(A) It is unlawful for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described water or wastes to any public sewers:
(1) Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;
(2) Any waters containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to contaminate the sludge of any municipal system, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in or have an adverse effect on the waters or lands receiving any discharges from the treatment works;
(3) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the wastewater works;
(4) 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 wastewater facilities, including, 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 and the like, either whole or ground by garbage grinders; or
(5) Any fish cleaning wastes, including the scales, skin and entrails of fish.
(B) The following described substances, materials, waters or waste shall be limited in discharges to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the soil, vegetation and groundwater or receiving stream or will not otherwise endanger life, limb, public or private property, or constitute a nuisance.
(1) The Superintendent may set limitations more restrictive than the limitations established in the regulations below if in his or her opinion the additional limitations are necessary to meet the above objections.
(2) In making his or her determination acceptability, the Superintendent shall give consideration to such factors as the quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment process employed, capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, degree of treatability of the waste in the wastewater treatment plant, the city’s NPDES and state disposal system permits, and other pertinent factors.
(3) The limitations on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be exceeded without approval of the Superintendent are as follows:
(a) Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150°F (65°C);
(b) Wastewater containing more than 25 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils, or product of mineral oil origin;
(c) Wastewater containing floatable oils, fats or grease, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l;
(d) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. 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 iron, chromium, copper, zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater at the wastewater treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Superintendent for the materials;
(f) Any waters or wastes containing odor-producing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the Superintendent;
(g) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of the half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Superintendent in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(h) Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both, which constitute a “slug”, as defined in this section;
(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 a degree that the wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters or lands; and
(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.
(C) (1) If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged, to the public sewers which contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated above, and which in the judgment of the Superintendent may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment and/or soil, vegetation, groundwater and receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Superintendent may:
(a) Reject the wastes;
(b) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the wastewater facilities pursuant to § 307(B) of the Clean Water Act, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(B);
(c) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(d) Require payment to cover the added costs of handling and treating the wastes not covered by sewer charges.
(2) If the Superintendent permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design, and installation and maintenance of the facilities and equipment shall be made at the owner’s expense, and shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent and the State Pollution Control Agency.
(D) It is unlawful for any user to increase the use of a process water, or in any manner, attempt to dilute a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with the limits herein, or contained in the National Categorical Pretreatment Standards, or any state requirement.
(E) Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Superintendent, the facilities are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients; except that the interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the State Plumbing Code and shall be so located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintenance of these interceptors, the owner shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of all collected materials and shall maintain records of the dates and means of disposal which shall be subject to review by the Superintendent. Any removal of the collected materials not performed by owner personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.
(F) When required by the Superintendent, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure together with the meters and other appurtenances in the building as may be necessary to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. The structures shall be accessible and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Superintendent, and shall be installed and maintained by the owner at his or her expense.
(G) The Superintendent may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this section. These requirements may include:
(1) Wastewaters discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period;
(2) Chemical analyses of wastewaters;
(3) Information on raw materials, processes and products affecting wastewater volume and quality;
(4) Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent or other materials important to sewer use control;
(5) A plat plan of sewers of the user’s property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location;
(6) Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities;
(7) Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials thorough spills to the municipal sewer;
(8) The number, type and frequency of analyses to be performed; and
(9) At such times as deemed necessary, the city reserves the right to take measurements and sample for analysis by an independent laboratory.
(H) All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this section 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. Sampling methods, location, times, durations and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis by the Superintendent.
(I) No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for treatment, subject to payment therefor by the industrial concern, providing that National Categorical Pretreatment Standards and the city’s NPDES/SDS permit limitations are not violated.
(1988 Code, § 3.30-5) Penalty, see § 10.99