(a) 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, or unpolluted industrial process waters into any sanitary sewer.
(b) 
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged into such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers, or into a natural outlet approved by the director of water utilities. Unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the Texas Water Commission, into a storm sewer or natural outlet.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-96; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge into any natural outlet within the city, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the city, any sanitary sewage, industrial waste or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article, and a permit to discharge such has been obtained from the Texas Water Commission.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-97; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
(a) 
A user may not introduce into a POTW any pollutant(s) which cause(s) pass through or interference. These prohibitions apply to all such users of a POTW whether or not the user is subject to national categorical pretreatment standards or any other national, state, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.
(b) 
The following are specific prohibitions which a user must not contribute to any POTW:
(1) 
Any wastewater or vapor having a temperature greater than one hundred fifty (150) degrees Fahrenheit, or which inhibits biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference. Wastewater discharged shall not cause the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed one hundred four (104) degrees Fahrenheit.
(2) 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquids, solid or gas.
(3) 
Any garbage that has not been ground or shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely in suspension under flow conditions normally prevailing in the public sanitary sewers, with no particles greater than one-fourth inch in any dimension.
(4) 
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, lime residues, slops, chemical residues, paint residues, bulk solids or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works.
(5) 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than five point zero (5.0) or higher than ten point zero (10.0), or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the wastewater system.
(6) 
Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance (including but not limited to herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, and other organic and inorganic pollutants) which could injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals or create any hazard in the receiving water of the POTW.
(7) 
Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the wastewater treatment plant.
(8) 
Any pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems or any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance.
(9) 
Any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the city in accordance with section 22.04.174, regulation 4, of this article.
(10) 
Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
(11) 
Any substance which may cause the POTW’s effluent or any other product of the POTW, 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 POTW cause the POTW to be in noncompliance with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulation 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.
(12) 
Any substance which contributes to the POTW’s violation of its TCEQ and/or other disposal system permit.
(13) 
Any wastewater with objectionable color not removed in the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(14) 
Any wastewater which causes a hazard to human life or creates a public nuisance.
(15) 
Pollutants which create a fire or explosion hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to, wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit (60° C) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21.
(16) 
Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral origin in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.
(17) 
Pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference with the POTW.
(18) 
Any waters that introduce pollutants into the Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW) that will pass through the POTW inadequately treated into receiving waters, or otherwise be incompatible with the POTW.
(c) 
When the director of water utilities determines that a user(s) is contributing to the POTW any of the above enumerated substances in such amounts as to interfere with the operation of the POTW, the director of water utilities shall:
(1) 
Advise the user(s) of the impact of the contribution on the POTW;
(2) 
Develop effluent limitation(s) and/or BMPs (to implement 40 CFR 403.5(c)(1)-(2)) for such user to correct the interference with the POTW; and
(3) 
Advise or recommend corrective action which may include plugging of the service line or disconnection from the sanitary sewer.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-98; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9411, sec. 12, adopted 2/14/1991; Ordinance 9757, sec. 1, adopted 11/17/1994; Ordinance 9802, sec. 10, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 9920, sec. 2, adopted 7/25/1996; Ordinance 2003-O0076, sec. 3, adopted 7/24/2003; Ordinance 2014-O0151, sec. 8, adopted 11/6/2014; Ordinance 2020-O0150, sec. 3, adopted 11/2/2020)
No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of:
Substance
Quantity
(mg/l)
Arsenic
0.50
Barium
10.00
BOD5 (composite)
3,000.00
BOD5 (grab)
5,000.00
Cadmium
0.50
Chromium (hexavalent)
0.69
Chromium (total)
12.04
Copper
3.00
Cyanide
0.30
Lead
1.00
Mercury
0.00*
Nickel
4.00
Selenium
0.10
Silver
0.50
Zinc
4.69
* Compliance measured at the minimum analytical level (MAL).
(1983 Code, sec. 28-99; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9802, sec. 11, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 9920, sec. 3, adopted 7/25/1996; Ordinance 2003-O0076, sec. 4, adopted 7/24/2003)
It shall be unlawful for any person to pour or place any oil, grease, antifreeze, battery acid, or any other drainings from automobile, tractor or other engine or motor, at any place so that oil, grease, antifreeze, battery acid, or drainings will run by gravity or otherwise into any sink, trap, grating, pipe or other plumbing connected with the sanitary sewer or storm sewer systems of the city.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-100; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
Wastes discharged into the sanitary sewer system from units such as, but not limited to, reverse osmosis, boilers, and cooling towers may be subject to analysis as TDS, TSS, and chlorides. If the discharges are determined to cause interference with the POTW or pass through the POTW untreated or have reasonable possibility to interfere with or pass through the POTW untreated, the director of water utilities may require alternate disposal or treatment of such effluent discharges.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-101; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in sections 22.04.083 and 22.04.084 of this division shall be determined in accordance with the EPA-approved methods referenced in 40 CFR part 136, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in section 22.04.212 of this article, or upon suitable samples taken at such control manhole. If 40 CFR part 136 does not contain sampling or analytical techniques for the pollutant in question, sampling and analysis must be performed in accordance with procedures approved by the EPA. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the sanitary sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. In the event the nearest downstream manhole is unsuitable for collection of a representative sample, the building’s sewer cleanout shall be used for sample collection.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-102; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9411, sec. 13, adopted 2/14/1991; Ordinance 9920, sec. 4, adopted 7/25/1996)
No statement contained in this division, pertaining to discharge regulations, shall be construed as preventing an agreement between the city and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for treatment. The city may agree to treat abnormal wastes if all the following requirements are met and specifically authorized by the director of water utilities in a wastewater discharge permit:
(1) 
The wastes do not violate sections 22.04.083 and 22.04.084 or categorical pretreatment standards;
(2) 
The wastes will not cause damage to the collection system;
(3) 
The wastes will not impair the treatment processes;
(4) 
The waste is amenable to treatment such that, when it leaves the treatment plant to be discharged, the waste does not exceed, or cause the total discharge to exceed, the standards set by federal and state agencies having jurisdiction; and
(5) 
The user agrees to payment for all tests and reports necessary to demonstrate the above requirements.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-103; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9920, sec. 5, adopted 7/25/1996)
Any industry falling within any industrial category subject to categorical pretreatment standards promulgated pursuant to section 307(b) and (c) of the Clean Water Act of 1977 and any subsequent amendments applying to this act shall comply with all federal regulations, pretreatment requirements, BMPs, and/or discharge limits applicable to that particular industrial category. These federal pretreatment regulations take precedence over this division; provided, however, such industry shall continue to meet specific discharge limits set forth in this division which are not inconsistent with the categorical pretreatment standards applicable to its industry, and shall meet more stringent local standards which have been justified as necessary for the protection of the wastewater treatment process.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-104; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 2020-O0150, sec. 4, adopted 11/2/2020)
The categorical pretreatment standards found at 40 CFR chapter I, subchapter N, parts 405–471, as amended, are hereby incorporated into the Code of Ordinances the same as if set forth herein verbatim:
(1) 
Where a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of either the mass or the concentration of a pollutant in wastewater, the director of water utilities may impose equivalent concentration or mass limits in accordance with 40 CFR 403.6(c).
(2) 
When wastewater subject to a categorical pretreatment standard is mixed with wastewater not regulated by the same standard, the director of water utilities shall impose an alternate limit using the combined wastestream formula in 40 CFR 403.6(e).
(3) 
A user may obtain a variance from a categorical pretreatment standard if the user can prove, pursuant to the procedural and substantive provisions in 40 CFR 403.13, that factors relating to its discharge are fundamentally different from the factors considered by EPA when developing the categorical pretreatment standard.
(4) 
A user may obtain a net gross adjustment to a categorical standard in accordance with 40 CFR 403.15.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-104.1; Ordinance 2003-O0076, sec. 5, adopted 7/24/2003)
State requirements and limitations on discharges shall apply in any case where they are more stringent than federal requirements and limitations or those in this article.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-105; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
The city reserves the right to establish by ordinance more stringent limitations or requirements on discharges to the wastewater disposal system if deemed necessary to comply with the objectives presented in section 22.04.001 of this article.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-106; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989)
No user shall increase the use of process water or, in any way, attempt to dilute a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with the limitations contained in the federal categorical pretreatment standards, or in any other pollutant-specific limitation developed by the city or state. The director of water utilities may impose limitations on users who are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements, or in other cases when the imposition of mass limitation is appropriate.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-107; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9802, sec. 12, adopted 5/11/1995)
Each user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials or other substances regulated by this article within ninety (90) days from the effective date of this article. Facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the owner’s or user’s own cost and expense. In the case of an accidental discharge, it is the responsibility of the user to notify the city immediately of the incident. The notification shall include date, time and location of discharge, type of waste, concentration and volume, and corrective actions.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-108; Ordinance 9294, sec. 1, adopted 8/10/1989; Ordinance 9411, sec. 14, adopted 2/14/1991; Ordinance 9802, sec. 13, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 2010-O0049, sec. 20, adopted 6/24/2010)
Liquid waste disposers shall meet all requirements of federal and state law, and all requirements of this article in addition to the following criteria:
(1) 
Accept waste from a transporter that is permitted by the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality, City of Lubbock’s Environmental Health Department, and the City of Lubbock’s water utilities department;
(2) 
Maintain manifest copies of transporter waste for a period of three (3) years. These records shall be made available, if requested by the director of water utilities;
(3) 
Accept only those classes of waste which comply with city, state, and federal requirements.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-109; Ordinance 9802, sec. 14, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 2020-O0150, sec. 5, adopted 11/2/2020)
At least once every two (2) years, the director of water utilities shall evaluate whether each significant industrial user needs an accidental discharge/slug discharge control plan. The director of water utilities may require any user to develop, submit for approval, and implement such a plan. Significant Industrial Users are required to notify the Control Authority immediately of any changes at its facility affecting the potential for a slug discharge. Alternatively, the director of water utilities may develop such a plan for any user. An accidental discharge/slug discharge control plan shall address, at a minimum, the following:
(1) 
Description of discharge practices, including nonroutine batch discharges;
(2) 
Description of stored chemicals;
(3) 
Procedures for immediately notifying the director of water utilities of any accidental or slug discharge, as required by section 22.04.094 of this division; and
(4) 
Procedures to prevent adverse impact from any accidental or slug discharge. Such procedures include, but are not limited to, inspection and maintenance of storage areas, handling and transfer of material, loading and unloading operations, control of plant site runoff, worker training, building of containment structures or equipment, measures for containing toxic organic pollutants, including solvents, and/or measures and equipment for emergency response.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-110; Ordinance 9802, sec. 15, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 2020-O0150, sec. 6, adopted 11/2/2020)
Users shall notify in writing POTW, the EPA Regional Waste Management Division Director, and the TNRCC hazardous waste authorities of any discharge into the POTW of any substance which, if otherwise disposed of, would be a hazardous waste under CFR part 261. Any notification under this section must be submitted in conformance with 40 CFR part 403.12(p).
(1983 Code, sec. 28-111; Ordinance 9802, sec. 16, adopted 5/11/1995)
(a) 
For the purposes of this section, an “act of God” means an incident caused solely by an act of God, war, strike, riot, or other catastrophe.
(b) 
An act of God shall constitute an affirmative defense to an action brought for noncompliance with this division if the requirements following are met.
(c) 
A user who wishes to establish the affirmative defense of an act of God shall demonstrate, through properly signed, contemporaneous operating logs, or other relevant evidence that:
(1) 
An act of God occurred and the user can identify the elements and factors evidencing the act of God;
(2) 
The facility was at the time being operated in a prudent and workmanlike manner and in compliance with applicable operation and maintenance procedures; and
(3) 
The user has submitted the following information to the director of water utilities within twenty-four (24) hours of becoming aware of the act of God; if this information is provided orally, a written submission must be provided within five (5) business days:
(A) 
A description of the indirect discharge and cause of noncompliance;
(B) 
The period of noncompliance, including exact dates and times or, if not corrected, the anticipated time the noncompliance is expected to continue; and
(C) 
Steps being taken and/or planned to reduce, eliminate, and prevent recurrence of the noncompliance.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-112; Ordinance 9802, sec. 17, adopted 5/11/1995; Ordinance 2003-O0076, sec. 6, adopted 7/24/2003)
(a) 
If another municipality or other governmental authority (“contributing municipality”) contributes wastewater to the POTW, the city shall enter into an agreement with the contributing municipality.
(b) 
Prior to entering into an agreement required by subsection (a) of this section, above, the city shall request the following information from the contributing municipality:
(1) 
A description of the quality and volume of wastewater discharged to the POTW by the contributing municipality;
(2) 
An inventory of all users located within the contributing municipality that are discharging to the POTW; and
(3) 
Such other information as the city may deem necessary.
(c) 
An agreement, entered into after January 1, 2004, as required by subsection (a) of this section, above, shall contain the following conditions:
(1) 
A requirement for the contributing municipality to adopt a sewer use ordinance which is at least as stringent as this ordinance and local limits which are at least as stringent as those set out in section 22.04.084. The requirement shall specify that such ordinance and limits must be revised as necessary to reflect changes made to the city’s ordinance or local limits;
(2) 
A requirement for the contributing municipality to submit a revised user inventory on at least an annual basis;
(3) 
A provision specifying which pretreatment implementation activities, including wastewater discharge permit issuance, inspection and sampling, and enforcement, will be conducted by the contributing municipality; which of these activities will be conducted by the city; and which of these activities will be conducted jointly by the contributing municipality and the city;
(4) 
A requirement for the contributing municipality to provide the director of water utilities with access to all information that the contributing municipality obtains as part of its pretreatment activities;
(5) 
Limits on the nature, quality, and volume of the contributing municipality’s wastewater at the point where it discharges to the POTW;
(6) 
Requirements for monitoring the contributing municipality’s discharge;
(7) 
A provision ensuring the director of water utilities access to the facilities of users located within the contributing municipality’s jurisdictional boundaries for the purpose of inspection, sampling, and any other duties deemed necessary by the director of water utilities; and
(8) 
A provision specifying remedies available for breach of the terms of the agreement.
(1983 Code, sec. 28-113; Ordinance 2003-O0076, sec. 7, adopted 7/24/2003)