(A) Scope and Purpose. To aid in the prevention of sanitary sewer blockages and obstructions from the contributions and accumulation of fats, oils, and greases into said sewer system from industrial, commercial and institutional establishments, particularly food preparation and serving facilities.
(B) Definitions.
(1) Fats, oils, and greases. Organic polar compounds derived from animal and/or plant sources that contain multiple carbon chain triglyceride molecules. These substances are detectable and measurable using analytical test procedures in 40 CFR 136, as may be amended from time to time. All are sometimes referred to herein as "grease" or "greases."
(2) Grease trap or interceptor. A device for separating and retaining waterborne greases and grease complexes prior to the wastewater exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. These devices also serve to collect settleable solids, generated by and from food preparation activities, prior to the water exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. Grease traps and interceptors are sometimes referred to herein as "grease interceptors."
(3) Cooking establishments. Those establishments primarily engaged in activities of preparing, serving, or otherwise making available for consumption foodstuffs and that use one or more of the following preparation activities: cooking by frying (all methods), baking (all methods), grilling, sautéing , rotisserie cooking, broiling, boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting, or poaching. Also included are infrared heating, searing, barbecuing, and any other food preparation activity that produces hot, non-drinkable food product in or on a receptacle that requires washing.
(4) Non-cooking establishments. Those establishments primarily engaged in the preparation of precooked foodstuffs that do not include any form of cooking. These include cold dairy and frozen foodstuffs preparation and serving establishments.
(5) Minimum design capacity. The design features of a grease interceptor and its ability or volume required to effectively intercept and retain greases from grease-laden wastewaters discharged to the public sanitary sewer.
(6) User. Any person, including those located outside the jurisdictional limits of the city, who contributes, causes or permits the contribution of discharge of wastewater into the publicly owned treatment works (POTW), including persons who contribute such wastewater from mobile sources, such as those who discharge hauled wastewater.
(C) Grease Interceptor Maintenance; Record Keeping and Grease Removal.
(1) Grease interceptors shall be installed by users as required by the City Code Enforcement Officer. Grease interceptors shall be installed at the user's expense, when such user operates a cooking establishment. Grease interceptors may also be required in non-cooking or cold dairy and frozen foodstuffs establishments and other industrial commercial, or institutional establishments when they are deemed necessary by the City Code Enforcement Officer for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease.
(2) No user shall allow wastewater discharge concentration from subject grease interceptor to exceed 100 milligrams per liter.
(3) All grease interceptors shall be of a type, design, and capacity approved by the City Code Enforcement Officer or his or her designee and shall be readily and easily accessible for user cleaning and City inspection. No grease interceptor shall be less than 1,000 gallons total capacity unless otherwise approved by the City Code Officer.
(4) All grease interceptors shall be subject to review, evaluation, and inspection by the City Code Enforcement Officer during normal working hours. Results of inspections will be made available to facility owner, lease-holder, or operator. The City Code Enforcement Officer may make recommendations for correction and Improvement.
(5) All such grease interceptors shall be serviced and emptied of accumulated waste content as required in order to maintain minimum design capacity or effective volume of the grease interceptor, but not less than every 30 days.
(6) Users who are required to pass water through a grease interceptor shall:
(a) Provide a minimum hydraulic retention time of 24 minutes at actual peak flow or 12 minutes at the calculated theoretical peak flow rate predicted by the Uniform Plumbing Code fixture criteria, between influent and effluent baffles with 20% of the total volume of the grease interceptor being allowed for sludge to settle and accumulate, identified hereafter as "sludge pocket".
(b) Remove any accumulated grease cap and sludge pocket as required, but at intervals of not longer than 30 days at the user's expense. Grease interceptors shall be kept free of inorganic solid materials such as grit, rocks, gravel, sand, eating utensils, cigarettes, shells, towels, rags, etc., which could settle into the sludge pocket and thereby reduce the effective volume of the grease interceptor.
(c) Accept the following conditions: If any skimmed or pumped wastes or other materials removed from grease interceptors are treated in any fashion onsite and reintroduced back into the grease interceptor as an activity of and after said onsite treatment, the user shall be responsible for the attainment of established grease numerical limit consistent with and contained in division (C)(2) on all discharges of wastewater from said grease interceptor into the city's sanitary sewer collection and treatment system.
(d) Operate the grease interceptor in a manner so as to maintain said device such that attainment of the grease limit is consistently achieved. "CONSISTENT" shall mean any wastewater sample taken from the grease interceptor shall be subject to terms of numerical limit attainment described in division (C)(2). If an establishment desires to use an alternative to an out-of-building grease interceptor, because of documented space restraints, the request for an alternative location shall contain the following information: location of city sewer main and easement in relation to available exterior space outside building; and existing plumbing at or in a site that uses common plumbing for all services at that site.
(e) Understand and agree that the use of biological additives as a grease degradation agent is not permitted.
(f) Understand and agree that the use of automatic grease removal systems is conditionally permissible, upon prior written approval by the City Code Enforcement Officer. Any establishment using this equipment shall operate the system in such a manner that attainment of the grease wastewater discharge limits outlined in (C)(2), as measured from the unit's outlet, is consistently achieved.
(g) Understand and agree the use of hot water flushing to clear the interceptor is prohibited.
(h) Understand and agree that the City Code Enforcement Officer reserves the right to make determinations of grease interceptor adequacy and need, based on a review of all relevant information regarding grease interceptor performance, facility site and building plan review and to require repairs to, modifications, or replacement of such traps.
(i) Understand and agree that a minimum of once per year, the City Code Enforcement Officer will conduct an inspection of the user's grease interceptor. The City Code Enforcement Officer will coordinate with the user during regular monthly pumping to inspect the condition of the grease interceptor walls, bottom, top, cover, inlet and outlet pipes, and baffles.
(7) The user shall submit a grease trap service record form provided by the City Code Enforcement Officer on the first day of each month. The user shall maintain a written record of trap maintenance for three years. All such records will be available for inspection by the city at all times.
(8) Non-grease laden sources are allowed to be connected to sewer lines intended for grease interceptor service.
(9) Access manholes, with a minimum diameter of 24 inches, shall be provided over each chamber and sanitary tee. The access manholes shall extend at least to finished grade and be designed and maintained to prevent water inflow and infiltration. The manholes shall also have readily removable covers to facilitate inspection, grease removal, and wastewater sampling activities.
(D) Violations and Penalties.
(1) Any user failing to submit the grease trap service record, due by the first of each month, to the City Code Enforcement officer by the tenth day of the month, may be fined $100 per week until said document is submitted.
(2) It shall be a violation of this section for any user to allow floatable oils, fats, or greases to enter the city wastewater collection or treatment system, in excess of the limits outlined in division (C)(2), because of grease interceptors or other grease handling facilities being inadequately serviced or maintained.
(3) Users receiving unsatisfactory evaluations during inspections may be required, at the user's expense, to sample its grease interceptor discharge and have it analyzed for oil and grease. Results of such analyses shall be reported to the Code Enforcement Officer.
(4) Any user found to be in violation shall be notified in writing through certified mail of any non-compliance and will be required to provide a schedule whereby corrections will be completed. Users known to be in violation shall be subject to fines of $500 per day until actions are taken to prevent said violations from recurring.
(5) Users who continue to violate this section, three violations in 12 months, may be considered for discontinuance of sewer service.
(6) Users whose operations cause or allow excessive grease to discharge or accumulate in the city wastewater collection and treatment system may be liable to the city for costs related to service calls for sewer line blockages, line cleaning, line and pump repairs including all labor, materials, and equipment. Failure to pay all service related charges may also be grounds for sewer service discontinuance.
(E) Existing Facilities.
(1) All existing cooking establishments shall have grease interceptors approved by the City Code Enforcement Officer. Cooking establishments without grease interceptors will be given a compliance deadline not to exceed six months from the date of the ratification of this chapter.
(2) Failure to comply will be considered a violation of this section and such facilities may be subject to penalties and corrective actions. Existing facilities shall meet the same requirements for design as new facilities.
(3) In the event an existing cooking establishment's grease interceptor is either under designed or substandard in accordance with this policy, the owner(s) will be notified in writing through certified mail of the deficiencies and required improvements and given a compliance deadline not to exceed six months to conform with the requirements of this chapter.
(Ord. 07-12, passed 5-21-07; Am. Ord. 14-04, passed 2-17-14)