No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged
any storm water, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface
drainage, 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 Department
and/or other regulatory agencies. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted
process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the Department
and/or other regulatory agencies, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
In addition to town discharge restrictions,
there are also discharge restrictions that may be imposed by the receiving
treatment plant facilities. Copies of the specific restrictions for
the individual treatment facilities are on file at the Department.
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall
discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described
waters or wastes to any public sewer:
A.
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than
150° F. (65° C.).
B.
Any waters or wastes which contain fats, wax, grease
or oil, and any other substance that will solidify or become discernibly
viscous at temperatures below 150° F.
C.
Any waters or wastes containing fats, whey, grease
or oils, whether emulsified or not, exceeding an average concentration
of 50 milligrams per liter (417 pounds per million gallons) or other
soluble matter.
D.
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, mineral
oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas which by
reason of their nature of quantity are or may be sufficient, either
alone or in combination with other substances, to cause fire or explosion
or be injurious in any other way to the publicly owned sewerage works
or to the operation of the publicly owned sewerage works or the public
in general.
E.
Any noxious or malodorous gas, such as hydrogen sulfide,
sulfur dioxide or nitrous oxide, or other substance which, either
singly or by interaction with other wastes, is capable of creating
a public nuisance or hazard to life or preventing entry into sewers
for their maintenance and repair.
F.
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of 3/4 horsepower or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Department. Commercial property owners with grinder pump tanks receiving sewer service shall have the grinder pump tank annually cleaned by a professional septic pumping service company and shall provide the Town with written confirmation of the completed service. A commercial property owner which fails to provide the Town with required annual written certification may be subject to the penalties set forth in § 174-60. In addition, if the infiltration of unacceptable waste into the public sewer system persists, the Town may in its discretion either: I) require the construction and installation of a septic tank on the property before the grinder pump tank, at the property owner's sole expense, to prevent solids from entering the public sewer system; or II) disconnect the property from the public sewer system.
[Amended 7-14-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
G.
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal,
hair and fleshings, entrails, lime slurry, lime residues, beer or
distillery slops, whey, chemical residue, paint residues, cannery
waste, bulk solids or any other solid or viscous substance in quantities
or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow of the
sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewerage
works.
H.
Any waters or wastes, acid and alkaline in reaction,
having corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to
structures, equipment and personnel of the sewerage works. Free acids
and alkalines must be neutralized at all times to within permissible
pH range of 5.5 to 9.5.
I.
Any substance which may cause the publicly owned sewerage
works' effluent or any other product of the publicly owned sewerage
works, such as residues, sludge or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation
and reuse or to interfere with the reclamation process where the publicly
owned sewerage works is pursuing a reuse and reclamation program.
In no case shall a substance discharged to the publicly owned sewerage
works cause the publicly owned sewerage works to be in noncompliance
with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulations developed
under Section 405 of the Act, any criteria, guidelines or regulations
affecting sludge use or disposal development 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.
J.
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid, iron,
pickling wastes, pesticides, herbicides, paint, biologically toxic
wastes or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
K.
Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper,
zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances or wastes exerting
an excessive chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material
received in the composite sewage at the sewerage works exceeds the
limits established by the Department, town, state or federal agencies
for such materials.
L.
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste-
or odor-producing substances in such concentrations exceeding limits
which may be established by the Department, town, state or federal
agencies 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.
M.
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life
or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Department
in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
N.
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not
amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes
employed or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the
sewerage works effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies
having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
A.
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided
when the above set limits for those substances are exceeded or when,
in the opinion of the engineer and/or Department, they are necessary
for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive
amounts or any flammable wastes, sand and 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 engineer and shall be so located as to be
readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
B.
Grease and oil interceptors shall be constructed of
impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes
in temperature. They will be of substantial construction, watertight
and equipped with easily removable covers, which, when bolted in place,
shall be gastight and watertight.
C.
Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors
shall be purchased and maintained by the applicant, at his expense,
in continuously efficient operation at all times and shall be readily
accessible and open to inspection by the Department at any time.
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes that exceed the treatment capabilities or the treatment capacity as described in § 174-39 and § 174-40 shall be subject to the review and approval of the engineer and the Department. Where necessary, in the opinion of the engineer, the applicant shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatments as may be necessary to bring the discharge flow into compliance with this chapter. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the engineer, and the construction of such facilities shall not commence until said approvals are obtained in writing. Failure to comply with one or more of the remedial procedures as required by the Department will constitute a violation of this chapter.
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing
facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained
continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the applicant
at his expense. Should conditions develop that render the system inoperative
or unsanitary as determined by the Department, cleaning, repairing
or replacing of the system will be required at the applicant's expense
and as prescribed by the engineer and the Department.
When required by the Department, the applicant
of any property served by a service line carrying industrial wastes
shall install a suitable control manhole in the service line to facilitate
observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole,
when required, shall be accessible and safely located and shall be
constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Department. The
manhole shall be installed and maintained by and at the applicant's
expense, so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in § 174-39 and § 174-40 shall be determined, in accordance with the latest version of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (§ 174-7), based upon suitable samples taken at control manhole provided for in § 174-44. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the service line is connected.
All of the preceding standards are to apply at the point where the industrial wastes are discharged into the public sewerage system, and any chemical or mechanical corrective treatment required must be accomplished to practical completion before the wastes reach that point. The laboratory methods used in the examination of all industrial wastes shall be those set forth in the latest version of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage, published by the American Public Health Association (§ 174-7). However, alternative methods for the analysis of industrial wastes may be used, subject to mutual agreement between the Department and the producer of such wastes. The frequency and duration of the sampling of any industrial waste shall not be less than once a quarter for 24 hours. However, more frequent and longer periods may be required at the discretion of the Department.
A.
An industrial applicant shall notify the Department
immediately upon accidentally discharging wastes in violation of this
chapter. This notification shall be followed, within 15 days of the
date of occurrence, by a detailed written statement describing the
causes of the accidental discharge and the measures being taken to
prevent future occurrence. Such notification will not relieve users
of liability for any expense, loss or damage to the sewerage system,
treatment plant or treatment process or for any fines imposed by the
town or any other governmental body having jurisdiction under applicable
state and federal regulations.
B.
A notice shall be furnished and permanently posted
on the industrial user's bulletin board advising employees whom to
call in case of an accidental discharge in violation of this chapter.
Also, copies of this chapter are to be made available to the user's
employees.
Any direct or indirect connection or entry point
for persistent or deleterious wastes to the user's plumbing or drainage
system should be eliminated. Where such action is impractical or unreasonable,
the user shall approximately label such entry points to warn against
discharge of such wastes in violation of this chapter.
When pretreatment regulations are adopted by
the United States Environmental Protection Agency or New York State
Department of Environmental Conservation for any industry, then that
industry must immediately conform to the United States Environmental
Protection Agency or New York State Department of Environmental Conservation
timetable for adherence to federal or state pretreatment requirements
and any other applicable requirements promulgated by the United States
Environmental Protection Agency or New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation. Additionally, such industries shall comply with any
more stringent standards necessitated local conditions as determined
by the Department, or the Rensselaer County Health Department.
The town reserves the right to establish by
law, ordinance, regulation or policy more stringent limitations or
requirements on discharges to the wastewater disposal system if deemed
necessary to comply with the objective presented in this chapter.
No applicant shall ever increase the use of
process water or, in any way, attempt to dilute 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 town or state unless authorized by state or federal regulations.
A.
The permit for industrial discharge, upon approval
by the Department, shall be valid for a period of three years. This
permit may be extended every three years by the Department upon receiving
application for continued discharge within 90 days of permit expiration.
B.
The permit's terms and conditions may be subject to
modification and change by the Department. The Department shall notify
any applicant(s) of such modification or change in permit requirements
by certified letter, which shall also state a time limit for compliance.
The compliance time shall be a reasonable time period set by the Department
to comply with the change or modifications.
C.
A permit shall not be reassigned or transferred or
sold to a new applicant(s), new user, different premises or a new
or changed operation, except in the case where a residential or commercial
establishment changes applicant(s) and no change in discharge will
occur.
D.
An industrial discharger shall apply for a permit
modification if a change or proposed change in production or process
affects any of the wastewater characteristics or flow characteristics.
The conditions of wastewater discharge permits
shall be uniformly enforced by the Department in accordance with this
chapter and applicable municipal, county, state and federal regulations.
The permits shall be expressly subject to all provisions of this law
and all other regulations, user charges and fees established by the
Department and applicable state, county and federal regulations.
Permits shall contain specifications and conditions
for monitoring programs, which may include sampling locations, frequency
of sampling, number, types and standards for tests and reporting schedule.
