6.1.1 MERCURY 

As reported previously, the District has estimated the following source breakdown of mercury 

loadings to the wastewater treatment plant. These 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 the 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 residential 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 includes tasks from 2004 through 2009. 

During 2006, the District’s source reduction and pollution 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-time 
requirement) 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 information can be found at 

EBMUD’s website at www.ebmud.com/mercury. 

3⁄4 Mercury Reduction in Hospitals and Medical Facilities 

• California Environmental Protection Agency’s Department of Toxic Substance 

Control’s (DTSC) Mercury Elimination Leadership Program (HELP) Program - The 

District participated in DTSC’s HELP Program, which was established to encourage 

local hospitals to virtually eliminate mercury 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 eliminate sources of mercury in their facilities. 

• Issue Pollution Prevention Permits to hospitals by Spring 2007. 

• Begin outreach to other types of medical facilities regarding upcoming permitting 

requirements (May – August 2007). 

3⁄4 Residential Mercury Thermometer 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 during 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 self-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 thermometers/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 mercury 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 Mercury 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 mercury-containing devices and reagents from 

campus laboratories/shops and the development 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. One 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 facilities have installed amalgam separators 

6.6.1 Outreach to Residential Community 

3⁄4 Pollutant-Specific Events in 2006 

• Mercury 

° Conducted five residential mercury thermometer 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 and 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 Versailles 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 otherwise may have been sewered. These 

were either stand-alone events or in conjunction 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 decreased from 0.204 kg/day in 1988 to 0.045 kg/day in 

2006. The dental facilities permits were originally issued in 2002. There are currently 343 

dentists permitted with the District’s wastewater 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