The University of Texas at Austin (UT) Main Campus and Pickle Research Campus (PRC) are each permitted to discharge wastewater to the City of Austin’s (COA) sanitary sewer system under the COA Wastewater Permitting system. Within these COA wastewater discharge permits, Main Campus is categorized as a Major Industrial User (MIU), and PRC as a Significant Industrial User (SIU). Both categories come with similar permit requirements, including discharge sample collection, monitoring of approved discharges to the sanitary sewer system, and reporting requirements. Copies of both wastewater discharge permits for Main Campus and PRC are provided with the following links: Main, PRC.
All other UT campus locations not listed above are permitted as General Industrial Users (GIU) and are required to comply with Austin City Code Chapter 15-10 Wastewater Regulations.
Failure to comply with the requirements set forth in any of the wastewater discharge permits can and will result in a Notice of Violation, civil fines and penalties, and in severe cases, could even include criminal charges.
Discharges to the Wastewater System
Discharges to the sanitary or storm sewer systems without prior approval from Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) are prohibited.
Discharge requests MUST be submitted at least 7-10 business days prior to the planned date of discharge to allow for review, sample collection (if required), and approval. EHS approval is required for non-routine discharges to the sanitary sewer system or to the storm sewer system. There is no minimum volume required to submit a discharge request. In some cases, sampling and analysis may also be required prior to approval.
If the discharge request is not submitted within the 7-10 business day processing time, the responsible party will be required to containerize the discharge contents until the discharge is approved by EHS. If discharge approval cannot be granted, the discharge contents must be properly disposed of offsite in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations, and a copy of the disposal manifest must be provided to EHS within two weeks of disposal.
Examples of permissible discharges (with EHS testing and approval):
- Discharge from utility piping systems including from chilled or heating/hot water pipes;
Important: Utility Piping System (UPS) providers performing cleaning and/or passivating of utility piping must be on the permitted UPS list from the City of Austin. If the provider is not on the permitted list, the discharge CANNOT be approved to the sanitary sewer. Check the UPS permitted providers list here. Dilution of discharge water is strictly prohibited when cleaning and passivating utility piping.
- Non-toxic water-based discharge dependent upon pH;
- Water (potable or non-potable).
Examples of prohibited discharges:
- Any discharge containing silt and/or sediment;
- Any hazardous waste, hydrocarbon, volatile organic or inorganic substance, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;
- Any substance containing glycols;
- Any substance containing grease or oil;
- Any substance containing heavy metals (beyond permitted limits);
- Any regulated toxic organic compound;
- Any substance with a temperature at or greater than 120° F.
Note: The above lists only contain a few examples and are not considered comprehensive.
To submit a discharge request, you must be a UT representative possessing a current UT EID.
For additional information regarding discharges contact the EHS Department directly during business hours by calling (512) 471-3511.
For information on power washing and other exterior building washing activities and their related discharges, please refer to the Exterior Building Washing Standards UT-EHS (PDF).
Pre-treatment Device Approval
As a wastewater permittee, the university is required to regulate pre-treatment devices. As such, the installation of a pre-treatment device, such as a grease trap, grit trap, or oil water separator requires approval from EHS. The device may be installed as part of the construction of a new building or renovation of an existing space.
The first step in the approval process is to complete the Pre-Treatment Device Notification Form (PDF) along with a menu (for food establishments) and a set of final plans.
A complete overview of the pre-treatment approval process can be found at Pre-treatment Device Compliance Procedure (PDF)
- PMCS Division 22 Standard
- City of Austin Grease Trap Design Criteria
- City of Austin Grease Trap Sizing Criteria
- City of Austin Acceptable Grease Trap Manufacturers (PDF)
- Keeping Fats, Oils, and Grease (FOG) out of the Sewer System
Training
To request a training or submit feedback, please reach out to us by calling (512) 471-3511 or send an email to EHS-EnvironmentalOps@austin.utexas.edu.
For additional training resources, please visit Environmental Programs Training.