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Wastewater discharge authorization for biotechnology

Information and resources about biotechnology industrial waste authorization.

All biotechnology operations that send their wastewater to the King County sewer system need to follow the same regulations and best management practices as described in the Laboratory Waste Management Guide for managing their wastewater.

Some operations also need formal authorization to send their wastewater to the sewer.

Read about best management practices in the Laboratory Waste Management Guide for managing their wastewater (1.1MB)

Who needs formal authorization?

Authorization may not be required Authorization required
Bench (laboratory) scale operations with a daily discharge volume of process wastewater less than 25,000 gallons per day Bench (laboratory scale operations with a daily discharge volume of processed wastewater of at least 25,000 gallons per day
Pilot scale operations
Full scale operations

Definitions

Bench (laboratory) scale operations

Bench scale operations (laboratory scale) are biotechnology industry sector operations primarily engaged in research and development of biotech products.

Pilot scale operations

Pilot scale operations are biotechnology industry sector operations engaged in the manufacturing of biotech products for phases, I, II, and III clinical trials and testing.

Full scale operations

Full scale operations are U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) licensed biotechnology industry sector operations engaged in the manufacturing of products for commercial sale.

Process water

Process water is defined as any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by product, or waste product. This includes water used to wash down or disinfect production equipment or floors; and cooling water, if it comes in contact with the product you are producing.

How to get formal authorization

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