Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in this article shall be as follows below. Any definitions, abbreviations and acronyms used in this article but not specifically defined below shall be the same as those found in Articles I-VI. (also referred to as the Sewer Use Ordinance or SUO).
A certified sewage enforcement officer, code enforcement officer, professional engineer, Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority or City of Bethlehem industrial pretreatment manager, plumbing inspector, health administrator, health officer, or any other qualified or licensed person who is delegated by the Township to carry out the provisions of this article.
Schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures and other management practices to prevent or reduce the introduction of fats, oils and greases to the sewer system.
A pipe that conveys wastewater from the premises of a user to the point of connection with the Township sewer system which could be a lateral or sewer main.
A discharge from a commercial establishment.
A source of a commercial discharge.
Any room, group of rooms, building or enclosure used or intended for use in the operation of a business enterprise for the sale and distribution of any product, commodity, article or service or used or intended for use for any social, amusement, religious, educational, charitable or public purpose.
Board of Commissioners of Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
The introduction of wastewater into the Township's sewer system.
The discharge, deposit, injection, dumping, spilling, leaking or placing of any waste including solid or semisolid grease interceptor waste into or on any land or water so that such wastewater or any constituent thereof may enter the environment or be emitted into the air or discharged into any waters, including groundwaters.
An individual who is authorized to accept or reject waste at a disposal site, and who is authorized to sign a manifest.
A permitted site or part of a site at which waste, including grease interceptor waste is processed, treated and/or intentionally placed into or on any land in a manner compliant with all applicable federal, state, and local regulation.
Any substance or substances which, when added or placed into a grease interceptor, will transform an oily substance into a milky fluid in which the fat globules are in a very finely divided state and are held in suspension, giving it the semblance of a solution.
Any building, structure or installation from which there is or may be a discharge of wastewater, the construction of which started before the adoption of this article.
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 the Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants (40 CFR Part 136), as may be amended from time to time. All are sometimes referred to herein as "grease" or "oil and grease."
Areas predominantly found in shopping centers or festivals where several food preparation establishments having different owners may be sharing seating space and/or plumbing facilities.
Those commercial establishments primarily engaged in activities of preparing, serving, or otherwise making food available for retail sale and consumption by the public such as restaurants, commercial kitchens or caterers, and those portions of the following facilities engaged in similar activities: hotels, schools, colleges, fraternities, churches, social halls, hospitals, prisons, correctional facilities, retirement facilities, and care institutions. These establishments use one 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. Also included are infrared heating, searing, barbecuing, and any other food preparation activity that produces a hot, nondrinkable food product in or on a receptacle that requires washing or any new or existing facility which has a local, state and/or federal food service permit. This definition also includes food handling facilities which may not cook but generate FOG as a waste product as part of their operations. All are sometimes referred to herein as "facility" or "facilities."
A device that shreds or grinds up solids or semisolid waste materials into smaller portions for discharge in the sewer system, including a food scrap disposal system.
A new or existing facility that causes, creates, generates, stores or otherwise produces wastewater from on-site process operations, whether domestically or commercially generated. The generator is responsible for assuring that the produced wastewater is disposed of in accordance with all federal, state and local disposal regulations.
A sample that is taken from a wastestream on a one-time basis, with no regard to the flow in the wastestream, taken over a period of time not to exceed 15 minutes.
A water-tight receptacle utilized by commercial or industrial generators of liquid waste to intercept, collect and restrict the passage of grease into the sewer system to which the receptacle is directly or indirectly connected, and to separate and retain grease from the wastewater discharged. Grease interceptors are generally required to be located underground between the food service establishment and the connection to the sewer system.
The design features of a grease interceptor having the ability or volume required to effectively intercept and retain FOG from wastewaters discharged to the sewer system in compliance with this article.
Any grease or organic or inorganic solid or semisolid waste collected and intercepted by a grease interceptor, usually in layers of floatable, suspended and settleable substances, which are ultimately removed from a grease interceptor for proper disposal. All are sometimes referred to herein as "waste."
A grease control device that is used to serve individual fixtures located inside the food service establishment.
Openings with easily opened covers, designed to allow authorized agents quick access to the inlet flow-control device, each compartment of the grease interceptor, and the effluent.
A wastewater discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a wastewater discharge or wastewater discharges from other sources, both:
Inhibits or disrupts the function of the sewer system including but not limited to causing or contributing to reduced pumping capabilities, blockages or sanitary sewer overflows or inhibits or disrupts the operation of the wastewater treatment plant including but not limited to the plant equipment, treatment process units, or its sludge process units, sludge use or disposal; or
Therefore is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the Township's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation) or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with the following statutory provisions and regulations or permits issued thereunder (or more stringent state or local regulations): Section 405 of the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) (including Title II, more commonly referred to as Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and including State Regulations contained in any state sludge management plan prepared pursuant to Subtitle D of the SWDA), the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.
The pipe, extending from the main sewer (located in a utility right-of-way or municipally dedicated thoroughfare) to the street face of the curb line (or right-of-way boundary line if there is no curb line), that connects to the building sewer.
A new or existing facility, or an area of a new or existing facility, where a person or family has a distinct living area, which includes individual kitchen and bath facilities, utilized solely by that single person or family.
The person, regardless of actual title, immediately on site at a location, conducting, supervising, managing, or representing the activities of a generator or a transporter.
The written, multipart form used as documentation and required to be in the possession of the generator, transporter and disposal site to document the generation, receipt, transportation and disposal of grease interceptor waste at a permitted or registered disposal site, and specifying the identity of the generator, transporter and disposal facility operator and the volume of grease interceptor waste disposed.
An inspection port large enough to allow temporary installation of monitoring devices such as samplers, strip recorders, flow meters, or other such measuring and/or monitoring devices.
Any new building, structure, facility or installation from which there is (or may be) discharge of wastewater, the construction of which commenced after the adoption of this article, provided that:
The building, structure, facility or installation is constructed at a site at which no other wastewater source is located;
The building, structure, facility or installation totally replaces the process or production equipment that causes the discharge of wastewater at the site;
The production processes or wastewater-generating processes of the building, structure, facility or installation are substantially independent of an existing wastewater source at the same site. In determining whether these are substantially independent factors, such as the extent to which the new facility is integrated with the existing facility and the extent to which the new facility is engaged in the same general type of activity as the existing wastewater source, should be considered; or
Any remodeling or modification that results in a new facility as determined by the Township.
Construction on a site at which an existing wastewater source is located results in a modification rather than a new wastewater source if the construction does not create a new building, structure, facility or installation meeting the criteria of Subsection B or C above, but otherwise alters, replaces or adds to existing process or production equipment.
Construction of a new wastewater source as defined under this definition has commenced if the owner or operator has:
Begun or caused to begin, as part of a continuous on-site construction program, any placement, assembly or installation of facilities or equipment, or significant site preparation work including clearing, excavation or removal of existing buildings, structures, or facilities which is necessary for the placement, assembly or installation of new source facilities or equipment; or
Entered into a binding contractual obligation for the purchase of facilities or equipment which are intended to be used in its operation within a reasonable time. Options to purchase or contract, which can be terminated or modified without substantial loss, and contracts for feasibility, engineering and design studies do not constitute a contractual obligation under this subsection.
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System as administered by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PaDEP).
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole or partial, of any property located in the Township.
Any person or food service establishment or facility issued a permit under this article, including any agent, employee or authorized person of the permittee.
Any individual, partnership, company, association, corporation or other group or entity.
Any time during which a facility is open for business to the public. It shall also include those times when a facility is closed to the public when a manager, employees and/or contractors are present at the facility and involved in cleanup or food preparation or any other business activity.
The sanitary sewer system owned by Bethlehem Township, including mains, interceptors, pumping stations, treatment plant, force mains, and other related wastewater facilities and/or appurtenances.
A group of architecturally unified commercial establishments built on a site that is planned, developed, owned and managed as an operation unit for sale or lease, with on-site parking in definite relationship to the types and sizes of stores at the site.
Bethlehem Township, Northampton County, Pennsylvania.
A user who transfers grease interceptor waste from the site of a generator to an approved disposal site. The transporter is responsible for assuring that all federal, state and local regulations are followed regarding wastewater transport.
Referring to the Easton Area Joint Sewer Authority Wastewater Treatment Plant and/or the City of Bethlehem Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A widely accepted best management practice which requires that a grease interceptor must be pumped out if the depth of scum and solids in the interceptor exceeds 25% of the usable volume. The rule is applied at the inlet manhole (where applicable) of exterior interceptors and prior to outlet on interior traps.
A device placed under or in close proximity to sinks or other fixtures likely to discharge grease in an attempt to separate, intercept or hold grease waste to prevent its entry into the sewer system.
Any person or food service establishment or facility who utilizes the services of the Township's sewer system.
The liquid and water-carried industrial wastes and/or domestic sewage from dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, or institutions, whether treated or untreated, which are contributed into or permitted to enter the sewer system.