City of Westminster, MD Use of Public Sewers

§ 124-2 Use of public sewers required.

It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the service area of the City's public sewer system or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City any human or animal excrement, garbage or other objectionable waste.

It shall be unlawful to discharge to any watercourse within the service area of the City's public sewer system or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City any wastewater or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with the provisions of this chapter.

Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage within the service area of the City's public sewer system or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City.

The owner of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes, situated within the service area of the City's public sewer system, as defined by the County Water and Sewer Master Plan, is hereby required at the owner's own expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein and shall connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so.

All privies, privy vaults, cesspools, septic tanks and drains on properties connected with a sanitary sewer shall be abandoned as soon as possible, and in no case later than 30 days after the connection of such properties to such sanitary sewer, and left in such way that they cannot again be used or injuriously affect the public health; and all wells that are found by the City or any public health authority having jurisdiction to be polluted or a menace to health shall likewise be abandoned and closed.

Privies, privy vaults, cesspools, septic tanks, drains and polluted wells abandoned and closed pursuant to this section shall be subject to inspection by the Director and by any public health authority having jurisdiction, and the owner of the property upon which any such abandoned and closed facility is located shall take such remedial action as may be prescribed by such inspector to assure that such closed and abandoned facility will not constitute a hazard to the public health or safety.

§ 124-3 Building sewers and connections.

No authorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the City.

There shall be three classes of sewer permits: for residential use, for commercial use and for service to establishments producing industrial wastewater. In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the City. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the City.

All costs and expense incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

Each mobile home and/or trailer unit used for residential or commercial purposes and having domestic water and/or sanitary facilities therein shall be considered a separate and independent building and, as such, shall have its own separate and independent building drain and building sewer.

Where existing building sewers connected to a public sanitary sewer or public storm sewer are to be abandoned by reason of demolition of buildings and structures or for any other reason, they shall be disconnected and permanently sealed at the curbline or at the public sewer as directed by the approving authority. Existing building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the City, to meet all the requirements of this chapter.

The size, slope, alignment and materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of the Carroll County Plumbing Code and/or all other applicable rules and regulations of the City. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials and Water Environment Federation Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.

Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer. Exceptions to this requirement shall be requested in writing and approved by the Plumbing Inspector of the City.

No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building drain or building sewer which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.

The connection of the building drain to the building sewer or the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Carroll County Plumbing Code and/or all other applicable rules and regulations of the City or the procedure set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials and Water Environment Federation Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. All connections of building sewers to the public sewer shall be performed by persons authorized by the City. The prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the City before installation.

The owner of any improved property shall maintain and repair the building drain and lateral at the owner's own expense and shall remove all trees, tree roots and other obstructions of the building drain and lateral. Where such maintenance or repairs are neglected by the owner, the City may, 10 days after mailing written notice to the owner, make or cause to be made such maintenance or repairs as may be necessary and charge the owner of said improved property for the cost thereof.

The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the City when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection and testing shall be made in the presence of and under the supervision of the City or its representatives, who shall be notified 24 hours before time of backfilling.

All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the City.

§ 124-3.1 Application for service.

[Added 2-11-2002 by Ord. No. 678]

All applications for a permit for sewer service must be made, in writing, on a form provided by the City. Applications for service must be made by the property owner or the owner’s agent or representative and shall be accompanied by a fee as provided in the Utility Fee Ordinance.[1]

[Amended 11-24-2008 by Ord. No. 793]

[1]

Editor’s Note: See Ch. A175, Fees, Art. II, Utility Fees.

No contract for service will be entered into by the City with any applicant until all arrears and charges due by the applicant at any premises now or heretofore occupied by him shall have been paid or satisfactory arrangements made in regard thereto.

An accepted application by the City shall constitute a contract between the City and applicant, obligating the applicant to pay to the City its rates as established or as may be established from time to time. The applicant also shall comply with the City's rules and regulations.

Applications for service installations will be accepted subject to there being an existing and adequate main in a street or right-of-way abutting the premises to be served. The contract shall in no way obligate the City to extend its mains to service the premises under consideration.

When a prospective customer has made application for a new service or has applied for the reinstatement of an existing service, it is assumed that the piping and fixtures which the service will supply are in order to receive the same, and the City will not be liable in any case for any accident, breaks or leakage arising in any way in connection with the supply of sewer service or failure to supply the same or the freezing of water pipes or fixtures of the customer nor for any damage to the property which may result from the usage or nonusage of the sewer service supplied to the premises.

After review of the completed application and the payment of all fees and charges required under this chapter and the Utility Fee Ordinance, the City may accept the application, provided that the property to be served is identified as S-1 or S-3 on the Carroll County Master Plan for Water and Sewerage. Additionally, the development of the property must be consistent with the current City/county agreement unless the Mayor and Common Council grants a waiver for good cause[2] for which the applicant shall pay a fee as provided in the Utility Fee Ordinance.[3]

[Amended 11-24-2008 by Ord. No. 793]

[2]

Editor's Note: Ordinance No. 678 provided that the Director of the Department of Planning and Public Works shall adopt regulations for the consideration of "good cause" waivers pursuant to this subsection.

[3]

Editor’s Note: See Ch. A175, Fees, Art. II, Utility Fees.

§ 124-4 Use of public sewers.

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.

Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the City. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process water may be discharged to a storm sewer or natural outlet on approval of the City and upon acquiring a national point discharge elimination system permit (NPDES permit).

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes to any public sewers:

(1)

Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, engine oil, fuel additives, paint products, organic solvents or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.

(2)

Any waters or wastes containing toxic, poisonous or in any way harmful solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, pass through or interfere with the wastewater treatment works.

(3)

Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.5 or higher than 8.5 or having any other corrosive or scale-forming property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the wastewater facilities and wastewater treatment works or hindering and/or reducing the normal microbiological action, sludge treatment, utilization and/or disposal capabilities of or by the wastewater treatment works.

(4)

Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such characteristics as to be capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works, such as but not limited to ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, styrofoam, foam rubber, sanitary napkins, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, bones, paper dishes, cups, milk containers, bentonite, lye, building materials, rubber, leather, porcelain, china, ceramic wastes, lime slurry, lime, residues, slops, chemical residues, paint residues, bulk solids, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

(5)

Any waters or wastes prohibited by any permit issued by the City, county, state and federal government agencies.

The following described substances, materials, waters or wastes shall be limited to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream and/or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. The Director may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the following if, in the Director's opinion, such action is necessary. The Director will give consideration to such factors as the quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment process employed, the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, the degree of treatability of the waste in the wastewater treatment plant and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be violated without approval of the Director of the Department of Public Works are as follows:

(1)

Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 104º F. (40º C.) or less than 32º F.

(2)

Wastewater containing more than 100 milligrams per liter of oil of an animal or vegetable origin or 25 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils or other oil of mineral origin.

(3)

Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat or grease.

(4)

Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. (see § 124-1). Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers.

(5)

Any waters or wastes containing substances that are limited by the National Categorical Pretreatment Standards. Standards may be set by the City when the national standard is determined to be insufficient to protect the wastewater facility from adverse effects or when the national standard has not been promulgated. Upon promulgation of National Categorical Pretreatment Standards for a particular subcategory, the national standards, if more stringent than the limitations imposed by the City for sources in the subcategory, shall immediately supersede the limitations imposed by the City. The Director of the Department of Public Works shall so notify all affected industrial waste dischargers, who shall thereafter be subject to the reporting requirements of 40 CFR 403.

(6)

Any waters or wastes containing phenols or any other taste- or odor-producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the City as necessary to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies of jurisdiction.

(7)

Any radioactive substances and/or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the City in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

(8)

Quantities of flow, concentration, or both, which constitute a "slug" as defined herein.

(9)

Waters and wastes containing substances not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed or which are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of any and all agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters or over treatment, utilization and disposal of sludges produced at the wastewater treatment works.

(10)

Any water or wastes which, by interaction with other water or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, form suspended solids which interfere with the collection system or create a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes.

(11)

Any waters or wastes containing at any time total solids (as determined by methods described in Standard Methods) greater than 1,250 milligrams per liter or of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials in the sewerage facility.

(12)

Any wastewater with objectionable color not removed in the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.

(13)

Any waters or wastes having an average daily chlorine demand (as determined by methods described in Standard Methods) in excess of 12 milligrams per liter at a detention time of 20 minutes.

(14)

Industrial wastewater having an average daily five-day BOD (as determined by methods described in Standard Methods) greater than 220 milligrams per liter.

(15)

Industrial wastewater having an average daily content of suspended solids greater than 250 milligrams per liter.

(16)

Industrial waste slugs having an average daily flow greater than 5% of the average daily sewage flow at the wastewater treatment works.

(17)

Septage. Septage must be taken to the County Septage Facility.

(18)

Leachate. Leachate must be taken to the County Septage Facility.

(19)

Hazardous waste.

(20)

Sludge. Sludge must be taken to the County Septage Facility.

(21)

Any waters or wastes which contain wax, grease or oil, plastic or any other substance that will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperatures between 32º F. and 150º F.

(22)

Any garbage that has not been properly comminuted or shredded. If properly comminuted or shredded, then it may be accepted under provisions established in this chapter.

(23)

Any wastes or waters containing suspended or dissolved solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the wastewater treatment works.

(24)

Any cyanide greater than one part per million, as CN.

(25)

Any hexavalent chromium greater than one part per million.

(26)

Except in quantities or concentrations or with provisions as stipulated in this section, no person shall discharge waters or wastes to the sanitary sewer containing free or emulsified oil and grease exceeding, on analysis, an average of 100 parts per million (i.e., 833 pounds per million gallons) of either or both or combinations of free or emulsified oil and grease, if, in the opinion of the Director, it appears probable that such wastes:

(a)

Can deposit grease or oil in the sewer lines in such manner as to clog the sewers.

(b)

Can overload skimming and grease-handling equipment.

(c)

Are not amenable to bacterial action and will, therefore, pass to receiving waters without being affected by normal sewage treatment processes.

(d)

Can have deleterious effects on the treatment process due to the excessive quantities.

(27)

Cyanides or cyanogen compounds capable of liberating hydrocyanic gas on acidification in excess of one-half per million by weight as CN in the wastes from any outlet into the public sewers.

(28)

Materials which exert or cause:

(a)

Unusual concentrations of solids or compositions; as, for example, in total suspended solids of inert nature, such as fuller's earth, or in total dissolved solids, such as sodium chloride or sodium sulfate.

(b)

Excessive discoloration.

(c)

Unusual biochemical oxygen demand or an immediate oxygen demand.

(29)

High hydrogen sulfide content.

(30)

Pollutants which create a fire or explosive hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to, waste streams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140º F. (60º C.) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.

(31)

Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil or products of mineral oil origin, in all amounts that will cause interference or pass-through.

(32)

Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems.

(33)

Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the Director in accordance with this chapter.

(34)

Stormwater, surface water, groundwater, 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.

(35)

Sludges, screenings or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes or industrial wastewater.

(36)

Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the Director in a wastewater discharge permit.

(37)

Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources, the treatment plant's effluent to fail a toxicity test.

(38)

Detergents, surface-active agents or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW.

(39)

Any substance which may cause the POTW's effluent or any other product of the POTW such as residues, sludges or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse or to interfere with the reclamation process. In no case shall a substance discharged to the POTW cause the POTW to be in noncompliance with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulations developed under Section 405 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the "Clean Water Act," as amended, any criteria, guidelines or regulations affecting sludge or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act or state criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used.

(40)

Specific pollutant limitations. No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of:

	Substance	Total Amount (mg/l)
	BOD₅*	220*
	TKN*	20*
	TP (total phosphorus)	5.0*
	TSS*	250
	TPH (total petroleum
	hydrocarbons)*
	Total oil and grease	100*
	Arsenic	5.0*
	Cadmium	0.3*
	Chromium	0.50*
	Copper	3.0*
	Lead	0.5
	Mercury	10
	Nickel	4.0*
	Silver	0.03*
	Zinc	4.8*
	NOTES: * The Director may impose alternative mass limitations on user(s) not meeting applicable pretreatment standards or requirements or in other cases as necessary, where the imposition of mass and/or concentration limitations are considered appropriate. Alternative limitations shall be based on plant design and available plant capacity.

Effect of discharge.

(1)

If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in Subsection D and which, in the judgment of the City, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters or sludge management or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the City may, upon giving official notice to the discharger:

(a)

Reject the wastes;

(b)

Require pretreatment according to the pretreatment standards as adopted by the City to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;

(c)

Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge;

(d)

Require payment to cover the added costs of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of Subsection L; and/or

(e)

Require immediate discontinuance of the waste discharge until such time as it meets the requirements of these regulations.

(2)

Any person so notified shall immediately stop or eliminate the discharge. In the event that the discharger shall fail to comply with the notice, the approving authority shall take such actions as are deemed reasonably necessary to prevent or minimize damage to the sewerage system or danger to persons or property, including, where in the opinion of the approving authority the danger is clear, present and substantial, immediate severance of the discharger's sewer connection to the sewerage system.

(3)

If the City permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the City and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances, regulations and laws.

Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the City, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the City and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors, the owners shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates and means of disposal which are subject to review by the City. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner's personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.

Where pretreatment or flow equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at the owner's own expense.

When required by the City, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control structure, together with necessary meters and other appurtenances in the control structure to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the City. The structure shall be installed by the owner at the owner's own expense and shall be maintained by the owner so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

The City may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this chapter. The City may review and copy records to obtain the required information. These requirements may include:

(1)

Wastewater discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period.

(2)

Chemical analyses of wastewaters.

(3)

Information on raw materials, processes and products affecting wastewater volume and quality.

(4)

Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent or other material important to sewer use control.

(5)

A plot plan of sewers of the user's property showing sewer and pretreatment facility locations.

(6)

Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities.

(7)

Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the municipal sewer.

(8)

Any other information required by the flow measurement, sampling, analysis and monitoring standards as adopted by the City Council.

All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods and shall be determined by or under the direct supervision of a qualified analyst at the control structure provided and upon suitable samples taken at said control structure. In the event that no special structure has been required, the control structure shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling methods, locations, times, durations and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis by the Director of the Department of Public Works.

Sample collection.

(1)

Except as modified in Subsection K(2) below, the user must collect wastewater samples using flow-proportional composite collection techniques. In the event that flow-proportional sampling is infeasible, the Director may authorize the use of time-proportional sampling or a minimum of four grab samples where the user demonstrates that this will provide a representative sample of the effluent being discharged. In addition, grab samples may be required to show compliance with instantaneous discharge limits.

(2)

Samples for oil and grease, temperature, pH, cyanide, phenols, sulfides and volatile organic compounds must be obtained using grab collection techniques.

No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to payment therefor, by the industrial concern. Any National Categorical Pretreatment Standards or state standards will not be waived by a special agreement.

§ 124-5 Discharge to storm sewers prohibited.

Discharge of wastewater into storm sewers shall not be permitted.

§ 124-6 State requirements.

The state pretreatment standards and requirements found in COMAR, Title 26, as it currently exists or as it may be subsequently amended, are hereby incorporated.

§ 124-7 City's right of revision.

The City reserves the right to establish more stringent limitations or requirements on discharges to the wastewater disposal system if deemed necessary to comply with the objectives of this chapter.

§ 124-8 Excessive discharge.

No user shall ever increase the use of process water or, in any way, attempt to dilute or blend a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with the limitations contained in the federal categorical pretreatment standards, or in any other pollutant-specific limitation developed by the City or state.

§ 124-9 Accidental discharges.

Each user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials or other substances regulated by this chapter. Facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the owner's or user's own costs and expense. Detailed plans showing facilities and operating procedures to provide this protection shall be submitted to the City for review and shall be approved by the City before construction of the facility. No user who commences contribution to the wastewater treatment works after the effective date of this chapter shall be permitted to introduce pollutants into the system until accidental discharge procedures have been approved by the City. Review and approval of such plans and operating procedures shall not relieve the industrial user from the responsibility to modify the user's facility at the user's own expense as necessary to meet the requirements of this chapter. In the case of an accidental discharge, it is the responsibility of the user to immediately telephone and notify the Director of the incident. The notifications shall include location of discharge, type of waste, concentration and volume and corrective actions.

§ 124-10 Written notice.

Within five days following an accidental discharge, the user shall submit to the Director a detailed written report describing the cause of the discharge and the measures to be taken by the user to prevent similar future occurrences. Such notification shall not relieve the user of any expense, loss, damage or other liability which may be incurred as a result of damage to the wastewater treatment works, fish kills or any other damage to person or property; nor shall such notification relieve the user of any fines, civil penalties or other liability which may be imposed by this chapter or other applicable law.

§ 124-11 Notice to employees.

A notice shall be permanently posted on the user's bulletin board or other prominent place advising employees whom to call in the event of a dangerous discharge. Employers shall ensure that all employees who may cause or suffer such a dangerous discharge to occur are advised of the emergency notification procedure. A copy of the notice and emergency notification procedure shall be provided to the Director upon adoption and as they may be modified from time to time.