It shall be unlawful to discharge without a city permit into any natural outlet within the city or in any area under the jurisdiction of said city, and/or to the wastewater disposal system, any wastewater except as authorized by the city manager or his/her designee in accordance with the provisions of this article.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-141)
All significant users proposing to connect to or to contribute to the wastewater disposal system shall obtain a wastewater contribution permit before connecting to or contributing to the wastewater disposal system. All existing significant industrial users connected to or contributing to the wastewater disposal system shall obtain a wastewater contribution permit within one hundred eighty (180) days after the effective date of this article (ordinance adopted June 8, 1993).
(2000 Code, sec. 25-142)
(a) 
Users who discharge industrial wastewater and are required to obtain a wastewater contribution permit shall complete and file with the city manager or his/her designee at 901 Broadway, phone 296-1100, an application in the form prescribed by the city, and accompanied by a fee as set forth in the master fee schedule. Existing users shall apply for a wastewater contribution permit within thirty (30) days after the effective date of this article (ordinance adopted June 8, 1993), and proposed new users shall apply at least ninety (90) days prior to connecting to or contributing to the wastewater disposal system. Applications can be obtained from the city manager or his/her designee. In support of the application, the user shall submit, upon request, in units and terms appropriate for evaluation, part or all of the following information:
(1) 
Name, address, and location of the actual facility (if different from the mailing address).
(2) 
SIC number according to the current Standard Industrial Classification Manual, Office of Management and Budget.
(3) 
Wastewater constituents and characteristics, including but not limited to those mentioned in division 1 of this article, as determined by a reliable analytical laboratory; sampling and analysis shall be performed in accordance with procedures established by the EPA pursuant to section 304(g) of the act and contained in 40 CFR, part 136, as amended.
(4) 
Time and duration of contribution.
(5) 
Average daily and thirty-minute peak wastewater flow rates, including daily, monthly and seasonal variations if any.
(6) 
Site plans, floor plans, mechanical and plumbing plans and details to show all sewers, sewer connections, and appurtenances by size, location and elevation.
(7) 
Description of activities, facilities and plant processes on the premises, including all materials which are or could be discharged.
(8) 
The nature and concentration of any pollutants in the discharge which are limited by any city, state or federal pretreatment standards, and a statement regarding whether or not the pretreatment standards are being met on a consistent basis and, if not, whether additional operation and maintenance (O&M) and/or additional pretreatment is required for the user to meet applicable pretreatment standards.
(9) 
If additional pretreatment and/or O&M will be required to meet the pretreatment standards, and, if so, the shortest schedule by which the user will provide such additional pretreatment. The completion date in this schedule shall not be later than the compliance date established for the applicable pretreatment standard. The following conditions shall apply to this schedule:
(A) 
The schedule shall contain increments of progress in the form of dates for the commencement and completion of major events leading to the construction and operation of additional pretreatment required for the user to meet the applicable pretreatment standards (e.g., hiring an engineer, completing preliminary plans, executing contracts for major components, commencing construction, completing construction, etc.).
(B) 
No increment referred to in subsection (A) shall exceed nine (9) months.
(C) 
Not later than fourteen (14) days following each date in the schedule and the final date for compliance, the user shall submit a progress report to the city manager or his/her designee including, as a minimum, whether or not it complied with the increment of progress to be met on such date and, if not, the date on which it expects to comply with this increment of progress, the reason for delay, and the steps being taken by the user to return the construction to the schedule established. In no event shall more than nine (9) months elapse between such progress reports to the city manager or his/her designee.
(10) 
Each product produced, by type, amount, process or processes, and rate of production.
(11) 
Type and amount of raw materials processed (average and maximum per day).
(12) 
Number of employees, hours of operation of plant, and proposed or actual hours of operation of pretreatment system.
(13) 
Any other information as may be deemed by the city to be necessary to evaluate the permit application.
(b) 
The city will evaluate the data furnished by the user and may require additional information. After evaluation and acceptance of the data furnished, the city may issue a wastewater contribution permit subject to terms and conditions provided herein.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-143; Ordinance 23-3746 adopted 5/23/2023)
Within nine (9) months of the promulgation of a national categorical pretreatment standard, the wastewater contribution permit of users subject to such standards shall be revised to require compliance with such standard within the time frame prescribed by such standard. Where a user, subject to a national categorical pretreatment standard, has not previously submitted an application for a wastewater contribution permit as required by section 13.04.062, the user shall apply for a wastewater contribution within one hundred eighty (180) days after the promulgation of the applicable national categorical pretreatment standard. In additional, the user with an existing wastewater contribution permit shall submit to the city manager or his/her designee within one hundred eighty (180) days after the promulgation of an applicable federal categorical pretreatment standard the information required by subsections (a)(8) and (9) of section 13.04.063.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-144)
Wastewater contribution permits shall be expressly subject to all provisions of this article and all other applicable regulations, user charges and fees established by the city. Permits may contain the following:
(1) 
The unit charge or schedule of user charges and fees for the wastewater to be discharged to a community sewer;
(2) 
Limits on the average and maximum wastewater constituents and characteristics;
(3) 
Limits on average and maximum rate and time of discharge or requirements for flow regulation and equalization;
(4) 
Requirements for installation and maintenance of inspection and sampling facilities;
(5) 
Specifications for monitoring programs, which may include sampling locations, frequency of sampling, number, types and standards for tests, and reporting schedule;
(6) 
Compliance schedules;
(7) 
Requirements for submission of technical reports or discharge reports [pursuant to] sections 13.04.073 and 13.04.074;
(8) 
Requirements for maintaining and retaining plant records relating to wastewater discharge as specified by the city, and affording the city access thereto;
(9) 
Requirements for notification to the city of any new introduction of wastewater constituents or any substantial change in the volume or character of the wastewater constituents being introduced into the wastewater treatment system;
(10) 
Requirements for notification of slug discharges as per section 13.04.067;
(11) 
Other conditions as deemed appropriate by the city to ensure compliance with this article.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-145)
Wastewater discharge permits are issued to a specific user for a specific operation. A wastewater discharge permit shall not be reassigned, transferred or sold to a new owner, new user, different premises, or a new or changed operation without the approval of the city. Any succeeding owner or user shall comply with the terms and conditions of the existing permit.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-146)
Any user who violates the following conditions of this division, or applicable state and federal regulations, is subject to having his permit revoked in accordance with the procedures of division 3 of this article:
(1) 
Failure of a user to factually report the wastewater constituents and characteristics of his discharge in a timely manner;
(2) 
Failure of the user to report significant changes in operations or wastewater constituents and characteristics;
(3) 
Refusal of reasonable access to the user’s premises for the purpose of inspection or monitoring; or
(4) 
Violation of conditions of the permit.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-147)
(a) 
Users shall provide necessary wastewater treatment as required to comply with this article and shall achieve compliance with all federal categorical pretreatment standards within the time limitations as specified by the federal pretreatment regulations.
(1) 
Preliminary pretreatment facilities may be required when the admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes:
(A) 
Has a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than two hundred fifty (250) mg/l;
(B) 
Contains more than two hundred fifty (250) mg/l of suspended solids;
(C) 
Contains any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in this article; or
(D) 
Has an average daily flow greater than two percent (2%) of the average daily sewage flow of the city.
[Such facilities] shall be subject to review and approval by the city manager or his/her designee.
(2) 
Where necessary in the opinion of the city manager or his/her designee, the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to:
(A) 
Reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to two hundred fifty (250) mg/l and the suspended solids to two hundred fifty (250) mg/l;
(B) 
Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in this article; or
(C) 
Control the quantities and rate of discharge of such waters or wastes.
(b) 
Plans and operating procedures will in no way relieve the user from the responsibility of modifying the facility as necessary to produce an effluent acceptable to the city under the provisions of this article. Any subsequent changes in the pretreatment facilities or method of operation shall be reported to and be acceptable to the city prior to the user’s initiation of the changes.
(c) 
The city shall annually publish, as required by and in accordance with the EPA, in the Plainview Daily Herald, a list of the users which were not in compliance with any pretreatment requirements or standards at least once during the twelve (12) previous months. The notification shall also summarize any enforcement actions taken against the user(s) during the same twelve (12) months.
(d) 
All records relating to compliance with pretreatment standards shall be made available to officials of the federal and state agencies and control authority upon request.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-148)
Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any water or wastes as provided for in section 13.04.068, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-149)
(a) 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the city manager or his/her designee, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the city manager or his/her designee, and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(b) 
Grease and oil interceptors shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, watertight, and equipped with easily removable covers which, when bolted in place, shall be gastight and watertight.
(c) 
Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, and kept in continuously effective operation at all times.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-150)
(a) 
Persons intending to discharge effluents from hydrocarbon removal units into the wastewater disposal system shall notify the city manager or his/her designee thirty (30) days prior to discharge into the city’s sanitary sewer system.
(b) 
Persons intending to use devices for the removal of hydrocarbons shall file an application for a wastewater contribution permit with the city manager or his/her designee thirty (30) days prior to permit application.
(c) 
Persons operating hydrocarbon removal units will be required to send monthly sample results to the city manager or his/her designee, and the results must meet all requirements of this article in addition to the following criteria:
(1) 
Benzene less than one (1) mg/l;
(2) 
Toluene less than one (1) mg/l;
(3) 
Xylene less than one (1) mg/l;
(4) 
Ethelbenzene less than one (1) mg/l;
(d) 
All hydrocarbon removal units will be required to have a separator to help control free products from entering the sanitary sewer.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-151; Ordinance adopting Code)
(a) 
No septic tank, cesspool, chemical toilet, or any similar receptacle for waste storage shall be emptied at the city water reclamation plant or any other designated emptying site or its contents removed except by a person holding an annual transport permit from the state agency, as well as an annual disposal permit from the city manager or his/her designee.
(b) 
The permittee shall take all reasonable measures to prevent the development or existence of a nuisance or of any condition hazardous to health which can arise from his operations, and shall comply with the following:
(1) 
Material taken from a septic tank, cesspool, chemical toilet, or any similar receptacle for waste storage shall be disposed of only in a manner and place approved by the state agency. Approval shall be obtained at the time of issuance of the state permit, and no change in the approval procedure shall be made by the permittee without prior approval of the state agency.
(2) 
Every vehicle and all auxiliary equipment used for the transportation or handling of the contents of any septic tank, cesspool, chemical toilet or similar waste storage receptacle shall be liquid-tight, gastight, and soundproof, so that no foul material may spill or escape therefrom. Tanks on septic vehicles shall have a minimum capacity of seven hundred fifty (750) gallons.
(3) 
No vehicle or auxiliary equipment used for carrying, transporting or handling the contents of septic tanks, cesspools, chemical toilets or any similar waste storage receptacle shall be allowed to stand or remain within fifty feet (50') of any occupied premises.
(4) 
Vehicles and equipment shall be kept in a clean condition and shall not be opened longer than is necessary when in use.
(5) 
Each vehicle used under this regulation shall have the permittee’s state agency permit number, name, phone number, and transporter number, as well as the registration stickers, visibly inscribed on the side door panels and the rear face in numerals not less than three (3) inches high.
(6) 
Mixing of incompatible wastes within the same container is prohibited. Transporters shall not use the same container or pumping equipment to collect or transport incompatible waste without first emptying and cleaning the container and equipment of all previously handled wastes. For purposes of this subsection, incompatible waste means wastes which have different processing, storage, or disposal requirements. However, transporters may mix wastes with different characteristics provided the facility to which the waste is being transported is authorized to store, process, or dispose of such waste mixture.
(c) 
Persons who collect and/or transport waste subject to control under this section shall initiate and maintain a record of each individual collection and deposit. Such record shall be in the form of a manifest trip ticket or other similar documentation required by the state agency and approved by the city manager or his/her designee. The transporter shall provide the person who generates the waste a copy of the waste control record or other document showing receipt of waste and shall provide the facility operator a copy of all control records of wastes deposited. The transporter shall retain a copy of all records showing the collection and disposition of waste. Such copies shall be retained for five (5) years and made available to the city manager or his/her designee upon request. The waste control record shall include:
(1) 
Owner, address, telephone number and state agency registration of the transporter;
(2) 
Name, address, and telephone number of the person who generated the waste, and date collected;
(3) 
Type and amount of waste collected or transported;
(4) 
Name of the responsible person (driver) collecting, transporting, and depositing the waste;
(5) 
Date and place where the waste was deposited;
(6) 
Identification (permit application or site registration number, location, and operator) of the facility where the waste was deposited;
(7) 
Name and signature of the facility representative acknowledging receipt of the waste and the amount of waste received; and
(8) 
Volume of the septic tank/grease or grit trap.
(d) 
Transporters shall deposit waste at a facility designated by or acceptable to the generator of said wastes and the city where the operator of the facility agrees to receive the wastes.
(1) 
Only true septage will be accepted at the city water reclamation plant. Grease and grit trap wastes shall not be accepted and should be disposed of per state regulations.
(2) 
In the event of a discharge of waste during collection or transportation, the collector or transporter must take appropriate action to protect human health and the environment, e.g., notify local law enforcement and the state agency as to size, nature, and location of the discharge area; clean up any waste discharge that occurs during transportation; or take such action as may be required or approved by federal, state or local officials having jurisdiction so that the waste discharge no longer presents a public health or environmental problem. Transporters are responsible for reporting spills in accordance with requirements of the state oil and hazardous substance spill contingency plan or subsequent regulations.
(e) 
Transporters shall deposit wastes at the city water reclamation plant or other designated site only during the hours posted at the gate.
(f) 
Prior to dumping, each tank truck transporter shall stop at the gate, notify the facility operator, and allow inspection and sampling of the contents.
(g) 
Samples of tank contents will be obtained and analyzed. Analysis will be performed and any results outside the acceptable analysis limits will be rejected and the state agency will be notified of results. Tank truck companies will be surcharged for BOD and TSS as follows:
Base charge for BOD is 250 mg/l and .25 cents per pound above 250 mg/l.
Base charge for TSS is 250 mg/l and .20 cents per pound above 250 mg/l.
(h) 
Each tank truck load shall be assessed a fee as set forth in the master fee schedule.
(i) 
Annual disposal permits are obtainable from the city manager or his/her designee at 901 Broadway, at a cost established in the master fee schedule.
(j) 
Existing permits shall be renewed July 1st of each year beginning July 1, 1993. In the event a septic waste transporter applies for a new permit or an additional permit after July 1st, the permit fee as established in the master fee schedule. The permittee shall renew all permits on July 1st of each year thereafter.
(k) 
The following transport permits are obtainable at city hall, 901 Broadway, at a cost as established in the master fee schedule.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-152; Ordinance 15-3625 adopted 9/17/15; Ordinance 23-3746 adopted 5/23/2023)
Within ninety (90) days following the date for final compliance with applicable pretreatment standards or, in the case of a new source, following commencement of the introduction of wastewater into the wastewater disposal system, any user subject to pretreatment standards and requirements shall submit to the city manager or his/her designee a report indicating the nature and concentration of all pollutants in the discharge from the regulated process which are limited by pretreatment standards and requirements and the average and maximum daily flow for those process units in the user’s facility which are limited by such pretreatment standards or requirements. The report shall state whether the applicable pretreatment standards or requirements are being met on a consistent basis and, if not, what additional O&M and/or pretreatment is necessary to bring the user into compliance with the applicable pretreatment standards or requirements. This statement shall be signed by an authorized representative of the industrial user, and certified to by a qualified professional pretreatment engineer.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-153)
(a) 
Any user subject to a pretreatment standard, after the compliance date of such pretreatment standard, or, in case of a new source, after commencement of the discharge into the wastewater disposal system, shall submit to the city manager or his/her designee, during the months of June and December, unless required more frequently in the pretreatment standard or by the city manager or his/her designee, a report indicating the nature and concentration of pollutants in the effluent which are limited by such pretreatment standards. In addition, this report shall include a record of all daily flows which during the reporting period exceeded the average daily flow. At the discretion of the city manager or his/her designee and in consideration of such factors as local high or low rates, holidays, budget cycles, etc., the city manager or his/her designee may agree to alter the months during which the above reports are to be submitted.
(b) 
The city manager or his/her designee may impose mass limitations on users which are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements, or in other cases where the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate. In such cases, the report required by subsection (a) of this section shall indicate the mass of pollutants regulated by pretreatment standards in the effluent of the user. These reports shall contain the results of sampling and the nature and concentration, or production and mass where requested by the city manager or his/her designee, of pollutants contained therein which are limited by the applicable pretreatment standards. The frequency of monitoring shall be as prescribed in the applicable pretreatment standard. All analysis shall be performed in accordance with procedures established by the city manager or his/her designee pursuant to section 304(g) of the act and contained in 40 CFR part 136 and amendments thereto, or with any other test procedures approved by the city manager or his/her designee. Where 40 CFR part 136 does not include a sampling or analytical technique for the pollutant in question, sampling and analysis shall be performed in accordance with the procedures set forth in the EPA publication, Sampling and Analysis Procedures for Screening of Industrial Effluents for Priority Pollutants, April 1977, and amendments thereto, or with any other sampling and analytical procedures approved by the city manager or his/her designee.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-154)
(a) 
The city shall require monitoring facilities to allow inspection, sampling, and flow measurement of the building sewer and/or internal drainage systems, to be provided and operated at the user’s own expense. The monitoring facility should normally be situated on the user’s premises, but the city may, when such location would be impractical or cause undue hardship on the user, allow the facility to be constructed in the public street, alley or sidewalk area and located so that it will not be obstructed by landscaping or parked vehicles.
(b) 
There shall be ample room in or near such sampling manhole or facility to allow accurate sampling and preparation of samples for analysis. The facility, sampling, and measuring equipment shall be maintained at all times in a safe and proper operating condition at the expense of the user.
(c) 
Whether constructed on public or private property, the sampling and monitoring facilities shall be provided in accordance with the city’s requirements and all applicable local construction standards and specifications. Construction shall be completed within ninety (90) days following official notice by the city.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-155)
The city shall inspect the facilities of any user to ascertain whether the purpose of this article is being complied with and requirements are met. Persons or occupants of premises where wastewater is created or discharged shall allow the city or its representative ready access at all reasonable times to all parts of the premises for the purposes of inspection, sampling, or records examination or in the performance of any of their duties. The city, state and federal agencies shall have the right to set up on the user’s property such devices as are necessary to conduct sampling, inspection, compliance monitoring and/or metering operations. Where a user has security measures in force which would require proper identification and clearance before entry into the user’s premises, the user shall make necessary arrangements with the user’s security guards so that, upon presentation of suitable identification, personnel from the city, state and federal agencies shall be permitted to enter, without delay, for the purposes of performing their specific responsibilities.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-156)
Unless a contrary ruling under the Texas Open Records Act is issued by the state attorney general or a court, information and data on a user obtained from reports, questionnaires, permit applications, permits and monitoring programs and from inspections shall be available to the public or other governmental agencies without restriction unless the user specifically requests and is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the city that the release of such information would divulge information, processes, or methods of production entitled to protection as trade secrets of the user. When requested by the person furnishing a report, the portions of a report which might disclose trade secrets or secret processes shall not be made available for inspection by the public but shall be made available upon written request to governmental agencies for uses related to this article, state agency permits, state disposal system permits and/or the pretreatment program; provided, however, that such portions of a report shall be available for use by the state or any state agency in judicial review or enforcement proceedings involving the person furnishing the report. Wastewater constituents and characteristics will not be recognized as confidential information.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-157)
The city may adopt charges and fees which may include:
(1) 
Fees for reimbursement of costs of setting up and operating the city’s pretreatment program;
(2) 
Fees for monitoring, inspections and surveillance procedures;
(3) 
Fees for reviewing accidental discharge procedures and construction;
(4) 
Fees for permit applications;
(5) 
Fees for filing appeals;
(6) 
Fees for consistent removal (by the city) of pollutants otherwise subject to federal pretreatment standards;
(7) 
Other fees as the city may deem necessary to carry out the requirements contained herein.
These fees relate solely to the matters covered by this division and are separate from all other fees chargeable by the city.
(2000 Code, sec. 25-158)