No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process water to any sanitary sewer.
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the WPCA or its designated representative. Uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of the WPCA or its designated representative and DEP to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any pollutant or wastewater which will interfere with the operation or performance of the WPCF. These general prohibitions apply to all such users of a WPCF whether or not the user is subject to National Categorical Pretreatment Standards or any other federal or state pretreatment standards or requirements. A user shall not contribute the following substances to any WPCF:
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 WPCF or to the operation of the WPCF. At no time shall two successive readings on an explosion hazard meter, at the point of discharge into the sewage collection system (or at any point in the system), be more than 5% nor any single reading over 10% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the meter.
B. 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas.
C. 
Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the WPCF, or to exceed the limitation set forth in a categorical pretreatment standard. A toxic pollutant shall include but not be limited to any pollutant identified pursuant to Section 307(a) of the Act.
D. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the WPCF. The upper limit of pH for any industrial wastewater discharge shall be established under the discharger's state discharge permit.
E. 
Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the WPCF such as, but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground or garbage grinders.
F. 
Any noxious or malodorous sewage, gases, or solids which either singly or by interaction with other sewage are sufficient to prevent entry into the public sewers for their maintenance and repair.
G. 
Any substance which may cause the WPCF's effluent or any other product of the WPCF, such as residues, sludges, or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation process where the WPCF is pursuing a reuse and reclamation program. In no case shall a substance discharged to the WPCF cause the facility 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 Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, or state criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used.
H. 
Any substance which will cause a WPCF to violate its NPDES permit or the receiving water quality standards.
I. 
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the wastewater treatment effluent cannot meet the requirements of DEP, which has jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
J. 
Any water or wastes which, by interaction with other water or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, form suspended solids which interfere with the collection system, or create a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes or which may cause the effluent limitations of the DEP permit for the wastewater treatment plant to be exceeded.
The following described substances, materials, waters, or waste shall be limited in discharges to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process, or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream or will not otherwise endanger life, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The WPCA or its designated representative may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the regulations below, if in his opinion they are necessary to meet the above objectives. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the WPCA or its designated representative will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment process, capacity of the sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of wastes or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be violated without approval of the WPCA or its designated representative are as follows:
A. 
Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150° F. (65° C.).
B. 
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease, or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l floatable oil not to exceed 20 mb/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32° F. and 150° F. (0° C. and 65° C.) and free in excess of 25 mb/l.
C. 
Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat, or grease.
D. 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded (see the definition of "properly shredded garbage" in Article II, § 264-2). Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments, or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers.
E. 
Any waters or wastes containing metallic ions and salts thereof, including but not limited to iron, chromium, copper, zinc, cyanides, nickel, lead, tin, silver, mercury, and similar objectionable or toxic substances, whether neutralized or not, or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement will be subject to the following: submission of technical information and appropriate engineering data to the DEP regarding the nature and strength of the proposed waste, including appropriate pretreatment, if necessary, to be reviewed and approved by DEP prior to initiation of the discharge.
F. 
Any waters or wastes containing odor-producing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the WPCA or its designated representative.
G. 
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the WPCA or its designated representative in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
H. 
Materials which exert or cause:
(1) 
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, line slurries, and lime residues) or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate).
(2) 
Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions).
(3) 
Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the WPCF.
(4) 
Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting "slugs" as defined herein.
I. 
Overflow from holding tanks or other receptacles storing organic wastes.
J. 
Sewage with concentrations of pollutants in excess of the following limits:
Pollutant
Concentration
(parts/million mg/l)
Arsenic as As
0.05
Barium as Ba
5.0
Boron as Bo
5.0
Cyanides as CN (amenable)
0.1
Fluride as F
20.Q
Chromium (total)
1.0
Chromium (Cr + 6)
0.1
Magnesium as Mg
100.0
Manganese as MN
5.0
Copper as Cu
1.0
Zinc as Zn
1.0
Cadmium
0.1
Lead
0.1
Tin
2.0
Silver
0.1
Mercury
0.01
Nickel
1.0
NOTE: All metals are to be measured as total metals.
A. 
If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged, to the public sewers, which waters or wastes contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in § 264-30 of this article, and which in the judgment of the WPCA or its designated representative may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the WPCA or its designated representative may:
(1) 
Reject the discharge of the waters or wastes;
(2) 
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(3) 
Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(4) 
Require additional payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes.
B. 
If the WPCA or its designated representative permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances, and laws. The WPCA or its designated representative shall have the right to reject the discharge of any water or wastes; or require more stringent effluent limitations than required by the user's Section 22a-430 permit.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
Grease, oil, and gross particle separators shall be provided when, in the opinion of the WPCA or its designated representative, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients; except that such separators shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All separators shall be of a type and capacity approved by the WPCA or its designated representative, and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In maintaining these separators, the owner shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates and means of disposal, which are subject to review by the DEP. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials shall be performed by a waste disposal firm which possesses a valid permit from the DEP under § 22a-454 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended.
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any wastes or waters, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
When required by the WPCA or its designated representative, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure, together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer, to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the WPCA or its designed representative. The sampling structure shall be located at a point along the industrial waste stream where a representative sample of the industrial wastewater may be obtained prior to its being diluted by domestic sewage in the building sewer. This structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him as to be safe and accessible at all times.
A. 
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control structure provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said control structure. In the event that no special structure has been required, the control structure shall be considered to be the nearest downstream structure in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. (The particular analyses involved will determine whether a twenty-four-hour composite of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four-hour composite of all outfalls, whereas pHs are determined from periodic grab samples.) Sampling methods, locations, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis subject to the stipulations and general conditions of the discharger's state discharge permit.
B. 
All industries discharging into a public sewer shall perform such monitoring of their discharges as required by the WPCA or its designated representative and/or by the DEP in any state discharge permit issued pursuant to § 22a-430 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, including, but not limited to, installation, use and maintenance of monitoring equipment, keeping records and reporting the results of such monitoring to the WPCA or its designated representative. Such records shall be made available upon request of the WPCA or its designated representative or other agencies having jurisdiction over discharges to the receiving waters.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
No requirement contained in this article shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the WPCA and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the WPCA for treatment, subject to payment therefor, by the industrial concern. No such agreements shall contravene any requirement of existing state or federal laws and are compatible with any user charge and industrial cost recovery system in effect.
Prior to initiating any type of industrial waste discharge to the sanitary sewer, the industrial or commercial concern must comply with all the requirements of the DEP, Water Compliance Unit, in obtaining a permit. These requirements include compliance with the provisions of § 22a-430 of the Connecticut General Statutes and the DEP regulations and procedures.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
Upon the promulgation of the federal categorical pretreatment standard for a particular industrial subcategory, the federal standard, if more stringent than limitations imposed under this chapter for sources in that subcategory, shall supersede the limitations imposed under this chapter.
No user shall increase the use of processed water in an attempt to dilute a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with the limitations contained in the federal categorical pretreatment standards, or in any other specific pollutant limitations which may be developed by the DEP.
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. The DEP may require that plans showing facilities and operating procedures be submitted for review and approval prior to construction of the facilities.
Within five days following an accidental discharge, the user shall submit to the WPCA or its designated representative and the DEP 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 WPCF, fish kills, aquatic plants, or any other damage to persons or property; nor shall such notification relieve the user of any fines, civil penalties, or other liability which may be imposed by this chapter 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 are advised of the emergency notification procedures.
Any industry in violation of the provisions of this chapter may have its disposal authorization terminated.