(a) Discharge Unpolluted Water Prohibited. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, either directly or indirectly, any storm water, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer. Any such connection shall be subject to immediate removal by the owner of the premises so connected and at the owner’s expense.
(1) Sub-foundation building drains connected to sanitary sewers before the established date of this Chapter will not be required to be removed unless it is established by the Director that such connection is detrimental to the satisfactory operation of the sewage works and that such removal is cost- effective in accordance with guidelines established by USEPA. Any such connections made after the effective date of this Chapter shall be prohibited and shall be removed.
(2) Should the owner of such an illegally connected premises fail to remove the connection within ninety days after the date of official notice to do so, the Director shall cause the connection to be removed and the cost thereof shall be billed to the owner of the premises. If such cost is not paid within sixty days, the City shall certify such cost to the Highland County Auditor as an assessment upon the property.
(b) Permissible Discharge of Unpolluted Water. Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage, such as from air conditioning, swimming pools, etc., shall be discharged into such sewers as are specifically designed and designated as storm sewers or to a combined sewer or a natural outlet approved by the Director. Industrial uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted wastewater may be discharged, on approval of the Director, to a storm sewer, combined sewer, or natural outlet. If such waters are polluted with insoluble oils or grease or suspended solids, they shall be treated for removal of the pollutants and the clear water discharged as specified.
(c) Protection of Sanitary and Building Sewers During Construction. No person constructing a sanitary sewer, building or house connection shall leave same open, unsealed or incomplete in such fashion as to permit form, surface or subsurface water to enter such sewers.
(d) Obstructions in Sewers. No garbage or obstruction of any kind shall be placed or thrown in any receiving basin or sewer, and persons so offending shall be subject to a penalty for each offense.
(e) Substances Prohibited. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, either directly or indirectly, any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:
(1) Any gasoline, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas.
(2) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the sewage works.
(3) Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interferences with the proper operation of the sewage works such as, but not limited to, ashes, unground bones, 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 by garbage grinders.
(4) The accidental discharge of any prohibited liquid or solid material into any public sewer or natural outlet, either directly or indirectly, shall be reported to the Director immediately by the individual, company, or industry responsible for the discharge.
(f) Substances Limited. The following described substances, materials, waters or wastes shall be limited in discharge to any public sewer 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 lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The Director may set limitations lower than the limitations established herein in the regulations if, in his opinion, more severe limitations are necessary to meet the above objectives. Deliberate dilution with unpolluted water to meet the concentrations established in the regulations herein shall not be acceptable. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability, the Director will 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 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 Director are as follows:
(1) Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150 degrees F (65 degrees C).
(2) Wastewater containing more than 100 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils, products of mineral oil origin, or floatable oils, fat, was, or grease (Freon soluble).
(3) Wastewaters containing oil or grease or other substances which will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperatures between 32 degrees and 150 degrees F.
(4) 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. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths HP or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director.
(5) 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 wastewater treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the Wastewater Treatment Plant, including, but not limited to cyanides, hexavalent chromium, copper, zinc, cadmium, nickel and phenols in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer. The following concentrations shall not be exceeded in industrial wastewaters discharged to any public sewer:
Total Cyanide (CN), 0. 5 milligrams per liter (mg/1)
Hexavalent chromium, 1. 0 mg/1
Total Chromium, 5. 0 mg/1
Copper, 1. 0 mg/1
Zinc, 1. 0 mg/1
Cadmium, 0. 2 mg/1
Nickel, 2. 0 mg/1
Phenols, 0. 2 mg/1
Lead, 0. 5 mg/1
Mercury, 0. 001 mg/1
Silver, 0. 2 mg/1
Arsenic, 0. 5 mg/1
Barium, 5. 0 mg/1
Fluoride (F), 5. 0 mg/1
Iron (Dissolved), 15.0 mg/1
Manganese (Dissolved), 5. 0 mg/1
Sulfide (S), 10.0 mg/1
Total Phosphorus (P), 10 mg/1
These maximum concentrations may be changed as necessary by the Director or state regulatory agencies based on new information concerning inhibitory substances or to protect treatment plant processes. Industrial dischargers covered by Federal pretreatment requirements shall meet those limitations specified under the effluent guidelines published under Sections 307(b) and (c) of the Federal Act or the above concentrations, whichever is more stringent. Major contributing industries discharging incompatible pollutants into the public sewers shall be regulated as provided in subsection (g) herein.
(6) Any waters or wastes containing taste or odorproducing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the Director or any local or State regulatory agencies.
(7) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations.
(8) Quantities of flow, concentrations or both which constitute a "slug" as defined herein.
(9) Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed, or are amenable only to such degree that the wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
(10) Any waters or wastes which by interaction with other waters 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.
(11) Any waters or wastes that contain more than 10 mg/1 of the following gases: hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide, or nitrous oxide.
(12) Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.
(13) Any waters or wastes containing strong acid from pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.
(14) Any waters or wastes containing suspended or dissolved solids of such character and quantity such that unusual provisions, attention, or expense is required to handle such materials at the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(15) Any water or wastes having excessive discoloration, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and spent tanning solutions.
(16) Any waters or wastes containing unusual BOD5 , COD, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(g) Authority for Control of Wastewater Discharges. 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 in subsections (e) and/or (f) hereof, and which in the judgment of the Director may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment or receiving waters, including violation of applicable water quality standards, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Director shall:
(1) Reject the wastes; or
(2) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers; or
(3) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge, and/ or,
(4) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes under the Extra Strength Surcharge fee which shall be established by Council.
A. All industrial wastewaters discharged to the public sewers by major contributing industries shall, as a minimum, meet the national pretreatment standards or best practical control technology currently available for incompatible pollutants as published in Title 40, Code of Federal Regulations, Part 128, unless the City is committed, in its NPDES permit, to remove a specified percentage of the incompatible pollutant. In those instances the applicable pretreatment standards may be correspondingly reduced to levels determined by the Director, or his duly authorized representative, or state regulatory agencies.
B. If the Director requires pretreatement or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plans and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director and State regulatory agencies and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws. No permit will be granted until such pretreatment facilities have been placed in operation and have demonstrated their effectiveness by test. The cost of such testing, sampling, and analyzing shall be borne by the wastewater contributor.
C. The approval of proposed pretreatment facilities by the Director does not guarantee that these facilities or equipment will function in the manner described by their manufacturer; nor shall it relieve a person, firm or corporation of the responsibility of enlarging or otherwise modifying such facilities to accomplish the intended purpose.
(h) Grease and Oil Interceptors. Fat, grease, oil and inorganic material such as sand, grit, etc., interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Director, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing flotable grease in excessive amounts, as specified in subsection (f)(2) hereof, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Director, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors 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 Director. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner’s personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.
(i) Operation of Pretreatment Facilities. Where pretreatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided or required 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 Director. The owner shall maintain operating records, and shall submit to the Director a quarterly summary report of the character of the influent and effluent to show the performance of the treatment facilities.
(j) Analyses. 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” or “EPA Methods”. Reference is made to EPA “Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for Analysis of Pollutants” (40 CFR 136). Sampling methods, location, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis subject to approval by the Director.
(k) Special Conditions. 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 wastewater of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to possible payment therefor by the industrial concern for subsequent treatment. Any industrial concern may appeal any determination made by the Director in the enforcement of this chapter. Upon approval of Council, the Director may enter into a contract with an industry which contains terms that vary from the charges and regulations established in existing ordinances.