Seattle Metro's Industrial Pretreatment Program: A Case Study for Regulation of the Boeing Commercial Airline Company

The Municipality of Metropolitan Seattle's Industrial Pretreatment Program is among the nation's best. The key program elements including permits, discharge limits, industrial cost recovery, and program justification are described. A case study focusing on the regulation of industrial waste discharges from the Boeing Commercial Airplane Company is developed. The case study highlights the methods of pre-treatment, recycling, process changes, and risk reduction used to upgrade the Boeing plants, built in the 1940s, to meet stringent 1980s pollution control standards.