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Town of Union, NY
Broome County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
The provisions of this article shall apply exclusively to the discharge of industrial and other nonresidential wastes to any Town-owned public sewer which conveys wastewater to the Village of Endicott Sewage Treatment Plant.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
DISCHARGE PERMIT
A permit issued by the Commissioner of Public Works with the consent of the Endicott Superintendent of Public Works to an industry authorizing the discharge of industrial wastes into the public sewer system. Such consent shall be reflected by the affixing of the signatures of both officials on the permit for validation, and copies shall be kept on file in the offices of both the Town of Union and Village of Endicott.
NORMAL SEWAGE
Regarded as normal for the Town if analyses show, by weight, a daily average of not more than 400 parts per million of suspended solids, not more than 300 parts per million of BOD, not more than 50 parts per million of either soluble matter (grease or oil) each per million gallons of daily flow, no prohibited discharges and no other constituents in excess of the limits stipulated in this chapter.
SEWER FUND
The Endicott Joint Water Pollution Control bank account maintained by the Village of Endicott for the benefit of all parties in the sewer service area.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USER
An industry subject to promulgated categorical pretreatment standards which uses annually more than 10,000 pounds or 1,000 gallons of raw material containing priority pollutants of which a measurable amount is discharged from the process to the public sewer system and treatment plant, and as otherwise defined by NYSDEC and USEPA.
SUPERINTENDENT OF PUBLIC WORKS
The Superintendent and/or his authorized deputies, agents or representatives of the Village of Endicott responsible for the operation and maintenance of the sewage treatment plant under the provisions of the Environmental Conservation Law and the SPDES permit issued to the village thereunder.
VILLAGE
The Village of Endicott.
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any public sewer any of the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes:
(1) 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 104° F. or 40° C. In such cases, the Commissioner of Public Works may require installation, by the industry, of a temperature recorder in the receiving sewer.
(2) 
Any water or wastes which contains grease or oil or other substance that will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperature under 120° F.
(3) 
Any water or wastes containing emulsified oil and grease exceeding on analysis an average of 50 parts per million (417 pounds per million gallons) of either soluble matter.
(4) 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or mineral oil or any other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
(5) 
Any water or wastes that contain more than two parts per million by weight of the following gases: hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide or oxides of nitrogen.
(6) 
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rubber, rags, feathers, tar, fleshings, entrails, lime slurry, lime residues, beer or distillery slops, chemical residues, paint residues, cannery waste, bulk solids or any solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage plant.
(7) 
Any water or wastes that contain phenols in such quantity that the aggregate of contributions throughout the area of service creates treatment difficulties or produces a plant effluent which may be unsatisfactory.
(8) 
Any waters or wastes, acid or alkaline in reaction and having corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage plant. Free acids and alkalis of such wastes must be neutralized, at all times, within a permissible range of pH between 6.0 and 9.0.
(9) 
Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process or sludge disposal, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or create any hazard in the receiving waters or stormwater overflows or the effluent of the sewage treatment plant, including the meeting of SPDES effluent criteria.
(10) 
Any water or wastes containing the discharge of strong acid iron pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
(11) 
Any waters containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual provision, attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
(12) 
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance which, either singly or by interaction with any waste, is capable of creating a hazard or menace to life or property or of preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance and repair.
(13) 
Any radioactive substances, without special permit, to be applied for and issued in the same manner as set forth in § 165-6.
(14) 
Any waters or wastes that for a duration of 15 minutes have a concentration greater than five times that of normal sewage as measured by suspended solids and BOD.
(15) 
Any concentrated dye wastes, spent tanning solutions or other wastes which are highly colored or wastes which are of unusual volume, concentration of solids or composition, as for example:
(a) 
Total suspended solids of inert nature, such as fuller's earth;
(b) 
Total dissolved solids, such as sodium chloride, calcium chloride, or sodium sulphate; and/or
(c) 
Unusual BOD.
(16) 
Any waters or wastes which, by interaction with other water wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases or develop color of undesirable intensity or form suspended solids in objectionable concentration or create any other condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes.
(17) 
Any garbage other than garbage properly shredded by garbage grinders approved by the Commissioner of Public Works.
(18) 
Any wastes which will cause interference, as defined by 40 CFR 403.3, with the sewage collection and treatment system.
B. 
Concentrations.
(1) 
Notwithstanding the provisions of § 165-27, any discharge into the public sewer of wastes whose concentration exceeds the following pollutant limits is prohibited:
Substance
Limit
(milligrams per liter)
Arsenic
0.68
Cadmium
0.27
Chromium
0.80
Copper
0.90
Cyanide
0.26
Iron
5.00
Lead
0.23
Nickel
1.00
Silver
0.13
Zinc
0.80
(2) 
At no time shall the maximum measured concentration exceed five times the average thirty-day concentration limits specified above.
(3) 
Average concentration means a twenty-four-hour composite sample; instantaneous stands for a grab sample.
(4) 
Upon promulgation of each federal categorical pretreatment standard for a particular industrial subcategory, the federal standard, if more stringent than limitations imposed under this chapter, shall immediately supersede those limitations for that particular industrial subcategory. The Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works will notify all affected users of the EPA's promulgation of new pretreatment standards which shall have full force and effect as if written in this chapter. All other local law limits affecting other users shall remain in effect.
C. 
Any industry discharging more than 10,000 gallons per day into the public sewer system shall be required to obtain a discharge permit in the same manner as set forth in § 165-4 and install a sewer flow meter at each connection to the public sewer. Said flow meter shall record the total gallonage passing through the meter and shall be of a manufacture approved by the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works. Responsibility for keeping said flow meter in continuous, efficient operating order shall rest with the owner and/or operator of the industry discharging the sewage, all at his expense.
D. 
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having the following characteristics shall be prohibited:
(1) 
A BOD of more than 300 parts per million;
(2) 
A suspended solids content greater than 400 parts per million;
(3) 
A quantity of substance having the characteristics described in § 165-27; or
(4) 
Pollutants exceeding the limits prescribed in § 165-27.
E. 
Where pretreatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner, at his expense, and shall be subject to periodic inspection by the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works. They must produce an effluent conforming to the provisions of this chapter.
(1) 
The owner shall maintain operating records and shall submit to the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works a monthly summary report of the character of the influent and effluent as may be prescribed by the Commissioner of Public Works to show satisfactory performance of the treatment facilities. No subsequent alterations and additions to such pretreatment facilities shall be made without prior approval of the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works.
(2) 
The Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Superintendent of Public Works of the Village shall have the absolute right to inspect and copy all applicable user records, during regular business hours, in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 403.12(n). The Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Superintendent of Public Works of the Village shall have the authority to require submission of comprehensive compliance monitoring and progress reports in accordance with the requirements of 40 CFR 403.12. Whenever required reports involve the submission of industrial information which is classified as confidential by the industry so required to report said information, said industry shall submit such information with a request that it be excepted from the application of Article 6 of the Public Officers Law of the State of New York, which relates to freedom of information. The request shall be made when the information is submitted according to the requirements of § 89, Subdivision 5 of said Article 6 of the Public Officers Law and shall be dealt with and thereafter handled and managed pursuant to the provisions of § 89, Subdivision 5 of said law. The requirements hereinbefore set forth shall apply for all applications and reports and progress reports required under this chapter.
F. 
Any approval of the Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works of a type, kind or capacity of an installation shall not relieve the owner of the responsibility of revamping, enlarging or otherwise modifying an installation if it is found inadequate to accomplish the intended purpose.
G. 
All measures, tests and analysis of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made herein shall be determined in accordance with standard methods for the examination of water and wastewater or as otherwise prescribed by the NYSDEC/USEPA standards for analyses of pollutants and shall be determined at a control manhole provided for herein upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
H. 
Prevention and monitoring.
(1) 
If wastewaters containing any substance described in Article IV of this chapter are discharged or proposed to be discharged into the local sewer system or into the Endicott Sewage Treatment Plant, the Commissioner of Public Works, in concert with the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works, may take any action necessary to:
(a) 
Prohibit the discharge of such wastewater.
(b) 
Require a discharger to demonstrate that in-plant modifications will reduce or eliminate the discharge of such substances in conformity with this chapter.
(c) 
Require pretreatment, including storage facilities or flow equalization, necessary to reduce or eliminate the objectionable characteristics or substances so that the discharge will not violate this chapter.
(d) 
Require the person making, causing or allowing the discharge to pay any additional cost or expense incurred for handling and treating excess loads imposed on the local sewer system and the Endicott sewage treatment plant.
(e) 
Take such other remedial action as may be deemed to be desirable or necessary to achieve the purpose of this chapter.
(2) 
Self-monitoring reports shall be submitted by significant industrial users and shall include information on slug loadings that may interfere with or disrupt the process operation at the sewage treatment plant. These will be reviewed by the monitoring and enforcement group. Falsification of information will be subject to penalties as determined by these regulations, to the extent provided by law.
I. 
Each industrial user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited materials or other regulated wastes. Facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the owner/operator's own cost and expense. Detailed plans showing facilities and operating procedures to provide this protection shall be submitted to the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works and shall be approved by them before construction of the facility. Review and approval of such plans and operating procedures shall not relieve the industrial user from the responsibility to modify his facility as necessary to meet the requirements of this chapter.
J. 
If, at any time, a facility has not complied with or will be unable to comply with any prohibition or limitations in this chapter, the facility responsible for such discharge shall immediately notify the Commissioner of Public Works, and the corrective action may be taken to protect the treatment plant. In addition, a written report addressed to the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works detailing the date, time and cause of such discharge, the quantity and characteristics of the discharge and corrective action taken to prevent future discharges shall be filed by the responsible industrial facility within five days of the occurrence of the noncomplying discharge.
A. 
The Commissioner of Public Works and other duly authorized officers and employees of the USEPA, NYSDEC, Village of Endicott and the Town bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter upon all private and public property for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, during any reasonable hour of the day or at any time during an emergency.
B. 
The Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works may cease wastewater treatment services by suspension of the discharge or special permit held by a user when in his opinion suspension is necessary to avert an actual or threatened discharge which presents or may present an imminent or substantial endangerment to the health or welfare of persons or to the environment or would cause interference with the POTW operation or cause a violation of the treatment plant SPDES permit.
C. 
Should a user fail to comply with the suspension notice, the Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works may take such steps as he deems necessary, including the immediate physical severance of the sewer connections to the public sewer system.
D. 
Services shall be restored upon proof of the elimination of the noncomplying discharge. Such proof shall be in the form of a written report by the user describing the causes of the condition and the measures taken to prevent future occurrences, followed by an inspection of the facility by the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works to verify such measures.
E. 
The Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works may suspend the permit of a user who violates the following conditions of this chapter or applicable state and federal regulations:
(1) 
Failure of a user to factually report the wastewater constituents and characteristics of its discharge.
(2) 
Failure of a user to report significant changes in operations and waste characteristics, as well as additions to pretreatment or flow control facilities.
(3) 
Refusal of reasonable access to the user's premises for the purpose of inspection or monitoring.
(4) 
Failure of a user to correct permit condition violations within the time designated by a notice of violation.
F. 
Nothing under this article shall be construed to reduce in any manner the power of the Commissioner of Public Works and the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works to refuse the acceptance of a discharge if in their opinion there is noncompliance with the provisions of this chapter.
A. 
Whenever the Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works determines that there are reasonable grounds to believe that there has been a violation of any provision of this chapter or of any rule or regulation adopted pursuant thereto, he shall give notice of such violation to the person or persons responsible therefor, as herein provided. Such notice:
(1) 
Shall be in writing.
(2) 
Shall include a statement of the reasons why it is being issued with reference to the sections of this chapter deemed to be violated.
(3) 
Shall allow a reasonable time for the performance of any act it requires, not to exceed 30 days.
(4) 
Shall be served upon the owner or his agent, and the occupant, as the case may be, either by registered or certified mail or by personal service.
(5) 
May also contain an outline of remedial action which if taken will effect compliance with the provisions of this chapter and/or with rules and regulations adopted pursuant thereto.
B. 
If the violation is not corrected by timely compliance, the Commissioner of Public Works and/or the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works may order any person who causes or allows an unauthorized discharge to show cause why service should not be terminated. A notice shall be served on the offending party specifying the time and place of a hearing to be held regarding the violation and directing the offending party to show cause why an order should not be made directing the termination of service. The notice of the hearing shall be served personally or by registered or certi-fied mail, return receipt requested, at least 10 days before the hearing. Notification may be made on any agent or officer of a corporation.
C. 
The Town and the village or the Town itself may conduct the hearing and take the evidence or may designate any of its members or any officer or employee to:
(1) 
Issue in the name of the Town and/or village notices of hearings requesting the attendance and testimony of witnesses and the production of evidence relevant to any matter involved in any such hearings.
(2) 
Take the evidence.
(3) 
Transmit a report of the evidence and hearing, including transcripts and other evidence, together with recommendations to the Town and/or village for action thereon.
D. 
At any order to show cause hearing, testimony taken before the hearing authority or any person designated by it must be under oath and recorded stenographically. The transcript, or any part thereof, so recorded will be made available to any member of the public upon payment of the cost of preparing the same. The Town and/or village, however, may, pursuant to law, order certain portions of the hearing to be held in private session. The transcript of any hearing held in private session will not be made available to members of the public, except as provided by law.
E. 
After the Town and/or village has reviewed the evidence, it may issue an order to the person responsible for the discharge directing that, following a specified time period, the person's discharge permit be revoked and that sewer service be discontinued, unless adequate pretreatment facilities, devices or other related appurtenances shall have been installed or existing pretreatment facilities, devices or other related appurtenances are properly operated, and such further orders and directives as necessary and appropriate are complied with.
F. 
Any continuance of a violation of the substantive provisions of this chapter shall be considered a public nuisance. If any person continues to discharge sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes into the public sewer system or into the Village of Endicott sewage treatment plant in violation of this chapter or any order of the Town and/or village, the governing body may commence an action for appropriate legal and/or equitable relief.
A. 
Except as may otherwise be determined through the legal process under pretreatment enforcement procedures, any person violating any provision of this chapter shall be liable to a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500 in amount or to imprisonment not exceeding 150 days, or to both such fine and imprisonment. Each day in which any violation of any provision of this chapter shall continue shall be deemed a separate violation. In addition, the Town may recover court costs, attorneys' fees and other litigation expenses against the person found in violation of the provisions of this chapter. Any person violating any provisions of this chapter shall also become liable to the Town for any expense, loss or damage sustained or incurred by the Town by reasons of such violation. All moneys received as payment of fines shall be deposited into the sewer fund.
B. 
Any person violating any provisions of this chapter shall become liable to the Town and/or village for any expense, loss or damage sustained or incurred by the Town and/or village by reasons of such violation. All moneys received as payment of damages related to the POTW shall be deposited into the sewer fund.
A. 
A user charge system shall be employed to provide for the recovery of costs from all users of the Endicott POTW based on measured sewage flows (or water consumption records), biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids and other pollutants for which costs of treatment and/or disposal can be assigned. Surcharges shall be applied for biochemical oxygen demand and suspended solids concentrations which exceed normal sewage limits. Costs to be recovered by the user charge system shall include the operation and maintenance of the sewage treatment plant and intercepting system, as defined in the agreements between the Village of Endicott, Town of Union and Town of Vestal, in addition to the pretreatment monitoring and enforcement program described in this chapter. Separate fee schedules shall be established for permit applications from industrial users.
B. 
The formulation of user charge rates will be determined semiannually by the POTW monitoring and enforcement group from actual operating data for the sewage treatment plant and intercepting sewers and the information obtained on each user of the system. For the first billing in a given fiscal year, user charge rates will be predicated upon operation and maintenance budget estimates for that fiscal year. For the final billing, user charge rates will be adjusted to reflect actual costs incurred by the Endicott POTW for the given fiscal year.
C. 
Debt service on capital expenditures and local sewer maintenance costs will not be included under the user charge cost recovery system.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original § 30-32D, regarding sewer use fees for Choconut Center, Fairmont Park and Westover, added 9-20-1995 by L.L. No. 11-1995, as amended, which immediately followed this subsection, was superseded 6-6-2001 by L.L. No. 3-2001. See now § 165-43.
A. 
Upon enactment of this chapter, every commercial business and industrial user, whether or not a significant industrial user, will be given six months to file for a waste discharge permit. A completed application shall contain the information that would be required to evaluate the industry's waste stream, in the case of an industry. In the case of a commercial business or other nonresidential nonindustrial user, the information required will address substances of concern as defined by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation. The forms for which the application is required shall contain all references to listed substances of concern or, in the case of industries, the contents of the waste stream as defined under the Environmental Conservation Law of the State of New York and by the Environmental Protection Agency through published rules and regulations as amended at the time of the application. Based on information presented in the completed application the monitoring and enforcement group will decide whether:
(1) 
Discharges are subject to a surcharge.
(2) 
Discharges require pretreatment.
(3) 
Discharges may be self-monitored.
(4) 
Further waste discharge investigation is necessary.
(5) 
Permits will require renewal annually.
B. 
Applicants for an industrial/commercial wastewater discharge permit shall complete a prescribed form available at the Commissioner of Public Works office or the Village of Endicott Department of Public Works office. The application will be approved if the applicant has complied with all applicable requirements of this chapter.
C. 
Users required to file for a discharge permit or special permit shall complete and file an application with the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works, copy to the Commissioner of Public Works, accompanied by a fee as set from time to time by resolution of the Town Board, for each connection to the public sewer system from the user's facilities, in the case of significant industrial users. For the purposes of this section, a "significant industrial user" includes:
(1) 
All industries subject to promulgated categorical pretreatment standards.
(2) 
Industries having substantial impact, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, on the operation of the treatment works.
(3) 
Manufacturing industries using on an annual basis more than 10,000 pounds or 1,000 gallons of raw material containing priority pollutants/substances of concern and discharging immeasurable amount of these pollutants to the sewer system from the process using these pollutants.
(4) 
Those industries discharging more than 5% of the flow or load carried by the treatment plant receiving the waste.
D. 
No fee shall be charged to any nonresidential commercial business user which does not qualify as a significant industrial user as herein defined. Should pretreatment or other operational controls be determined as necessary by the monitoring and enforcement group in order to comply with the provisions of this chapter or USEPA national categorical standards as they are promulgated, a waste discharge permit may be issued conditionally providing sufficient time for the user to commence proceedings for the design, construction and approval of a suitable pretreatment facility or other operational controls meeting the prescribed standards. Such conditional permit shall require renewal every six months wherein satisfactory progress on the implementation of the facility construction shall be demonstrated. Where progress is unsatisfactory to the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works, he may delay issuance of a renewal permit until satisfactory progress is demonstrated. Each day the user discharges wastes without a valid permit constitutes a violation of this chapter.
E. 
Within six months of the promulgation of a national categorical pretreatment standard, the discharge permits of users subject to such standard shall be revised to comply with the limits specified therein within the time frame set forth by such standard. Users shall have 90 days thereafter to submit new permit applications to the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works which shall include a report on the disposition of pollutants in their waste streams so affected and, if necessary, a schedule for the construction of pretreatment facilities or other operational controls for meeting the prescribed standard. Conditional permits may be issued as in § 165-32.
F. 
Discharge permits shall be expressly subject to all provisions of this chapter and all other applicable regulations, user charges, compliance schedules, reports and other conditions deemed appropriate by the Village of Endicott Superintendent of Public Works.
G. 
Discharge permits shall require renewal annually. At least one month shall be allowed for processing and issuing of renewal permits. All users required to have discharge permits shall have a valid permit in continuous effect at all times. Each day's lapse constitutes a separate violation of this chapter.
H. 
Discharge permits are issued to specific users for specific operations. Permits shall not be assigned, transferred or sold to a new owner, new user, a different premises or to a new or changed operation. Each new owner shall be required to apply for a new discharge permit within 60 days of assuming ownership but prior to commencing waste discharges from an interrupted or modified operation.