For the purposes of this article, the following terms, words, and the derivations thereof shall have the meanings given herein. All terms not defined herein shall be defined as in the city's Code of Ordinances or, if not in the code, as defined by ordinary and common usage.
Abnormal industrial wastewater.
Any wastewater discharged into sanitary sewers and in which the average concentration of total suspended solids (TSS) is greater than 180 mg/l and/or the biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) is greater than 180 mg/l.
BOD (biochemical oxygen demand).
The quantity of oxygen by weight, expressed in mg/l, utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory conditions for five days at a temperature of 20 degrees centigrade.
Building sewer.
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal (also called house lateral and house connection).
COD (chemical oxygen demand).
A measure of the oxygen-consuming capacity of inorganic and organic matter present in the water or wastewater expressed in mg/l as the amount of oxygen consumed from a chemical oxidant in a specific test, but not differentiating between stable and unstable organic matter and thus not necessarily correlating with biochemical oxygen demand.
Control manhole.
A manhole giving access to a building sewer at some point before the building sewer discharge mixes with other discharges in the public sewer.
Control point.
A point of access to a course of discharge before the discharge mixes with other discharges in the public sewer.
Garbage.
Animal and vegetable wastes and residue from preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, processing, storage and sale of food products and produce.
Industrial waste.
Waste resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing, trade, or business or from the development of any natural resource, or any mixture of the waste with water or normal wastewater, or distinct from normal wastewater.
Industrial waste operator.
The water and wastewater operator of the city or his/her duly authorized deputy, agent or representative.
Milligrams per liter (mg/l).
The same as parts per million, and is a weight-to-volume ratio; the milligram-per-liter value multiplied by the factor 8.34 shall be equivalent to pounds per million gallons of water.
Natural outlet.
Any outlet, not man-made, into a watercourse, ditch, lake, or other body of surface water or groundwater.
Normal domestic wastewater.
Wastewater excluding industrial wastewater discharged by a person into sanitary sewers and in which the average concentration of total suspended solids is not more than 180 mg/l and BOD is not more than 180 mg/l.
pH.
The reciprocal of the logarithm (base 10) of the hydrogen ion concentration expressed in grams per liter.
Public sewer.
A pipe or conduit carrying wastewater or unpolluted drainage in which owners of other properties shall have the use, subject to control by the city.
Sanitary sewer.
A public sewer that conveys domestic wastewater or industrial wastes or a combination of both, and into which stormwater, surface water, groundwater, and other unpolluted wastes are not intentionally passed.
Slug.
Any discharge of water, wastewater, or industrial waste which, in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow, exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration or flows during normal operation.
Standard Methods.
The examination and analytical procedures set forth in the latest edition, at the time of analysis, of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" as prepared, approved, and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation.
Storm sewer.
A public sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage and into which domestic wastewater or industrial wastes are not intentionally passed.
Stormwater.
Rainfall or any other forms of precipitation.
Surcharge.
The additional sewage service charge, for sampling, testing, transporting and treating abnormal industrial waste, levied against any person for discharging abnormal industrial waste into a sanitary sewer. This charge shall be in addition to the usual monthly charge for sanitary sewer service.
Suspended solids.
Solids measured in mg/l that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and which are largely removable by a laboratory filtration device.
To discharge.
To deposit, conduct, drain, emit, throw, run, allow to seep, or otherwise release or dispose of, or to allow, permit, or suffer any of these acts or omissions.
Trap.
A device designed to skim, settle, or otherwise remove grease, grit, oil, sand, flammable wastes or other harmful substances.
Unpolluted wastewater.
Water containing:
(1) 
No free or emulsified grease or oil;
(2) 
No acids or alkalis;
(3) 
No phenols or other substances producing taste or odor in receiving water;
(4) 
No toxic or poisonous substances in suspension, colloidal state, or solution;
(5) 
No noxious or otherwise obnoxious or odorous gases;
(6) 
Not more than ten mg/l each of suspended solids and BOD; and
(7) 
Color not exceeding 50 units as measured by the platinum-cobalt method of determination as specified in Standard Methods.
Waste.
Rejected, unutilized or superfluous substances in liquid, gaseous, or solid form resulting from domestic, agricultural, or industrial activities.
Wastewater.
A combination of the water-carried waste from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with any ground, surface, and storm water that may be present.
Wastewater facilities.
All facilities for collection, pumping, treating, and disposing of wastewater and industrial wastes.
Wastewater service charge.
The charge on all users of the public sewer system whose wastes do not exceed in strength the concentration values established as representative of normal wastewater.
Wastewater treatment plant.
Any city-owned facilities, devices, and structures used for receiving, processing and treating wastewater, industrial wastes, and sludges from the sanitary sewers.
Watercourse.
A natural or man-made channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
Waters in the state.
Groundwater, percolating or otherwise, lakes, bays, ponds, impounding reservoirs, springs, rivers, streams, creeks, estuaries, marshes, inlets, canals, and all other bodies of surface water, natural or artificial, inland or coastal, fresh or salt, navigable or non-navigable, and including the beds and banks of all watercourses and bodies of surface water, that are wholly or partially inside or bordering the state or inside the jurisdiction of the state.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(A), adopted 2/4/14)
This article is being enacted to:
(1) 
Protect humans and animals from industrial and hazardous discharges;
(2) 
Prevent damage and/or extensive maintenance to the city's wastewater treatment facilities; and
(3) 
Implement city rules that prohibit certain wastes and require pretreatment of certain wastes.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(B), adopted 2/4/14)
This article applies to all discharges, within the city limits and the city's extraterritorial jurisdiction, to the city's wastewater system, unless the facility discharging into the public sewers is permitted under the laws of the state and by the state commission on environmental quality.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(C), adopted 2/4/14)
No person may discharge to public sewers any waste, including but not limited to bacteria, enzymes, or chemical emulsifiers, which by itself or by interaction with other wastes may:
(1) 
Injure or interfere with wastewater treatment processes or facilities;
(2) 
Constitute a hazard to humans or animals; or
(3) 
Create a hazard in receiving waters of the wastewater treatment plant effluent.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(D), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
No discharge to public sewers may contain:
(1) 
Cyanide greater than one mg/l;
(2) 
Fluoride other than that contained in the public water supply;
(3) 
Chlorides in concentrations greater than 250 mg/l;
(4) 
Gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas; or
(5) 
Substances causing a chemical oxygen demand (COD) more than 250 mg/l, or TSS more than 180 mg/l.
(b) 
No waste or wastewater discharged to public sewers may contain:
(1) 
Strong acid, iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not;
(2) 
Fats, grease, oils (FOG), or wax, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 65 degrees centigrade);
(3) 
Objectionable or toxic substances exerting an excessive chlorine requirement to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater at the wastewater treatment plant exceeds the limits established by the city for such materials; or
(4) 
Obnoxious, toxic, or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in quantities sufficient to violate any state or federal limits.
(c) 
No waste, wastewater, or other substances may be discharged into public sewers which has a pH lower than six or higher than nine, or any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel at the wastewater facilities.
(d) 
All waste, wastewater, or other substances containing phenols, hydrogen sulfide, or other taste- and odor-producing substances shall conform to concentration limits established by the city.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(E), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
No discharges may contain concentrations of hazardous metals other than amounts specified in the chart below. The maximum allowable concentrations of hazardous metals, in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/l), for discharge to public sewers and waters of the state, and determined on the basis of individual sampling in accordance with Standard Methods, are:
Metal
Daily Maximum Concentration
(mg/l)
Arsenic
0.05
Barium
4.0
Cadmium
0.2
Chromium
5.0
Copper
2.0
Lead
0.1
Manganese
1.0
Mercury
0.005
Nickel
1.0
Selenium
0.2
Silver
0.2
Zinc
5.0
(b) 
Prohibited hazardous materials include, but are not limited to:
(1) 
Antimony.
(2) 
Beryllium.
(3) 
Bismuth.
(4) 
Cobalt.
(5) 
Molybdenum.
(6) 
Uranium ion.
(7) 
Rhenium.
(8) 
Strontium.
(9) 
Tellurium.
(10) 
Herbicides.
(11) 
Fungicides.
(12) 
Pesticides.
(13) 
Chemical emulsifiers.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(F), adopted 2/4/14)
No person may discharge garbage, waste, or other solids into public sewers unless it is shredded to a degree that all particles can be carried freely under the flow conditions prevailing in public sewers. Particles greater than one-quarter inch in any dimension are prohibited.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(G), adopted 2/4/14)
Pursuant to Texas Water Code section 26.177, the city may designate storm sewers and other watercourses into which unpolluted drainage may be discharged. No new connections shall be made from inflow sources to public sanitary sewers nor discharge to public sanitary sewers from any of the following:
(1) 
Unpolluted stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff or subsurface drainage.
(2) 
Unpolluted cooling water.
(3) 
Unpolluted industrial process waters.
(4) 
Other unpolluted drainage.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(H), adopted 2/4/14)
No person may discharge liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees centigrade), or any substance which causes the temperature of the total wastewater treatment plant influent to increase at a rate of ten degrees Fahrenheit or more per hour, or a combined total increase of plant influent temperature to 110 degrees Fahrenheit.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(I), adopted 2/4/14)
No person may discharge radioactive wastes or isotopes into public sewers without the permission of the city and the state, in accordance with applicable state and federal regulations.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(J), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
No person may discharge into public sewers any substance capable of causing:
(1) 
Obstruction to the flow in sewers;
(2) 
Interference with the operation of treatment processes or facilities; or
(3) 
Excessive loading of treatment facilities.
(b) 
Discharges prohibited under this section include, but are not limited to, materials which exert or cause concentrations of:
(1) 
Inert suspended solids greater than 180 mg/l, including but not limited to:
(A) 
Fuller's earth;
(B) 
Lime slurries; and
(C) 
Lime residues.
(2) 
Dissolved solids greater than 975 mg/l, including but not limited to:
(A) 
Sodium chloride; and
(B) 
Sodium sulfate.
(3) 
Excessive discoloration, including but not limited to:
(A) 
Dye wastes; and
(B) 
Vegetable tanning solutions.
(4) 
BOD, COD, suspended solids, or chlorine demand in excess of the city's wastewater treatment plant capacity.
(c) 
No person may discharge any substance into public sewers which:
(1) 
Is not amenable to treatment or reduction by the processes and facilities employed; or
(2) 
Is amenable to treatment only to such a degree that the treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
(d) 
The city shall regulate the flow and concentration of slugs when they may:
(1) 
Impair the treatment process;
(2) 
Cause damage to collection facilities;
(3) 
Incur treatment costs exceeding those for normal wastewater; or
(4) 
Render the waste unfit for stream disposal or industrial use.
(e) 
No person may discharge into public sewers solid or viscous substances which may impair the public sewer or treatment facilities if present in sufficient quantity or size, including but not limited to:
(1) 
Ashes.
(2) 
Cinders.
(3) 
Sand.
(4) 
Mud.
(5) 
Straw.
(6) 
Shavings.
(7) 
Metal.
(8) 
Glass.
(9) 
Rags.
(10) 
Feathers.
(11) 
Tar.
(12) 
Plastics.
(13) 
Wood.
(14) 
Unground garbage.
(15) 
Whole blood.
(16) 
Paunch manure.
(17) 
Hair.
(18) 
Hoofs.
(19) 
Hide.
(20) 
Fleshings.
(21) 
Bone.
(22) 
Entrails.
(23) 
Sludge.
(24) 
Paper products, either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
(25) 
Slops.
(26) 
Chemical residues.
(27) 
Paint residues.
(28) 
Bulk solids.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(K), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
Unless exception is granted by the city, the public sanitary sewer system shall be used by all persons discharging:
(1) 
Wastewater;
(2) 
Industrial waste; and
(3) 
Polluted liquids.
(b) 
Unless authorized by the state commission on environmental quality, no person may deposit or discharge any waste included in this section on public or private property in or adjacent to any:
(1) 
Natural outlet;
(2) 
Watercourse;
(3) 
Waters of the state;
(4) 
Storm sewer;
(5) 
Other area within the jurisdiction of the city.
(c) 
The city shall verify prior to discharge that wastes authorized to be discharged will receive suitable treatment within the provisions of laws, regulations, ordinances, rules and orders of federal, state and local governments.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(L), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
If discharges or proposed discharges to public sewers may (i) deleteriously affect wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, (ii) create a hazard to life or health, or (iii) create a public nuisance, the city shall require:
(1) 
Pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(2) 
Control over quantities and rates of discharge; and
(3) 
Payment to cover the cost of handling and treating the wastes.
(b) 
The city shall reject wastes when:
(1) 
It determines that a discharge or proposed discharge is potentially harmful.
(2) 
The discharger does not meet the requirements of this section.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(M), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
If pretreatment or control is required, the city shall review and approve design and installation of equipment and processes.
(b) 
The design and installation of equipment and processes must conform to all applicable statutes, codes, ordinances, other laws, and commonly accepted methods.
(c) 
Any person responsible for discharges requiring pretreatment, flow-equalizing, traps, accessible control manholes, or other facilities shall provide and maintain the facilities in effective operating condition at his/her own expense.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(N), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
Discharges requiring a trap include:
(1) 
Grease discharges above 100 mg/l;
(2) 
Grit or petroleum-based oil and grease waste, and inorganic or other solids and semi-solids;
(3) 
Oil;
(4) 
Sand;
(5) 
Flammable wastes;
(6) 
Fleshings and bone; and
(7) 
Other harmful ingredients, as determined by the city.
(b) 
A person required to pretreat waste or wastewater with a trap must:
(1) 
Submit complete plans and specifications for the pretreatment system to the city. A plan developed under this section shall describe the proposed pretreatment method, process, or technology, including products, agents or devices used for pretreatment.
(2) 
A person required to use a trap under this section must obtain the city's approval prior to discharging wastewater; or constructing, using or modifying a pretreatment facility, method, process or technology.
(c) 
Any person responsible for discharges requiring a trap shall at his/her own expense and as required by the city:
(1) 
Provide equipment and facilities of a type and capacity approved by the city.
(2) 
Clean the traps as often as necessary to ensure that sediment in the discharge does not accumulate to impair the efficiency of the trap; to ensure the discharge is in compliance with local, state and federal discharge limits; and to ensure no visible sediment is observed in discharge. Traps subject to these standards shall be completely evacuated a minimum of every ninety (90) days, or more frequently when:
(A) 
Twenty-five percent (25%) or more of the wetted height of the trap, as measured from the bottom of the device to the invert of the outlet pipe, contains floating materials, sediment, oils, grit or greases; or
(B) 
The discharge exceeds BOD, COD, TSS, pH, or other pollutant levels established by the city; or
(C) 
If there is a history of noncompliance.
(3) 
A person cleaning the trap shall dispose of the removed waste in accordance with federal, state, and local regulations.
(4) 
Locate the trap in a manner that provides ready and easy accessibility for cleaning and inspection.
(5) 
Persons discharging under this section shall submit an annual report to the city by January 31 of each year outlining the quantity pumped, condition of the trap [sic]
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(O), adopted 2/4/14)
Any person responsible for discharges through a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall, at his/her own expense and as required by the city:
(1) 
Install an accessible control manhole.
(2) 
Install meters and other appurtenances to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the waste.
(3) 
Install safety equipment and facilities (ventilation, steps, etc.), where needed.
(4) 
Maintain and clean the equipment and facilities, including control manholes.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(P), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
Sampling shall be conducted according to Environmental Protection Agency approved methods, reflecting the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and determining the existence of hazards to health, life, limb, and property.
(b) 
Examination and analyses of the characteristics of samples shall be:
(1) 
Conducted in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods; and
(2) 
Determined from suitable samples taken at the control manhole provided or other control point authorized by the city.
(c) 
BOD and TSS shall be determined from composite sampling, except to detect unauthorized discharges.
(d) 
The city shall determine which users or classes of users may contribute wastewater which is of greater strength than normal domestic wastewater. All users or classes of users so identified shall be sampled for flow, BOD, TSS and pH, at least annually.
(e) 
The city may select an independent firm or laboratory to collect and determine flow, BOD, and suspended solids, if necessary. Flow may alternately be determined by water meter measurements, if no other flow device is available and no other source of raw water is used.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(Q), adopted 2/4/14)
Wastewater containing COD, BOD, or TSS that meets the limits of abnormal industrial wastewater, provided below, may be discharged into the public sewer provided:
(1) 
The waste will not cause damage to the collection system;
(2) 
The waste will not impair the treatment process;
(3) 
The person discharging such wastewater pays a monthly surcharge to the city utilities division in addition to the usual monthly sewer service charges. Such surcharges shall be based on the following:
Contaminant and Surcharge
Concentration
(mg/l)
BOD
Surcharge ($/lb)
180
0.49
COD
Surcharge ($/lb)
250
0.23
TSS
Surcharge ($/lb)
180
0.17
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(R), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
The industrial waste operator and any duly authorized employees of the city bearing proper credentials and identification are entitled to enter any public or private property at any time for the purpose of enforcing this article.
(b) 
A person discharging or proposing to discharge wastewater to the public sewer shall, at the person's sole expense, promptly remove security barriers or other obstacles to access by the industrial waste operator or any duly authorized employees of the city.
(c) 
Should entry be denied the industrial waste operator or his/her designee, entry may be obtained by a search warrant issued as provided for by state law.
(d) 
A person who fails to remove an obstruction or unreasonably delays access to the industrial waste operator and any duly authorized employees of the city to premises discharging to the public sewers commits a violation of this article.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(S), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
The city may terminate water and wastewater disposal service and disconnect a customer or user from the system when:
(1) 
Acids, chemicals, or suspended solids which may damage the sewer lines or treatment process are released to the sewer, potentially causing accelerated deterioration of these structures or interfering with proper conveyance and treatment of wastewater.
(2) 
A governmental agency informs the city that effluent from the wastewater treatment plant is no longer of a quality permitted for discharge to a watercourse or waters of the state, and it is found that the customer or user is delivering wastewater to the city's system that cannot be sufficiently treated, or requires treatment that is not provided by the city as normal domestic treatment.
(3) 
The customer or user:
(A) 
Discharges waste or wastewater that is in violation of the permit issued by the city.
(B) 
Discharges wastewater at an uncontrolled, variable rate in sufficient quantity to cause an imbalance in the wastewater treatment system.
(C) 
Fails to pay monthly bills for water and sanitary sewer services when due.
(D) 
Repeats a discharge of prohibited wastes to public sewers in violation of this article.
(b) 
If service is discontinued pursuant to this section, the city shall:
(1) 
Disconnect the customer or user;
(2) 
Supply the customer or user with the governmental agency's report and provide the customer or user with all pertinent information; and
(3) 
Continue disconnection until such time as the customer or user provides pretreatment, additional pretreatment or other facilities designed to remove the objectionable characteristics from his wastes.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(T), adopted 2/4/14)
The city shall serve persons discharging in violation of this article, unless determined an emergency discharge by the industrial waste operator, with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a period of 10 days for satisfactory compliance.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(U), adopted 2/4/14)
No person may continue discharging in violation of this article beyond the time limit provided in the notice.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(V), adopted 2/4/14)
(a) 
Enforcement generally.
The city shall have the power to administer and enforce the provisions of this article as may be required by governing law. Any person violating any provision of this article is subject to suit for injunctive relief as well as prosecution for criminal violations, and such violation is hereby declared to be a nuisance.
(b) 
Criminal prosecution.
Any person violating any provision of this article shall, upon conviction, be fined a sum not exceeding two thousand dollars ($2,000.00). Each day that a provision of this article is violated shall constitute a separate offense. An offense under this section is a misdemeanor.
(c) 
Civil remedies.
Nothing in this article shall be construed as a waiver of the city's right to bring a civil action to enforce the provisions of this article and to seek remedies as allowed by law and/or equity, including abatement of nuisances.
(d) 
Penalty for criminal mischief.
The city may pursue all criminal and civil remedies to which it is entitled under authority of statutes and ordinances against a person negligently, willfully or maliciously causing loss by tampering with or destroying public sewers or treatment facilities.
(Ordinance 14-0205, sec. 3(W), adopted 2/4/14)