No user shall discharge, directly or indirectly, any pollutant or wastewater which will interfere with the operation or performance of the POTW. These general prohibitions apply to all such users of the POTW whether or not the user is subject to National Categorical Pretreatment Standards of any other national, state or local pretreatment standards or requirements. A user may not contribute the following substances to any POTW:
(A) Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are, or may be sufficient, either alone or by interaction with other substances, to cause fire or explosion or be injurious in any way to the POTW or to the operation of the POTW. At no time shall 2 successive readings on any explosion hazard meter, at the point of discharge into the system (or at any point in the system) be more than 10% of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the water.
(B) Solid or viscous substances which may cause obstruction to the flow in a sewer or other interference with the operation of the wastewater treatment facilities such as, but not limited to: grease, garbage with particles greater than one-half inch in any dimension, animal guts or tissues, paunch manure, bones, hair, hides or flashings, entrails, whole blood, feathers, ashes, cinders, sand, spent lime, stone or marble dust, metal, glass, straw, shavings, grass clippings, rags, spent grains, spent hops, waste paper, wood, plastics, gas, tar, asphalt residue, residues from refining or processing of fuel or lubricating oil, mud or glass grinding or polishing wastes, butcher’s offal or any other soiled or viscous substance capable of causing interference with the proper operation of the sewage system or the Wastewater Treatment Plant.
(C) Any wastewater having a pH less than 5.0 or greater than 11.5, or wastewater having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and/or personnel of the POTW.
(D) Any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, whether singly or by interaction with other pollutants, to:
(1) Injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process;
(2) Constitute a hazard to humans or animals; or
(3) Create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the POTW, or to exceed the limitations set forth in a Categorical Pretreatment Standard. A toxic pollutant shall include, but not be limited to any pollutant identified pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act.
(E) Any noxious or malodorous liquids, gases or solids which either singly or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create any nuisance or hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair.
(F) Any substance in such quantity which will cause the POTW to violate its limits and restrictions set forth in the District’s NPDES permit, by pass through or any other means.
(G) Any substance with objectionable color not removed in the treatment process, such as, but not limited to dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(H) Any wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW treatment plant resulting in interference; and in no case, wastewater with a temperature that exceeds 65°C (150°F) at the point of discharge, or cause the temperature at the plant to exceed 40°C (104°F) (§ 403.5(b)(5)); or, any wastewater with closed cup flashpoint of less than 140°F.
(I) Any unpolluted water or waters which cannot become polluted including, but not limited to non-contact cooling water without prior approval by the POTW.
(J) Any waters or wastes containing acid metallic pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions.
(K) Any toxic radioactive isotopes or substances.
(L) Any waters or wastes containing any toxic substances in quantities that are sufficient to:
(1) Interfere with the biochemical or mechanical processes of the wastewater treatment plant;
(2) That will pass through the plant into the receiving stream in amounts exceeding the standards set by federal, interstate, state or other competent authority having jurisdiction;
(3) Contaminate sewage sludge;
(4) That contain iron or any toxic ions, compounds or substances in concentrations or amounts exceeding the limits established by this chapter that exert an excessive chlorine requirement on the POTW; or
(5) Which may contribute to the violation of any local, state or federal environmental law, standard or requirement.
(M) Any unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes consisting of “slugs” that are released in a single extraordinary discharge event which causes interference to the POTW.
(N) Any waters or wastes which are not compatible pollutants either as suspended solids or dissolved solids of such character and quantity that unusual provision, attention and expense would be required to handle the materials at the wastewater treatment plant, its pumping stations or other facilities.
(O) Any substance in such quantity as may cause the POTW's effluent or any other product of the POTW such as residues, sludges or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse or to interfere with the reclamation process. In no case shall a substance discharged to the POTW cause the POTW to be in non-compliance with the sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines or regulations developed under § 405 of the Act; any criteria guidelines or regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, Resource Conservation and Recovery Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substance Control Act or state criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used.
(P) Any wastewater that results in toxic gases, vapors and fumes in a quantity that may cause any worker health and safety problems.
(Q) Any fats, oils or greases shall not be present in such quantities as to create a visible free floating or separate layer or in such quantities as to interfere in any way with the normal operation of the POTW or in such quantities as to create special treatment or leave deposits on pipe walls, tanks and the like.
(R) Surfactants in such a quantity as to create a foaming condition in the collection system, the POTW Treatment Plant, or which is determined by the city’s Sanitary District to be contributing to visible foam production in the POTW effluent.
(S) Any petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil or products of mineral oil origin in amounts that cause pass through or interference.
(T) Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the District.
(Prior Code, § 51.020) (Ord. 7650, passed 2-14-1994) Penalty, see § 51.999