There are a lot of opportunities for new growth across the country, but Texas continues to be a state that is consistently ahead of the growth curve. New industries in and around the Houston area include breweries and distilleries as well as other food and beverage production facilities.
Any type of industry producing wastewater has to follow the applicable wastewater discharge regulations. This includes getting a permit for any type of distillery wastewater treatment and disposal. Distillery wastewater is often significant in volume, and it also contains both solids and dissolved organic materials that can significantly impact the sewer systems and wastewater treatment facilities, as well as the local environment.
One of the big issues with simply dumping distillery wastewater down the sewer is the dramatic change in pH in the water treatment system. This impedes the system’s efficiency at the water treatment facility, which has a negative impact on the water quality once discharged from the wastewater treatment plant.
The Laws
There are federal laws that are directed to distillery wastewater treatment and disposal methods and requirements. However, it is the local city or town which actually manages the permits. Checking in with the town manager should provide the information on the acceptable levels for pH, organic and inorganic materials as well as solids in the water.
Treatment On-Site
One way to manage distillery wastewater treatment and disposal is to complete dewatering on-site. This is a system that processes all effluent wastewater from a distillery process. Through the system the solids are trapped in a sludge, pH can be managed, and the resulting safe water can be discharged into the sewer system.
Additionally, the resulting sludge can be hauled to disposal sites or even used in agricultural applications, depending on the specific composition of the sludge. Both options offer a low cost or no-cost option for distilleries to move solid waste rather than pay for effluent water hauling to specialized industrial treatment sites.
