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Committee recommends ordinance changes to add tiered penalties, escalation and action-plan requirements for industrial wastewater dischargers
Summary
Utility staff and consultant Fairgram proposed a tiered surcharge structure and escalation rules to address industrial dischargers repeatedly exceeding permit limits; the committee recommended the ordinance and fee schedule changes be forwarded to the ordinance-review committee (JNO) with suggested revisions including moving an action-plan requirement earlier in the escalation process.
Utility staff and consultants presented a proposal to revise industrial wastewater permit limits and billing to create incentives for industrial users to stay within permit thresholds. Presenters said current billing charges the same per pound whether an industrial user is under or over its permit limit, which provides little incentive to stay within limits. The recommended change creates percentage-based surcharge tiers (e.g., 101–110% = 10% surcharge; 111–125% = 50% surcharge; 126–150% = double rate) and a recommended stop-discharge order for exceedances above 150% until the industry submits and implements an action plan. The package would include ordinance language and a fee-schedule update to be forwarded to the ordinance-review committee (JNO) and later to council with a public hearing.
"And so there really isn't an an incentive or disincentive for them to, get within their permit," the Fairgram presenter said, arguing the current charge-per-pound structure lacks penalties that would drive compliance. Staff and committee members discussed moving the required action plan earlier (tier 3) and adding a short deadline for submission; staff proposed a 30-day submission window and presented options including a six-month trial period during which fees would be demonstrated but not charged. Committee members expressed concern about workforce impacts if a stop-discharge order were enforced and asked for clearer action-plan content standards; the committee voted to recommend the ordinance changes and fee schedule to JNO for refinement and public hearing preparation.
