No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
[Amended 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the Superintendent. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval of the Superintendent, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet, provided that such discharge is approved as may be required by the Maryland Water Resources Administration.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:
A. 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
B. 
Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant, including but not limited to cyanides in excess of two milligrams per liter as CN in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer.
C. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
D. 
Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works, such as but not limited to ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the Superintendent that such wastes can harm the sewers, sewage treatment process or equipment, have an adverse effect on the receiving watercourse or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. In forming his or her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the Superintendent will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, the materials of construction of the sewers, the nature of the sewage treatment process, the capacity of the sewage treatment plant, the degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant and other pertinent factors. The substances prohibited are:
A. 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F. [65° C.].
B. 
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 milligrams per liter or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32° and 150° F. [0° and 65° C.].
C. 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of 3/4 horsepower (0.76 metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent.
D. 
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
E. 
Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances, or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement, to such a degree that any such material received in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Superintendent for such materials. The maximum allowable concentration in milligrams per liter (mg/l) of certain heavy metals and other materials in sewage or wastewater discharged into the sewage system shall be the following, or such lower concentrations as the Superintendent may establish:
[Amended 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
Materials
Concentration
(mg/l)
Aluminum
1.0
Arsenic
2.0
Cadmium
5.0
Chromium (hexavalent)
5.0
Copper
1.0
Cyanide
0.2
Iron
15.0
Lead
1.0
Mercury
2.0
Nickel
3.0
Zinc
5.0
Any matter requiring or having a BOD of more than
350.0
Suspended solids
350.0
F. 
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste- or odor-producing substances in concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Superintendent as necessary after treatment of the composite sewage to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
G. 
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Superintendent in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
H. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.
I. 
Materials which exert or cause:
(1) 
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids, such as but not limited to fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues, or of dissolved solids, such as but not limited to sodium chloride and sodium sulfate.
(2) 
Excessive discoloration, such as but not limited to dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(3) 
Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works.
(4) 
Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting slugs, as defined herein.
J. 
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not 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.
K. 
Discharge from any single location, source or activity of flow in excess of 10,000 gallons in any one day.
[Added 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
A. 
If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in § 192-28 of this chapter and which in the judgment of the Superintendent may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Superintendent may:
(1) 
Reject the wastes;
(2) 
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(3) 
Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(4) 
Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of § 192-34 of this chapter.
B. 
If the Superintendent permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Superintendent, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or of any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units used exclusively as such. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Superintendent and shall be so located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense.
When required by the Superintendent, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole, together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances, in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Superintendent. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property.
[Amended 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
No statement contained in this article shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to payment therefor by the industrial concern, and provided that the acceptance thereof does not overload the treatment facility and result in violation of state law and regulations.
[Amended 6-2-1997 by Ord. No. 349]
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 sewage works. Any violation of this provision shall be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable as provided in the general penalty provisions of § 1-18 of this Code.
[Added 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
A. 
Any person who discharges any water or material into the sewers or permits the discharge thereof, regardless of whether it contains any substance or possesses any characteristic enumerated in § 192-28, shall, at such time or times as the Superintendent may prescribe, provide to the Superintendent such information as he or she may require concerning such discharge, water or material, including but not limited to the type of activity causing or resulting in the discharge, the plant and equipment of such activity, the materials being handled, stored or processed, the quantities and constituents of its wastes and sewage and the rate, volume and regularity or variance over time and times, or periodicity, of the rate of discharge thereof and any other data or information that the City may now or hereafter be required to report to any other governmental agency or department.
B. 
Any person who proposes to discharge into the sewers any material that contains any substance or possesses any characteristic enumerated in § 192-28, before making or permitting such discharge, shall advise the Superintendent of his or her intention to do so and shall refrain from making or permitting such discharge unless the Superintendent shall give his or her approval thereof.
C. 
In his or her discretion, the Superintendent shall have the authority to require such sampling, testing or analysis as he or she may desire of any material that is proposed to be discharged or is being discharged into the sewers and to require the installation of such facilities and equipment as he or she may desire for such sampling, testing and analysis, all at the expense of the person who proposes, makes or permits the making of the discharge and performed by such person or persons as the Superintendent may designate.
D. 
The Superintendent shall also have the power to require the keeping and submission of records of any of the data or information mentioned herein by the person who proposes, makes or permits the making of such discharge.
[Amended 12-19-1977 by Ord. No. 251, approved 12-21-1977]
The Superintendent may set such period as he or she shall desire for the duration of his or her approval of any discharge into the sewers of any water or material that contains any substance or possesses any characteristic enumerated in § 192-28 and may establish such procedures for the continuation or renewal of his or her approval as he or she may desire. In the event that the water or material that is discharged shall differ in any significant regard from the data or information about it that has been provided to the Superintendent, the Superintendent shall have the power to evaluate and regulate the discharge thereof as if such discharge had never been approved, and the prior approval, if given, shall be deemed to be inapplicable and without any force or effect.