The purpose of this article is to protect businesses and the environment within the Town of Brookhaven from blockages of the District's sanitary sewer system caused by grease, kitchen oils, and other substances discharged from food establishments or industrial processes located in the District.
A. 
Installation and maintenance of traps; storage and disposal of grease.
(1) 
Grease trap installation. The District may at any time require the installation of an external grease trap at a food establishment or industrial processor, as he/she may deem necessary to maintain any particular building sewer pipe, any lateral sewer pipe, or sewer main pipe free from obstructions caused by grease or oil emanating from a food establishment or industrial processor.
(2) 
Food establishment. In every case where a food establishment is preparing or selling food, a suitable external grease trap conforming to applicable building and plumbing codes must be installed.
(3) 
Requirements. External grease traps must have a minimum capacity of 1,500 gallons and shall be sized in accordance with the standards set forth by SCDHS.
B. 
Grease trap maintenance. All grease traps shall be maintained by the property owner at the property owners' expense. At a minimum, the food establishment or its designee shall inspect grease traps monthly; and shall have all grease traps cleaned before the amount of grease exceeds 25% of the grease capacity of the grease trap or once every three months for external grease traps, whichever comes first. Written logs of inspections, cleaning and pumping shall be filed with the District every 90 days.
C. 
Best management practices. Food preparation, manufacturing and wholesaling establishments shall integrate best management practices to reduce grease discharged to the sewer system. In addition to maintenance of grease traps, best management practices include, but are not limited to:
(1) 
Dry-wiping pots, vats, basins, pans, and dishes before putting them in the dishwasher or sink;
(2) 
Collecting and disposing of used grease through a licensed septage handler instead of pouring it down the drain;
(3) 
Capturing the grease in ventilation and exhaust hoods.
D. 
Storage of waste grease from food preparation. All waste grease and other related wastes requiring storage at the food establishment as a result of removal from grease traps or otherwise shall be collected and stored in an appropriate container(s) (i.e., fifty-five-gallon drums or such other suitable storage containers) in an approved location at the food establishment. The container(s) shall be stored on an impervious surface such as concrete or pavement. Containers shall be either sealed or stored in a sheltered area and maintained to prevent entry of precipitation and of animals. All waste grease and related wastes shall be removed from the food establishment only by a permitted septage handler. All grease containers and surrounding areas must be kept in a sanitary condition at all times.
E. 
Disposal. All waste grease and related wastes shall be removed from the food establishment only by a permitted septage handler. All material removed from grease traps and hauling and disposal of grease and other related waste shall be documented in a written record. The food establishment is responsible for assuring that all waste grease and related wastes are disposed of in accordance with all federal, state, and local disposal regulations.
F. 
Inspection and recordkeeping.
(1) 
The Environmental Analysts, Engineering Inspector or their respective designee may enter upon any premises at any reasonable time to inspect for compliance.
(2) 
The grease traps shall be subject to a mandatory annual inspection by the Environmental Analysts, Engineering Inspector or other designee of the Town that shall enforce the provisions of this regulation. Failure to timely file with the District the required cleaning logs and invoices, or an incomplete reporting, shall require an inspection in addition to the mandatory annual inspection.
(3) 
The cost of such additional inspection shall be, per inspection, such amount as may be set by the Town resolution and payable by the user.
(4) 
All records pertaining to purchasing, storage and removal of grease and related products and waste products shall also be retained by the food establishment on premises for no less than two years.
(5) 
Refusal to provide reasonable cooperation and access shall constitute a violation of these regulations subject to enforcement as set forth below.