### 6.1.1 MERCURY As reported previously, the District has esti mated the following source breakdown of mercury loadings to the wastewater treatment plant. Th ese estimates are based on District monitoring data for mercury sources and results from Bay Area POTW studies, where District monitoring data are not available. The table includes the District’s estimates, which are shown as a percentage of the 2006 total plant influent loadings of 0.045 kg /day. Data from a 2001 NACWA/EPA study is also shown, which is relatively consistent with th e District’s data except for dental facilities. Source Category % of Influent Loading % of NACWA/EPA

Loading 2001 Residential 20 27 Permitted Industry 2 NA Dental Offices 34 52 Hospitals/ Medical facilities 10 9 Known Commercial 11 9 Supply water 4 NA Other Commercial sources 7 3 Dry/ Stormwater I/I 12 NA Total 100 100 The mercury breakdown demonstrates that resi dential and commercial inputs are the major sources of mercury to the wastewater treatment plant. Identified commercial and industrial sources include:

• Dentists

• Hospitals and medical facilities

• Waste consolidation stations (potential)

• Mobile washers (potential)

• Commercial and industrial laundries (potential)

• Auto dismantlers

• Veterinary clinics

• Biological/ Pharmaceutical laboratories

• Photo-processing facilities (potential)

• Electrical/ electronics

• Transportation equipment cleaning facilities 

### 6.1.1.1 Mercury Source Reduction Tasks and Timelines
Table 6-A includes source category tasks/time schedules for the reduction of mercury discharges to the sanitary sewer. The schedule in cludes tasks from 2004 through 2009. During 2006, the District’s source reduction and pol lution prevention efforts continued its focus on dental facilities, educational institutions, and residential thermometer exchange events. The following shows specific tasks implemented in 2006 or to be implemented during 2007.


### 3⁄4 Mercury Source Reduction in Dental Facilities

• Dental Facilities Pollution Prevention Permit 1. Continue to determine dental facilities’ compliance with permit requirements, including the installation of an ISO 11143 Standard amalgam separator (one-timerequirement) and the handling of amalgam waste and spent fixer solution (annual requirement) 2. Issue dental permits to identified facilities on an as-needed-basis (ongoing)

• Dental Clinic Plumbing Line Cleaning Project 1. Conducted the third and final phase of the line cleaning project at two additional facilities (September 2006) 2. Continue the line cleaning project at selected locations, based upon the knowledge gained from the pilot project (July 2007 – June 2009).


### 3⁄4 Mercury Source Reduction in Educational Institutions

• Continue promoting the template developed from the EBMUD/UCB joint Mercury Reduction Program for Educational Institutions with interested agencies and educational institutions throughout California and the nation.

• Continue implementation of the Mercury Reduction Program for high schools and colleges within the District’s wastewater service area. The program is based on the template described above. The template and related in formation can be found at EBMUD’s website at www.ebmud.com/mercury

. 

### 3⁄4 Mercury Reduction in Hospit als and Medical Facilities

• California Environmental Protection Agen cy’s Department of Toxic Substance Control’s (DTSC) Mercury Elimination Lead ership Program (HELP) Program - The District participated in DTSC’s HELP Pr ogram, which was established to encourage local hospitals to virtually eliminate merc ury waste from hospitals by 2005. Two of five hospitals within EBMUD’s district have been awarded DTSC’s mercury-free award, the other three have worked to elimin ate sources of mercury in their facilities.

• Issue Pollution Prevention Permits to hospitals by Spring 2007.

• Begin outreach to other types of medi cal facilities regarding upcoming permitting requirements (May – August 2007).


### 3⁄4 Residential Mercury The rmometer Exchange Program

• Partnered with Save The Bay to collect mercury thermometers and other mercurycontaining devices. Together with Save The Bay, the District collected 1,076 mercurycontaining devices in 2006, such as thermometers, fluorescent lamps, thermostats, switches and sphygmomanometers. In addition, community members have volunteered to host thermometer exchanges at a local church and senior residence, swapping an additional 200 thermometers . All mercury-containing devices were disposed through the Alameda County Household Hazardous Waste Collection Facility.

• Public Outreach – Develop a mercury brochure for public outreach. Translate the brochure into several languages, relevant to the demographics of the participating cities. Brochures will be distributed duri ng thermometer exchange events (April 2007 – September 2007).


### 3⁄4 Mercury Source Reduction at EBMUD

• The District has a mercury-containing device recycling program for items such as fluorescent lamps. In the last year, the District’s recycling program resulted in the collection and recycling of approximately 5817 including fluorescent bulbs, 3288 pounds of batteries and 8476 pounds of e-waste.• At Earth Day, the District sponsored a mercury thermometer exchange for employees.

• The District has an ongoing e-waste and battery collection for employee use.



### 6.1.1.2 Effectiveness Measures for Mercury Reduction Programs

• Increase in the number of dentists who sel f-certify that they have installed an amalgam separator.

• Increase in the number of dentists who self-certify that they are handling their mercury waste appropriately.

• Increase in the number of dental facilities that have cleaned/replaced sink p-traps since the dental facility permit was issued.

• Increase in the number of schools and colleges participating in the District’s Mercury Reduction Program

. • Increase in the number of mercury th ermometers/mercury-containing devices collected and replaced at schools and colleges.

• Decrease in the number of mercury spills at schools and colleges.

• Continued tracking of number of mercur y fever thermometers collected and replaced at public outreach events.

• Increase in the number of hospitals and other sources who have begun implementing BMPs to reduce mercury.

• Change in the level of mercury loading in the wastewater treatment plant influent, effluent, and biosolids prior to and after the dental permit program or mercury thermometer exchange program was implemented. 

### 6.1.1.3 Progress in Me rcury Reduction Programs

• Worked with representatives from the California Dental Association and local dental societies to develop a pollution prevention permit program for dental facilities (permit effective February 2002).

• Continued to work with representatives of the California Dental Association and local dental societies to develop revisions to the pollution prevention permit focusing on requirements for dental facilities that handle amalgam material (revision effective December 2003). The revisions include the following:
o Installation and maintenance of an ISO certified amalgam separator
o Offhaul/treatment of spent fixer solution
o Documenting/reporting quantities of dental process waste, i.e., amalgam and spent fixer, offhauled on an annual basis

• Completed the joint Mercury Reduction Program for Educational Institutions with the University of California, Berkeley. The program’s outcome included the removal of over 1,200 pounds of mercur y-containing devices and reagents from campus laboratories/shops and the developmen t of a template that can be applied to other educational institutions throughout the nation.

• Developed and promoted the District’s Mercury Reduction Program for all high schools and colleges in the District’s wastewater service area. The program is based on the template described above. On e private college has participated to date.

• Posted program development templates for Mercury Source Reduction in Dental Facilities to EBMUD website.

• Approximately 0.5 pound of mercury removed through lateral cleaning• More than 96% of permitted dental f acilities have installed amalgam separators 

### 6.6.1 Outreach to Residential Community
3⁄4 Pollutant-Specific Events in 2006

• Mercury



## ° Conducted five residential mercury thermo meter exchanges events, four of which were in partnership with other agencies and/or the non-profit Save The Bay. For the events, the District developed and printed announcement flyers, developed and disseminated email announcements a nd posted events to the District residential events web page. In sum, 1257 thermometers were collected and exchanged for digital thermometers. An additional 24 were collected from District employees, for a total of 1281 thermometers collected in 2006. The events were either stand-alone events or in conjunction with other community festivals, as follows:

 Oakland Earth Expo (April)

 Berkeley Green Home Expo (May)

 Solano Stroll (September)

 Pollution Prevention Week at Ver sailles Pharmacy, Alameda (ongoing)

 Pollution Prevention Week at Webster St Pharmacy, Alameda (ongoing)



## ° Provided 200 digital thermometers, outreach materials and disposal to Oakland’s St. Paul’s senior residence, school and church to conduct thermometer exchanges.

• Pharmaceuticals



## ° Conducted four Safe Medicine Disposal Events and collected 233 pounds of unwanted and expired medication that ot herwise may have been sewered. These were either stand-alone events or in co njunction with other festivals, as follows:

 Berkeley Green Home Expo (April)

 Bay Area Safe Medicine Disposal Days (May 17 and May 20)

 Solano Stroll (September)


### 6.8.3 Reduction of Pollutants in Plant Influent Mercury (Hg) levels in the plant influent decr eased from 0.204 kg/day in 1988 to 0.045 kg/day in 2006. The dental facilities permits were original ly issued in 2002. There are currently 343 dentists permitted with the District’s wastewat er service area. The overall mercury reduction since 1988 is 78%.FIGURE 6-E EBMUD Pollution Prevention Program Measure of Effectiveness 1988 - 2006 Mercury (kg/day) in Wastewater Treatment Plant Influent

0.0 0.1 0.2 0.3

1988 Pre - Pollution Prevention Program 1989 1990/91 1994 1995 1996/97 1998 1999/00 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 1989 Radiator shop permits issued

2001 Vehicle washing facility permits issued 2002 Dental facility permits issued 1996/97 Furniture refinishing and auto repair shop permits issued 1999/00 Boatyard permits issued 1990/91 Photo processors permits issued