[Ord. 423, 7/27/2017, § I]
The Board of Supervisors of Harmar Township finds that the failure to provide properly operating grease traps leads to sanitary sewer malfunction, sewage backups, pollution and unnecessary Township expense. The Allegheny Valley Joint Sewage Authority has asked that the Township adopt grease trap regulations to help improve operation of the sanitary sewer system.
[Ord. 423, 7/27/2017, § II]
Grease removal systems must be installed at all connections to the Harmar Township sanitary sewage facilities from users conducting food preparation or food processing operations including, but not limited to restaurants, nursing homes, schools, hospitals or other connections which discharge or have the potential of discharge quantities of grease to the Township sanitary sewage facilities in excess of allowable standards. Installation of a grease removal system shall be required when the Township determines that such discharge could result in obstruction to flow in the sewer or accumulations of grease that could result in obstruction to flow in the sewer. Grease removal systems must be installed according to the following specifications:
1. 
No waste water, other than from kitchen fixtures or food processing equipment, shall discharge into the grease removal system unless approved by the Harmar Township Public Works Director in writing.
2. 
Any user required to install a grease removal system must install either: (a) an outdoor passive in-ground grease interceptor; (b) an automatic electrical/mechanical grease removal unit; or (c) semiautomatic grease removal unit.
3. 
In-ground grease removal system shall have a minimum depth of four feet and a minimum capacity of 500 gallons, and shall have sufficient capacity to provide at least twenty-four-hour detention period for the process flow. The minimum process flow shall be based on 15 gallons per seat or chair per day or based on actual water usage for existing facilities, according to such reasonable standards as may be utilized the Township Engineer.
4. 
A suitable sampling location shall be provided for sampling of the discharges from grease removal systems. Any plans for such grease removal system required in this Part shall be submitted for Township review and approval prior to installation. The Township must be notified 72 hours prior to installation of any grease removal device in order to inspect and oversee the installation. Automatic electrical/mechanical grease removal systems must have a sampling valve installed in the discharge piping with a minimum clearance of eight inches for the installation of sampling bottles.
5. 
The owners shall be responsible for cleaning and maintaining the grease removal system and shall maintain records of the dates of cleaning and the means of disposal subject to review by the Township. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner must be performed by licensed waste disposal firms.
6. 
All dishwasher waste water from the pre-rinse station must discharge to the grease removal device. All other dishwater waste water must bypass the grease removal device and be discharged directly into the sewer system.
7. 
The garbage disposal units may only be installed in facilities with properly sized in-ground passive-type grease interceptors which have been properly designed for retention of settleable solids. Garbage disposal units are prohibited in all other commercial or industrial facilities. Garbage disposal waste shall not be discharged into automatic electrical/mechanical grease removal systems.
8. 
Grease interceptors can be required in industrial or commercial establishments when they are necessary in the opinion of the Township for proper handling of liquid waste containing oil and/or grease in amount in excess of 200 mg/l by weight fat soluble, or for any flammable waste and all such traps, tanks, chambers or other interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Township and shall be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. All such interceptors shall be serviced and emptied of the waste content as required for the efficient operation, but not less often than every 30 days, in order to maintain the minimum design capability to intercept oils and grease from the waste water discharged to the publicly owned sanitary sewer.
9. 
Waste removed from grease inceptors shall not be discharged into the publicly owned sanitary sewer. The owner shall be responsible for the sanitary disposal of such waste. The owner shall keep a contemporaneous written record stating the date of disposal, the name and address of the person or company handling such disposal and the disposal location.
10. 
A facility must keep interceptor cleaning records and disposal records on file a minimum of three years. The following information must be maintained: receipt for job performed signed by contractor, and cost, cleanout date, person responsible for cleaning, name of firm performing the cleanout, disposal method for and destination of material removed.
11. 
The owner must inspect and maintain oil and grease storage containers at least once a week and record in a maintenance log, the date and time of inspection, maintenance activity and the name of the individual conducting the activity. The maintenance activities that shall be documented in the maintenance log must include the following:
A. 
Deterioration of the oil containers;
B. 
Leakage and spills from the oil containers;
C. 
Properly covered storage containers;
D. 
When grease were emptied and by whom.
12. 
A facility must maintain a proper containment around the storage container and storage area.
13. 
The facility owner is not to utilize enzymes, bacteria, chemicals, etc. that would adversely affect the operation of the grease traps.
14. 
The facility owner is to document the cleaning of the exhaust system filters and record in a maintenance log the date and time of inspection, maintenance activity and the name of the individual conducting the activity. No filter cleaning is to be performed in an area not protected by a grease trap.
15. 
All documents and records required to be kept by a facility owner hereunder shall be provided to the Township upon request.
[Ord. 423, 7/27/2017, § II]
1. 
Any person or user who is found to have failed to comply with the provisions of this Part regarding grease traps may be fined up to $1,000 per day per violation. Each day of violation shall be a separate offense.
2. 
Wherever a user has been notified of violation of the provisions of this Part and has not abated the violation within the deadline as ordered by the Township, the Township may arrange with the water supplier for water service to the user to be severed and for service to recommence, at the user's expense, after the user has satisfactorily come into compliance. The user shall pay all water-termination-related charges of the water supplier.
3. 
In addition to the penalties and remedies contained herein, the Township may take any action at law or in equity to seek redress for violation of this Part.
[Ord. 423, 7/27/2017, § II]
1. 
Should the Township determine any user to be in violation of these regulations, it may serve upon such person a written notice stating the nature of the violation. Within 20 days from the date of said notice, the user must supply to the Township a written explanation for the violation and a plan for the satisfactory correction of the violation and a schedule for coming into full compliance. Submission of such a plan does relieve the user of liability for any violation occurring before or after receipt of the notice of violation.
2. 
Any person aggrieved by the issuance of a violation notice under this Part may file a written appeal to the Township Secretary within 20 days of such notice of violation requesting a Local Agency Law[1] hearing. Upon the filing of such appeal, the Board of Supervisors will provide for such a hearing and may assign a hearing officer to conduct a hearing, make findings of fact and recommendations, and/or to issue a determination. Any request for an appeal hearing shall be accompanied by a $50 nonrefundable hearing fee and the applicant shall be responsible for payment of all costs incurred by the Township in connection with the hearing, including but not limited to court reporter costs, costs of transcripts, cost of publication of notices, etc.
[1]
Editor's Note: See 2 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 551 et seq. and 751 et seq.
3. 
Upon written request from any person, the Township Engineer may approve a modification of any substantive requirement herein, provided that such modification is needed to avoid undue hardship, adequate measures are taken to preserve the proper operation of the sanitary sewer system, and the modification poses no danger to the public health.