Permit Programs
To protect San Francisco Bay, EBMUD issues permits based on the type of discharger, and volume and characteristics of wastewater. Permit applications are provided below as PDF files that can be viewed and printed with Adobe Acrobat Reader, a free software. For assistance with permits, please contact (510) 287-1651.
Industrial Facilities
Wastewater discharge permits are issued to federally regulated categorical industries as well as industries that discharge pollutants of local concern, high flow and/or high strength wastewater. Industrial facilities may use the on-line application or the application provided below.
Permits requiring "zero discharge" are issued to facilities that generate regulated wastewater but do not discharge the wastewater to the community sewer. All federal categorical facilities that do not discharge regulated wastewater must have a "zero discharge" permit.
The federal regulations can be viewed on the U.S. EPA website by scrolling down to “Subchapter N - Effluent Guidelines and Standards” and select “Parts 400 – 424” or “Parts 425 – 471”.
Groundwater
Wastewater discharge permits are issued for the long-term discharge of groundwater from soil and groundwater cleanup sites.
Short-Term, Limited Volume Discharge
Special discharge permits are issued for the short-term, limited volume discharge of many different types of wastewater or groundwater meeting special discharge criteria. The discharge criteria are listed in the application below.
Estimation of Wastewater Volume
Customers may wish to apply for a permit if they do not discharge a significant amount (more than 20 percent) of their incoming water to the sewer. This type of permit estimates the wastewater volume, which would otherwise be based on the incoming water volume, and calculates the treatment charge. This permit can result in significant savings for the customer.