WEIRTON — Weirton Council is updating its ordinance which codified sewer regulations in the city, making sure they meet state and federal regulations, in particular regarding improvements being made to the sewer system.

During its Sept. 8 meeting, council unanimously approved, through a roll-call vote, the first reading of an ordinance to amend Ordinance 647, originally enacted in May 1981, and codified as Article 941 of city code, setting requirements for contributions to the wastewater collection and treatment system operated by the Weirton Sanitary Board.

Utilities Director A.D. “Butch” Mastrantoni explained the move was necessitated as part of the ongoing expansion project at Weirton’s wastewater treatment plant, which will double the plant’s treatment capacity from its current 4 million gallons per day level to 8 million gallons per day.

“This will enable the Sanitary Board to begin what we call a pre-treatment program,” Mastrantoni said.

Under regulations from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection, all publicly owned treatment works, such as the wastewater treatment plant, must have a pre-treatment program for industrial discharge if it has a capacity of at least 5 million gallons per day.

Mastrantoni previously noted, as the wastewater treatment plant currently has the 4 MGD capacity, it has not had to meet these regulations.

Under a pre-treatment program, industrial customers and other non-domestic customers can be required to treat their wastewater before discharging it into a municipal system in an effort to further eliminate pollutants.

This includes requirements to be met for the construction of on-site treatment facilities by the industrial customers, as well as regulations to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials, and permitting requirements.

The ordinance also updates certain sections of language in the standing ordinance, including specific roles for the Weirton Sanitary Board and the utilities director.