SANITARY SEWER DISPOSAL GUIDELINES FOR THE NCI-FREDERICK

All waste that is poured down the drain at the NCI-Frederick Facility travels through the sanitary sewer system to Fort Detrick’s wastewater treatment facility located on the Monocacy River.  Ft. Detrick’s wastewater treatment facility functions like a standard wastewater treatment facility with some key differences.

• Ft.  Detrick’s wastewater treatment facility is governed by a different set of regulations.
• Compared to a publicly owned wastewater treatment facility, sewage volume is much smaller, so pretreatment standards are stricter.
• No radioactive materials may be poured down the drain.

What is acceptable to put down the drain?

Aqueous mixtures containing non-hazardous components such as detergents, buffers, and low-toxicity reagents may be poured down the drain.  However, many of these products contain high levels of nitrogen and phosphates.  Do not pour any mixtures down the drain with levels of phosphates above 4.9 mg/L and/or a level of nitrogen above 24.5 mg/L by total Kjeldahl nitrogen test, click here for more information on Kjeldahl nitrogen testing. If you are not sure if a substance is ok to put down the drain, or are not comfortable doing so, please call X5718 or email chemwaste@ncifcrf.gov to schedule a pickup of the material.

What is unacceptable to put down the drain?

Any waste that is radioactive, toxic, flammable, or contains a high nutrient load can not go down the drain.  For further guidance please refer to the Discharge Regulations for Ft. Detrick.

What are some examples of wastes that contain high nutrient loads, i.e. nitrogen and phosphates?

Cage washers, laundry detergents, and other commonly used cleaning solutions are examples of mixtures that contain high levels of nitrogen and phosphates. The state of Maryland restricts the phosphate concentration in many detergents sold in the state under the following regulation COMAR 26.08.06.03, but the regulation does provide for exemptions in certain cases.  For more information on this regulation, click here.  However, there are many reduced nitrogen and phosphate free cleaning solutions available; click here for more information on these cleaning solutions.

Why worry about what goes down the drain?

It is the responsibility of each and every one of us to protect the environment, and it’s also the law.  By illegally dumping hazardous materials down the drain, you put the entire NCI-Frederick Facility in jeopardy of fines and legal action.  Even if the waste is not hazardous, remember that everything that goes down the drain at the NCI-Frederick Facility goes through the wastewater treatment facility and into the Monocacy River, a tributary of the Chesapeake Bay. Wastewater treatment removes suspended solids, treats harmful bacteria and helps to remove excess nutrients, but it cannot remove all the nutrients, so high levels of nitrogen and phosphates still get released into the environment.  Click here to learn about effects of pollution and nutrient loading on the Chesapeake Bay.

What can we do to improve and protect the marine environment and the Chesapeake Bay?

The most serious problem facing the Chesapeake Bay and the majority of marine environments near high population density areas is eutrophication, click here for an explanation of this process. Eutrophication occurs due to an excess amount of nutrients being released into the environment. By using reduced nitrogen and phosphate free detergents and cleaning solutions, the nutrient load entering the Chesapeake Bay and surrounding environment is reduced.  Please click here for more information on reduced nitrogen and phosphate free cleaning solutions.  Please substitute these products whenever possible.

Is the health of the Chesapeake Bay improving or is it getting worse?

Unfortunately, the health of Chesapeake Bay is not improving as much as originally hoped.  Increased population growth, urban sprawl, inadequate infrastructures, i.e. wastewater treatment plants, failing septic systems and the destruction of wetlands are contributing to an increase in the amounts of nitrogen and phosphates entering the Bay.  Initiatives such as the Chesapeake 2000 Agreement http://www.chesapeakebay.net/c2k.htm are being adopted by many of the watershed states to help save the Bay and reduce the nutrient inflow into the Bay and its tributaries.

Please remember that the storm sewer is very different from the sanitary sewer.  The storm sewer flows directly into the environment without passing through any sort of treatment facility, so please be careful not to allow anything except rainwater to flow into a storm sewer. If you witness or observe anything except rainwater going into the storm sewer, please contact EHS at X1451.