Whereas floor drains in industrial and commercial facilities are often tied to a system leading to a leaching structure (e.g. dry well, cesspool, leach field) or a septic system; and poor management practices and accidental and/or intentional discharges may lead petroleum and other toxic or hazardous materials into these drainage systems in facilities managing these products; and improper maintenance or inappropriate use of these systems may allow the passage of contaminants or pollutants entering the drain to discharge from the leaching structure or septic system to the ground; and discharges of hazardous wastes and other pollutants to floor drains leading to leaching structures and septic systems have repeatedly threatened surface and ground water quality throughout Massachusetts; and surface and ground water resources in the Town of Williamstown contribute to the town's drinking water supplies; the Town of Williamstown adopts the following regulation, under its authority as specified in §
142-2, as a preventative measure for the purposes of: preserving and protecting the Town of Williamstown's drinking water resources from discharges of pollutants to the ground via floor drains; and minimizing the threat of economic losses to the town due to such discharges.
For the purposes of this chapter, the following
words and phrases have the following meanings:
BOARD
The Williamstown Board of Health or its designated agent.
COMMERCIAL and INDUSTRIAL FACILITY
A public or private establishment where the principal use
is the supply, sale and/or manufacture of services, products or information,
including, but not limited to: manufacturing, processing or other
industrial operations; service or retail establishments; printing
or publishing establishments; research and development facilities;
small or large quantity generators of hazardous waste; laboratories;
hospitals.
DEPARTMENT
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
DISCHARGE
The accidental or intentional disposal, deposit, injection,
dumping, spilling, leaking, incineration or placing of toxic or hazardous
material or waste upon or into any land or water so that such hazardous
waste or any constituent thereof may enter the land or waters of the
commonwealth. Discharge includes, without limitation, leakage of such
materials from failed or discarded containers or storage systems and
disposal of such materials into any on-site leaching structure or
sewage disposal system.
FLOOR DRAIN
An intended drainage point on a floor constructed to be otherwise
impervious which serves as the point of entry into any subsurface
drainage, treatment, disposal, containment or other plumbing system.
LEACHING STRUCTURE
Any subsurface structure through which a fluid that is introduced
will pass and enter the environment, including, but not limited to,
dry wells, leaching catch basins, cesspools, leach fields and oil/water
separators that are not watertight.
OIL/WATER SEPARATOR
A device designed and installed so as to separate and retain
petroleum-based oil or grease, flammable wastes, as well as sand and
particles from normal wastes, while permitting normal sewage or liquid
wastes to discharge into the drainage system by gravity. Other common
names for such systems include MDC traps, gasoline and sand traps,
grit and oil separators, grease traps and interceptors.
TOXIC OR HAZARDOUS MATERIAL
Any substance or mixture of physical, chemical or infectious
characteristics posing a significant, actual or potential hazard to
water supplies or other hazards to human health if such substance
or mixture were discharged to land or water of the Town of Williamstown.
Toxic or hazardous materials include, without limitation, synthetic
organic chemicals, petroleum products, heavy metals, radioactive or
infectious wastes, acids and alkalis, and all substances defined as
"toxic or hazardous" under MGL c. 21C and 21E or Massachusetts Hazardous
Waste regulations (310 CMR 30.000), and also include such products
as solvents, thinners and pesticides in quantities greater than normal
household use.
ZONE II
That area defined by the Roman Numeral "II" in the "Green
River Well and Stetson Road Wellfield Zone II Map," attached as Appendix
A.
With the exception of discharges that have received
(or have applied for and will receive) a Department issued permit
prior to the effective date of this chapter, no floor drains shall
be allowed to discharge, with or without pretreatment (such as an
oil/water separator), to the ground, a leaching structure or septic
system in any industrial or commercial facility if such floor drain
is located in either:
A. An industrial or commercial process area.
B. A petroleum, toxic or hazardous materials and/or waste
storage area.
The effective date of this chapter is the date
posted on the front page of the chapter, which shall be identical
to the date of adoption of the chapter.
A. Existing facilities.
(1) Owners/operators of a facility affected by this chapter
shall comply with all of its provisions within 120 days of the effective
date.
(2) All applicable discharges to the leaching structures
and septic systems shall be discontinued immediately through temporary
isolation or sealing of the floor drain.
B. New facilities.
(1) As of the effective date of the chapter, all new construction
and/or applicable change of use within the Town of Williamstown shall
comply with the provisions of this chapter.
(2) Certification of conformance with the provisions of
this chapter by the Board of Health shall be required prior to issuance
of construction and occupancy permits.
[Amended 10-7-2019]
Whoever, himself or by his servant or agent or as the servant or agent of any other person or firm or corporation, violates any of the provisions of this chapter is subject to a fine as stated in Chapter
146, Local Fines, of the Code of the Town of Williamstown. Each day of violation, after written notice, is a separate violation.
Each provision of this chapter shall be construed
as separate to the end that if any provision or sentence, clause or
phrase thereof shall be held invalid for any reason, the remainder
of that section and all other sections shall continue in full force
and effect.