Environmental Services for Sacramento Rendering Company

Since 2001, EKI has provided environmental services to Sacramento Rendering Company (SRC) in Central Valley, California. The project area encompasses approximately 50 acres of industrial area. SRC was facing increasing pressure to reduce salt and nutrients in their land-applied wastewater, including compliance with the State’s groundwater antidegradation policy, and address the treatment, storage, processing, and disposal of wastewater. EKI worked closely with the Central Valley Regional Water Quality Control Board (CVRWQCB) staff to establish site-specific salinity and nitrogen effluent limitations, and an increase in current wastewater flow limitations set forth in the Waste Discharge Requirements (WDR). EKI performed the following to support adoption of the site-specific water quality objectives:

•  Completed technical evaluations of existing wastewater storage, treatment, and land application systems, including salinity and nitrogen source characterization studies and mass balances; 
• Evaluated and recommended long-term management strategies and alternative wastewater treatment to reduce salinity loading rates in wastewater and potential salinity impacts to groundwater; 
• Developed and implemented a site-specific wastewater and groundwater monitoring and reporting program to evaluate salinity and nitrogen loading rates to surface impoundments and land application areas and potential impacts to groundwater, in coordination with the CVRWQCB;
• Designed stormwater Best Management Practices (BMPs) consisting of a series of secondary containment areas for temporary truck parking and truck washing. EKI incorporated the site’s industrial wastewater treatment processes to treat all stormwater captured within the stormwater containment system.

EKI also helped SRC comply with the United States Environmental Protection Agency’s (U.S. EPA’s) Oil Spills Prevention and Preparedness Regulations by preparing Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasure (SPCC) Plans. EKI continues to update SPCC Plans as needed at least every five years as SRC stores oil in numerous aboveground bulk storage steel tanks. EKI also identified and designed infrastructure and operational improvements needed to comply with SPCC regulations. 

Outcome

EKI’s ability to clearly communicate the technical challenges facing the client as well as EKI’s credibility and reputation for objective evaluations were key factors in establishing practical, site-specific water quality objectives that were acceptable to both the CVRWQCB and the client. Through the industrial wastewater treatment, design and implementation of BMPs, and the preparation of an SPCC Plan, EKI has allowed SRC to stay compliant with Federal and State environmental laws and regulations.