(A) The city is authorized to prohibit dumping of wastes into the sanitary sewer system which, in its discretion, are deemed harmful to the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, or to require methods affecting pretreatment of said wastes to comply with the pretreatment standards included in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit issued to the Wastewater Utility. In furtherance of this section, the Wastewater Utility Manager and/or the City Engineer is authorized to issue an order prohibiting further acceptance of effluent from any user who refuses to comply with the terms, conditions, and provisions of this chapter as well as to rescind or terminate said users permit to discharge effluent into the collection treatment or discharge sewer treatment facilities of the city.
(B) Stormwater and any other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the City Engineer. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of the City Engineer and the state into a storm sewer or natural outlet. No roof drains, eaves, or roof runoff shall be discharged into a sanitary sewer or combined sewer.
(C) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters 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 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 public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment plant;
(3) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.0 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 Utility; and
(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 Utility 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, and other like items, either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
(D) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes, except if it appears likely, in the opinion of the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager, that such wastes will not harm either the sewers, the sewage treatment process, or equipment, nor have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, nor otherwise endanger life, limb, or public property, nor constitute a nuisance. In forming his or her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager 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 wastewater treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the wastewater treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. Unacceptable substances include, but are not limited to, the following:
(1) Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150°F or 65°C;
(2) Any water or wastes containing fats, wax, grease, or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l, of which not more than 25 mg/l is soluble oils, or containing substances which may solidify or become so highly viscous as to retard flow in the sanitary sewer system at temperatures between 32°F and 150°F (0°C and 65°C);
(3) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder, other than in a residence, may be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer;
(4) Any waters or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not;
(5) Any waters or wastes exceeding the following maximum allowable limits: 2 mg/l of zinc, 2 mg/l of total chromium, 0.1 mg/l cadmium, .5 mg/l of copper, 0.5 mg/l of cyanide, 2.0 mg/l of nickel, 1 mg/l of chromium as Cr (hexavalent), 0.002 mg/l of mercury as Hg, 0.05 mg/l of lead as Pb, 30 mg/l of chlorine demand, 15 mg/l of iron, and similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting excessive chlorine requirements, to such degree that any such material received in the composite sewage at the wastewater treatment plant exceeds the limits established by the City Engineer for such materials;
(6) Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor-producing substances after treatment of the limits which may be established by the City Engineer as necessary to meet the requirements of state, federal, or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the respective waters;
(7) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the City Engineer in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(8) Any waters or wastes having a pH of less than 5.0 or in excess of 9;
(9) Materials which exert or cause:
(a) Unusual concentrations of inert, suspended solids, such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, lime slurries, and lime residues, or of dissolved solids, such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate;
(b) Excessive discoloration, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions;
(c) Unusual B.O.D., chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the wastewater treatment plant; and
(d) Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting SLUGS, as defined herein.
(10) Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment 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.
(E) 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 division (D) above, and which, in the judgment of the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager, may have a deleterious effect on the Wastewater Utility, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager shall:
(1) Require new industries or industries with significant increase in discharges to submit information on wastewater characteristics and obtain prior approval for discharges;
(2) Require other methods of disposal;
(3) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(4) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge;
(5) Require facilities to prevent accidental discharge of any unacceptable wastes;
(6) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by sewer charges under the provisions of §§ 51.035 through 51.040 and all ordinances amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto, and any fines, penalties, or damages assessed against the city for discharge of such wastes; and
(7) To revoke in full or in part the users permit or to enter an order rejecting the user’s effluent until such time as the user’s effluent complies with the terms and provisions of this chapter.
(F) If the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plans and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager, and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances, and laws.
(G) Any industrial wastes discharged into the public sewers shall be subject to periodic inspection and determination of volume, character, and concentration. The examination shall be made as often as the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager deems it necessary, and may include the use of suitable continuously monitoring instruments in appropriate cases. Samples shall be collected either manually or by approved mechanical devices and in such a manner as to be representative of the overall composition of the wastes. Every care shall be exercised in collecting the samples to ensure their preservation, until analyzed, in a state comparable to that at the time the samples were collected. All costs associated with the collection and testing of samples shall be paid by the user and, if within 30 days of being notified of the costs of the collection and testing, the user fails to pay the charge, the same shall be added to the user’s sewer utility statement.
(H) The installation, operation, and maintenance of the flow measuring and sampling facilities shall be the responsibility of the person discharging the wastes, and shall be subject to the approval of the City Engineer.
(I) The City Engineer, Inspector, and other duly authorized city employees, state water pollution control employees, and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency employees bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. The City Engineer or his or her representatives, the state water pollution control employees, and USEPA employees shall have no authority to inquire into any processes, including metallurgical, chemical, oil, refining, ceramic, paper, or other industries beyond that point having a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the sewers or waterways or facilities for waste treatment.
(J) While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in division (I) above, the City Engineer or duly authorized employees of the city shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the company, and the company shall be held harmless for injury or death to city employees. The city shall indemnify the company against loss or damage to its property by city employees and against liability claims and demands for personal injury or property damage asserted against the company and growing out of the gauging and sampling operation, except as such may be caused by negligence or failure of the company to maintain safe conditions as required in division (H) above.
(K) The City Engineer and other duly authorized employees of the city bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the city holds a duly negotiated easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the Wastewater Utility lying within the easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any, on said easement shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private property involved.
(L) Fats, grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the City Engineer and/or the Wastewater Utility Manager, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, and other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for single-family dwellings. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the City Engineer, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(M) Fats, grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, watertight, and equipped with easily removable covers which, when bolted in place, shall be gastight and watertight.
(N) Where installed, all fats, grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his or her expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.
(O) The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a five-day B.O.D greater than 204 milligrams per liter by weight; containing more than 240 milligrams per liter by weight of suspended solids; containing any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in (D) above; or having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow of the city shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Engineer. Where necessary in the opinion of the City Engineer, the owner shall provide, at his or her expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to reduce the B.O.D. to 204 milligrams per liter and the suspended solids to 240 milligrams per liter by weight; reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided in division (D) above; or control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes. Plans, specifications, and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the City Engineer and of the State Stream Pollution Control Board, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approval is obtained in writing.
(P) Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense. In addition to any preliminary treatment facility being maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner, at the owner’s expense, the owner shall maintain written records regarding said maintenance, including, but not limited to, the repair, cleaning, removal, or replacement of any material or part of said facility on forms to be provided by the city, which forms shall be kept continually on the property being served and available for inspection by the City Engineer or duly authorized employees of the city.
(Q) When required by the City Engineer, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the building sewer to facilitate the observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the City Engineer. The manhole shall be installed so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
(R) All measurements, tests, and analyses of characteristics of waters and wastes shall be determined in accordance with “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage”, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in division (Q) above or on suitable samples taken at the control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
(S) 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; provided that the payment shall not be less than the pollutant surcharges provided for in §§ 51.035 through 51.040 and all ordinances amendatory thereof and supplemental thereto.
(Prior Code, § 33.05) (Ord. 1965-3, passed 1-20-1965; Ord. 1977-20, passed 11-10-1977; Ord. 1977-22, passed 11-10-1977; Ord. 1996-19, passed 9-26-1996; Ord. 2019-25, passed on 5-13-2020) Penalty, see § 51.999
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