No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into any County sewer or sewer tributary thereto any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters except as provided in Article IV of these rules and regulations.
A.
General prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced
into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass-through
or interference. These general prohibitions apply to all users of
the POTW, whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment
standards or any other national, state or local pretreatment standards
or requirements.
B.
Specific prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced
into the POTW (or, where applicable, the collection system) the following
pollutants, substances or wastewater:
(1)
Pollutants which create a fire or explosive hazard in the POTW, including,
but not limited to, wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less
than 140° F. (60° C.) using the test methods specified in
40 CFR 261.21;
(2)
Wastewater having a pH less than 5.0 s.u. (or more than 12.0 s.u.),
or otherwise causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW or equipment;
(3)
Solid or viscous substances in amounts which will cause obstruction
of the flow in the POTW resulting in interference;
(4)
Pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released
in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which,
either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause
interference with the POTW;
(5)
Wastewater having a temperature greater than 140° F. (60°
C.), or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant
resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater which causes
the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed
104° F. (40° C.);
(6)
Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil or products of mineral
oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass-through;
(7)
Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases or fumes within
the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety
problems;
(8)
Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the Director in accordance with Article IX of this chapter;
(9)
Noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids or other wastewater
which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, is sufficient
to create a public nuisance or a hazard to life, or to prevent entry
into the sewers for maintenance or repair;
(10)
Wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the
treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable
tanning solutions, which consequently imparts color to the treatment
plant's effluent, thereby violating the County's SPDES permit;
(11)
Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes, except
in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(12)
Stormwater, surface water, ground water, artesian well water,
roof runoff, subsurface drainage, swimming pool drainage, condensate,
deionized water, noncontact cooling water and unpolluted wastewater,
unless specifically authorized by the Director;
(13)
Sludges, screenings or other residues from the pretreatment
of industrial wastes;
(14)
Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the Director
in a wastewater discharge permit;
(15)
Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources,
the treatment plant's effluent to fail a toxicity test;
(16)
Detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances which
may cause excessive foaming in the POTW;
(17)
Fats, oils or greases of animal or vegetable origin in concentrations
which would cause a problem to the collection system or the POTW;
(18)
Wastewater causing a reading on an explosive hazard meter at
the point of discharge to the POTW, or at any point in the POTW;
(19)
Any wastewater containing PCBs (polychlorinated biphenols).
(20)
Wastewater receiving pretreatment shall not be discharged as
bypass unless the following is met:
(a)
BYPASS
SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE
As used in this subsection, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The intentional diversion of wastestreams from any portion
of the user's treatment facility.
Substantial physical damage to property, damage to the treatment
facilities which causes them to become inoperable or substantial and
permanent loss of natural resources which can reasonably be expected
to occur in the absence of a bypass. "Severe property damage" does
not mean economic loss caused by delays in production.
(b)
A user may allow any bypass to occur which does not cause pretreatment
standards or requirements to be violated, but only if it also is for
essential maintenance to assure efficient operations. These bypasses
are not subject to the provision of Subsection B(1)(c) and (d) of
this section.
(c)
Notification of need for bypass.
[1]
If a user knows in advance of the need for a bypass, it shall
submit prior notice to the Director, at least 10 days before the date
of the bypass, if possible.
[2]
A user shall submit oral notice to the Director of an unanticipated
bypass that exceeds applicable pretreatment standards within 24 hours
from the time it becomes aware of the bypass. A written submission
shall also be provided within five days of the time the user becomes
aware of the bypass. The written submission shall contain a description
of the bypass and its cause; the duration of the bypass, including
exact dates and times, and, if the bypass has not been corrected,
the anticipated time it is expected to continue; and steps taken or
planned to reduce, eliminate and prevent reoccurrence of the bypass.
The Director may waive the written report on a case-by-case basis
if the oral report has been received within 24 hours.
(d)
Prohibited and approved bypasses.
[1]
Bypass is prohibited, and the Director may take an enforcement
action against a user for a bypass, unless:
[a]
Bypass was unavoidable to prevent loss of life,
personal injury or severe property damage;
[b]
There were no feasible alternatives to the bypass,
such as the use of auxiliary treatment facilities, retention of untreated
wastes or maintenance during normal periods of equipment downtime.
This condition is not satisfied if adequate back-up equipment should
have been installed in the exercise of reasonable engineering judgment
to prevent a bypass which occurred during normal periods of equipment
downtime or preventative maintenance; and
[c]
The user submitted notices as required under Subsection
B(1)(c) of this section.
[2]
The Director may approve an anticipated bypass if, after considering
its adverse effects, the Director determines that it will meet the
three conditions listed in Subsection B(1)(d)[1] of this section.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following
described substances, materials, waters or wastes if it appears likely
in the opinion of the Director that such wastes can harm either the
trunk sewer system structures, sewage treatment process or equipment,
have an adverse effect on the receiving stream or could otherwise
endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. In
forming his/her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the
Director will give consideration to such factors as the quantities
of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers,
materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment
process, capacity of the sewage treatment facilities, degree of treatability
of wastes in the plant and other pertinent factors. The substances,
materials or wastes prohibited in the first instance but subject to
review by the Director are:
A.
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether
emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l, or containing substances
which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32°
F. and 150° F. (0° C. and 65° C.).
B.
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation
and operation of garbage grinders equipped with a motor of 3/4 horsepower
or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director.
No more than 30% of ground garbage, on the dry basis, shall pass a
No. 40 U.S. Standard sieve.
C.
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid metal pickling wastes,
or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
D.
Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances. See Article VI.
E.
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste- or odor-producing
substances, in concentrations exceeding limits which may be established
by the Director as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage
to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies
of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
F.
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration
as may exceed limits established by the Director in compliance with
applicable state or federal regulations.
G.
Materials which exert or cause:
(1)
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids, such as, but not
limited to, Fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues; or of
dissolved solids, such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and
sodium sulfate.
(2)
Excessive discoloration at the treatment plant or in the receiving
waters, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning
solutions.
H.
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to
treatment or reduction in concentration by the sewage treatment plant
processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such a degree
that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements
of regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving
waters.
If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the County sewerage system or sewers tributary thereto, which waters contain the substances or the characteristics enumerated in § 233-12, and which, in the judgment of the Director, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewerage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Director may:
A.
Reject the waters or wastes;
B.
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to
the public sewers;
C.
Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
D.
Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating
the waters or wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges.
