This Fats, Oils and Grease ("FOG") Policy (hereinafter referred to as "Policy") addresses the policies and procedures applicable to food service facilities for management of fats, oils and grease discharge to the city's wastewater conveyance and treatment facilities.
(A) Purpose.
(1) Fats, oils and grease (FOG) are restricted wastes per § 51.42(C)of this code due to their potential to interfere with conveyance pipes and pumping facilities, and treatment processes, and are therefore limited in discharge. FOG pretreatment devices such as grease and oil interceptors, traps and separators are requited to provide the necessary level of control per § 51.44 of this code. The purpose of this Policy is to provide standards for requiring the installation of FOG pretreatment devices, maintenance, data management, reporting and compliance.
(B) Definitions. For purposes of this section the following definitions shall apply unless the content clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
BOD - BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND. The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees C, expressed in milligrams per liter, as described in the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater".
FOG - FATS, OILS, AND GREASE. All fats, oils and grease, petroleum products and byproducts. Fats, oils and grease as found in food service facilities including, but not limited to, any substance such as vegetable or animal product that is used in, or is a by-product of, the cooking or food preparation process or the cleaning thereof, and that turns or may turn viscous or solidified with a change in temperature or other conditions. Petroleum, oils, and grease as found in auto or marine service facilities
including, but not limited to, any substance such as petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil or products of mineral oil origin that is used in, or is a by-product of an automotive/marine process. These substances are detectable and measurable using analytical test procedure established in 40 CFR 136, as amended.
FOG FACILITY. Any non-residential sewer user or combination of sewer users utilizing the same pretreatment device which uses or generates FOG.
FOG MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. The program that is supported by this Policy, as amended.
FOG PRETREATMENT DEVICE. Includes oil-water separators, grease traps and grease interceptors.
GREASE INTERCEPTOR. An outdoor, watertight receptacle utilized to intercept, collect, and restrict the passage of grease and food particles into the sanitary sewer system to which the receptacle is directly or indirectly connected, and to separate and retain grease and food particles from the wastewater discharged by a facility. An interceptor shall have a capacity of at least 1,000 gallons to serve one or more fixtures and shall be located outside the building.
GREASE TRAP. An indoor, watertight receptacle utilized to intercept, collect and restrict the passage of grease and food particles into the sanitary sewer system to which the receptacle is directly or indirectly connected, and to separate and retain grease and food particles from the wastewater discharged by a facility.
MODIFICATION REQUEST FORM. A form provide by the utility for the user to complete in order to be considered for a modified cleaning schedule or exemption releasing the user form the need to install a grease trap/interceptor. A copy of the Modification Request Form is attached to Resolution R072715A and incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.
NOTICE OF VIOLATION. A written document describing any violation to this Policy for the information of the user in non-compliance.
OIL-WATER SEPARATOR. A device winch utilizes the difference in density between oil, petroleum products or chemical products, and water for removal.
SEWER USER. Any person or facility who introduces or discharges any substance into the sanitary sewer system of the utility, which may pertain to both the owner and the occupant of real estate from which the substance is introduced or discharged.
TSS - TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in, water, wastewater or other liquid, and that is removable by filtering as prescribed in the latest version of the "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater".
UTILITY. The wastewater conveyance and treatment utility owned and operated by the City of Fishers.
UTILITY BOARD. The City of Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety or its designee.
(C) Requirements for fats, oils and grease interceptors, traps and oil-water separators.
(1) All FOG facilities are required to have a FOG pretreatment device properly installed that is acceptable to the utility and in accordance with this Policy.
(2) All FOG pretreatment devices shall operate in compliance with the utility's discharge limits.
(3) All FOG pretreatment device installation and maintenance shall be at the sewer user's expense.
(4) The sizing and plumbing configuration required to prevent the introduction of FOG into the utility's system is the responsibility of the FOG facility design professional. The utility does not assume any responsibility in the sizing of the FOG pretreatment device.
(5) Facilities which will be expanded or renovated to include a FOG facility, where such FOG facility did not previously exit, shall be required to install and maintain a grease interceptor, grease trap or oil-water separator which is acceptable to the utility.
(6) Existing FOG facilities shall be permitted to operate and maintain an existing FOG pretreatment device provided these are in proper operating condition as set forth within this Policy.
(7) Newly-constructed facilities that will/or could include FOG facilities are required to install and maintain a grease interceptor or oil-water separator in accordance with this Policy.
(8) A new multi-use facility is required to have connections to a FOG pretreatment device acceptable to the utility.
(9) If the facility does not have plumbing collections to a FOG pretreatment device that functions to bring the sewer user in compliance with the requirements of the utility, the utility shall require the facility to modify their current plumbing to prevent the introduction of FOG into the sewer as prohibited by this Policy.
(10) All FOG pretreatment devices shall have adequate retention time at actual peak flow between the influent and effluent baffles to allow for any solids to settle or accumulate and floatable grease-derived materials to rise and accumulate and prevent discharge limit violations,
(11) All grease traps shall include flow regulators.
(12) All grease interceptors shall include a tee outlet with a maximum height of 18 inches above the interceptor's base.
(13) No accumulation of floatable FOG and/or settled solids shall exceed 25% of the total volume of the grease trap or grease interceptor.
(14) No settled oils in the oil-water separator should be left to accumulate in excess of 20% of the wetted height of the oil-water separator, and no floating oil and grease in the oil-water separator should be left to accumulate in excess of 5% of the wetted height of the oil-water separator.
(15) All FOG pretreatment devices must be located so that maintenance and inspections can be easily performed as established by the utility.
(16) The use of automatic removal systems is permissible only upon written approval from the utility.
(17) A grease interceptor and oil-water separator may be used by more than one facility if the capacity of the device is such that all the limits are met as established through this Policy.
(18) Grease traps may not be shared by multiple facilities.
(19) If a grease interceptor cannot be installed readily or economically in a FOG facility, the utility may approve a grease trap to be installed in the facility, at the owner's expense, on a trial basis. If the grease trap does not allow the discharge to meet FOG discharge limits, the facility will be require to install a grease interceptor in compliance with this Policy.
(D) Grease interceptor, grease trap and oil-water separator maintenance.
(1) The grease interceptor, grease trap or oil-water separator shall be maintained at the sewer user's expense.
(2) The sewer user shall maintain the grease interceptor, grease trap or oil-water separator in order to not allow wastewater discharge concentration from their pretreatment device to exceed any of the utility's discharge requirements.
(3) All grease interceptors and oil-water separators shall be serviced and emptied as frequently as needed in order to maintain an acceptable waste limit, but not less than every three months.
(4) All grease traps shall be serviced and emptied of accumulated waste content as frequently as needed in order to maintain an acceptable waste discharge limit, but no less than twice per week.
(5) Grease interceptors, grease traps and oil-water separators shall be completely evacuated anytime the discharge exceeds BOD, TSS, FOG, pH, or other pollutant levels establish by the utility.
(6) All waste (floating FOG and settled solids) shall be removed from the FOG pretreatment device, hauled away and disposed of per state standards.
(7) No waste/water shall be returned to a pretreatment device once pumped.
(8) The maintenance of a grease interceptor used by more than one facility shall be the responsibility of the owner of the grease interceptor.
(9) The utility may extend the 90-day grease interceptor pump-out frequency, and/or the twice per week grease trap cleaning frequency if the sewer user petitions the utility for such modifications and provides a complete Modification Request Form, a copy of which is attached to Resolution R072715A and incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein.
(10) The utility may shorten the pump-out or cleaning frequency when, in the opinion of the utility, such frequency is insufficient to ensure the utility's discharge levels.
(11) Following the mandated cleaning schedule does not guarantee compliance with the discharge limits or device capacity limits. It is the responsibility of the FOG facility to maintain an acceptable FOG level mandated by this Policy.
(12) If the FOG facility's grease trap is cleaned by their staff, the staff shall dispose of the grease in a manner that does not reintroduce grease/waste back in the utility's sanitary sewer system.
(13) If the utility determines the garbage disposal is a factor in the restricted discharge of FOG, then the garbage disposal shall be connected to the grease trap, or grease interceptor, or removed from the facility.
(14) No person shall introduce, or cause, permit, or suffer the introduction of any surfactant, solvent or emulsifier into a grease interceptor. Surfactants, solvents and emulsifiers are materials which allow the grease to pass from the grease interceptor into the collection system, and include, but are not limited to enzymes, soap, diesel, kerosene, turpentine and other solvents.
(E) FOG facility reporting requirements.
(1) All businesses and industry shall provide, on demand, to the utility, sufficient information to determine if it is a FOG facility.
(2) The owner, or owner's representative, of the FOG facility shall notify the utility, in writing, of changes regarding the facility's occupant, building usage, and/or new construction within 30 days of the date the change takes place.
(3) All FOG facilities must maintain written FOG pretreatment device maintenance records for three years on a continuously rolling calendar basis. All such records shall be available for inspection by utility staff at any/all time. These records shall include: facility name and location, date and time of cleaning service, name of grease hauling company, name and signature of grease-hauling company agent performing said service, established service frequency an type of service (full pump, partial pump out, onsite treatment), number and size of each pretreatment device serviced, approximate amount of grease and solids removed from each pretreatment device, total volume of waste removed from each pretreatment device, destination of removed waste, signature and date of FOG facility personnel confirming service completion. A copy of the Program Maintenance Log is attached to Resolution R072715A and incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein.
(4) FOG facilities shall report, in writing, their FOG pretreatment device maintenance records to the utility quarterly. A copy of the Food Service Facility Quarterly Report is attached to Resolution R072715A and incorporated by reference as if set forth in full herein.
(5) A facility shall report to the utility, by phone, any accidental discharge immediately. A written report must be provided by the facility within 24 hours of the event.
(F) FOG facility inspection.
(1) All FOG pretreatment devices may be inspected by the utility as necessary to assure compliance with this Policy.
(2) Each FOG facility shall allow any utility official or agent of the utility bearing proper identification access to all parts of the premises for the purpose of inspection, observation, record examination, measurement, sampling and testing in this Policy.
(3) The refusal of any FOG facility to allow the utility's official entry to, or upon, the facility's premise for purposes of inspection, sampling effluents, inspecting and copying records, or performing other such duties shall constitute a violation of this Policy.
(4) The utility's office shall inspect FOG facilities during both scheduled and unscheduled visits.
(G) FOG facility management.
(1) It is the facility owner's responsibility to make sure that all employees and/or tenants are informed about the city's FOG program and best management practices are mandated to help with compliance.
(2) If management changes within the FOG facility, it is the facility owner's responsibility to train the new management on the reporting requirements to ensure compliance.
(3) Any FOG facility with a change in ownership will be recognized as a new FOG facility and shall comply with the utility's discharge limits and in accordance with this Policy.
(4) If the FOG facility changes names but keeps the same owner, the facility owner is responsible to inform the utility of the change within 30 days. Failure to notify the utility may result in penalty fees.
(5) If the FOG facility is sold or leased/rented, the facility owner (both new and old in the event of a sale) is responsible to inform the utility of the change prior to the effective date of the change. Failure to notify the utility may result in penalty fees.
(6) If the FOG facility's type of business changes, it is the facility owner's responsibility to notify the utility within 30 days of the type of change that is being made in the business.
(H) FOG facility enforcement and non-compliance fees.
(1) A notice of violation (NOV) shall be issued to the sewer user for one or more of the following reasons:
(a) Failure to properly maintain the grease interceptor, grease trap or oil-water separator
in accordance with the provisions of this Policy.
(b) Failure to maintain the required records of cleaning/pumping activities.
(C) Failure to provide logs, files, records or access for inspection of monitoring activities.
(2) The NOV will include the description of the violation, number of days to correct the deficiencies and/or violations, and the applicable fee for the violation, Any fee assessed under this Policy will be in accordance with the applicable fee schedule adopted by the City Council.
(3) All sampling and monitoring after a violation of this Policy shall be at the violating FOG facility's expense.
(4) All non-compliance issues are to remain on record for an 18-month rolling calendar for the purpose of determining the level for the NOV. Therefore, all violation will be in effect for 18 months starting the day of the initial violation. On the day after the 18th month, the violation will be removed if all outstanding violation fees have been paid in full.
(5) If a FOG facility wishes to dispute a violation and/or fee, it must be done in writing to the Utility Board via letter, email or fax with 30 days of the notice of violation or notice of fee, whichever is later. All disputes shall be review by the Utility Board,
(6) If a sewer user has reason to believe that a specific limit or requirement of the Policy does not, or should not apply to their FOG facility, the sewer user must submit a Modification Request Form, a copy of which is attached to Resolution R072715A and incorporated herein by reference as if set forth in full herein, along with information supporting the modification request, to the utility to be reviewed/considered by the utility, and the FOG facility will be informed of their decision in writing within one week of their decision. Documentation on the request and its approval/disapproval will become a part of the facility's account file.
(Res. R072715A, passed 7-25-15)