We identify the regulations that apply to your facility and build a clear plan to reach and maintain compliance.
Why it matters
Great treatment still needs current, accurate permits.
No matter how state-of-the-art your water or wastewater equipment may be, or how closely your operators follow your process, your facility must operate within appropriate standards and hold permits that are accurate and up to date.
McKinnon Engineering provides industrial wastewater regulatory compliance support that keeps your facility compliant — from evaluation through permitting and, when needed, expert testimony.
We prepare and defend the permits your facility depends on.
What we do
Regulatory support, end to end.
Regulatory Evaluations
We determine the regulations, requirements, and standards that apply to your facility, then develop a clear plan to reach compliance.
Permitting (State & Federal)
We prepare and renew industrial discharge (NPDES) permit applications, negotiate limits and conditions with permitting authorities, and assess how process changes affect your requirements.
Expert Witness Testimony
We provide technical advice and testify on your behalf to defend your company on compliance issues.
Treatment for tough limits
Engineered to meet the numbers on the permit.
Process solutions we’ve designed to bring difficult discharges into compliance.
Expert witness & regulatory advisor
Defending your compliance record when it counts.
Mr. McKinnon has provided expert technical advice to many clients on the permitting conditions and testing requirements in their NPDES discharge permits — often while renewing a permit or modifying it to account for production expansions or process changes. That work regularly involves antidegradation and anti-backsliding provisions as well as whole effluent toxicity impacts. He can also act as a confidential contact, making inquiries of agency staff on a client’s behalf without revealing their identity or plans to competitors.
Clearing the path for a confidential expansion
A confidential client was weighing a plant expansion that would change its process and the resulting wastewater. Mr. McKinnon evaluated the site’s treatment plant to identify the capital improvements needed and determined the changes would violate the permit’s whole effluent toxicity limits unless the discharge diffuser was modified to allow a higher in-stream waste concentration. His discussions with the state agency established that an antidegradation analysis would not be required, but an anti-backsliding review would — letting the client make an informed business decision before committing.
Solving intermittent pH violations at the source
Another client faced intermittent pH violations it could not resolve. Mr. McKinnon studied the operation and traced the cause to septic conditions created by very low flows through an oil/water separator. He recommended a daily low dose of magnesium hydroxide powder, coordinated a lab trial to demonstrate its effectiveness and safety, and prepared a presentation for the county pretreatment staff explaining the study and the permanent solution. The county agreed, and the client is installing the dosing equipment.
