[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 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.
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.