Municipal Wastewater Engineering & Enforcement
The Municipal Wastewater Enforcement Section (MWES) regulates publicly owned treatment works with Oklahoma Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permits. MWES helps to ensure point-source discharge water quality from wastewater treatment facilities meets public health standards by providing technical assistance, performing annual compliance inspections, and, when necessary, issuing enforcement documents to municipalities whose wastewater treatment facilities are failing to comply with their pollutant permit limits.
Municipal Enforcement and Technical Assistance Contact
Biosolids and Residuals
Biosolids are a primarily organic solid product produced by wastewater treatment processes that can be beneficially recycled. A guide to the EPA’s regulations for safe disposal and recycling of biosolids can be found here.
Residuals are the solids extracted from water in potable water treatment processes.
Compliance Inspections
The Compliance Evaluation Inspection (CEI) is a non-sampling inspection designed to verify permittee compliance with applicable permit self-monitoring requirements, treatment plant operations, and compliance schedules. This inspection involves a review of facility records as well as visual observations, and an evaluation of the wastewater treatment process, including biosolids, effluent quality, and the facility self-monitoring program. The CEI forms the basis for all other inspection types.
The Compliance Sampling Inspection (CSI) includes the same basic objectives as the CEI. Additionally, during the CSI, representative samples required by the permit are collected by the EE/I and submitted to the SEL for parameter analysis. The analytical results are used to verify the accuracy of the permittee’s self-monitoring program and reports; and to determine the quantity and quality of effluent. Sample results from CSIs may also be used as evidence in enforcement actions.
