This title sets forth uniform requirements for users of the POTW for the City and enables the City to comply with all applicable Federal, State and local laws, including the Act and the General Pretreatment Regulations (40 CFR Part 403) or as amended.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
User agencies which contribute to the City sewer facilities shall, at a minimum, comply with all of the requirements of this title.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
The Director of Utilities will classify all users in accordance with the principal activity conducted on the premises where the discharge occurs. The purpose of the classification is to facilitate regulation of discharges to the subregional system on the basis of each user's waste quality, quantity, flow, and City involvement; to provide an effective means of source control of toxic substances; and to provide a basis for sewer use charges to insure an equitable recovery of capital and operating costs. User permit classifications are as follows:
(A) 
Nonresidential User. Users that discharge nondomestic wastewater to the sanitary sewer system and do not meet the criteria of SIU.
(B) 
Non-Significant Categorical Industrial User. Defined in Section 15-04.030(83)(b).
(C) 
Significant Industrial User.
(D) 
Ongoing Groundwater Discharger. Users that discharge wastewater generated from groundwater remediation projects in excess of six months.
(E) 
One-Time Discharger. Users that discharge wastewater generated as a result of purging monitoring wells, dewatering underground storage tanks, groundwater sampling, or for a variety of other circumstances.
(F) 
Waste Hauler. Haulers that discharge domestic septic waste, portable chemical toilet waste, non-hazardous commercial or industrial waste, groundwater remediation site waste, and/or landfill leachate at the POTW.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008; Ord. 2019-016 § 4)
(A) 
General Prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass through, interference, or is listed in the specific prohibitions in subsection (B) of this section. These general prohibitions apply to all users discharging to the POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other Federal, State, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.
(B) 
Specific Prohibitions. No person shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW the following pollutants, substances, or wastewater:
(1) 
Pollutants which create fire or explosive hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to, wastestreams with closed cup flashpoint of less than 140° F (60° C) using test methods specified in 40 CFR Part 261.21 or as amended, or at any point in the POTW, of more than 10 percent of the lower explosive limit on a combustible gas meter; or
(2) 
Wastewater having a pH less than 5.0 or more than 12.0, or any substance causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW, or equipment as standardized in Test Methods for Evaluating Solid Waste, Physical/Chemical Methods, SW-846, current edition; or
(3) 
Solid or viscous pollutants in amounts or concentrations which will cause or threaten to cause obstruction of the flow in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case solids greater than one-fourth inch or 0.635 cm in any dimension. The installation and use of garbage grinders (disposals) in commercial food establishments is prohibited, except in the case where a 1,000-gallon minimum interceptor is in use (40 CFR Part 403.5(b)(3)) or as amended; or
(4) 
Pollutants, including oxygen demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which will cause interference with the POTW (40 CFR Part 403.5(b)(4)) or as amended; or
(5) 
Wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater which causes the temperature at the POTW to exceed 104° F (40° C) (40 CFR Part 403.5(b)(5)) or as amended; or
(6) 
Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass through; or
(7) 
Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems (40 CFR Part 403.5(b)(7)) or as amended; or
(8) 
Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the POTW (40 CFR Part 403.5(b)(8)) or as amended; or
(9) 
Any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, to injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the POTW, or exceed the limitation set forth in a categorical pretreatment standard. Toxic pollutants shall include but not be limited to any pollutant identified pursuant to Section 307(a) of the Act or as amended; or
(10) 
Noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids, or other wastewater which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, are sufficient to create a public nuisance or a hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance or repair; or
(11) 
Any malodorous substance such as hydrogen sulfide or any other substance which will cause offensive odors in the sewer system or at the treatment plant; or
(12) 
Any substance which may cause the POTW's effluent or any other product of the POTW, such as residues, sludges or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse or to interfere with the reclamation process. In no case shall a substance discharged to the POTW cause the POTW to be in noncompliance with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulations developed under Section 405 of the Act or as amended, any criteria, guidelines or regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act or the Toxic Substances Control Act, or State criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used; or
(13) 
Any substance which will cause the POTW to violate the NPDES permit or waste discharge requirements issued by the State; or
(14) 
Any wastewater containing substances that may precipitate, solidify, or become viscous at temperatures capable of either causing obstruction to the flow in the sewers or interfering with the proper sewer system operation and maintenance; or
(15) 
Any portions of the human anatomy; or
(16) 
Wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions, which consequently imparts color to the POTW's effluent, thereby violating the City's NPDES permit; or
(17) 
Wastewater containing any radioactive waste or isotopes except in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations; or
(18) 
Unpolluted water(s) including but not limited to stormwater, surface water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, non-contact cooling water or other; or
(19) 
Sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastewater; or
(20) 
Any infectious waste that is deemed a threat to the public health and safety, or will result in any violation of applicable waste discharge requirements shall be rendered noninfectious prior to discharge; or
(21) 
Wastewater causing the POTW effluent to fail a toxicity test; or
(22) 
Pollutants which create conditions which violate any statute, rule, regulation, or ordinance of any public agency relating to releases of hazardous wastes, hazardous substances, or other pollutants to the environment when such release is to a publicly owned sanitary sewer; or
(23) 
Any substance which is not amenable to treatment by the processes employed at the POTW; or
(24) 
Any substance which may cause damage to City facilities; or
(25) 
Any slug loading; or
(26) 
Detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW; or
(27) 
Any of the following prohibited substances as tested according to approved 40 CFR 136 methods:
(a) 
Aldrin
(b) 
Alpha-endosulfan
(c) 
Benzidine and its salt
(d) 
BHC-Alpha
(e) 
BHC-Beta
(f) 
BHC-Delta
(g) 
BHC-Gamma (Lindane)
(h) 
Chlordane
(i) 
Chrysene
(j) 
DDD, DDE, and DDT
(k) 
Dieldrin
(l) 
Endrin
(m) 
Endrin aldehyde
(n) 
Endosulfan II (B Endosulfan)
(o) 
Endosulfan sulfate
(p) 
Heptachlor
(q) 
Heptachlor Epoxide
(r) 
Phenanthrene
(s) 
Polychlorinated Biphenyl Compounds (PCBs)
(t) 
Tetrachloroethene, (Perchloroethylene, Perc)
(u) 
Toxaphene
(v) 
2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCCD); or
(28) 
Any septic tank waste, holding tank waste, or portable toilet waste unless a permit is issued by the City and unless such sludge or waste is transported to the POTW by a permitted waste hauler in accordance with the regulations set forth within this title; or
(29) 
Wastewater causing two successive readings on an explosion hazard meter at the point of discharge into the POTW, or at any point in the POTW, of more than five percent, or any single reading over 10 percent of the lower explosive limit of the meter.
(C) 
Compliance by existing sources with the National Categorical Pretreatment Standards shall be within three years of the date the standard is promulgated unless a shorter compliance time is specified in the appropriate subpart of 40 CFR, Chapter 1, Subchapter N or as amended. Upon the promulgation of the National Categorical Pretreatment Standards for a particular industrial subcategory, the Federal standard, if more stringent than limitations imposed under this chapter for sources in that subcategory, shall immediately supersede the limitations imposed under this article. The Director of Utilities will notify all affected users of the applicable reporting requirements under 40 CFR Part 403.12 or as amended.
(D) 
Other Prohibitions.
(1) 
No user shall discharge any wastewater directly into a manhole or other opening in the City sewage system other than through sewer laterals or other sewer connection approved by the Director of Utilities, unless a permit has been obtained for such discharge. A permit will only be issued for such direct discharge in the event the discharge is otherwise in compliance with provisions of this title and no other alternative is reasonably available in the opinion of the Director of Utilities.
(2) 
Any discharge of sewage, industrial/commercial waste or other polluted waters into any storm drain or natural outlet.
(3) 
Pollutants, substances, or wastewater prohibited by this title shall not be processed or stored in such a manner that they could be discharged to the POTW.
(4) 
No person who owns, operates or maintains a restaurant shall at any time discharge any wastewater to the storm drain, service dock areas, or ground. Wastewater generated by restaurants shall be disposed of through a sanitary sewer, and an approved grease removal device, interceptor, or sample station connected to a sanitary sewer or hauled off site and disposed at a legal disposal site.
(5) 
It is unlawful for any person to discharge the contents of a swimming pool or a spa into the City sewer system except in the manner specified herein. The size of pipe carrying discharge water shall not be larger than one inch and shall not be under a head to exceed 20 feet. If the water is discharged by pumping, the rate of flow shall not exceed 50 gallons per minute. Each swimming pool or spa discharging to a sanitary sewer shall be equipped with an approved air gap to preclude any possibility of a backflow of sewage into the swimming pool or spa piping system.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008; Ord. 2019-016 § 5)
(A) 
The categorical pretreatment standards found in 40 CFR Parts 405471 or as amended are hereby incorporated.
(B) 
Where a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of either the mass or the concentration of a pollutant in wastewater, the Director of Utilities may impose equivalent concentration or mass limits in accordance with 40 CFR Part 403.6(c) or as amended.
(C) 
When wastewater subject to a categorical pretreatment standard is mixed with wastewater not regulated by the same standard, the Director of Utilities shall impose an alternate limit using the combined wastestream formula or flow weighted average in 40 CFR Part 403.6 or as amended.
(D) 
A user may obtain a variance from a categorical pretreatment standard if the user can prove, pursuant to the procedural and substantive provisions in 40 CFR Part 403.13 or as amended, that factors relating to its discharge are fundamentally different from the factors considered by EPA when developing the categorical pretreatment standard.
(E) 
A user may obtain a net gross adjustment to a categorical standard in accordance with 40 CFR Part 403.15 or as amended.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
In the event that either state or federal requirement standards for discharge to the POTW are more stringent than the limitations, requirements, and standards set forth in this title, the most stringent standards or requirements shall apply.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
The following pollutant limits are established to protect against pass through and interference. No SIU or groundwater remediation shall discharge or cause to discharge, any wastewater containing in excess of the following daily maximum allowable discharge limits. In addition the Director of Utilities may apply all or some of the limits set forth below as the Director of Utilities deems appropriate and designates in the user's permit.
1. Arsenic, Total
0.5 mg/l*
2. Cadmium, Total
0.2 mg/l
3. Chromium, Total
2 mg/l
4. Copper, Total
1 mg/l
5. Cyanide, Total
0.2 mg/l
6. Lead, Total
0.3 mg/l
7. Mercury, Total
0.0003 mg/l
8. Nickel, Total
3 mg/l
9. Zinc, Total
2 mg/l
10. pH
5.0 – 12.0 SU*
11. Silver, Total
0.5 mg/l
12. TPH Gas and Diesel**
100 mg/l
13. Total Dissolved Solids (TDS)
5,200 mg/l
14. Halogenated TTO**
0.02 mg/l
15. BTEX**
2 mg/l
Notes:
*
mg/l = milligrams per liter; SU = Standard Units.
**
Groundwater remediation and cleanup projects only.
•
Total Petroleum Hydrocarbons (TPH) Gas and Diesel.
•
Halogenated TTO = Carbon tetrachloride (tetrachloromethane), Chlorobenzene, 1,2,4-Trichlorobenzene, 1,2-Dichloroethane, 1,1,1-Trichloroethane, 1,1-Dichloroethane, 1,1,2-Trichloroethane, 1,1,2,2-Tetrachloroethane, Chloroethane, 2-Chloroethylvinylether (mixed), Chloroform (trichloromethane), 1,2-Dichlorobenzene, 1,3-Dichlorobenzene, 1,4-Dichlorobenzene, 1,1-Dichloroethylene, 1,2-Trans-dichloroethylene, 1,2-Dichloropropane, 1,3-Dichloropropylene (cis-1,3-dichloropropene, trans 1,3-dichloropropene), Methylenechloride (dichloromethane), Methylchloride (chloromethane), Methylbromide (bromomethane), Bromoform (tri-bromomethane), Dichlorobromomethane, Chlorodibromomethane, 3-Trichloroethylene, Vinylchloride (chloroethylene), cis-1,2-Dichloroethene.
•
BTEX = Benzene, Toluene, Ethylbenzene, Xylene.
•
The sum of halogenated TTO or BTEX test values are defined as the summation of all values observed at levels greater than 5 micrograms/liter (µg/L). Results less than 5 µg/L will not be considered or included in the summation.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008; Ord. 3914 § 2, 2009; Ord. 4040 § 4, 2015; Ord. 2019-016 § 6)
The City reserves the right to establish, by ordinance, resolution, or in wastewater discharge permits, more stringent standards or requirements on discharges to the POTW.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
No industrial user shall increase the use of process water or in any other way attempt to dilute a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a discharge limitation unless expressly authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement. The Director of Utilities may impose mass limitations on users who are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements or in other cases when, in the opinion of the Director of Utilities, the imposition of mass limitation is appropriate.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
No person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any monitoring equipment so as to cause alteration of the sampling analysis or readings or cause damage or destruction of equipment being utilized to determine compliance with this title. Tampering with a City-installed meter may be subject to fines in accordance with this title.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
Seasonal flow is defined as an industrial wastewater discharge during any 15-day period during which the average volume and/or strength of any regulated wastewater characteristic exceeds the respective yearly averages by 50 percent. Seasonal flow dischargers shall be subject to wastewater treatment plant service capacity allocation by the Director of Utilities. If overloading conditions occur or threaten to occur at the treatment plant or if unused service capacity is insufficient to accommodate all seasonal flows, the Director of Utilities may allocate available service capacity among all seasonal dischargers. In allocating the flow or constituent load, the Director of Utilities shall take into account the discharger's nonseasonal flow, wastewater conservation practice, economic and environmental impact, historical data, and any other consideration advanced by the discharger which will help the Director of Utilities make an equitable allocation.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
Notwithstanding any provision of this title to the contrary, the Board of Public Utilities and any person may enter into an agreement where unusual conditions compel special terms and conditions and charges for the interception, treatment and disposal of an industrial wastewater necessary to meet the purposes of this title. In no event, however, may the National Categorical Pretreatment Standards referred to in Section 15-08.080 of this title, or as amended or any other Federal or State standard, be relaxed or waived.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
A wastewater discharge permit may be temporarily suspended by the Director of Utilities at any time if, in his or her opinion, the continued discharge of the waste or water into the sewer system would, when combined with other discharges into the sewer system, exceed the City's allocated capacity service in the subregional system, substantially jeopardize the ability of the treatment system to meet water quality requirements or would cause an unsafe condition to occur. In lieu of temporary suspension of permits, the Director of Utilities may impose such temporary restrictions, conditions, or limitations upon the quantities, qualities, and rates of discharge made thereunder as deemed necessary to assure that said receiving water quality requirements will not be violated by the discharge to the POTW, or to alleviate the unsafe condition. In addition, the may suspend a wastewater discharge permit at any time if he or she deems said suspension necessary to halt or prevent a discharge that has the potential to endanger human lives and/or injure the environment.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
Notice of the temporary suspension or the imposition of temporary restrictions, conditions, or limitations shall be given in writing by the Director of Utilities to the user at least 24 hours prior to their effective date. Delivery of said notice to the user's place of business within the City shall constitute delivery of notice to user. In circumstances where the Director of Utilities deems it necessary to suspend a wastewater discharge permit in order to prevent potential danger to human life and/or injury to the environment, or in any circumstance that would cause a violation of the treatment plant's NPDES permit, no notice pursuant to this section is required.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
(A) 
The Director of Utilities may require any SIU or other user to develop a slug control plan. Before issuance of a wastewater discharge permit, the Director of Utilities shall determine whether a user needs such a plan. Any user required to develop and implement slug control plan shall submit, at a minimum, the following:
(1) 
Description of discharge practices, including nonroutine batch discharges;
(2) 
Description of stored chemicals;
(3) 
Procedures for immediately notifying the Director of Utilities of any accidental or slug discharge. Such notification must also be given for any discharge which would violate any of the prohibited discharges;
(4) 
Procedures to prevent adverse impact from any accidental or slug discharge. Such procedures include, but are not limited to, inspection and maintenance of storage areas, handling and transfer of materials, loading and unloading operations, control of plant site run off, worker training, building of containment structures or equipment, measures for containing toxic organic pollutants (including solvents), and/or measures and equipment for emergency response;
(B) 
In the case of an accidental spill and/or slug discharge, refer to Section 15-08.510, Reports of potential problems.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
All domestic wastewater (i.e., restrooms, showers, drinking fountains) shall be separated from process wastewater until the process wastewater has passed through a required pretreatment system and/or the user's monitoring facility. When directed to do so by the Director of Utilities, users shall separate existing domestic wastewater from process wastestream.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)
(A) 
Septic tank waste may be introduced into the POTW only at locations designated by the Director of Utilities, and at such times as are established by the Director of Utilities. Such waste shall not violate any requirements established by the City. The Director of Utilities will require septic tank waste haulers to obtain wastewater discharge permits.
(B) 
The Director of Utilities shall require haulers/generators of industrial wastewater to obtain wastewater discharge permits. The Director of Utilities also may prohibit the disposal of hauled industrial wastewater. The discharge of hauled industrial wastewater is subject to all other requirements of this title.
(C) 
Industrial wastewater haulers shall discharge loads only at locations designated by the Director of Utilities. No load may be discharged without prior consent of the Director of Utilities. The Director of Utilities may collect samples of each hauled load to ensure compliance with applicable standards. The Director of Utilities may require the industrial wastewater hauler/generator to provide a waste analysis of any load prior to discharge.
(D) 
Septic and/or industrial wastewater haulers shall provide a waste tracking form for every load. This form shall include, at a minimum, the name and address of the industrial wastewater hauler, permit number, truck identification, names and addresses of sources of waste, volume, and characteristics of waste. The form shall identify the type of industry, known or suspected waste constituents.
(E) 
Hauled groundwater discharges shall be subject to the criteria set forth in this section.
(F) 
Trucked wastes of commercial and/or industrial origin which are generated outside of the subregional service area (Cotati, Sebastopol, Santa Rosa, Rohnert Park, South Park Sanitation District) may be accepted for disposal with the prior approval of the Director of Utilities.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008; Ord. 2019-016 § 7)
Treated water(s) generated from the cleanup of spills, leaking underground storage tanks, contaminated soil or groundwater, monitoring wells, or other similar sources shall not be discharged through direct or indirect connection to the City sewer system unless a temporary permit or a wastewater discharge permit is issued by the Director of Utilities. The Director of Utilities may approve the discharge of such wastewater and issue such a permit only when, in its judgment, no reasonable alternative method of disposal is available; and the City's facilities will not be significantly affected.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008; Ord. 2019-016 § 8)
Any sludge or other material removed from the industrial wastewater by the pretreatment facility shall be disposed of in accordance with applicable Federal, State and local laws.
(Ord. 3895 § 3, 2008)