[1]
Editor's Note: Former Section 710.200, Discharge Of Certain Waters Or Wastes Restricted, which derived from R.O. 2007 § 710.200; CC 1979 § 27-32; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969, was repealed 6-23-2022 by Ord. No. 7655.
[R.O. 2007 § 710.210; CC 1979 § 27-33; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969; Ord. No. 5023 § 1, 6-12-2008; Ord. No. 5573 §§ 1 — 3, 4-14-2011; Ord. No. 6266 § 13, 12-18-2014; Ord. No. 7262, 1-23-2020; Ord. No. 7655, 6-23-2022]
A. 
Scope And Purpose. The objective of this Section is to aid in preventing the introduction and accumulation of fats, oils, and greases into the municipal wastewater system, which will or tend to cause or contribute to sanitary sewer blockages and obstructions. Food service establishments and other industrial or commercial establishments generating wastewater containing fats, oils or greases are subject to this Section. This Section regulates such users by requiring that grease interceptors and other approved strategies be installed, implemented, and maintained in accordance with the provisions hereof.
B. 
Definitions. The definitions contained in Section 710.010 and the following terms, when used in this Section, shall apply:
ACTION LEVEL
The concentration-based numeric value that the grease interceptor effluent, at the device's outlet tee and prior to mixing with any other wastewater from the contributing establishment's property, are expected to achieve on a consistent or stipulated basis.
COMMON INTERCEPTOR
One (1) or more interceptors receiving FOG-laden wastewater from more than one (1) establishment. Common interceptors may be located at shopping centers, malls, entertainment complexes, sporting arenas, hotels, multi-tenant flex spaces, mixed-use spaces, and other sites where multiple establishments are connected to a single grease interceptor. The owner of the property on which the common grease interceptor is located shall be primarily responsible for the maintenance, upkeep, and repair of the common interceptor.
DIRECTOR
The Health Supervisor, his/her designee, or other such person or persons as may be designated by the City Administrator from time to time.
FATS, OILS, AND GREASES
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, as may be amended from time to time. All are sometimes referred to herein as "grease" or "greases" or "FOG."
FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT
An operation that prepares food to serve directly to the customer and for purposes of this Section, those establishments primarily engaged in one (1) or more of the following preparation activities: cooking by frying (all methods), baking (all methods), grilling, sauteing, rotisserie cooking, broiling (all methods), boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting, or poaching, and infrared heating, searing, barbecuing, and any other food preparation or serving activity that produces a consumable food product in or on a receptacle requiring washing to be reused.
GREASE TRAP OR INTERCEPTOR
A device for separating waterborne greases and grease complexes from wastewater and retaining such greases and grease complexes prior to the wastewater exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. Grease traps also serve to collect solids that settle, generated by and from activities that subject users to this Section, prior to the water exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. Grease traps and interceptors are sometimes referred to herein as "grease interceptors."
MANAGER
The Manager of Water Environment Services, his/her designee, or such other person or persons as may be designated by the City Administrator from time to time.
MINIMUM DESIGN CAPABILITY
The design features of a grease interceptor and its ability or volume required to effectively intercept and retain greases and settled solids from grease-laden wastewaters discharged to the public sanitary sewer. See chart for sizing guidelines based on ninety-day interval servicing.
Low Grease Output
Sandwich shop, convenience store, bar, delicatessen, snack bar, ice cream parlor, hotel breakfast bar
3-Month Grease Output (in Pounds) and Interceptor Sizing Medium Grease Output
Coffee shop, grocery store (no fryer), cafeteria (no food prep), fast food, Greek restaurant, day-care facility (no food prep)
High Grease Output
Cafeteria, family restaurant, Italian, steak house, bakery/donut shop, Chinese, buffet, Mexican, seafood, fried chicken, grocery store (with fryer), barbecue
Cal-culated pounds per meal
0.005
0.0065
0.025
0.0325
0.035
0.0455
Pounds per quarter/grease interceptor size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Pounds per Quarter
GI Size
Number of customers or meals per day
No Flat-ware
With Flat-ware
No Flat-ware
With Flat-ware
No Flat-ware
With Flat-ware
100
45
25
59
35
225
100
293
150
315
150
410
200
200
90
50
117
75
450
250
585
300
630
300
819
500
300
135
75
176
100
675
500
878
500
945
500
1,229
750
400
180
100
234
100
900
500
1,170
750
1,260
750
1,638
1,000
500
225
100
293
150
1,125
750
1,463
750
1,575
750
2,048
1,000
750
338
200
439
200
1,688
1,000
2,194
1,200
2,363
1,200
3,071
1,500
1,000
450
250
585
300
2,250
1,200
2,925
1,500
3,150
1,500
4,095
2,000
1,250
563
300
731
500
2,813
1,500
3,656
2,000
3,938
2,000
5,119
3,000
1,500
675
500
878
500
3,375
2,000
4,388
3,000
4,725
3,000
6,143
3,000
2,000
900
500
1,170
750
4,500
3,000
5,850
3,000
6,300
4,000
8,190
4,000
NON-COOKING ESTABLISHMENTS
Those establishments primarily engaged in the preparation of precooked foodstuffs that do not include any form of cooking, but that may produce a consumable food product in or on a receptacle requiring washing to be reused.
SERVICE PROVIDER
Any third party not in the employment of the user that performs maintenance, repair, and other services on a user's grease interceptor at the user's directive. An approved service provider includes those that are licensed by St. Charles County and permitted by the St. Louis Metropolitan Sewer District as a septage management firm, certified hauler or service provider.
USER
Any person, including those located outside of jurisdictional limits of the City, who contributes, causes, or permits the contribution or discharge of wastewater into the POTW, including persons who contribute such wastewater from mobile sources, such as those who discharge hauled wastewater. Users include property owners who provide common interceptors for one (1) or more independent establishments, including tenants.
C. 
Grease Interceptor Installation, Maintenance, Recordkeeping And Grease Removal.
1. 
Grease interceptors shall be installed and maintained at the user's expense, when a user operates a food service establishment. Grease interceptors may be required in non-cooking or cold dairy and frozen foodstuffs establishments and other industrial or commercial establishments when the establishment generates wastewater containing fat or grease and the Manager determines an interceptor is necessary to prevent contribution or accumulation of grease to the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. Upon notification by the Manager or designee that the user is subject to the terms of an enforcement action, said user shall not allow wastewater discharge concentration from subject grease interceptor to exceed an establishment action level of one hundred (100) milligrams per liter, expressed as hexane extractable material. All grease interceptors shall be of a type, design, and capacity approved by the Manager and shall be readily and easily accessible for maintenance and repair, including cleaning and for City inspection. All grease interceptors shall be serviced and emptied of accumulated waste content as required in order to maintain minimum design capability, but at intervals of not longer than ninety (90) days or as permitted in a valid program variance. Users who are required to pass wastewater through a grease interceptor shall:
a. 
Provide for a minimum hydraulic retention time of twenty-four (24) minutes at actual peak flow between the influent and effluent baffles, with twenty-five percent (25%) of the total volume of the grease interceptor being allowed for any food-derived solids to settle or accumulate and floatable grease derived materials to rise and accumulate, identified hereafter as a solids blanket and grease cap respectively.
b. 
Grease interceptors shall be kept free of inorganic solid materials, such as grit, rocks, gravel, sand, eating utensils, cigarettes, shells, towels, rags, etc., which could settle into this solids blanket and thereby reduce the effective volume of the grease interceptor.
c. 
Operate and maintain the grease interceptor to achieve and consistently maintain any applicable grease action level. "Consistent" shall mean any wastewater sample taken from such grease interceptor must meet the terms of numerical limit attainment described in Subsection (C)(1). If a user documents that conditions exist ("space constraints") on their establishment site that limit the ability to locate a grease interceptor on the exterior of the establishment, the user may request an interior location for the interceptor. Such request shall contain the following information:
(1) 
Location of public sewer main and easement in relation to available exterior space outside building.
(2) 
Existing plumbing layout at or in a site.
(3) 
A statement of understanding, signed by the user or authorized agent, acknowledging and accepting conditions the Manager may place on permitting an identified interior location. Conditions may include requirements to use alternative mechanisms, devices, procedures, or operations relative to an interior location.
(4) 
Such other information as may be required by the Manager.
d. 
The use of biological or other additives as a grease degradation or conditioning agent is permissible only upon prior written approval of the Manager. Any user using biological or other additives shall maintain the trap or interceptor in such a manner that attainment of any grease wastewater, action level, solids blanket or grease cap criteria, goal or directive, as measured from the grease interceptor outlet or interior, is consistently achieved.
e. 
The use of automatic grease-removal systems is permissible only upon prior written approval of the Manager and the City's Building Inspector. Any user using a grease interceptor located on the interior of the site shall be subject to any operational requirements set forth by the City of St. Peters. Any user using this equipment shall operate the system in such a manner that attainment of the grease wastewater discharge limit, as measured from the unit's outlet, is consistently achieved as required by the Manager.
f. 
The Manager may make determinations of grease interceptor adequacy need, design, appropriateness, application, location, modification(s), and conditional usage based on review of all relevant information regarding grease interceptor performance, facility site and building plan review by all regulatory reviewing agencies and may require repairs to, or modification or replacement of, grease interceptors.
2. 
The user shall maintain a written record of grease interceptor maintenance for three (3) years. All such records will be available for inspection by the City at all times. These records shall include:
a. 
Food establishment name and physical location;
b. 
Date of grease interceptor service;
c. 
Name of grease interceptor service company;
d. 
Location and size of each grease interceptor serviced at the food establishment;
e. 
Approximated volume, in pounds, of waste removed from each grease interceptor;
f. 
Date and signature and date of the person in charge of the food establishment; and
g. 
Any other pertinent information as required by the Director.
3. 
No non-grease-laden sources are allowed to be connected to sewer lines intended for grease interceptor service.
4. 
Access manholes shall have an installed diameter of twenty-four (24) inches, a maximum weight of fifty (50) pounds, and shall be provided over each chamber, interior baffle wall, and each sanitary tee. The access penetrations, commonly referred to as "risers" into the grease interceptor shall also be, at a minimum, twenty-four (24) inches in diameter. The access manholes shall extend at least to finished grade and be designed and maintained to prevent water inflow or infiltration. The manholes shall also have readily removable covers to facilitate inspection, grease removal, and wastewater sampling activities.
5. 
A user may request a variance to the following requirements of this Section. Such request for a variance shall be in writing and shall provide the information set forth below. Any variance must be submitted to the Director in written form, and approved by the Manager, prior to implementation by the user or the user's service provider.
a. 
Grease Interceptor Pumping Frequency. The Director may modify the ninety-day grease interceptor pump-out frequency when the user provides data and performance criteria relative to the overall effectiveness of a proposed alternate and such can be substantiated by the Director. Proposed alternatives may include: grease interceptor pumping or maintenance matters, bioremediation as a complement to grease interceptor maintenance, grease interceptor selection and sizing criteria, and specialized ware washing procedures.
b. 
Grease Interceptor Maintenance And Service Procedures. The Director may modify the method(s) or procedure(s) utilized to service a grease interceptor when the user provides data and performance criteria related to the overall effectiveness of a proposed alternate method or procedure and such can be substantiated by the Director.
D. 
Fees. Users shall pay an annual fee of one hundred fifty dollars ($150.00) for program administration, inspection and recordkeeping.
E. 
Inspections. The user's premises shall be open at all reasonable times to the Director or designee, for the performance of inspections of grease interceptor maintenance practices within the customer's premises.
F. 
Violations. Non-compliance with this Section will result in a violation of a priority item or priority foundation item as described in Chapter 230, Article II. The correction time frame will be determined by the regulatory authority, but shall not exceed ten (10) days.
G. 
Penalties. Any person convicted of violating any of the provisions of Section 710.210 shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished by imprisonment for a term of not more than ninety (90) days or by a fine of not more that five hundred dollars ($500.00) and costs, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
[R.O. 2007 § 710.220; CC 1979 § 27-34; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969; Ord. No. 7655, 6-23-2022]
A. 
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than two hundred (200) parts per million by weight, or containing more than two hundred twenty-five (225) parts per million by weight of suspended solids, or containing any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in Section 715.040 or having an average daily flow greater than twenty-five thousand (25,000) gallons per day shall be subject to the review and approval of the Manager. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Manager, the owner shall provide, at his/her expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to two hundred (200) parts per million and the suspended solids to two hundred twenty-five (225) parts per million by weight, or reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in Section 715.040 or control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment shall be submitted for the approval of the Manager and of the State Clean Water Commission, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until such approvals are obtained in writing.
B. 
Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner, at his/her expense.
[R.O. 2007 § 710.230; CC 1979 § 27-35; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969; Ord. No. 7655, 6-23-2022]
When required by the Manager, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole 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 Manager. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his/her expense and shall be maintained by him/her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
[R.O. 2007 § 710.240; CC 1979 § 27-36; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969; Ord. No. 7655, 6-23-2022]
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in Sections 710.220 and 715.040 shall be performed in accordance with the techniques prescribed in 40 CFR 136 and amendments thereto, otherwise approved by the EPA and shall be determined at the sampling manhole provided for in Section 710.230 or upon suitable samples taken at such sampling manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the sampling manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
[R.O. 2007 § 710.250; CC 1979 § 27-37; Ord. No. 46 Art. 5, 8-18-1969; Ord. No. 7655, 6-23-2022]
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.