For the purposes of this chapter, the following words, terms
and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them
in this section:
ASTM.
The American Society for Testing and Materials.
BOD (denoting biochemical oxygen demand).
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter by Standard Methods procedure in five (5) days at
twenty degrees centigrade (20°C) expressed in milligrams per liter
(mg/l).
Building drain.
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system
which receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes
inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer,
beginning five feet (5') outside the inner face of the building wall.
Building sewer.
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer
or other place of disposal.
COD (denoting chemical oxygen demand).
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the chemical oxidation
of organic and inorganic matter under standard laboratory procedure
by the dichromate reflux method expressed in milligrams per liter.
Garbage.
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation,
cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage, and
sale of produce.
Health officer.
Any person or his authorized representative so appointed
by the city or any New Mexico environment department representative
charged with approval or inspection of public or private wastewater
facilities.
Industrial liquid wastes.
All waterborne solids, liquids or gaseous wastes resulting
from any industrial manufacturing or food processing operation or
process, or from the development of any natural resource, or any mixture
of these with water or domestic sewage as distinct from normal domestic
sewage.
Natural outlet.
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other
body or surface or ground water.
Normal domestic wastewater.
Waterborne wastes normally discharging from the sanitary
conveniences of buildings, including apartment houses and hotels,
office buildings, factories and institutions, free from storm [and]
surface water and industrial wastes. Normal domestic wastewater shall
mean normal for the town.
Person.
Any individual, firm, company, political or governmental
subdivision, association, society, corporation or group.
pH.
The logarithm, to the base 10, of the reciprocal of the weight
of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
Properly shredded garbage.
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of
food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will
be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in
public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch (1/2")
in any dimension.
Public sewer.
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties shall
have equal rights and is controlled by public authority.
Sanitary sewer.
The public sewer portion of a wastewater facility which transports
wastewater and to which storm, surface and ground water are not intentionally
admitted.
Settleable solids.
Those solids which settle during a preselected period of
time expressed as milliliters per liter of sample.
Sewer.
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
Shall, may.
The word “shall” is mandatory; the word “may”
is permissive.
Slug.
Any discharge of water, sewage or industrial waste which
in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds
for any period of duration longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than
five (5) times the average twenty-four (24) hour concentration or
flows during normal operation.
Standard Methods.
The laboratory 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 and the American Water Works
Association and the Water Environment Federation.
Storm sewer.
A sewer which carries storm and surface water and drainage,
but excludes wastewater and polluted industrial wastes.
Suspended solids.
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory
filtering.
Town.
The Town of Taos, New Mexico.
Trap.
A device for retaining sand, silt, grit, mineral material,
petroleum solvent, grease or oil by gravity differential separation
from wastewater and of a design and capacity approved by the town.
Unpolluted process water.
Any water or waste containing none of the following: free
of emulsified grease or oil; acid or alkali; phenols or other substances
imparting taste and odor to receiving water; toxic substances in suspension,
colloidal state or solution; and noxious or odorous gases.
Wastewater.
The used water of a community. Such used water may be a combination
of the liquid and waterborne wastes from residences, commercial buildings,
industrial plants and institutions.
Wastewater facilities.
The structures, equipment and processes required to collect,
transport and treat wastewater liquid and dispose of the effluent.
Wastewater treatment facilities.
An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater
and sludge, sometimes used as synonymous with waste treatment plant
or wastewater treatment plant.
Watercourse.
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously
or intermittently.
WEF.
The Water Environment Federation.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm
water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage,
uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters
to any sanitary sewer.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged
to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers, or
to a natural outlet approved by the public utilities director. Industrial
cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval
of the public utilities director, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
It is unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the
town or in any area under the jurisdiction of the town any sewage
or wastewater or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment
has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this
chapter.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
A. Except
as hereinafter provided, it is unlawful to construct or maintain any
privy, outhouse, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility
intended or used for the disposal of sewage, except septic tanks that
are approved by the New Mexico environment department may be constructed
when the town is unable to provide services to the customer.
B. The
use of chemical toilets is forbidden except:
1. On
construction sites of commercial or residential properties; and
2. By
permit for special events (e.g., foot races, carnivals, flea markets).
Permits can be obtained in the planning and zoning department and
the building and grounds department.
3. The
public utilities department can authorize the use of chemical toilets
on a temporary basis in the event of an emergency.
4. Chemical
toilets shall be properly maintained and are subject to inspection
by the town. The town may revoke the permit for any chemical toilet
that is determined to be improperly maintained.
C. As
used in this section, the term “chemical toilet” refers
to any portable lavatory unconnected to a sewer or septic tank that
uses chemicals to deodorize and break down the waste deposited therein.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
The owner of all houses, buildings or properties used for human
occupancy, employment, recreation or other similar purposes situated
within the town and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way
in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public
sanitary sewer of the town is required, at his expense, to install
suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities
directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions
of this chapter within one hundred eighty (180) days after the life
and use of the existing sewer facility has been exhausted and upon
official notice from the town; provided, that the town’s public
sewer is within one hundred feet (100') of the property line.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
Residential, commercial and industrial properties situated outside
the town limits may be connected via building sewers to available
sewers on an emergency basis only, and upon approval of the town council,
provided an application is submitted to the town and the applicant
signs an agreement to abide by the provisions of this chapter.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
A. When
permitted.
Where a public sanitary sewer is not available
under the provisions of this chapter, the building sewer shall be
connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions
of this chapter.
B. Permit.
Before commencement of construction or modification of a private
sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit
signed by the environment department of the State of New Mexico with
a copy submitted to the town’s public utilities director.
C. Design
requirements.
The type, capacities, location and layout
of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all requirements
and recommendations of the environment department of the State of
New Mexico.
D. Conversion
to public sewer on availability.
At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in accordance with the guidelines contained in section
13.12.060 of this chapter, and any septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be pumped, abandoned and filled with clean soil, sand or gravel.
E. Operation;
maintenance.
The owner shall operate and maintain the
private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times
at no expense to the town.
F. Chapter
provisions not to limit reasonable requirements of health officer.
No statement contained in this chapter shall be construed to
interfere with any additional reasonable requirements that may be
imposed by the appropriate health officer.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
A. Permits
required.
Persons may construct sanitary sewers on and
within the town public rights-of way and dedicated public and private
easements, and uncover and make connections with or opening into a
public sewer or appurtenances, provided that a New Mexico licensed
contractor first makes an application to the town which sets forth
the design, specifications and cost estimate for the work to be done
and receives an appropriate permit.
B. Permit
classes, applications, fees.
There shall be two (2) classes
of building sewer permits: 1) for residential and other services;
and 2) for service to establishments producing industrial wastes.
In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a
special form furnished by the town. The permit application shall be
supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered
pertinent in the judgment of the public utilities director. A permit
and inspection fee for a residential, other or industrial sewer permit
shall be paid to the town at the time the application is filed.
C. Costs;
indemnification; bond.
All costs and expenses incident
to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be
borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the town against any
loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the
installation of the building sewer including, but not limited to,
pavement replacement or repair to the public sewer or appurtenances.
As a condition of receiving a permit from the town for installation
of the building sewer, the permittee shall provide proof of a current
New Mexico utility contractor’s license and a bond or other
financial guarantee acceptable to the town for the completion of the
improvements, the amount of which shall not be less than the construction
estimate for the construction of the building sewer and any pavement
replacement.
D. Separate
building sewers required.
A separate and independent
building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where
one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and
no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building
through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building
sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building
and the whole considered as one building sewer.
E. Use
of old building sewers.
Old building sewers may be used
in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination
and test by the director of public utilities, to meet all requirements
of this chapter.
F. Design
requirements; compliance with codes.
The size, slope,
alignment, and materials of construction of a building sewer and the
methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing
and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of
the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations
of the town and State of New Mexico.
G. Gravity
flow or lift.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall
be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor.
In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit
gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such
building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged
to the building sewer.
H. Connection
of storm water conveyances prohibited.
No person shall
make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway
drains or other sources of surface runoff or ground water to a building
sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly
to a public sanitary sewer.
I. Connection
procedures generally.
The connection of the building
sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the
building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations
of the town or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications
of the ASTM and the Water Pollution Control Federation Manual of Practice
No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight.
Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be
approved by the public utilities director before installation.
J. Final
inspection.
The applicant for the building sewer permit
shall notify the public utilities director when the building sewer
is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection
shall be made under the supervision of the public utilities director.
K. Construction
safety, traffic safety and traffic control management during construction.
All sewer construction or repair within the public rights-of-way
shall require the licensed contractor who is performing the work to
have on-site a competent person with respect to OSHA requirements
for trenching and excavations. The licensed contractor shall provide
a design for and implement a traffic control plan for the construction
duration that complies with the latest approved Manual of Uniform
Traffic Control Devices. All signs, barricades and lights shall be
clean, reflective and fully operational. Upon notification by the
public utilities director, the contractor shall immediately modify,
clean or replace any traffic control devices that are determined to
be unacceptable for the intended use or inoperable. From time to time,
during the construction, the public utilities director may direct
changes in the traffic control if it is in the best interests of the
health, safety and welfare of the town. The contractor will immediately
make any directed changes in traffic control and implement necessary
changes in construction methods and means to effect improved traffic
control or traffic safety at the construction site. Streets, sidewalks,
parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the
work shall be restored by the permittee as directed by the public
utilities director.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
A. Prohibited
discharges.
No person shall discharge or cause to be
discharged any storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff,
subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial
process waters to any sanitary sewer.
B. Prohibited
substances.
No person shall discharge or cause to be
discharged any of the following described liquids or wastes to any
public sewers:
1. Any
gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive
liquid, solid or gas.
2. Any
waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or
gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with
other wastes, to injure or interfere with any wastewater facility,
constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance
or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment
facility, including, but not limited to, cyanides in excess of two
milligrams per liter (2 mg/l) as CN in the wastes as discharged to
the public sewer.
3. Any
herbicides and pesticides.
4. Any
waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5, or having any other corrosive
property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment
and personnel of the wastewater facility.
5. Solid
or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing
obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the
proper operation of the wastewater facility such as, but not limited
to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags,
feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch
manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk
containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
6. Any
amount of the following heavy metals:
Antimony
|
Arsenic
|
Barium
|
Beryllium
|
Bismuth
|
Boron
|
Cadmium
|
Chromium (hexa)
|
Chromium (tri)
|
Cobalt
|
Copper
|
Iron
|
Lead
|
Manganese
|
Mercury
|
Molybdenum
|
Nickel
|
Rhenium
|
Selenium
|
Silver
|
Strontium
|
Tellurium
|
Tin
|
Uranyl ion
|
Zinc
|
7. Dilution
of toxic materials and heavy metals in lieu of removal is not acceptable.
8. Any
private septic tankers which collect septic wastes from private septic
systems.
C. Discharges
subject to regulation.
No person shall discharge or cause
to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters
or wastes if it is determined by the public utilities director that
it is likely that such wastes can harm the wastewater facility or
equipment, negatively affect the treatment process, cause a pass-through
which adversely affects the receiving stream, or can otherwise endanger
the public’s health, safety and welfare or constitute a nuisance.
In making the determination as to the acceptability of such wastes,
the public utilities director will give consideration to such factors
as the materials of construction of the public sewers, nature and
capacity of the wastewater treatment facility, degree of treatability
of wastes in the wastewater treatment facility and other pertinent
factors. The substances which must be considered include, but are
not limited to, the following:
1. Any
liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty
degrees Fahrenheit (150°F) (65°C);
2. Any
water or waste containing fats, grease, wax or oils, whether emulsified
or not, in excess of one hundred milligrams per liter (100 mg/l) or
containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures
between thirty-two (32) and one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150°F)
(0 and 56°C);
3. Any
garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and
operation of any garbage grinder larger than those normally manufactured
and sold for residential and noncommercial use will not be installed
without specific review and approval by the public utilities director;
4. Any
waters or wastes containing strong acid, iron pickling wastes or concentrated
plating solutions cannot be discharged to the wastewater facility
unless completely neutralized and approved by the public utilities
director for discharge;
5. Any
waters or wastes containing reducing substances of an organic or inorganic
nature, toxic or nontoxic, which exert an immediate chlorine demand,
shall not be discharged into the wastewater facility if discharge
of agents will prevent the achievement of an adequate chlorine residual
in the effluent of the wastewater treatment facility;
6. Any
waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor producing
substances, in concentrations exceeding limits established by the
public utilities director after treatment of the composite sewage,
to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies
of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters;
7. Any
radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentrations
as may exceed limits established by applicable state and federal regulations;
8. Any
waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5;
9. Materials
which exert or cause:
a. Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not
limited to, fuller’s earth, lime slurries and lime residues)
or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chlorine
and sodium sulfate);
b. Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes
and vegetable tanning solutions);
c. Unusual chemical oxygen demand, or biochemical oxygen demand, or
chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant
load on the wastewater treatment facility;
d. Slugs or shocks constituting an unusual volume of flow or concentration
of wastes which will disturb the normal functioning of the wastewater
facility;
10. Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to
treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment facility employed,
or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the effluent
cannot meet the requirements of agencies having jurisdiction over
discharge to the receiving waters.
D. Pretreatment
requirements.
If any waters or wastes are discharged,
or are proposed to be discharged, to the public sewers, which waters
contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in
this section, and in the determination of the director of public utilities
may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater treatment facilities,
or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or
constitute a public nuisance, the public utilities director may:
1. Reject
the wastes, either disapproving a proposed discharge or prohibiting
the continued discharge of waste from an existing user;
2. Require
the discharger to pretreat its wastewater at its own expense to an
acceptable level which will comply with this section; or
3. Impose
regulation of the quantities and rates of discharge. If the public
utilities director permits the pretreatment of equalization of waste
flows, the plant and equipment shall be designed by a professional
engineer. The design shall be reviewed and approved by the public
utilities director and the state and is subject to the requirements
of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
E. Testing
industrial waste.
Testing an industrial waste will be
performed at least twice a year or whenever determined to be necessary
by the public utilities director. The person discharging the waste
shall be liable for payment of all costs arising from the testing
of the industrial waste.
F. Grease
traps.
1. Scope
and purpose.
To aid in the prevention of sanitary sewer
blockages and adverse impacts to the wastewater treatment facility
and receiving stream from discharges and accumulation of fats, oils
and grease into the sewer system from industrial or commercial establishments,
particularly food preparation and serving facilities.
2. Description.
The purpose of a grease trap is to remove fats, oil and grease
from sewage prior to discharge to the public sewer. These interceptors
serve as small flotation chambers where fat, grease and oil rise to
the water surface and are retained, while the clear water underneath
is discharged. The use of the word “interceptor” is interchangeable
with the word “trap”.
3. Applicability.
The following types of facilities will be required to have grease
traps: restaurants, food cooking or food preparation businesses using
any baking, frying, grilling, sauteing, rotisserie, barbecuing, broiling,
boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting or poaching operations, cafeterias,
institutional kitchens, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, service
stations, car washes, vehicle repair and lubrication businesses and
any other facility that handles fats, oils and grease and which discharges
wastewater containing grease into the public sewer system. All such
establishments are required to have a properly sized, functioning
and maintained grease trap.
4. New
facilities.
Upon the effective date hereof, food service
facilities which are newly proposed or constructed, or existing facilities
which will be expanded or renovated to include a food service facility,
where such facility did not previously exist, or any food service
facility which changes ownership or lease which does not have properly
sized or operational grease trap, shall be required to install, operate
and maintain a grease trap meeting the requirements of this chapter.
Grease traps shall be permitted and installed prior to the issuance
of certificate of occupancy.
5. Existing
facilities.
For the purposes of sizing and installation
of grease traps, all food service facilities existing within the town
prior to the effective date hereof will be permitted to operate and
maintain existing grease traps provided its grease traps are in efficient
operating condition. After the effective date hereof the town may
require an existing food service facility to install, operate and
maintain a new grease trap that complies with the requirements of
this chapter or to modify or repair any noncompliant plumbing or existing
trap within ninety (90) days of written notification by the town when
any of the following conditions exist:
a. The facility is found to be contributing fats, oils and grease in
quantities sufficient to cause line stoppages or necessitate increased
maintenance on the public sewer system.
b. The facility does not have a grease trap.
c. The facility has an undersized, irreparable or defective grease trap.
d. Remodeling of the food preparation or kitchen waste plumbing is performed
which requires a plumbing permit to be issued by the town.
e. The existing facility is sold or leased or undergoes a change of
ownership.
f. The existing facility does not have plumbing connections to a grease
trap in compliance with the requirements of this chapter.
6. Grease
trap requirements.
a. Plumbing connections.
Grease traps, generally, shall
be designed for exterior installation and shall be located in the
food service facility’s lateral sewer line between all fixtures
which may introduce grease into the sewer system and the connection
to the public sewer. Such fixtures shall include, but not be limited
to, sinks, dishwashers, except that only the pre-rinse cycles may
be discharged to the grease trap and all other dishwasher wastewater
must bypass the grease trap, garbage disposals, automatic hood wash
units, floor drains in food preparation and storage areas and any
other fixture determined to be a potential source of grease. Wastewater
from sanitary facilities and other similar fixtures shall not be introduced
into the grease trap under any circumstances. Grease traps shall be
designed, located and constructed to facilitate easy access and maintenance
by the owner and inspection by the town.
b. Interior or under-sink traps.
Interior grease traps
shall be prohibited for new or remodeled food service facilities,
except where, in the determination of the public utilities director,
inadequate space is available for installation of an exterior grease
trap. If the public utilities director grants approval for installation
of an interior or under-sink grease trap unit, then such approval
shall require written agreement of the owner or lessee to inspect,
clean and maintain the unit at least weekly and to skim the grease
out of such grease trap and place in a holding container of at least
fifty-five (55) gallons for pickup by a commercial grease hauler.
Grease traps approved for interior installation shall be equipped
with a flow control device to limit flow through the unit so as not
to exceed the manufacturer’s rated capacity in gallons per minute
for the unit. The flow control device and the grease trap shall be
vented at least six inches (6") above the flood rim level.
c. Grease trap design.
(1) Access manholes.
Grease traps will be equipped with
an access manhole with a minimum diameter of twenty-four inches (24")
and shall be provided over each chamber and sanitary tee. Access manholes
shall extend at least to finished grade and be designed and installed
to prevent inflow or infiltration.
(2) Capacity.
Grease traps shall have sufficient capacity
to perform the service for which it is provided. Traps shall be designed
for a minimum hydraulic detention time of twenty-four (24) minutes
at actual peak flow rate or twelve (12) minutes of calculated peak
flow rate as predicted by the Uniform Plumbing Code fixture criteria,
between the influent and effluent baffles, with twenty percent (20%)
of the total volume of the trap allowed for sludge to settle and accumulate.
Both the inlet and outlet of the grease trap shall have adequate baffles
to prevent short circuiting of waste through the trap. The minimum
passive capacity for any grease trap regardless of projected discharge
shall be no less than five hundred (500) gallons.
(3) Flow through rate.
Because it is necessary for fats,
oils and grease to cool down to solidify, grease traps shall be designed
with a horizontal flow through rate not to exceed 0.25 inch per second.
The flow through rate is to be calculated for a given tank with its
maximum grease storage and sludge storage volume factored into the
calculation.
(4) Approval of plans.
The owner or permittee of any business
required to install a grease trap shall submit a site plan showing
the location of the trap, sewer lines and cleanouts, details of the
grease trap, lines, manhole and cleanouts, and the formula and calculations
used to determine the grease trap capacity.
7. Grease
traps installed by the users.
The food service or other
facility covered by this chapter is responsible for the costs of installing,
operating, cleaning and maintaining its grease trap.
8. Inspection,
servicing and record keeping.
Inspection, servicing and
maintenance is essential for the efficient operation of grease traps.
Grease traps shall be inspected by the user, serviced and emptied
of accumulated waste contents as is required at or before the trap
capacity reaches seventy-five percent (75%) of its design capacity.
Servicing frequency is site specific and is dependent on the amount
of oil and grease and suspended solids generated at each facility
and the size of the grease trap. In no case shall the frequency of
cleaning be less than once every sixty (60) days, except for interior
or under-sink traps which shall be inspected, cleaned and emptied
of grease at least weekly. The user of a grease trap shall maintain
a log book of all maintenance and cleaning along with evidence, such
as billing and manifests with owner’s signature confirming work
was done, of grease removal and disposal done in accordance with town,
state and federal regulations. The user shall maintain written records
of grease trap maintenance and cleaning for a period of three (3)
years. All such records will be available on-site for inspection by
the town at all times.
9. Grease
trap pumping and cleaning.
All grease traps shall be
cleaned by a properly licensed cleaning and disposal operation. Cleaning
shall include the initial complete removal of all contents, including
floating materials, wastewater and bottom sludge and scraping solids
from the sides, top and baffles and pipes of the trap. No on-site
aboveground grease storage containers or on-site storage of grease
outside of the approved grease trap shall be allowed under this chapter.
a. Recycling of gray water.
The return of gray water back
into the grease trap from which the wastes were removed is allowable,
provided that grease and solids are not returned to the trap and provided
the grease hauler has written permission from the facility to return
gray water. The grease hauler shall wait a minimum of twenty (20)
minutes to allow the trap waste to separate in the truck tank before
attempting to reintroduce the gray water to the interceptor. It shall
be the responsibility of each facility to inspect its grease trap
during the pumping procedure to ensure that the grease trap is properly
cleaned out and that all fittings and fixtures inside the trap are
in working order.
b. Commercial additives, enzymes, emulsifiers and bacteria.
The introduction of bleach, emulsifiers, enzymes or any other chemical
to the grease trap to reduce, thin or break down grease so that it
is flushed or washed out into the public sewer is strictly prohibited.
The addition of live bacteria available from commercial sources is
conditionally permissible, provided the user first obtains written
approval from the public utilities director prior to its use. The
user shall submit MSDS sheets and any other applicable information
concerning the composition, frequency of use and mode of action of
the bacterial additive for the director’s consideration.
10. Alternative grease removal devices or technologies.
Alternative grease removal devices and technologies such as automatic
grease removal systems shall be subject to written approval by the
public utilities director prior to receiving a permit and installation.
Approval of the device shall be based on demonstrated, proven removal
efficiencies and reliability of operation. The town may approve these
types of devices depending on manufacturers’ specifications
on a case-by-case basis.
11. Inspection by town.
Grease traps will be inspected by
representatives of the public utilities director or the building inspector
as often as necessary to assure compliance with town ordinances, to
determine if proper cleaning and maintenance schedules are being adhered
to or to perform sampling of facility’s wastewater.
G. Maintenance
of preliminary treatment and flow equalizing facilities.
Where preliminary treatment or flow equalizing facilities are provided
for any industrial liquid wastes, they shall be maintained continuously
in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
H. Waste
meters; manholes.
When required by the public utilities
director, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying
industrial liquid wastes shall install a suitable control manhole
together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the
building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement
of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and
safely located, constructed in such a manner as to prevent infiltration
of ground and surface waters and constructed in accordance with plans
approved by the public utilities director. The manhole shall be installed
by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to
be safe and accessible at all times.
I. Methods
of testing; location of test site.
All measurements,
tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes shall
be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods
and shall be determined at the control manhole provided or upon suitable
samples taken at such manhole. The control manhole shall be located
so that sampling of the industrial waste will be performed before
discharge into the public sewer system.
J. Sampling
and analysis methods.
Sampling shall be carried out by
customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents
upon the wastewater treatment works and to determine the existence
of hazards to life, limb and property. The particular analyses involved
will determine whether a twenty-four (24) hour composite of all outfalls
of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should
be taken. Normally, but not always, COD, BOD and settleable solids
analyses are obtained from twenty-four (24) hour composites of all
outfalls whereas pHs are determined from periodic grab samples.
K. Access
for sampling.
The public utilities director shall be
allowed access to the properties of all sewer users to sample, test
and measure all wastewater discharges. Failure to allow such access
may, at the town’s discretion, be the basis for discontinuance
of sewer and/or water service to the property to which access is denied.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
The governing body of the town shall take the necessary steps
to establish an equitable system of user fees. The purpose hereof
is that such individual user shall pay an equitable portion of the
town’s cost of owning the wastewater facilities plus an equitable
portion of the total operation and maintenance costs.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)
A. Penalties;
continuing violations.
Every person convicted of a violation
of this chapter shall be punished by a fine of not more than five
hundred dollars ($500.00) or by imprisonment for not more than ninety
(90) days, or both, for each violation. Each day this chapter is violated
shall constitute a separate offense. The conviction and punishment
of any person for a violation shall not excuse or exempt such person
from the payment of any fee due or unpaid at the time of such conviction
and nothing herein shall prevent a criminal prosecution of any violation
of the provisions of this chapter.
B. Remedies
cumulative; liens.
All remedies prescribed or liens created
hereunder or under the provisions of the law for collection and enforcement
of the fees shall be cumulative and the use of one or more remedies
by the town shall not bar the use of any other remedy for the purpose
of enforcing the provisions of this chapter created by the law. The
fees authorized by this chapter shall be a lien in favor of the town
upon the real property served and the personal property of the person
used in connection with the sewer use which gave rise to the fee and
such lien shall be imposed, collected, enforced and paid as provided
by the law. No property of any persons shall be exempt from levy and
sale on execution issued for the collection of a judgment for any
fee imposed by this chapter.
C. Disconnection
of service.
For repeated violations of this chapter,
the town may disconnect the violator’s water and/or sewer service
and refuse to provide water and/or sewer service to the violator until
assurances satisfactory to the town are provided by the violator that
such violations shall cease.
D. Business
license revocation.
Gross violations of this chapter
may constitute the revocation of any business license, which is associated
with the discharge privileges.
(Ordinance 03-15 adopted 2003)