For the purposes of this chapter, the following words and phrases
shall have the meanings described in this section, unless the context
in which they are used specifically indicates otherwise.
ACT
The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the
Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq., and
all rules promulgated thereunder.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter and biologically oxidizable inorganic matter under
standard laboratory procedures for five days, at 20° C., expressed
in milligrams per liter concentration, using U.S. EPA test method
no. 405.1.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs)
Schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance
procedures, and other management practices to implement the discharge
prohibitions in this chapter. BMPs also include treatment requirements,
operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff,
spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw
materials storage.
BYPASS
The intentional diversion of waste streams away from any
portion of a user's treatment facility.
CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS (CPS)
Pollutant limits for discharges to POTWs, promulgated by U.S. EPA in 40 CFR Chapter
I, Subchapter N, Parts 405 et seq., in accordance with § 307(b) and (c) of the Act, which are applicable to a nondomestic user which engages in a category or categories of industry that are subject to regulations in 40 CFR Parts 405 through 471.
CBPU
The Coldwater Board of Public Utilities.
CFR
The Code of Federal Regulations.
CITY
The City of Coldwater, Michigan, a municipal corporation.
CODE
The Code of the City of Coldwater.
COLLECTION SYSTEM
All of the sanitary sewers, lift stations, pumps, and other
equipment of the CBPU and of a municipality, drainage district, or
other political subdivision of the state which has a contract with
the CBPU for discharge to the POTW treatment plant which are primarily
installed to receive wastewater and pollutants directly from users
for transmission to the POTW treatment plant.
CONSTRUCTION
Any placement, assembly, or installation of facilities or
equipment (including contractual obligations to purchase such facilities
or equipment) at the premises where such equipment will be used, including
preparation work at such premises, if such equipment will in any way
actually or potentially affect the quality or quantity of discharges
or the measurement or analysis of a discharge.
COOLING WATER
The water discharged from any use in which the only pollutant
added is heat and which shall be considered noncontact cooling water.
Water discharged from any use in which heat and other pollutants have
been added shall be considered as contact cooling water.
DAILY CONCENTRATION
The sum of all concentration measurements for any twenty-four-hour
period divided by the number of such measurements.
DIRECTOR
The Director of the Board of Public Utilities of the City,
or his or her authorized representative. For purposes of this definition,
an authorized representative is a person whom the Director of the
Board of Public Utilities of the City has authorized in writing to
perform actions that the Director is authorized to perform under this
chapter.
DISCHARGE
The introduction (including infiltration) of pollutants into
the POTW which is either intentional or unintentional.
FLASHPOINT
The minimum temperature at which vapor combustion will spread
away from its source of ignition.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from domestic or commercial preparation, cooking
or dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage, or sale of
produce.
GRAB SAMPLE
A sample which is taken from a discharge with no regard to
the flow which is collected over a period of time not exceeding 15
minutes.
GROUNDWATER
Water which is pumped or otherwise captured from the ground
and which is not used in a process. Mere treatment of groundwater
is not use in a process.
HAZARDOUS SUBSTANCE
Any substance as defined in Part 201 of the Michigan Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of 1994, as amended, or the Federal Comprehensive Environmental
Response, Compensation and Liability Act of 1980, as amended.
HEXANE-EXTRACTABLE MATERIAL
Any material, such as fat, oil, or grease, which is recoverable
from wastewater by extraction with N-hexane, using EPA Test Method
1664, Revision A, and as defined therein.
INTERCEPTOR
A structure or device designed for removing floating or suspended
hexane-extractable material and other viscous or dense substances
from wastewater, by physical separation, prior to discharging the
wastewater into the POTW.
INTERFERENCE
A discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge
or discharges from other sources, both: i) inhibits or disrupts the
POTW, its treatment processes or operations, or its sludge processes,
use or disposal; and ii) therefore is a cause of a violation of any
requirement of the NPDES permit for the POTW, the Act, or State Act
(including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation)
or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance
with the following statutory provisions and regulations or permits
issued thereunder (or any more stringent state or local regulations):
Section 405 of the Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) [(including
Title II, more commonly referred to as the Resource Conservation and
Recovery Act (RCRA), and including state regulations contained in
any state sludge management plan prepared pursuant to Subtitle D of
the SWDA)] the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, and
the Marine Protection, Research, and Sanctuaries Act.
MAXIMUM ALLOWABLE INDUSTRIAL LOADING
The daily maximum mass of a pollutant, in pounds per day,
which may be allowed by the CBPU to be discharged to the POTW by the
aggregate of all nondomestic users.
MDEQ
The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality or its successor.
mg/L
Milligrams per liter.
NEW SOURCE
Any building, structure, facility, or installation from which
there is or may be a discharge, the construction of which commenced
after the publication of proposed pretreatment standards under Section
307(c) of the Act which will be applicable to such source if such
standards are thereafter promulgated in accordance with that section,
provided that:
(a)
The building, structure, facility, or installation is constructed
at a site at which no other source is located; or
(b)
The building, structure, facility, or installation totally replaces
the process or production equipment that causes the discharge at an
existing source; or
(c)
The production or wastewater generating processes of the building,
structure, facility, or installation are substantially independent
of an existing source at the same site. In determining whether these
processes are substantially independent, the extent to which the new
facility is integrated with the existing plant and the extent to which
the new facility is engaged in the same general type of activity as
the existing source shall be considered.
(d)
Construction on a site at which an existing source is located results in a modification rather than a new source if the construction does not create a new building, structure, facility, or installation meeting the criteria of Subsection
(b) or
(c) but otherwise alters, replaces, or adds to existing process or production equipment.
(e)
Construction of a new source has commenced if the owner or operator
has:
(1)
Begun, or caused to begin, as part of a continuous on-site construction
program:
A.
Any placement, assembly, or installation of facilities or equipment;
B.
Significant site preparation work including clearing, excavation,
or removal of existing buildings, structures, or facilities which
is necessary for the placement, assembly, or installation of new source
facilities or equipment; or
C.
Entered into a binding contractual obligation for the purchase
of facilities or equipment which are intended to be used in its operation
within a reasonable time. Options to purchase; contracts which can
be terminated or modified without substantial loss; and contracts
for feasibility, engineering; and design studies do not constitute
a contractual obligation under this subsection.
NONDOMESTIC USER
A user that discharges pollutants other than, or in addition
to, sanitary sewage, but not including a user that is a municipality,
drainage district, or other political subdivision of the state that
only discharges from its own collection system to the CBPU's collection
system.
NPDES PERMIT
A permit issued pursuant to the National Pollutant Discharge
Elimination System to regulate the discharge of wastewater into the
surface waters of the state.
PASS-THROUGH
A discharge which exits the POTW into waters of the state
in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with
a discharge or discharges from other sources, causes a violation of
any requirement of the Act or State Act.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, municipality, company, association,
society, corporation, partnership, group, or other legal entity, including
their officers and employees who have responsibility for or actual
involvement in the matters regulated by this chapter.
pH
The logarithm (base 10) of the reciprocal of the concentration
of hydrogen ions in moles per liter of solution.
POLLUTANT
Any material which is discharged to the POTW or is proposed
for discharge to the POTW. The term also includes properties of such
materials such as pH and heat.
POTW
Publicly owned treatment works, as defined by § 212
of the Act, which are owned by the CBPU and the collection system.
The term also means the CBPU or the Director. This term includes any
devices, processes, and systems used by or for the CBPU in the storage,
treatment, recycling, or reclamation of wastewater or sludge from
the treatment works or the collection system.
PREMISES
A lot or parcel of land, generally, or each lot or parcel
of land, or building, having any connection, direct or indirect, to
the POTW, as the context of the word within this chapter dictates.
PRETREATMENT
The reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination
of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties
in wastewater prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing
such pollutants into the POTW. The reduction or alteration may be
obtained by physical, chemical, or biological processes, process changes,
or by other means, except for the use of dilution, unless expressly
authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement.
SANITARY SEWAGE
Wastewater or pollutants from toilet, kitchen, laundry, bathing,
or other facilities all of which are used for household or residential
purposes or for domestic purposes at a nonresidential location.
SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE
Substantial physical damage to property, damage to the treatment
facilities of a user which causes them to become all or partially
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 or loss of production.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying wastewater, stormwater, surface
runoff, or groundwater.
SIGNIFICANT NONDOMESTIC USER
Any nondomestic user of the POTW that:
(a)
Has a discharge to the POTW of 25,000 gallons or more per day
based on the average per day for all days of discharge in the calendar
year, excluding sanitary sewage, noncontact cooling water, and boiler
blowdown wastewater;
(b)
Discharges or has a reasonable potential to discharge any toxic
pollutant as defined pursuant to § 307 of the Act, unless
the actual or potential effect on the POTW is determined by the Director
to be insignificant;
(c)
Is found by the Director to have a reasonable potential for
adversely affecting the POTW, or for violating any limit, discharge
prohibition, pretreatment standard or requirement;
(e)
Discharges wastewater, other than sanitary sewage, noncontact
cooling water, and boiler blowdown wastewater, which makes up 5% or
more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the
POTW.
SLUDGE
Solids or other residue, either of which are separated from
wastewater and generated by any treatment process, or solids or other
residue directly separated from a production process.
SLUG DISCHARGE
A discharge of a nonroutine, episodic nature, including,
but not limited to, an accidental spill or a noncustomary batch discharge,
which has a reasonable potential to cause interference or pass-through,
or in any other way violates this chapter.
SOURCE
Any building, structure, facility, vehicle, or installation
from which there is or may be a discharge to the POTW.
STATE ACT
Part 31, Water Resources Protection, of the Michigan Natural
Resources and Environmental Protection Act, Act 451 of 1994, as amended, and all rules promulgated thereunder.
STATE DIRECTOR
The director of the Michigan Department of Environmental
Quality (and its successor agencies) and any person delegated to act
for such director in water pollution control matters.
TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension
in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and which can be removed
or recovered by standard laboratory filtering, using U.S. EPA Method
No. 106.2.
ug/L
Micrograms per liter.
UPSET
An exceptional incident in which there is unintentional and
temporary noncompliance with CPS or other limits applicable to the
user because of factors beyond the reasonable control of the user.
An upset does not include noncompliance to the extent caused by operational
error, improperly designed treatment facilities, inadequate treatment
facilities, lack of preventive maintenance, or careless or improper
operation.
U.S. EPA
The United States Environmental Protection Agency or its
successor.
USER
A person who discharges into the POTW and a municipality
or drainage district whose collection system discharges into the POTW.
WASTEWATER
Water discharged to the POTW by a user which may or may not
contain other pollutants. This term does not include stormwater, surface
runoff, or noncontaminated groundwater and noncontact cooling water.
No user shall increase the use of potable or process water in
any way for the purpose of diluting a discharge as a partial or complete
substitute for adequate treatment before discharge to the POTW to
achieve compliance with the standards set forth in this chapter, except
upon prior written approval from the Director, which approval shall
be granted at the sole discretion of the Director and consistent with
federal and state law.
The Director is hereby empowered to, either directly or through
others:
(a) Supervise the implementation of this chapter;
(b) Establish and promulgate concentration limits and maximum allowable
industrial loadings for specific pollutants, as listed in Tables 1,
2 and 3 in the Appendix at the end of this chapter;
(c) Institute actions against all users violating this chapter, including
judicial proceedings to enjoin, abate, and prosecute violations of
this chapter;
(d) Review pretreatment plans;
(e) Make inspections and tests of existing and newly installed, constructed,
reconstructed, or altered pretreatment equipment to ensure compliance
with the provisions of this chapter;
(f) Investigate complaints of violations of this chapter; make inspections
and observations of discharges; and record such investigations, complaints,
inspections, and observations;
(g) Issue orders requiring compliance with this chapter;
(h) Determine and assess civil administrative penalties for violations
of this chapter;
(i) Determine compensatory charges;
(j) Recommend to the City attorney of the City the institution of judicial
proceedings to compel compliance with the provisions of this chapter
or any determination or order which may be promulgated or issued pursuant
to this chapter;
(k) Deny permits for discharges that do not meet the requirements of
this chapter or that would cause the CBPU to violate its NPDES permit;
and set conditions on new, increased, or changed discharges to the
POTW;
(l) Set conditions on new, increased, or changed discharges;
(m) Perform other actions necessary or advisable for the management and
operation of the POTW and the enforcement of this chapter and other
applicable laws and regulations.
Appeal from a final decision of the CBPU shall be to a court of law. Judicial review shall be limited to the record from the CBPU proceedings, unless the court allows additional material. The decision of the CBPU shall be reviewed by the court in accordance with the standard of review under applicable law for review of a decision where the person appealing had an opportunity for an evidentiary hearing as described in §
1042.23(c), if it is supported by substantial evidence and is not contrary to law. The user shall be required to exhaust all administrative remedies available under §
1042.23 before seeking judicial review.
Each day on which a violation of this chapter, a use permit,
or an order occurs shall be a separate violation. Every violation
of each section of this chapter shall be a separate violation.
Violations of this chapter, a permit, or an order are a public
nuisance.
Violations - generally. Any user who willfully or intentionally violates any provision of this chapter or any order or use permit issued hereunder shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor, punishable as provided in §
202.99 of the City Code. Each day of violation is a separate offense. Any user who knowingly makes any false statements, representations, or certifications in any application, record, report, plan, or other document filed or required to be maintained pursuant to this chapter, or a use permit or an order, or who falsifies, tampers with, or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required under this chapter or a use permit shall, upon conviction, be guilty of a misdemeanor punishable as provided in §
202.99 of the City Code. Each day of violation is a separate offense.
A user shall have the affirmative defense in any action brought against it alleging a violation of §
1042.08(b)(4),
(b)(6),
(b)(7)D, (b)(8) or (b)(15) if the user can demonstrate both of the following:
(a) It did not know or have reason to know that its discharge, alone
or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources,
would cause pass-through or interference.
(b) A local limit designed to prevent pass-through or interference was
developed for each Pollutant in the user's discharge that caused pass-through
or interference and the user was in compliance with each local limit
directly before and during the pass-through or interference, or if
a local limit designed to prevent pass-through or interference has
not been developed for the Pollutant that caused pass-through or interference,
the user's discharge directly before and during the pass-through or
interference did not change substantially in nature or constituents
from the user's prior discharge activity when the POTW was regularly
in compliance with its NDPES permit requirements and, in the case
of interference, applicable requirements for sewage sludge use or
disposal.
Any person who violates the following subsections shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and, upon conviction, shall be punished as provided in §
202.99 of the City Code. The notice provisions of §
1042.21 shall not apply to this section.
(a) Vandalism. No person shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently
break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure,
appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the POTW.
(b) Trespass. No person shall partially or fully enter or otherwise access
any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the POTW,
except as specifically authorized by the Director.
Any charge, fee, cost, or other amount required to be paid under
this chapter or under any ordinance or resolution of the City relating
to use of the POTW which is not paid when due shall be a lien upon
the premises served by the POTW. The amount may be certified to the
tax assessor collected in the same manner that other special assessments
are collected under the City Charter or by any other lawful means.
The Director shall publish, once per year in the largest daily
newspaper in the City, a public notice of users which, at any time
during the previous 12 months, were in significant noncompliance of
federal, state, or CBPU pretreatment standards or requirements. For
the purposes of this section, a user is in significant noncompliance
if its violation(s) meets one or more of the following criteria:
(a) Chronic violations of discharge limits, defined here as results in
which 66% or more of all of the measurements taken for the same pollutant
parameter during a six-month period exceed (by any magnitude) the
numeric pretreatment standard or requirement including the instantaneous
limits for that pollutant parameter;
(b) Technical review criteria (TRC) violations, defined here as results
in which 33% or more of all of the measurements taken for the same
pollutant parameter during a six-month period equal or exceed the
product of the numeric pretreatment standard or requirement including
instantaneous limits multiplied by the applicable TRC (TRC = 1.4 for
BOD, TSS, and fats, oil and grease, and 1.2 for all other pollutants
except pH);
(c) Any other violation of a pretreatment discharge limit (daily maximum,
long-term average, instantaneous limit or narrative standard) or requirement
that the Director determines has caused, alone or in combination with
other discharges, interference or pass-through (including endangering
the health of CBPU personnel or the general public);
(d) Any discharge of a pollutant that has caused imminent danger to human
health, welfare, or to the environment, or has resulted in the Director's
exercise of its emergency authority to halt or prevent such discharge;
(e) Failure to meet, by 90 days or more after the schedule date of a
compliance schedule milestone contained in a use permit or order,
for starting construction, completing construction, or attaining final
compliance with pretreatment standards;
(f) Failure to provide required reports such as baseline monitoring reports,
ninety-day compliance reports, periodic self-monitoring reports, and
reports on compliance with compliance schedules within 30 days after
the due date;
(g) Failure to accurately report noncompliance; or
(h) Any other violation or group of violations, which may include a violation
of best management practices, which the Director determines will adversely
affect the operation or implementation of the CBPU's pretreatment
program.
All existing ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith
are hereby repealed.
The invalidity of any section, clause, or provision in this
chapter shall not affect the validity of any other part of this chapter
which may be given effect without reliance upon any such invalid part
or parts.