Waste Water
Cannabis waste water is classified as industrial and is regulated
Cannabis-Program_BMPTF_20180814 background research.pdfAre your agencies ready and willing to accept industrial wastewaters from indoor cultivation sites?
Cannabis grow facilities create chemical laden waste water and are often required to have onsite waste water treatment facilities.
When Indoor Cannabis grow factories discharge their waste water into municipal sewer systems, they may be exempt from this requirement.
The presentation to the left was given to a group of Municipal operators alerting them to the need to be ready for the potential discharge of water of untreated waste water with high levels of chemicals.
Page 29 provides an example of the types and levels of chemicals that may be discharged.
The rules and regulations on Cannabis in New Jersey are still being written. In fact, the Cannabis Commission has not even created rules for all classes of Cannabis business.
Likewise, the regulatory bodies in NJ have not created cannabis specific rules. With that in mind, we went looking to states where the industry is more "mature". With a simple google search it is easy to find dozens of article on odor problems and states' attempts (largely unsuccessful) to define allowable odor levels and regulate those levels.
Similarly it is easy to find articles on the impact of chemical laden run off (outdoor cultivation) and states attempts to clean up the problems recreated.
Like NJ, it appears that early adopters states left control to local municipalities. When those local controls failed, states are now literally cleaning up.
The Guide to the right was created by a Consortium of agencies working together.
Of special note: Prohibition in Kings County against discharging cannabis waste water in to Septic systems.
Washington State Marijuana Regulatory Guidance (PDF).pdf