It shall be unlawful to discharge any sewage, industrial waste, or other polluted waters into any storm drain or natural outlet or channel without a valid National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit any trucked or hauled waste to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, except at a site specifically designated in a wastewater discharge permit issued pursuant to this chapter.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
Each industrial user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials or other wastes regulated by this chapter into either the storm sewer or the sanitary sewer system.
(b) 
Facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the industrial user's expense.
(c) 
All industrial users shall notify the City by telephone or in person within one hour of becoming aware of accidentally discharging wastes of reportable quantities as determined in Title 40, Chapter 1, Subchapter D, Part 117 CFR, or discharge of any substance which, if otherwise disposed to, would be hazardous waste under 40 CFR Part 261, to enable countermeasures to be taken by the City to minimize damage to the sanitary sewer system, the plant, the treatment processes, and/or the receiving waters. If hazardous waste is discharged, the industrial user shall be subject to all requirements in 40 CFR Section 403.12(p).
(d) 
Within five days of the date of occurrence a detailed written statement describing the causes of the accidental discharge and the measures being taken to prevent future occurrences shall be provided to City.
(e) 
Notification to the City will not relieve industrial users of notification requirements under any other Federal, State, or local law, nor of liability for any expense, loss, or damage to the sanitary sewer system, plant, or treatment process or receiving waters, or for any fines or penalties imposed on the City on account thereof under applicable provisions of State or Federal law.
(f) 
All permitted facilities must maintain a spill control plan for protection against accidental discharges, including but not limited to berming of chemicals and waste materials. The review of such plans and procedures shall not relieve the industrial user from the responsibility of modifying the facility as necessary to provide the protection necessary to meet the requirements of this Code or other State or Federal regulations.
(g) 
This plan must be reviewed and revised as needed within thirty (30) days after an accidental discharge has occurred or as required by the Director.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
Each owner or operator shall, at the owner's or operator's own expense, provide such treatment or take such other measures, as the Director may require to prevent accidental discharge, reduce objectionable characteristics, contents, or rate of discharge of waters or waste being deposited in the sanitary sewer system, to prevent damage to or interference with the sanitary sewer system.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 10, 1-11-2022)
(a) 
The Director may require any industrial user of the sanitary sewer system to construct, at the industrial user's own expense and at an approved location, monitoring facilities to allow inspection, sampling and flow measurement of the building sewer or internal drainage systems.
(b) 
The monitoring facilities, sampling and measurement equipment, and access thereto, shall be maintained at all times in a safe and proper operating condition at the expense of the discharger.
(c) 
Any required monitoring facilities shall be specified in the wastewater discharge permit issued pursuant to this chapter.
(d) 
A sample box shall be designed in such a way as to retain sufficient wastewater in the sample box at all times to allow sample collection representative of the last wastewater discharge.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, subsurface drainage or roof runoff to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system or any part thereof without a wastewater discharge permit or prior authorization from the Director.
(b) 
A wastewater discharge permit for the discharge of groundwater, subsurface drainage, surface water, roof water or stormwater shall only be issued if there is no reasonable alternative method for disposal of such water.
(c) 
If permitted, discharge of groundwater or subsurface drainage, surface water, roof water or stormwater shall be subject to all applicable requirements of this chapter, including, but not limited to, the payment of applicable permit fees and such terms and conditions as the Director may impose in the wastewater discharge permit.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 11, 1-11-2022)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged, thrown, or deposited into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, or into any plumbing fixture or private sewer or drain connected either directly or indirectly to the sanitary sewer system, any substance of any kind whatsoever tending to obstruct or injure the sanitary sewer system, or to cause a nuisance or hazard, or which will in any manner interfere with the proper operation or maintenance of the sanitary sewer system.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any wastewater containing any flammable liquid, solid, vapor, or gas, or any other substance, including, but not limited to, any substance having a closed cup flashpoint of less than one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit or sixty (60) degrees Celsius, using the test methods specified in 40 CFR Section 261.21.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any liquid, solid, vapor, gas, or thing having or developing a temperature of one hundred fifty (150) degrees Fahrenheit or more, or that may cause the temperature at the plant to exceed one hundred four (104) degrees Fahrenheit.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system any liquid or other waste containing grease in excess of one hundred fifty (150) parts per million by weight.
(b) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit any grease discharge from a food service establishment into the sanitary sewer system, unless such discharge has first been processed through an approved grease control device.
(c) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged any yellow grease, or any waste or material mixed with yellow grease, into the sanitary sewer system from a food service establishment. No yellow grease from a food service establishment shall be mixed with grease trap or grease interceptor waste.
(d) 
Any industrial user that violates the grease limit shall resample and submit reports to the City for all pollutants in violation of any applicable permit limits or any other pollutants as required by the Director within thirty (30) days of becoming aware of the violations.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 12, 1-11-2022)
No person shall discharge, deposit, throw, or cause to be discharged, deposited, or thrown into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any ashes, cinders, pulp, paper, sand, cement, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, asphalt, resins, plastics, wood, animal hair, paunch manure, or any heavy solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, or that would interfere with the proper operation of the plant or the treatment of sanitary sewage or industrial waste.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any liquid, solid, vapor, gas, or thing having a pH lower than 6.0 or equal to or greater than 12.5, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, or to any personnel operating, maintaining, repairing, or constructing said sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, or working in or about the sanitary sewer system.
(b) 
Any industrial user that violates any of the corrosive matter limits shall resample and submit sample reports for all pollutants in violation of any applicable permit limits or any other pollutants as required by the Director within thirty (30) days of becoming aware of the violation.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 13, 1-11-2022)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any substance of any kind whatsoever that results in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the sanitary sewer system in a quantity that may cause acute health and/or safety problems for workers in the sanitary sewer system.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any industrial waste containing any of the following toxic substances exceeding the concentrations set forth in Table A.
(b) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any toxic or poisonous substances or any other pollutant, including biochemical oxygen demand, in sufficient quantity to:
(1) 
Injure or cause an interference with the sewage treatment process or pass through the plant;
(2) 
Constitute a hazard to humans or animals;
(3) 
Create a hazard for humans or aquatic life in any waters receiving effluent from the sanitary sewer system; or
(4) 
Create a hazard in the use or disposal of sewage sludge.
(c) 
All samples, including grab and composite, may be used to evaluate compliance with the limits in Table A.
(d) 
Any industrial user that violates any of the interfering substances limits must resample and submit sample reports for all pollutants in violation of any applicable limits or any other pollutants as required by the Director within thirty (30) days of becoming aware of the violation.
TABLE A
INTERFERING SUBSTANCES
Toxic Substance
Standard Discharger Maximum
Low Flow Discharger Maximum
Antimony
5.0 mg/l
5.0 mg/l
Arsenic
1.0 mg/l
1.0 mg/l
Beryllium
0.75 mg/l
0.75 mg/l
Cadmium
0.7 mg/l
0.7 mg/l
Chromium, total
1.0 mg/l
1.0 mg/l
Copper
2.3 mg/l
2.7 mg/l
Cyanide, total
0.5 mg/l
0.5 mg/l
Lead
0.4 mg/l
0.4 mg/l
Mercury
0.010 mg/l
0.010 mg/l
Nickel
0.5 mg/l
2.6 mg/l
Phenols, total
30.0 mg/l
30.0 mg/l
Selenium
1.0 mg/l
1.0 mg/l
Silver
0.7 mg/l
0.7 mg/l
Zinc
2.6 mg/l
2.6 mg/l
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 14, 1-11-2022)
No industrial user shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any way use diluting waters as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment, or to meet local limits or achieve compliance with a discharge limitation unless expressly authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any liquid containing suspended solids or dissolved matter of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle, process, or treat such matter at the plant.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any solid, liquid, vapor, gas, or thing that is so malodorous or noxious that its discharge into the sanitary sewer system would cause a public nuisance.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged any radioactive waste into the sanitary sewer system, except that:
(a) 
Persons authorized to use radioactive materials by the State Department of Health Services or other governmental agency empowered to regulate the use of radioactive materials may discharge, cause to be discharged, or permit to be discharged such wastes; provided, that such wastes are discharged in strict conformance with the California radiation control regulations (California Code of Regulations, Title 17, Division 1, Chapter 5, Subchapter 4 (entitled "Radiation") et seq.) and Federal regulations and recommendations for safe disposal of such radioactive wastes; and
(b) 
The person so acting does so in compliance with all applicable rules and regulations of all other regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over such discharges.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any wastewater with objectionable color not removed in the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, deposit, throw, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged, deposited, or thrown into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, (1) any garbage, (2) any fruit, vegetable, or animal material, and/or (3) any other solid material from any food-processing plant (or any other industrial plant or retail grocery store), irrespective of whether or not it shall have been first passed through a mechanical grinder.
(b) 
No person shall install, operate, use, or maintain upon the premises of any food-processing plant (or any other industrial plant or retail grocery store) any mechanical grinder or waste grinder that is connected directly or indirectly to the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof.
(c) 
No person shall discharge, deposit, throw, or cause, allow, or permit to be discharged, deposited, or thrown into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any garbage, or fruit, vegetable, animal, or other solid kitchen waste material resulting from the preparation of any food or drinks in any dwelling, restaurant, or eating establishment, unless the same shall have first been passed through a mechanical garbage or waste grinder in conformance with the provisions of the Plumbing and Electrical Code of the City.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
Any food service establishment, or other type of business or establishment where grease or other viscous, obstructing, or objectionable materials may be discharged into a public or private sewage main or disposal system, shall have a grease control device and related plumbing of a size and design approved by the Director.
(1) 
Grease interceptors shall meet the following minimum requirements:
(A) 
Designed retention time of no less than thirty (30) minutes.
(B) 
The effluent from the device must flow through an approved sample box.
(C) 
Installed per manufacturer's specifications.
(D) 
At least two manholes, situated so all standpipes can be fully observed, and all internal surfaces can be reached, without confined space entry.
(E) 
Double-sweep cleanouts, on the interceptor inlet, and sample box outlet.
(F) 
Shall meet the specifications and be constructed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 15.35 SCCC.
(2) 
Grease traps shall meet the following minimum requirements:
(A) 
No injection ports for chemicals or bacteria.
(B) 
Installed per manufacturer's specifications.
(C) 
Appropriate flow restrictors, whether integral or external to the device, must be installed.
(D) 
Shall meet the specifications and be constructed in accordance with the applicable provisions of Chapter 15.35 SCCC.
(3) 
Mechanical grease removal devices shall be installed in accordance with manufacturers' specifications.
(b) 
Each grease control device shall be so installed and connected that it shall be at all times easily accessible for visual inspection, sampling, cleaning and removal of grease and other matter from all surfaces.
(c) 
A grease control device shall be situated on the discharger's premises, except when such a location would be impractical or cause undue hardship on the discharger, the City may issue an encroachment permit to allow the grease control device to be installed in the public street or sidewalk area and located so that it will not be obstructed by landscaping or parked vehicles.
(d) 
Waste discharged from fixtures and equipment in establishments which may contain grease or other objectionable materials including, but not limited to, scullery sinks, pot and pan sinks, dishwashers, food waste disposals, soup kettles, and floor drains located in areas where such objectionable materials may exist, may be drained into the sanitary sewer through the grease control device if approved by the Director; provided, however, that toilets, urinals, wash basins, and other fixtures containing fecal material shall not flow through the grease control device.
(e) 
Grease control devices shall be maintained in efficient operating condition by periodic removal of the accumulated grease. The use of chemicals, bacteria, enzymes, or other additives that have the effect of emulsifying or dissolving grease is prohibited unless specifically authorized by the Director in writing. No accumulated grease shall be introduced into any drainage piping or public or private sewer.
(f) 
Grease control devices shall be cleaned on a sufficient frequency to prevent objectionable odors, surcharge of the grease control device, or interference with the operation of the sanitary sewer system.
(1) 
Grease traps shall be cleaned at least once every thirty (30) days.
(2) 
Grease interceptors shall be cleaned once every ninety (90) days.
(3) 
Mechanical grease removal devices must be maintained in a manner and frequency consistent with manufacturer specifications and guidance.
(4) 
Grease control devices shall be cleaned when their last chamber is filled to twenty-five percent (25%) or more of capacity with grease or settled solids. Grease interceptors with a sample box shall be cleaned immediately when grease is evident in the sample box.
(5) 
Grease control devices shall be cleaned by being pumped dry and all accumulated sludge on all surfaces shall be removed by washing down the sides, baffles and tees. No water removed from the device during cleaning shall be returned to the grease control device.
(g) 
The Director may grant an exception to the requirements of subsections (f)(1) and (2) of this section where the Director finds, based on evidence presented by the discharger, that a less frequent cleaning schedule will be sufficient to assure that not more than twenty-five percent (25%) of the capacity of the grease control device will be filled with grease or settled solids.
(h) 
All dischargers shall implement best management practices in their operations to minimize the discharge of grease to the sanitary sewer system.
(i) 
Dischargers shall maintain records on site for a period of at least three years as follows:
(1) 
Dischargers with an installed grease control device shall maintain records showing that the grease control device has been properly maintained and cleaned as required by subsections (e) and (f) of this section; and
(2) 
Food service establishments shall maintain records showing the following related to all grease hauled off site: date and time material removed off site, volume removed, hauler name, truck license number, type of grease removed, and final destination of material collected.
(j) 
Abandoned grease control devices shall be emptied and filled as required for abandoned septic tanks.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
(a) 
Except as provided in subsections (b) and (c) of this section, no person shall discharge, cause, allow or permit any discharge to the sanitary sewer system from a dental vacuum system, unless such discharge has first been processed through an amalgam separator.
(b) 
For each dental vacuum system installed prior to July 1, 2009, an amalgam separator shall be installed on or before December 31, 2010. No dental vacuum system shall be installed on or after January 31, 2009, without an amalgam separator. Proof of certification and installation records shall be submitted to the Director within ninety (90) days of installation.
(c) 
A dental vacuum system may be operated without an amalgam separator; provided, that the system is not used in connection with the removal or placement of fillings that contain dental amalgam, except in limited emergency or unplanned, unanticipated circumstances, and the system is used exclusively by the following types of dental practices: (1) oral pathology, (2) oral and maxillofacial radiology, (3) oral and maxillofacial surgery, (4) orthodontics, (5) periodontics, or (6) prosthodontics.
(d) 
Amalgam separators shall be maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations. Installation, certification, and maintenance records shall be maintained for a minimum of five years and available for immediate inspection upon request therefor by the Director or designee during normal business hours.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012; Ord. 2039 § 15, 1-11-2022)
(a) 
No person shall discharge, cause, allow, or permit to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any garbage, or any fruit, vegetable, animal, or other solid industrial waste resulting from the processing, packaging, or canning of fruits, vegetables, or other foods or products, unless such waste has first been passed through screens having openings not exceeding one thirty-second (1/32) of an inch in dimension.
(b) 
The Director may authorize, in writing, the discharge into the sanitary sewer system of such waste if it is first passed through screens having larger openings, if the Director is satisfied that such larger openings will provide screening efficiency and effectiveness equal to or better than that provided by the above-specified openings of one thirty-second (1/32) of an inch in dimension.
(c) 
Each person who discharges, causes, allows, or permits to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system, or any part thereof, any such waste shall install and maintain in good operating order, screens as hereinabove specified and appurtenances thereto, including, but not limited to, all necessary conveyors and elevators, all in sufficient quantity and of sufficient size and quality to continuously and effectively screen not less than one hundred percent (100%) of the peak hydraulic and solids loading imposed on such screens and appurtenances during any processing period.
(d) 
No person shall discharge any such screened waste into the sanitary sewer system, or any part of the system, unless and until he/she has obtained a wastewater discharge permit pursuant to this chapter granting approval to do so. Before a wastewater discharge permit is granted, the Director may require that such person provide to the Director a report prepared by a registered professional engineer verifying, to the satisfaction of the Director, that the provisions of this section have been fully complied with.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)
No person shall enter or remain upon any sanitary sewer manholes, cleanouts, or any appurtenances thereto, or any other property owned or controlled by the Water and Sewer Utilities Department without the consent of the Director.
(Ord. 1901 § 2, 11-27-2012)