No user shall contribute or cause to be contributed, directly or indirectly, an incompatible pollutant or wastewater which will interfere with the operation or performance of the POTW. These general prohibitions apply to all such users of a POTW whether or not the user is subject to National Categorical Pretreatment Standards or any other national, State, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into any sanitary sewer any storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or uncontaminated industrial process water.
Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers, or natural outlets approved by the City Manager. Industrial cooling water or uncontaminated process waters may be discharged on approval of the City Manager into combined sewers, storm sewers or natural outlets.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following into any public sewer:
(A)
Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are, or may be, sufficient either alone or by interaction with other substances to cause fire or explosion or be injurious in any other way to the POTW or to the operation of the POTW. At no time shall two (2) successive readings on an explosion hazard meter, at the point of discharge into the system (or at any point in the system), be more than five percent (5%) nor any single reading over ten percent (10%) of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the meter. Prohibited materials include, but are not limited to, gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethers, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, peroxides, chlorates, perchlorates, bromates, carbides, hydrides and sulfides and any other substance which the City, the State, or EPA has notified the user is a fire hazard or a hazard to the system.
(B)
Solid or viscous substances which may cause obstruction to the flow in a sewer or other interference with the operation of the wastewater treatment facilities such as, but not limited to: grease, garbage with particles greater than one-half inch (1/2") in any dimension, animal guts or tissues, paunch manure, bones, hair, hides or fleshings, entrails, whole blood, feathers, ashes, cinders, sand, spent lime, stone or marble dust, 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 lubrication oil, mud or glass grinding or polishing wastes.
(C)
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 to exceed the limitation set forth in a categorical pretreatment standard.
(D)
Any noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, or solids which either singly or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create a public nuisance or hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair.
(E)
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; any criteria, guidelines or regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, or State or local criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used and the sludge disposal site.
(F)
Any substance which will cause the POTW to violate its NPDES and/or State Disposal System permit or the receiving water quality standards.
(G)
Any wastewater with objectionable color not removed in the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(H)
Any wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case shall wastewater with a temperature at the introduction into the POTW sanitary sewer system which exceeds one hundred thirty degrees (130°) Fahrenheit be discharged.
(I)
Any pollutants, including oxygen demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which a user knows or has reason to know will cause interference to the POTW. In no case shall a slug load have a flow rate or contain concentration or quantities of pollutants that exceed for any time period longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty-four (24) hour flow, concentration, or quantities, during normal operation.
(J)
Any wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the City Manager in compliance with all applicable State or Federal regulations.
(K)
Any wastewater which causes a hazard to human life or creates a public nuisance.
(L)
Any wastewater in such a quantity as to exceed the capacity allowed in the user’s wastewater discharge permit.
When the City Manager determines that a user is contributing to the POTW, any of the above enumerated substances in such amounts as to interfere with the operation of the POTW the City Manager shall:
(A)
Advise the user of the impact of the contribution on the POTW;
(B)
Develop interim and ultimate effluent limitation(s) for such user to correct within a compliance time schedule the interference with the POTW; and
(C)
In such an event where excessive flow discharge from a user presents a risk of sewer overflow, the City shall install a flow restriction device on the user’s discharge sewer at the user’s expense to limit the maximum flow rate to that provided for in the user wastewater discharge permit. The City Manager may pursue as well any and all enforcement actions described in this Chapter.
Whenever deemed necessary by the City Manager, the owner shall, at his or her own expense, provide such pretreatment or take such other measures as shall be required in order to reduce or eliminate objectionable waste characteristics or to reduce the volume of discharge of waters or wastes being deposited in the POTW sanitary sewer.
In the event pretreatment or special facilities are required to make the industrial wastes acceptable as provided under this Section, the owner shall be required to furnish a compliance schedule and plans, approved prior to construction, showing the method of collection and pretreatment proposed to be used. An interim operating permit shall not be issued until said compliance schedule, plans or modifications thereof have been approved by the City Manager. All such facilities shall then be installed in conformity with the aforementioned plans and other City codes or regulations.
Fats, oils, grease and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the City Manager, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease, flammable waste, sand or other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the City Manager and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Failure to clean or maintain interceptors shall be grounds for discontinuance of service or other punitive action as provided in this Chapter. Specific requirements for fats, oils, and grease control are covered in Article 13 of this Chapter. Any use which requires a grease separator or trap is classified as a significant user for permit purposes under this Chapter.
In plants processing fruits, vegetables and similar produce, screens shall be provided when, in the opinion of the City Manager, they are necessary to reduce the concentration of objectionable materials in the public sewers. Screens shall be of a type and capacity approved by the City Manager and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Failure to clean or maintain screens shall be grounds for discontinuance of service or other punitive action as provided in this Chapter.
All measurements, tests and analysis of characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this Chapter shall be made and determined in accordance with the latest edition of the “Standard Methods of Examination of Water and Waste Water” published by the American Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole or with samples taken from the control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been provided, the control manhole shall be the nearest downstream manhole. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of the constituents on the sewer and to determine the existence of dangers or hazards to public health, safety and welfare.
(A)
No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of:
Toxicant | Maximum Total Concentration Allowable Milligrams per Liter |
|---|---|
Arsenic | 2.00 mg/L |
Cadmium | 1.00 mg/L |
Chlorinated hydrocarbons. | 0.50 mg/L |
Chromium, total | 2.00 mg/L |
Copper | 3.30 mg/L |
Cyanides | 1.20 mg/L |
Lead | 1.00 mg/L |
Mercury | 0.05 mg/L |
Nickel | 4.00 mg/L |
Phenolic compounds | 10.00 mg/L |
Silver | 1.00 mg/L |
Total toxic organics, excluding phenols | 2.10 mg/L |
Zinc | 5.00 mg/L |
(B)
No person shall discharge any wastewater:
(1)
Containing more than one hundred (100) parts per million (ppm), by weight, of oil or grease of petroleum origin; containing more than two hundred (200) ppm, by weight, of fat, oil, or grease of animal or vegetable origin; or which contains grease or oil or other substances that will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperatures between thirty-two degrees (32°) to one hundred thirty degrees (130°) Fahrenheit.
(2)
Having a pH lower than 6.0 or greater than 10.5.
(C)
Effluent limitations promulgated by the Federal Act shall apply in any instance where they are more stringent than those in this Section. Furthermore, State requirements and limitations on discharges shall apply in any case where they are more stringent than Federal requirements and limitations or those in this Chapter.
(D)
The limitations on wastewater strength in this Section may be supplemented with more stringent limitations:
(E)
The collection of samples of wastewater for the measurement of constituents controlled by this Section shall be at the end of the industrial process sewer line and prior to the mixing of diluting waters.
Upon the promulgation of the Federal 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 Chapter. Although the City Manager will endeavor to notify all affected users of the applicable reporting requirements under 40 CFR Section 403.12, if the City Manager does not, this does not relieve the users of the responsibility of knowing and complying with the latest applicable Federal Categorical Pretreatment Standards and reporting requirements.
Where the City’s wastewater treatment system achieves consistent removal of pollutants limited by Federal pretreatment standards, the City may apply to the approval authority for modification of specific limits in the Federal pretreatment standards. “Consistent removal” shall mean reduction in the amount of a pollutant or alteration of the nature of the pollutant by the wastewater treatment system to a less toxic or harmless state in the effluent which is achieved by the system ninety-five percent (95%) of the samples taken when measured according to the procedures set forth in Section 403.7(c)(2) of Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Part 403 – “General Pretreatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution” promulgated pursuant to the Act. The City may then modify pollutant discharge limits in the Federal pretreatment standards if the requirements contained in 40 CFR, Part 403, Section 403.7, are fulfilled and prior approval from the approval authority is obtained.
When charges and fees are based upon the water usage, such charges and fees shall be applied against the total amount of water used from all sources, unless, in the sole and exclusive opinion of the City Manager, significant portions of water received are not discharged to a City sewer. The total amount of water used from public and private sources will be determined by means of public meters or private meters, installed and maintained at the expense of the user and approved by the City.
When charges and fees are based upon water usage and when, in the sole and exclusive opinion of the City Manager, a significant portion of the water received from any metered source does not flow into the POTW sanitary sewer system because of the principal activity of the user or removal by other means, the user charges and fees will be applied against the volume of wastewater discharged from such premises into the POTW sanitary sewer system. Written notification and proof of the diversion of water must be provided by the user and approved by the City if the user is to avoid the application of the charges and fees against the total amount of water used from all sources. The user may install a flow meter of a type and at a location approved by the City and at the user’s expense. Such meters shall measure either the amount of wastewater discharged or the amount of water diverted. Such meters shall be maintained at the expense of the user and be tested for accuracy at the expense of the user when deemed necessary by the City Manager.
[1]
Code reviser’s note: The following language was added at the request of the City:
Section 3.20 Accidental Discharges.
Each user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials or other substances regulated by this Chapter. Facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the owner’s or user’s own cost and expense. Detailed plans showing facilities and operating procedures to provide this protection shall be submitted to the City for review, and shall be approved by the City before construction of the facility. No user who commences contribution to the POTW after the effective date of the ordinance codified in the Chapter shall be permitted to introduce pollutants into the system until accidental discharge procedures have been approved by the City. Review and approval of such plans and operating procedures shall not relieve the industrial user from the responsibility to modify the user’s facility as necessary to meet the requirements of this Chapter. In the case of an accidental discharge, it is the responsibility of the user to immediately telephone and notify the POTW of the incident. The notification shall include location of discharge, type of waste, concentration and volume, and corrective actions.
Within five (5) days following an accidental discharge, the user shall submit to the City Manager a detailed written report describing the cause of the discharge and the measures to be taken by the user to prevent similar future occurrences. Such notification shall not relieve the user of any expense, loss, damage, or other liability which may be incurred as a result of damage to the POTW, ground water, or any other damage to person or property; nor shall such notification relieve the user of any fines, civil penalties, or other liability which may be imposed by this Article or other applicable law.
A notice shall be permanently posted on the user’s bulletin board or other prominent place advising employees whom to call in the event of a dangerous discharge. Employers shall ensure that all employees who may cause or suffer such a dangerous discharge to occur are advised of the emergency notification procedure.