Council adopts updates to wastewater code tightening metals and pH limits

The Bloomington Common Council on July 30 adopted Ordinance 2025‑23 amending Title 10 (Wastewater) to revise local pollutant limits and operational standards for industrial sewer users. Steven Stanford, the city’s industrial pretreatment coordinator, told council CBU’s five‑year technical reevaluation identified the need to lower allowable discharges for cadmium, mercury and silver and to increase the lower pH limit from 5 to 6 to reduce corrosion in collection and treatment infrastructure.

Stanford said the city analyzed three years of industrial monitoring data and found the proposed pH range is consistent with other mid‑sized Indiana publicly owned treatment works. He also recommended recognizing hydro‑mechanical grease traps as an acceptable device for FOG (fats, oils and grease) control, increasing options for food‑service operators without adding new reporting burdens. Council members sought assurance smaller restaurants would not face new costs; Stanford and CBU staff said the change adds flexibility and does not impose new mandatory equipment requirements.

The ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote (8–0). The utilities department noted EPA had provisionally approved changes to metal concentrations, subject to local adoption. The effective amendments will allow CBU to enforce updated local limits under its NPDES permits and provide clearer compliance expectations for industrial and food‑service businesses.