The Borough of Quakertown Wastewater Treatment Facility is a POTW, (Publicly Owned Treatment Works) and as such collects wastewater from homes, commercial buildings, and industrial facilities and transports it via a series of pipes, known as a collection system, to the treatment plant. At the treatment plant the POTW removes harmful organisms and other contaminants from the sewage so it can be discharged safely into the receiving stream.

Generally, POTWs are designed to treat domestic sewage only. However, POTWs also receive wastewater from industrial (non-domestic) users. The General Pretreatment Regulations establish responsibilities of federal, state, and local government, industry and the public to implement Pretreatment Standards to control pollutants from the industrial users which may pass through or interfere with POTW treatment processes or which may contaminate sewage sludge.

The program is a joint regulatory effort by local, state, and federal authorities that require the control of industrial and commercial sources of pollutants discharged to municipal wastewater plants. Control of pollutants prior to discharge of wastewater to the sewer minimizes the possibility of pollutants interfering with the operation of the POTW and reduces the levels of toxic pollutants in wastewater discharges from the POTW and in the sludge resulting from municipal wastewater treatment.

The Borough of Quakertown Wastewater Treatment Facility's Industrial Pretreatment Program has been in place since 1988 monitoring the industrial wastewater being discharged to the plant.

If you have any questions about the program, please call 215-536-5004.