Skip to main content
Spanish Chinese Arabic German Swedish Russian Italian All languages
City of Fort Collins
 

Utilities

Utilities

Account Access Contact Us Outages Services
home city services Utilities What We Do Wastewater Treatment (Water Reclamation) Industrial Pretreatment Mercury Control

Mercury Control#

dental procedure

To comply with environmental standards developed by EPA and the State of Colorado, Utilities developed a program to reduce the amount of mercury entering the wastewater treatment facilities. The Mercury Control Program was approved by City Council (see Article IV of the Fort Collins Municipal Code) and went into effect in July 2005. Since the program began, the amount of mercury entering the wastewater treatment plant has decreased over 50%.

Mercury Removal – Dental Practices

Dental practices that place or remove mercury amalgam are required to adhere to the following Best Management Practices (BMPs):

  • Install ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator to remove at least 95% of amalgam particles. It must be installed, operated, and maintained according to the manufacturer's specifications.
  • Equip all dental chairs with chair-side traps that are cleaned and maintained to assure effective operation.
  • Equip vacuum pumps with traps or filters, and clean and maintain as recommended by the manufacturer.
  • Clean amalgam contaminated traps, filters and other equipment in a manner to minimize the discharge of wastewater containing amalgam.
  • Do not use cleaners or disinfectants that contain chlorine bleach or other oxidizing or corrosive agents that mobilize mercury from amalgam in any lines connected to the amalgam separator.
  • Store amalgam wastes in structurally sound, tightly closed, labeled containers.
  • Transfer amalgam wastes to offsite recycling facility or hazardous waste disposal facility.
  • Keep documentation that provides the manufacturer, model, date of installation and any maintenance on the amalgam separator for a period of five years.
  • Keep waste amalgam disposal records for five years and include date, amount of waste amalgam shipped, and name and address of facility receiving the waste amalgam.

Fort Collins Utilities staff performs compliance inspections at participating dental practices and reviews and documents maintenance records and adherence to BMPs.

Federal rule puts more stringent requirements on replacement deadlines of amalgam separators (at least once per year or each time separator is full) as well as acceptable cleaners which must be within pH of 6-8. 

RESOURCES

Did You Know?

When it rains and as snow melts, runoff carries pollutants such as oil, antifreeze and gas down storm drains, contaminating our rivers, streams and lakes. Don't drip and drive.

The Efficiency Works store sells water- and energy-saving products, including LED lighting, smart thermostats and showerheads.

You have the power to cut your energy bill any time of year.