A. 
General Prohibitions. No domestic or nondomestic user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass through or interference. These general prohibitions apply to all nondomestic users and domestic users of the POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other national, state, or local pretreatment standards or pretreatment requirements.
B. 
Specific Prohibitions. No domestic or nondomestic user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any of the following pollutants, substances, or wastewater:
1. 
Pollutants which either alone or by interaction may create a fire or explosive hazard in the POTW, a public nuisance or hazard to life, or prevent entry into the sewers for their maintenance and repair or are in any way injurious to the operation of the system or operating personnel. This includes wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR Part 261.21, and wastewater causing any single reading over 10 percent of the lower explosive limit based on an explosivity meter reading at the point of discharge into the POTW or at any point in the POTW.
2. 
Gasoline, kerosene, naphthalene, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethers, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, peroxides, chlorates, perchlorates, bromides, carbides, hydrides, sulfides, and any other substance that the control authority, the state, or the EPA has notified the nondomestic user is a fire hazard or hazard to the POTW.
3. 
Wastewater having a pH less than 6.0 or more than 9.0, or otherwise having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, or personnel. Discharges outside this pH range may be authorized by a permit issued by the director pursuant to a finding that the system is specifically designed to accommodate a discharge of that pH.
4. 
Solid or viscous substances in amounts which may cause obstruction to the flow in the sanitary sewer or other interference with the operation of the sanitary sewer system or POTW. In no case shall solids greater than one-quarter inch (0.64 cm) in any dimension be discharged. Specifically prohibited substances in amounts that produce interference include, but are not limited to: grease, animal guts or tissues, paunch manure, bones, hair, hides or fleshings, entrails, whole blood, feathers, ashes, cinders, sand, spent lime, stone or marble dusts, metal, glass, straw, shavings, grass clippings, rags, spent grains, spent hops, waste paper, wood, plastics, gas, tar asphalt residues, residues from refining or processing of fuel or lubricating oil, mud, or glass grinding or polishing wastes.
5. 
Pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference with the POTW.
6. 
Wastewater having a temperature which will interfere with the biological activity in the POTW, has detrimental effects on the collection system, or prevents entry into the sanitary sewer. In no case shall wastewater be discharged which exceeds 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), or causes the wastewater temperature at the influent to the treatment plant to exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
7. 
Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute or chronic worker health and safety problems.
8. 
Septage other than RV waste discharged at an approved location.
9. 
Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the director and when specifically, and expressly approved by the director.
10. 
The following are prohibited unless approved in writing by the director under extraordinary circumstances, such as lack of direct discharge alternatives due to combined sewer service or need to augment sewage flows due to septic conditions (as required under WAC 173-216-060):
a. 
Noncontact cooling water in significant volumes;
b. 
Stormwater, or other direct inflow sources;
c. 
Wastewaters significantly affecting system hydraulic loading, which do not require treatment or would not be afforded a significant degree of treatment by the POTW; and
d. 
Surface water, ground water, artesian well water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, swimming pool drainage, condensate, deionized water, and unpolluted water, unless specifically authorized by the director.
11. 
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 to prevent entry into the sanitary sewers for maintenance or repair.
12. 
Chlorine, bleach or other oxidants in quantities that cause interference to the POTW.
13. 
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 WWTF's effluent.
14. 
Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except as specifically approved by the director, and in compliance with applicable federal or state regulations.
15. 
Sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes.
16. 
Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the director.
17. 
Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources, the WWTF's effluent to fail a toxicity test.
18. 
Detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances in amounts that may cause excessive foaming in the POTW.
19. 
Any fats, oils, or greases, including but not limited to petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil, animal or vegetable origin in amounts that may cause obstructions or maintenance problems in the POTW.
20. 
Total petroleum hydrocarbon (nonpolar oil and grease) concentrations 100 parts per million, by weight, of fats, oil, greases, wax, whether emulsified or not, or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 and 150 degrees Fahrenheit.
21. 
Any substance which will cause the WWTF to violate its NPDES and/or other disposal system permit(s).
22. 
Any dangerous, extremely hazardous, or hazardous wastes as defined in rules or regulations published by Ecology or by EPA, except as specifically approved by the director.
23. 
Any persistent pesticide and/or pesticides regulated by the Federal Insecticide Fungicide Rodenticide Act (FIFRA) as amended.
24. 
Any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction, to injure or create interference with any wastewater treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or to exceed the limitation set forth in categorical pretreatment standards, or state or local pretreatment standards.
25. 
Any substance which may cause the WWTF's effluent or treatment residues, sludges, or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse or which causes interference with the reclamation process. In no case shall a substance be discharged to the POTW that will cause the POTW to be in noncompliance with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulations developed under Section 405 of the Act; or with any criteria, guidelines, or regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act; or with the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, or state pretreatment standards applicable to the sludge management method being used.
26. 
Any slug load or any pollutant, including oxygen demanding pollutants, released in a single extraordinary discharge episode or in such volume or strength as to cause interference to the POTW; or released with a flow rate exceeding the permitted peak flow, or 10 percent of the capacity of the available trunk sewer, whichever is greater.
27. 
Wastewater that may cause a measurable or detectable decrease in WWTF effluent ultraviolet transmittance.
28. 
Antifreeze or a coolant solution used in a vehicle or motorized equipment, except as specifically approved by the director.
29. 
An enzyme, chemical, or other agent that allows fat, oil, grease, or a solid to pass through a pretreatment facility.
30. 
Wastewater that contains, or has contained, glutaraldehyde or ortho-phthalaldehyde unless it has been completely deactivated with sodium bisulfite or sodium hydroxide, has a pH of between 6.0 and 9.0 standard units, and does not contain any drain clogging solids. The nondomestic user shall contact the director for review and obtain approval prior to discharge.
31. 
Backwash generated from filtration of process water or nondomestic wastewater.
32. 
All other wastes found by the director to be harmful to the POTW.
Pollutants, substances or wastewater prohibited by this section shall not be processed or stored in such a manner that they could be discharged to the POTW.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024)
The categorical pretreatment standards found at 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N, Parts 405-471 are hereby incorporated by reference.
A. 
Where a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of either the mass or the concentration of a pollutant in wastewater, the director may impose equivalent concentration or mass limits in accordance with subsections (E) and (F) of this section and 40 CFR Part 403.6(c).
B. 
Upon promulgation of a federal categorical pretreatment standards for a particular industrial subcategory, the federal standard, if more stringent, shall supersede the local limit imposed in this chapter. If the local limit imposed in this chapter is more stringent than the federal standard, then the local limit shall supersede the federal limit.
C. 
When categorical pretreatment standards are expressed in terms of a mass of pollutant which may be discharged per unit of production, the director may either impose limits based on mass or equivalent effluent concentrations. The nondomestic user must supply appropriate actual or projected long-term production rates for the unit of production specified in order to facilitate this process pursuant to 40 Part CFR 403.6(c)(2).
D. 
The director may allow wastewater subject to a categorical pretreatment standard to be mixed with other wastewaters prior to treatment. In such cases, the nondomestic user shall identify all categorical wastestreams and provide sufficient information on each noncategorical wastestream to determine whether it should be considered dilute for each pollutant. Absent information showing that noncategorical wastestreams contain the pollutant in question at levels above that of the supply water, such wastestreams shall be considered dilute. In such situations, the director shall apply the combined wastestream formula as found at 40 CFR Part 403.6(e) to determine appropriate limits.
E. 
When a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of pollutant concentrations, a nondomestic user may request that the limits be converted to equivalent mass limits. The director may establish equivalent mass limits if the nondomestic user meets all of the conditions set forth below.
1. 
To be eligible for equivalent mass limits, the nondomestic user must submit information with its permit application or permit modification request which:
a. 
Shows it has a pretreatment system which has consistently met all applicable pretreatment standards and is maintained compliance without using dilution;
b. 
Describes the water conserving practices and technologies it employs, or will employ, to substantially reduce water use during the term of its permit;
c. 
Includes the facility's actual average daily flow rate for all wastestreams from continuous effluent flow metering;
d. 
Determines an appropriate unit of production, and provides the present and long-term average production rates for this unit of production;
e. 
Shows that long-term average flow and production are representative of current operating conditions;
f. 
Shows that its daily flow rates, production levels, or pollutant levels do not vary so much that equivalent mass limits would be inappropriate; and
g. 
Shows the daily and monthly average pollutant allocations currently provided based on the proposed unit of production.
2. 
A nondomestic user subject to equivalent mass limits must:
a. 
Maintain and effectively operate control and treatment technologies adequate to achieve compliance with the equivalent mass limits;
b. 
Continue to record the facility's flow by continuous effluent flow monitoring;
c. 
Continue to record the facility's production rates;
d. 
Notify the director if production rates are expected to vary by more than 20 percent from the baseline production rates submitted according to subsection (E)(1)(d) of this section. The director may reassess and revise equivalent limits as necessary to reflect changed conditions; and
e. 
Continue to employ the same or comparable water conservation methods and technologies as those implemented pursuant to subsection (E)(1)(b) of this section so long as it discharges under an equivalent mass limit.
3. 
Equivalent mass limits:
a. 
Will not exceed the product of the actual average daily flow from regulated process(es) of the nondomestic user and the applicable concentration-based daily maximum and monthly average standards (and the appropriate unit conversion factor);
b. 
May be reassessed and the permit revised upon notification of a revised production rate, as necessary to reflect changed conditions at the facility; and
c. 
May be retained in subsequent permits if the nondomestic users' production basis and other information submitted in subsection (E)(1) of this section is verified in their reapplication. The nondomestic user must also be in compliance with BLMC § 13.14.1420 regarding the prohibition of bypass.
F. 
The director may convert the mass limits of the categorical pretreatment standards of 40 CFR Parts 414 (organic chemicals), 419 (petroleum refining), and 455 (pesticide formulating, packaging, and repackaging) to concentration limits in permits for such nondomestic users. In such cases, the director will document the basis and the determination that dilution is not being substituted for treatment in the permit fact sheet.
G. 
The control authority is obliged under federal regulations to make the documentation of how any equivalent limits were derived (concentration to mass limits or vice versa) publicly available.
H. 
Once incorporated into its permit, the nondomestic user must comply with the equivalent limits in lieu of the categorical pretreatment standards from which they were derived.
I. 
The same production and flow estimates shall be used in calculating equivalent limits for the monthly (or multiple day average) and the maximum day.
J. 
Nondomestic users subject to permits with equivalent mass or concentration limits calculated from a production-based standard shall notify the director if production will significantly change. This notification is required within two business days after the nondomestic user has a reasonable basis to know that production will significantly change in the next calendar month. Nondomestic users who fail to notify the director of such anticipated changes must meet the more stringent of the equivalent limits or the nondomestic user's prior limits.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024)
State pretreatment standards and requirements, located at Chapter 173-216 WAC, were developed under authority of the state Water Pollution Control Act, Chapter 90.48 RCW and are hereby incorporated by reference. The version incorporated is the version current as of the date of the latest revision or version of this chapter. All waste materials discharged from a commercial or industrial operation into the POTW must satisfy the provisions of Chapter 173-216 WAC. In addition to more stringent prohibitions, the provisions described in subsections (A) through (J) of this section are unique to the state and are required by this chapter for discharges to a POTW.
A. 
Any person who constructs or modifies or proposes to construct or modify wastewater treatment facilities must first comply with the regulations for submission of plans and reports for construction of wastewater facilities, Chapter 173-240 WAC. Nondomestic users shall request approval for such plans through the director. Prior to constructing or modifying wastewater treatment facilities, plans and reports as required by Chapter 173-240 WAC must be approved by the director.
B. 
Nondomestic users shall apply to the director for a permit at least 120 days prior to the intended discharge of any pollutants (BLMC § 13.14.530) other than sewage or wastewater which the director has determined is similar in character and strength to normal domestic wastewater with no potential to adversely affect the POTW.
C. 
All significant industrial users must apply for and obtain a wastewater discharge permit prior to discharge.
D. 
All nondomestic users shall apply AKART to waste discharges to the waters of the state.
E. 
Discharge restrictions of Chapter 173-303 WAC (Dangerous Waste) shall apply to all domestic and nondomestic users. Specific written approval from the control authority and Ecology is required prior to the discharge of dangerous wastes.
F. 
Claims of confidentiality shall be submitted according to WAC 173-216-080. Information which may not be held confidential includes the: name and address of applicant, description of proposal, the proposed receiving water, receiving water quality, and effluent data. Claims shall be reviewed based on the standards of WAC 173-216-080, Chapter 42.56 RCW, Chapter 173-03 WAC, and RCW 43.21A.160.
G. 
Persons applying for a new permit or a permit renewal or modification which allows a new or increased pollutant loading shall publish notice for each application in the format provided by the director. Such notices shall fulfill the requirements of WAC 173-216-090. These requirements include publishing:
1. 
The name and address of the applicant and facility/activity to be permitted;
2. 
A brief description of the activities or operations which result in the discharge;
3. 
Whether any tentative determination has been reached with respect to allowing the discharge;
4. 
The address and phone number of the office of the director where persons can obtain additional information;
5. 
The dates of the comment period (which shall be at least 30 days); and
6. 
How and where to submit comments or have any other input into the permitting process, including requesting a public hearing.
H. 
The director may require the applicant to also mail this notice to persons who have expressed an interest in being notified, to state agencies and local governments with a regulatory interest, and to post the notice on the premises. If the director determines there is sufficient public interest the control authority or contributing jurisdiction, as appropriate, shall hold a public meeting following the rules of WAC 173-216-100. The director may assume responsibility for public notice requirements for any person and may waive this requirement for any nondomestic user not classified as a CIU, SIU, or MIU by the director.
I. 
Permit terms shall include, wherever applicable, the requirement to apply AKART.
J. 
All required monitoring data shall be analyzed by a laboratory registered or accredited under the provisions of Chapter 173-50 WAC, except for flow, temperature, settleable solids, conductivity, pH, turbidity, and internal process control parameters. However, if the laboratory analyzing samples for conductivity, pH, and turbidity must otherwise be accredited, it shall be accredited for these parameters as well.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024)
A. 
The control authority has established and may periodically modify local limits pursuant to 40 CFR Part 403.5(c) based upon the POTW's site-specific flow and loading capacities, receiving water considerations, and reasonable treatment expectations for nondomestic wastewater using a method approved by the director, and the city has adopted those local limits in this chapter. In the event that the control authority modifies the local limits, the city shall modify the local limits adopted in this chapter.
B. 
Unless the city or the director determines that public health or safety require an earlier implementation, any modification the control authority or the city establishes to the local limits in Table 330-1 shall not go into effect until 30 days after reasonable notice of the changes have been provided to the public and persons known to the control authority or the city who may discharge wastewater containing analytes subject to such local limits.
C. 
The pollutant limits in Table 330-1 are established to protect against pass through and interference and reflect the application of reasonable treatment technology. No nondomestic user shall discharge wastewater in excess of the daily maximum limits shown in Table 330-1 unless authorized in writing by the director.
D. 
The local limits shown in Table 330-1 apply at the point where the wastewater is discharged to the POTW. All concentrations for metallic substances are for total metal unless indicated otherwise. The director may impose mass limits in addition to, or in place of, concentration-based limits in accordance with BLMC § 13.14.310.
E. 
Significant industrial users and categorical industrial users shall also be subject to instantaneous limits (as determined by a grab sample) equal to twice the daily maximum concentration limit identified in Table 330-1 for any pollutant for which a composite sample is required in a permit. This provision is not applicable to SIUs and CIUs without the permit requirement to collect a composite sample for the analyte in question.
Table 330-1: Initial Local Limits (Subject to Director Modification)
Analyte
Daily Maximum Concentration Limit
(mg/L)
Instantaneous Concentration Limit
(mg/L)
Arsenic
0.14
0.28
Cadmium
0.12
0.24
Chromium
4.05
5.0
Copper
1.42
2.84
Cyanide
0.19
0.38
Lead
0.80
1.60
Mercury
0.030
0.060
Molybdenum
0.17
0.34
Nickel
0.83
1.66
Selenium
0.21
0.42
Silver
0.54
1.08
Zinc
1.93
3.86
F. 
No nondomestic user shall discharge wastewater in excess of the daily maximum limits shown in Table 330-2 unless authorized in writing by the director. The standard limits in Table 330-2 apply at the point where the wastewater is discharged to the POTW.
Table 330-2: Standard Limits
Analyte
Daily Maximum Concentration Limit
Total hydrocarbon based fats, oil and grease
100 mg/L
Minimum pH
6.0 standard units
Maximum pH
9.0 standard units
Ammonia
30 mg/L
BOD
300 mg/L
TSS
300 mg/L
G. 
A high strength user is any nondomestic user who, in any given month, discharges wastewater found to contain a monthly average of more than 50 pounds per day of biochemical oxygen demand and 50 pounds per day of total suspended solids. High strength users shall be subject to charges as determined by the director and as amended and under the authority of this chapter up to any maximum loading limit.
H. 
The control authority shall use the individual permit process to establish ceiling limits for compatible pollutants and appropriate discharge limits for all other pollutants not listed in this section. This includes pollutants subject to regulation under RCRA, volatile or semi-volatile organic compounds, halogenated or brominated compounds, poly-aromatic hydrocarbons, polymers, surfactants, pesticide active ingredients, PFOS/PFOA, 6PPD-quinone and any other pollutant identified by the control authority.
I. 
The director or the city may establish and require best management practices for any category of nondomestic user or type of industrial process which creates a nondomestic wastestream. Such requirements may be applied either in lieu of or in addition to the local limits in this section. BMPs may also include alternative limits which may be applied at the end of a specific process or treatment step instead of at the combined effluent.
J. 
Where a nondomestic user is subject to a categorical pretreatment standard and a local limit for a given pollutant, the more stringent provision shall control.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024; Ord. 1725 § 2, 2024)
The control authority and the city reserve the right to establish, by subsequent resolution or regulation, or in wastewater discharge permits or other control documents, more stringent standards, or requirements for any discharges to the POTW.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024)
No nondomestic user shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any way attempt to dilute a discharge, as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a discharge limit unless expressly authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement. The director may impose mass limitations on nondomestic users where deemed appropriate to safeguard against the use of dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements, or in other cases when the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate.
(Ord. 1719 § 1 (Exh. A), 2024)