Pretreatment Program

What is Pretreatment?

Pretreatment means installing, operating, and adequately maintaining pretreatment devices and/or systems to remove pollutants that could otherwise damage or obstruct the wastewater collection system or interfere with the wastewater treatment process. Pretreatment devices include gravity grease interceptors utilized to remove excess fats, oils, and grease (FOG) from food service establishments, or sand/oil interceptors to remove excess grit, sand, and petroleum oils from service stations, auto shops, car washes, and other operations.

What is the Town's Pretreatment Program?

The Town of Cave Creek ("Town") owns and operates a water reclamation facility ("Water Ranch") which converts wastewater to Class A+ reclaimed water. The treatment facility is designed to reduce the quantities of organic materials and solids in the wastewater, making it suitable for reuse. 

Wastewater is collected via a network of sewer pipes, as part of the Town's sewer collection system. The collection system comprises of pipelines, manholes, pumping stations, force mains, and other private and public structures and devices that collect and transport sewer from residential and commercial buildings to the Town's water reclamation facility.

The Town's Water Ranch is vulnerable to toxic or harmful pollutants from commercial and residential users.

The objectives of the Town's Pretreatment Program are to:

• Protect the environment, by facilitating the control of pollutant discharges into the collection system
• Reduce and eliminate entry of Fats, Oils, and Greases into the collection system
• Resolve collection system blockages and capacity reduction issues to reduce odor and service interruptions
• Protect the treatment facility from upsets by maintain high effluent and biosolids quality
• Educate users  on the Do's and Don'ts 

What is FOG?

FOG stands for Fats, Oils and Grease, all of which can severely damage the Wastewater System. When poured down the drain, FOG can cause problems in sewers causing major damage and lead to sewage back-ups in your home or business. Sewer overflows and backups can cause health hazards, damage home interiors, and potentially harm the environment. An increasingly common cause of overflows is sewer pipes blocked by grease.

Too often grease is washed into the plumbing system, usually through the kitchen sink. Over time the grease can build up and block the entire pipe. Home garbage disposals do not keep grease out of the plumbing system. Commercial additives, including detergents, that claim to dissolve grease may pass grease down the line and cause sanitary sewer backup in your home, in the municipal sewer system, or to the environment. 

Commercial establishments may have grease traps or interceptors that keep grease out of the municipal sewer system. For a grease trap or interceptor to work correctly, it must be properly designed, sized, manufactured, and installed to handle the amount that is expected. Routine, often daily, maintenance of grease traps and interceptors is needed to ensure proper operation. 

What Not to Flush

The wastewater collection system is only designed to handle a few basic things: water, human waste, and toilet paper. Flushing anything else can mean big problems for private sewer pipes and the public system. 

Keep these common disposal items OUT of your toilet (or sinks): 

• Baby wipes, disinfectant wipes, and so-called "flushable" wipes
• Diapers
• Facial tissues
• Napkins and paper towels
• Sanitary napkins and tampons
• Condoms
• Toilet bowl scrub pads or "Swiffer" type pads
• Wash cloths, towels, rags, clothing, or any cloth items
• Dental floss
• Sheet plastic or plastic of any kind
• Eggs shells, nutshells, coffee grounds, or any food items
• Fats, oils, or grease
• Hair

For more information on compliance with the Town's pretreatment program, refer to the pretreatment tabs below.

For questions contact Pretreatment@CaveCreekAZ.gov or 480-488-6619.