The City of Ottawa performs lab analysis 4 days per week, which is more frequent than the NPDES Permit requires. Our facility averages 87% less suspended solids and 84% less CBOD in it´s effluent, than the allowable maximum limits under the City´s NPDES Permit.
