(A) Applicability and prohibitions.
(1) This section shall apply to all non-residential users of the wastewater system and transporters of grease or grit trap waste.
(2) Grease or grit traps or interceptors shall not be required for residential users.
(3) Food service establishments shall install, use, and maintain appropriate grease traps or interceptors as required in § 53.28(B).
(4) Car washes, auto repair, fueling stations, and other facilities generating automotive oil, grease, sand, wash water and other wastes or substances harmful or hazardous to the wastewater system as a result of providing commercial service or manufacturing shall install, use, and maintain appropriate grit traps or interceptors as required in § 53.28(B).
(5) No user may intentionally or unintentionally allow the direct or indirect discharge of any petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, mineral oil, or any fats, oils, or greases of animal or vegetable origin into the POTW system in such amounts as to cause interference with the collection and treatment system, or as to cause pollutants to pass through the treatment works into the environment.
(B) Installation and maintenance requirements.
(1) Installations.
(a) New and modified facilities.
1. Food service establishments which are newly proposed or constructed, or existing facilities which will be expanded or renovated, or existing facilities changing ownership to include a food service establishment, or to expand an existing food service establishment, shall be required to design, install, operate and maintain a grease trap in accordance with the adopted plumbing codes under Chapter 150 and other applicable ordinances. The grease trap shall have adequate capacity to capture all FOG in excess of that found in normal domestic wastewater. The food service establishment shall also be required to install and maintain a control point in accordance with this chapter. Grease traps and control points shall be installed and inspected prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
2. Commercial service or manufacturing facilities which are newly proposed or constructed, or existing facilities which will be expanded or renovated, or existing facilities changing ownership that generate automotive oil, grease, sand, wash water or other substances that will interfere with the wastewater system shall be required to design, install, operate and maintain a grease or grit trap or interceptor in accordance with the adopted plumbing codes under Chapter 150 and other applicable ordinances. The facility shall also be required to install and maintain a control point in accordance with this chapter. Grit traps or interceptors and control points shall be installed and inspected prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(b) Existing facilities. Existing grease or grit traps or interceptors must be operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s recommendations and in accordance with this section. Grease or grit traps or interceptors that either do not have adequate capacity to capture all FOG, TSS, BOD or COD in excess of that found in normal domestic wastewater, or sand or other deleterious substances as designed, or that are non-functional, shall be replaced at the user’s expense upon notification by the Director. The Director may require an existing facility to install a control point, in accordance with § 53.29 at the user’s sole expense, to enable the Director to monitor discharges.
(2) Cleaning and maintenance generally.
(a) Grease or grit traps or interceptors shall be maintained in an efficient operating condition at all times.
(b) Each grease or grit trap or interceptor pumped shall be fully evacuated unless the trap volume is greater than the tank capacity on the vacuum truck in which case the transporter shall arrange for additional transportation capacity so that the trap is fully evacuated within a 24-hour period, in accordance with 30 Texas Administrative Code § 312.143.
(c) All grease or grit trap or interceptor waste shall be properly disposed of at a permitted facility in accordance with federal, state, and local regulation.
(3) Self-cleaning.
(a) Grease trap self-cleaning operators must receive approval from the POTW annually prior to removing grease from their own grease trap(s) located inside a building, provided:
1. The grease trap is no more than 50 gallons in liquid/operating capacity;
2. Proper on-site material disposal methods are implemented (e.g. absorb liquids into solid form and dispose into trash);
3. The local solid waste authority allows such practices;
4. Grease trap waste is placed in a leak proof; sealable container(s) located on the premises and in an area for the transporter to pump-out; and
5. Detailed records on these activities are maintained and made available to the Director upon request.
(b) Grease trap self-cleaning operators must submit a completed self-cleaning request to the Director for approval. The written request shall include the following information:
1. Business name and street address;
2. Grease trap/interceptor operator name, title, and phone number;
3. Description of maintenance frequency, method of disposal, method of cleaning and size (in gallons) of the grease trap/interceptor; and
4. Signed statement that the operator will maintain records of waste disposal and produce them for compliance inspections.
(c) Self-cleaners must adhere to all the requirements, procedures and detailed record keeping outlined in their approved application, to ensure compliance with this chapter. A maintenance log shall be kept by self-cleaning operators that shall be made available for inspection and copying upon request by the Director. The log must indicate, at a minimum, the following information for each maintenance event:
1. Date the grease trap/ interceptor was serviced;
2. Name of the person or company servicing the grease trap/interceptor;
3. Waste disposal method used;
4. Gallons of grease removed and disposed of;
5. Waste oil added to grease trap/interceptor waste; and
6. Signature of the operator after each cleaning that certifies that all grease was removed, disposed of properly, grease trap/interceptor was thoroughly cleaned, and that all parts were replaced and in operable condition.
(d) Violations incurred by grease trap self-cleaners will be subject to enforcement action including fines and/or removal from the self-cleaner program.
(4) Cleaning schedules.
(a) Grease or grit traps or interceptors shall be cleaned as often as necessary to ensure that sediment and floating materials do not accumulate to impair the efficiency of the grease trap/interceptor; to ensure the discharge is in compliance with local discharge limits, and to ensure no visible grease is observed in discharge.
(b) Grease traps and grease interceptors subject to these standards shall be completely evacuated a minimum of every 90 days, or more frequently when:
1. Twenty-five percent or more of the wetted height of the grease trap or grease interceptor, as measured from the bottom of the device to the invert of the outlet pipe, contains floating materials, sediment, oils or greases;
2. The discharge exceeds BOD, COD, TSS, FOG, pH, or other pollutant levels established by the Director; or
3. The Director determines the owner or operator thereof has, within the preceding 24-month period, committed two or more separate acts that resulted in a notice of continuing violution, a civil penalty, or a criminal conviction under this chapter.
(c) Any person who owns or operates a grease trap/interceptor may submit to the Director a request in writing for an exception to the 90-day pumping frequency of their grease trap/interceptor. The Director may grant an extension for required cleaning frequency on a case-by-case basis when:
1. The grease trap/interceptor owner/operator has demonstrated the specific trap/interceptor will produce an effluent, based on defensible analytical results, in consistent compliance with established local discharge limits such as BOD, TSS, FOG, or other parameters as determined by the Director; or
2. Less than 25% of the wetted height of the grease trap or grease interceptor, as measured from the bottom of the device to the invert of the outlet pipe, contains floating materials, sediment, oils or greases.
(d) In any event, a grease trap and grease interceptor shall be fully evacuated, cleaned, and inspected at least once every 180 days.
(e) Grit traps or interceptors shall be completely evacuated and inspected at least once every 180 days or more frequently, if required by the Director of Public Works.
(5) Manifest requirements.
(a) Each pump-out of a grease or grit trap or interceptor must be accompanied by a manifest to be used tor record keeping purposes.
(b) Persons who generate, collect and transport grease or grit trap or interceptor waste shall maintain a record of each individual collection and deposit. Such records shall be in the form of a manifest. The manifest shall include:
1. Name, address, telephone, and commission registration number of transporter;
2. Name, signature, address, and phone number of the person who generated the waste and the date collected;
3. Type and amount of waste collected or transported;
4. Name and signature of each person responsible for collecting, transporting or depositing the waste;
5. Date and place where the waste was deposited;
6. Identification (permit or site registration number, location, and operator) of the facility where the waste was deposited;
7. Name and signature of facility on-site representative acknowledging receipt of the waste and the amount of waste received;
8. The volume of the grease waste received; and
9. A consecutive numerical tracking number to assist transporters, waste generators, and regulating authorities in tracking the volume of grease transported.
(c) Manifests shall be divided into five parts and records shall be maintained as follows:
1. One part of the manifest shall have the generator and transporter information completed and shall be given to the generator at the time of waste pickup.
2. The remaining four parts of the manifest shall have all required information completely tilled out and signed by the appropriate party before distribution of the manifest.
3. One part of the manifest shall go to the receiving facility.
4. One part shall go to the transporter, who shall retain a copy of all manifests showing the collection and disposition of waste.
5. One copy of the manifest shall be returned by the transporter to the person who generated the wastes within 15 days after the waste is received at the disposal or processing facility.
6. One part of the manifest shall go to the Director.
(d) Copies of manifests returned to the waste generator shall be retained for rive years and be readily available for review by the Director upon request.
(6) Alternative treatment.
(a) A person commits an offense if the person introduces, or causes, permits, or suffers the introduction of any surfactant, solvent or emulsifier into a grease trap. Surfactants, solvents, and emulsifiers are materials which allow the grease to pass from the trap into the collection system, and include but are not limited to enzymes, soap, diesel, kerosene, terpene, and other solvents.
(b) It is an affirmative defense to an enforcement of § 53.28(B)(6)(a) that the use of surfactants or soaps is incidental to normal kitchen hygiene operations.
(c) Bioremediation media may be used with the Director’s written approval if the person has proved to the satisfaction of the Director that laboratory testing which is appropriate for the type of grease trap to be used has verified that:
1. The media is a pure live bacterial product which is not inactivated by the use of domestic or commercial disinfectants and detergents, strong alkalis, acids, and/or water temperatures of 160°F (71°C);
2. The use of the media does not reduce the buoyancy of the grease layer in the grease trap and does not increase the potential for oil and grease to be discharged to the sanitary sewer;
3. The use of the bioremediation media does not cause foaming in the sanitary sewer; and
4. The BOD, COD, and TSS discharged to the sanitary sewer after use of the media does not exceed the BOD, COD, and TSS which would be discharged if the product were not being used and the grease trap was being properly maintained. pH levels must be between 5 and 11.
(d) All testing designed to satisfy the criteria set forth in § 53.28(B)(6)(c) shall be scientifically sound and statistically valid. All tests to determine oil and grease, TSS, BOD, COD, pH, and other pollutant levels shall use appropriate tests which have been approved by the Environmental Protection Agency and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality and which are defined in 40 C.F.R. Part 136 or 30 Texas Administrative Code § 319.11. Testing shall be open to inspection by the Director, and shall meet the Director’s approval.
(Ord. 2011-01, passed 1-25-11) Penalty, see § 53.99