The Environmental Compliance Section ensures that the Wastewater Division maintains 100% compliance with all regulations and requirements, including agencies such as the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP), Florida Department of Health, South Florida Water Management District and the Army Corps of Engineers. Compliance is accomplished by a variety of programs including:

    • Sampling and Analysis through the Water Reclamation Laboratory 
    • Industrial Pretreatment Program
    • Fats, Oils, and Grease (F.O.G.) Program 
    • Development of Standard Operating Procedures and Guidance 
    • Permit and regulatory review, interpretation and guidance
    • Providing educational opportunities for internal and external customers

To contact the Environmental Compliance Section directly please call (239) 252-6886.

Water Reclamation Laboratory

The Collier County Water Reclamation Laboratory performs Florida Department of Environmental Protection permit required and process control analyses for the Wastewater Division. The Laboratory is certified through the National Environmental Laboratory Accreditation Program (NELAP) in accordance with the standards of The NELAC Institute (TNI). The Florida Department of Health administers the TNI environmental laboratory certification program for the state of Florida. The laboratory began operating in 1991; in 2000, it was the first laboratory in Collier County to become certified under NELAP. 

Maintaining a seven-day per week schedule, the Laboratory serves four county water reclamation facilities with a combined treatment capacity of 42.35 million gallons per day. Under the regulations administered by FDEP permits, the Laboratory performs compliance required analyses and process control analyses. Compliance monitoring ensures that the applicable analytical data quality objectives and reporting criteria are met, while process control data enables the facilities to confirm that each stage of the treatment process is operating properly and efficiently. The facilities can then make operational adjustments as necessary to maintain compliance. Laboratory staff conduct over 50,000 analyses annually on permit required compliance, process control and quality control samples. 

Industrial Pretreatment Program

In order to comply with the Federal Clean Water Act and Collier County Ordinance 2012-13, the County Wastewater Division is required to regulate contributors to the wastewater system. The program to monitor non-domestic wastewater discharge is called the Wastewater Industrial Pretreatment Program and was mandated by FDEP under the wastewater facilities' operating permits. This program’s mission is to reduce the amount of industrial-strength waste coming into the treatment facilities. The reduction of these types of incoming wastes reduces treatment costs and liability while helping to maintain high quality usable effluent, also known as irrigation quality water. The Industrial Pretreatment section regulates all businesses that discharge to Collier County’s wastewater system.

By reducing the level of pollutants discharged by industry into the Collier County system, this program ensures the protection of the environment and safeguards the public investment in our wastewater collection and treatment infrastructures.

Pretreatment (Sewer Use) Ordinance #2012-13 codified into Municode

Local Limits for Industrial Waste Discharge

Pretreatment Short Survey

F.O.G. Program:

This program’s mission is to reduce the amount of Fats, Oils, and Grease coming into the sanitary sewers and treatment facilities. The reduction of these types of incoming wastes reduces sewer blockages and overflows, treatment costs, liability and helps maintain high-quality, usable effluent (irrigation quality/reuse water). The Industrial Pretreatment section monitors and inspects more than 700 food service establishments that discharge to Collier County’s wastewater system.  It also provides education and outreach to food service establishments by conducting on-site training sessions that include Best Management Practices.

How are we doing? Please take our customer service survey here: Wastewater Division Customer Service Survey