(a) 
This division is established to prevent the discharge of fats, oils and grease, flammable wastes, sand and other objectionable wastes into the non-domestic user’s building drainage system or the POTW by requiring users to provide a device to intercept and treat objectionable wastes, and to set forth uniform requirements for installing, operating, monitoring, and maintaining these devices.
(b) 
The objectives of this division are:
(1) 
To prevent the introduction of wastewater containing fats, oils and grease in amounts which may cause and/or contribute to blockages or obstruction of flow, or in any other way prevent or inhibit operation of the POTW;
(2) 
To prevent blockages in sewer service lines, laterals, mains, manholes, lift stations or any other portions of the wastewater collection system which cause and/or contribute to back-ups or sanitary sewer overflows onto public or private property resulting in potential liability to the city;
(3) 
To enable the city to comply with its Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit conditions and any federal or state laws to which the POTW is subject;
(4) 
To implement procedures to recover costs incurred in cleaning, maintaining and disposing of fats, oils and grease, flammable wastes, sand and other objectionable wastes that cause and/or contribute to accumulation or blockages in the POTW or cause and/or contribute to back-ups or sanitary sewer overflows into the MS4;
(5) 
To implement procedures to recover costs for any liability incurred by the city for damage caused by blockages in the POTW that cause and/or contribute to back-ups or sanitary sewer overflows resulting in the flooding of public or private property;
(6) 
To establish uniform requirements for the sizing, installation, operation, and maintenance of treatment devices and sample ports;
(7) 
To establish legal authority to carry out all inspection, surveillance and monitoring procedures to ensure compliance with this division;
(8) 
To establish administrative review procedures and reporting requirements;
(9) 
To establish enforcement procedures for violations of any part or requirement of this division; and
(10) 
To establish fees for the recovery of costs resulting from the fats, oils and grease and sediment (FOG) control program established herein.
(Ordinance 5523, sec. 2, adopted 11/3/08)
Except as otherwise provided herein, city manager shall administer, implement and enforce the provisions of this division. Any powers granted to or duties imposed upon the city manager may be delegated to other city personnel.
(Ordinance 6459 adopted 1/21/22)
(a) 
Except as otherwise provided herein, abbreviations, terms and phrases as defined in other divisions of this article shall apply to the extent they are not in conflict with the provisions of this division.
(b) 
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the following terms and phrases used in this division shall have the meanings hereafter designated:
(1) 
Best management practices (BMP).
Schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the pollution of the MS4 and waters of the United States; implementation of procedures and practices that reduce the discharge of fats, oils and grease, sand and other objectionable wastes to the building sewer drain and to the POTW. BMP also includes treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.
(2) 
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD).
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure, five (5) days at twenty (20) degrees centigrade expressed in terms of mass per volume concentration (milligrams per liter (mg/l)).
(3) 
Bioremediation media.
Bacterial cultures, enzymes, or other media that are designed, intended, or used to eliminate or reduce the need for mechanical cleaning of traps.
(4) 
Brown grease.
Grease trap wastes that are designated for recycling or disposal.
(5) 
Carpet cleaning and extraction facilities.
Mobile units specifically designed for carpet cleaning and extraction operations.
(6) 
Chemical oxygen demand (COD).
The measure of the oxygen equivalent of the organic matter content of a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant present in water or wastewater expressed in mg/l.
(7) 
City or city.
The City of Sherman, Texas, or any authorized person acting in its behalf.
(8) 
Commissary.
A commissary is any food service establishment (FSE) where food is prepared and packaged for individual consumption, to be transported by the person preparing the food or an agent of the person to another location off the premises. A commissary is also the location where a mobile food unit (MFU) is required to discharge the contents of its waste tank into an approved passive grease interceptor.
(9) 
Efficient operating condition.
A condition of operation where there is no obstruction to the flow of wastewater due to fats, oils and grease or other harmful pollutants occurs in the sewer lateral, sewer main, or the manhole to which the facility discharges, and/or in the opinion of the city, no significant amounts of fats, oils and grease or other wastes accumulates or settles inside the sewer lateral, sewer main, manhole, or lift station to which the facility discharges.
(10) 
Fats, oils and greases (FOG).
Organic polar compounds derived from animal and/or plant sources that contain multiple carbon chain triglyceride molecules. These substances are detectable and measurable using analytical test procedures established in 40 CFR 136, and amendments thereto. All are sometimes referred to herein as "grease."
(11) 
FOG control program.
A source control program designed to protect the city's POTW by controlling discharges of fats, oils and grease, sediment and other objectionable wastes that cause and/or contribute to blockages, obstruction of flow, back-ups in the wastewater collection system, or sanitary sewer overflows that discharge onto public or private property resulting in potential liability to the city. This program includes the requirements established in this division of the ordinance in addition to the FOG Control Guide which may include specific standard operating procedures, standardized forms, and other documentation.
(12) 
Food service establishments (FSEs).
Includes restaurants, food courts, food packagers, grocery stores, bakeries, lounges, churches, schools, institutions, food manufacturers, food processors, hospitals, hotels, motels, prisons, nursing homes, mobile food vendors, cold dairy and frozen foodstuff preparation and serving establishments, and any other facility preparing, serving, or otherwise making any foodstuff available, or any establishment that is required to have a Grayson County Health Department food permit, and that performs one or more of the following preparation activities:
(A) 
Frying, baking, broiling, grilling, sautéing, wok cooking, rotisserie cooking, boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting, or poaching;
(B) 
Infrared heating, searing, barbequing; and/or
(C) 
Any other food manufacturing, processing, preparation or food service activities that have the potential to generates a significant amount of grease-bearing waste discharges that would violate requirements in this division.
(13) 
Food grinder.
Any device installed in a user's building sewer system for the purpose of grinding food waste or food preparation products for the purpose of disposing it in the wastewater collection system.
(14) 
Garages and service stations.
Facilities where automobiles are serviced, greased, repaired or washed or where gasoline, diesel fuel, or other petroleum-based fuel is dispensed.
(15) 
Generator.
Any person who owns or operates an interceptor, separator and trap, or whose act or process produces a waste.
(16) 
Grease trap/grease interceptor.
A passive device that is utilized to affect the separation of grease and oils in wastewater effluents from food service and related establishments. These devices also serve to collect settleable solids, generated by and from food/product preparation activities, prior to the wastes exiting the device and entering the wastewater collection system. Such traps or interceptors may be of the "outdoor" or underground type normally referred to as large grease interceptors, or the "under-the-sink" package units normally referred to as the smaller grease traps.
(17) 
Hazardous waste.
A hazardous waste in accordance with title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, part 261.3.
(18) 
Holding tank.
A receptacle not connected to the wastewater collection system, designed to hold objectionable waste that is prohibited from being discharged into the wastewater collection system, the contents of which must be hauled to a recycling or disposal site.
(19) 
Incompatible wastes.
Wastes that have decent processing, storage or disposal requirements, or whose mixture would inhibit the proper disposal or treatment of each type of waste or combination of wastes; or wastes that if mixed may cause a dangerous chemical or physical reaction.
(20) 
Insignificant food service establishments (IFSE).
Establishments that do not perform food preparation activities defined in subsection (12)(A)–(C) above, and/or do not use dishwashers, food waste grinders or other food service equipment that will generate a significant amount of grease-bearing waste discharges that would violate the requirements in this division. IFSEs include those establishments that only:
(A) 
Serve snow cones, coffee or coffee drinks, smoothies, herbal drinks, beer, wine, spirits or any other drink-related product;
(B) 
Serve frozen dairy products such as ice cream and yogurt;
(C) 
Cook prepackaged, premade or precooked food stuff;
(D) 
Serve prepackaged or pre-assembled food items that only require heating in a microwave or similar device, including but not limited to roller grills, toasters, presses and warming cases;
(E) 
Have a breakroom/kitchen used for individual self-prepared meals or are used only on special occasions/events; or
(F) 
Any other FSE that in the opinion of the city does not generate a significant amount of grease-bearing waste discharges that would violate the requirements in this division.
(21) 
Intensified dwellings.
Users such as adult day care facilities, assisted living facilities, convalescent homes, nursing and child care facilities, halfway houses, homes for the mentally challenged, nursing homes, retirement and life care facilities, or other facilities where there is a commercial food preparation service or the facility requires a food service license as required by the county health department or other appropriate regulatory agency.
(22) 
Interceptor.
A receptacle designed and constructed to intercept, separate and prevent the passage of sand, grit or other objectionable solids into the system to which it is connected.
(23) 
Laundries.
Commercial laundries, laundromats, dry cleaners, or parts of a facility which perform laundering operations.
(24) 
Living quarters.
A facility or an area of a facility where a person or family has a distinct living area, which includes individual kitchen and bath facilities, utilized solely by that person or family.
(25) 
Mobile food unit (MFU).
A vehicle-mounted, self- or otherwise propelled, self-contained food service operation, designed to be readily movable (including, but not limited to catering trucks, trailers, pushcarts and roadside vendors) and used to store, prepare, display, serve or sell food. Mobile food units must completely retain their mobility at all times. A mobile food unit does not include a stand or booth. A roadside food vendor is classified as a MFU.
(26) 
Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4).
The system of conveyances (including sidewalks, roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, manmade channels, culverts, pipes, or storm drains) owned and operated by the city and designed or used for collecting or conveying stormwater, and which is not used for collecting or conveying sewage.
(27) 
Non-domestic user or industrial user.
A source of indirect discharge which does not constitute a discharge of pollutants under regulations issued pursuant to section 402 of the act; any person(s) including those located outside the jurisdictional boundaries of the city, who contribute, cause or permit the contribution or discharge of non-domestic wastewater into the POTW, including persons who contribute such wastewater from mobile sources.
(28) 
Reasonable hours.
Any time during which a facility is open for business to the public and any time when a facility is closed to the public when a owner, manager, employee, and/or contractor is present at the facility that is involved in cleanup, food preparation, or any business activity.
(29) 
Remodeling or renovating.
A physical change or operational change including, but not limited to, changes to a user's building plumbing system, an increase in the public seating or serving area of a facility, an increase in the size of the kitchen or other area of a facility where objectionable wastes can be generated, or any change in the size, type or number of food preparation/equipment or plumbing fixtures which increases or has the potential to increase the amount of fats, oils and grease, flammable wastes, sand or other pollutants discharging to the wastewater collection system.
(30) 
Residential users.
Single-family dwellings, duplexes, multiplex housing and apartments where the individual units are each on a separate water meter; or in cases where two (2) or more units are served by one (1) meter; excludes intensified dwellings.
(31) 
Sample port.
A manhole or other approved device installed in the building sewer specifically designed to facilitate sampling of the wastewater discharge.
(32) 
Separator or oil/water separator.
A receptacle designed to remove oils and grease from wastewater by separation, usually by simple flotation, physical separation, or by chemical addition where the oils or greases are soluble or emulsified. For the purpose of this division, the term shall apply to oil/water separators used for vehicle wash facilities or other non-food related establishments.
(33) 
Sewer lateral.
A building sewer as defined in the plumbing code adopted by the city; also means the wastewater connection between the building's sewer facilities and the public sewer system.
(34) 
Transporter.
A person who is registered with and authorized by the TCEQ to transport sewage sludge, water treatment sludge, domestic septage, chemical toilet waste, grit trap waste, or grease trap waste in accordance with 30 TAC § 312.141 or amendments thereto.
(35) 
Treatment devices.
Grease traps, grease interceptors, oil/water separators, sand or grit traps, lint traps, catch basins, interceptors, reclamation equipment, acid/caustic dilution, basins or any other device designed to use the differences in specific gravities to separate and retain light density liquids, waterborne fats, oils, and greases prior to the wastewater entering the POTW.
(36) 
TSS (total suspended solids).
Solids that either float on the surface, or are in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and which are generally removable by a laboratory filtration device. TSS is expressed in milligrams per liter.
(37) 
Twenty-five percent (25%) rule.
A requirement for treatment devices to be maintained such that the combined fats, oil and grease and solids accumulation does not exceed twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the wetted capacity of the treatment device, as measured from the bottom of the device to the static level of liquid in the device. This ensures that the minimum hydraulic retention time and required available hydraulic volume is maintained to effectively intercept and retain objectionable wastes from discharging to the wastewater collection system.
(38) 
Vehicle wash facilities.
Automatic and hand wash facilities, detail shops, mobile vehicle washing operations, hand wash bays in service stations, truck washing operations, and other facilities with similar installations.
(39) 
Yellow grease.
Used cooking oil, fryer grease or any other recycled oil or grease that does not originate from any interceptor or trap.
(Ordinance 5523, sec. 2, adopted 11/3/08; Ordinance 6459 adopted 1/21/22)
(a) 
This division shall apply to all non-domestic users with the potential to discharge fats, oil and grease, flammable substances, sand and other harmful wastes into the wastewater collection system which may be incompatible with the POTW, whether the user discharges into the POTW, transports the wastes to the POTW where allowed in section 13.07.361 of this article or such user has been issued a wastewater discharge permit as required in section 13.07.428 of this article.
(b) 
Compliance with this division is a required condition for sewer service by the city.
(Ordinance 5523, sec. 2, adopted 11/3/08; Ordinance 6459 adopted 1/21/22)
The private living quarters of residential users where food is prepared or served for guests and individual family consumption is exempted from the requirements of this division unless there are commercial uses within the dwelling that generate amounts of non-domestic wastes including, but not limited to fats, oil and grease beyond that generated by a residential dwelling.
(Ordinance 5523, sec. 2, adopted 11/3/08; Ordinance 6459 adopted 1/21/22)