City of Geneva, NY Use of Public Sewers

No user shall contribute or cause to be contributed, directly or indirectly, any pollutant or wastewater which will pass through or interfere with the operation or performance of the POTW. These general prohibitions apply to all such users of the Geneva POTW, whether or not the user is subject to National Categorical Pretreatment Standards or any other federal, state or local pretreatment standards or requirements. A user may not contribute the following substances to the City of Geneva POTW:

(1)

Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are, or may be, sufficient either alone or by interaction with other substances to cause fire or explosion or be injurious in any other way to the POTW or to the operation of the POTW. At no time shall two successive readings on an explosion hazard meter at the point of discharge into the system (or at any point in the system) be more than 5%, nor any single reading over 10% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the meter. Any pollutants which create an explosion or fire hazard in the publicly owned treatment works, including, but not limited to, waste streams with a closed cup flash point of less than 140° F. or 60° C. using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21 shall be prohibited. Unless explicitly authorized by a limitation set forth in § 277-42 or a permit issued pursuant to this chapter, prohibited materials include, but are not limited to, the discharge of gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethers, alcohols, carbides, hydrides, sulfides and any other substance in amounts and/or concentrations in which the City, State of New York, or EPA determines to constitute a fire or other hazard to the POTW.

(2)

Solid or viscous substances which may cause obstruction to the flow in a sewer or other interference with the operation of the POTW. Unless explicitly authorized by the discharge limitations set forth in § 277-42 or a permit issued pursuant to this chapter, such substances include, but are not limited to, the discharge of grease, garbage with particles greater than 1/2 inch in any dimension, animal guts or tissues, paunch manure, bones, hair, hides, fleshings, entrails, whole blood, feathers, ashes, cinders, sand, spent lime, stone, marble dust, metal, straw, shavings, grass clippings, rags, grains, spent hops, waste paper, wood, plastics, gas, tar, asphalt, residues from refining or processing fuel or oil in any form, mud, stone or stone grindings.

(3)

Any wastewater having a pH less than 6.0 or greater than 9.5, unless a permit is specifically issued to accommodate such wastewater, or wastewater having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and/or personnel of the POTW.

(4)

Any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, either singularly or by interaction with other pollutants, to injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process, create a hazard to humans or animals, create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the POTW, or to exceed the limitation set forth in the national categorical pretreatment standard. A toxic pollutant shall include but not be limited to any pollutant identified pursuant to Section 307(a) of the Act.

(5)

Any pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors or fumes within the publicly owned treatment works or the collection system in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and/or safety problems; any noxious or malodorous liquids, gases or solids which either singularly or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create a public nuisance or hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair.

(6)

Any substance which may cause the POTW effluent or any other product of the treatment plant, 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 treatment plant cause the POTW 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 developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act; or state criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used.

(7)

Any substance which will cause the POTW to violate its New York State Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (SPDES) permit or the receiving water quality standards.

(8)

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

(9)

Any wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater with a temperature at the introduction to the POTW system which exceeds 40° C. (104° F.), unless a permit is issued to accommodate such temperature.

(10)

Any pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which a user knows or has reason to know will cause interference to the POTW or is in contravention of permit conditions.

(11)

Any wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the POTW in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.

(12)

Any wastewater which causes a hazard to human life or creates a public nuisance, either by itself or in combination with any other waste.

(13)

Any commercial, industrial, institutional, or residential water or waste containing fats, waxes, greases or oils, whether emulsified or not, containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32° F. and 10° F. (0° C. and 40° C.); any vegetable oil, petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil or products of mineral oil origin that will cause interference or pass-through at the POTW.

(14)

Any water or waste that will cause interference or pass-through.

(15)

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 sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.

(16)

Any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharged points designated by the publicly owned treatment works. No person shall discharge any holding tank waste into a manhole or other opening in a sanitary sewer. All holding tank waste discharged within the Geneva POTW system shall be discharged at a facility at locations designated by the Director or Chief Operator. Each separate load of holding tank waste shall be registered with the Chief Operator of the treatment facility. The user shall pay the applicable charges and fees and shall meet such other conditions as required by the Department. The Department shall have the right to inquire about the type of waste, the approximate volumes, and the origin of holding tank wastes. The transporter of such wastes shall also have a waste hauler's permit from the NYSDEC.

(17)

Unusual flow rates or concentration of wastes, constituting slugs, except by written wastewater permits.

When the Director or Chief Operator determines that a user(s) is contributing to the POTW any of the above enumerated substances or any substance not listed, in such amounts as to interfere with the operation of the POTW, the Director or Chief Operator shall advise the user(s) of the impact of the contribution on the POTW pursuant to procedures in § 277-67 of this chapter.