(A) Purpose.
(1) This section is designed to implement and enforce the fats, oils and grease discharge rules.
(2) The intent of this policy is to ensure compliance and provide specific standards for fats, oils, and grease interceptor’s location, type, and size, installation, construction and maintenance.
(3) It is the duty of the City Public Utilities Department to meet the conditions set forth in its North Carolina Division of Water Quality (NCDWQ) issued collection system permit thereby preventing the excessive introduction of oil and grease into the City’s sewer system and wastewater treatment plant which have the potential for creating hazardous conditions in the collection system, treatment plant inhibitions, increased treatment costs, fines, and other cost by the City.
(4) Food service establishments shall provide means of preventing oil and grease discharges to the sewerage collection system above Sewer Use Ordinance limits. Where an oil and grease interceptor currently exists or is required by the City Public Utilities Department and this section, the owner, leaseholder or operator at his or her expense shall maintain it for continuous satisfactory and effective operation.
(B) Prohibited discharge standards.
(1) No use shall cause or contribute the discharge into the City wastewater collection system the following pollutants, substances or wastewater: (See attachment A).
(2) Solid or viscous substances in amounts, which will cause obstruction of the flow in the wastewater collection system resulting in interference.
(3) Petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will case pass through or interference.
(4) Fats, oil, or grease of animal or vegetable origin in concentrations greater than 100 mg/l.
(C) Hauled wastewater. No grease collector no oily waste shall be hauled to the City wastewater treatment works.
(D) Inspection and sampling. The City may inspect the facilities of any user during normal business hours to ascertain whether the purpose of this section is being met and all requirements are being complied with. Persons or occupants of premises where wastewater is created or discharged shall allow the City, state regulatory authority, and EPA or their representative ready access at all reasonable times to all parts of the premises for the purposes of inspection, sampling, records examination and copying or in the performance of their duties. The City, state regulatory authority, and EPA shall have the right to set up on the user’s property such devices as are necessary to conduct sampling, inspection, compliance, monitoring, and/or metering operations. Where a user has security measures in force which would require proper identification and clearance before entry into their premises, the user shall make necessary arrangements with their security guards so that upon presentation of suitable identification, personnel from the City, state regulatory authority, and EPA will be permitted to enter, without delay, for the purposes of performing their specific responsibilities. Denial of the City Public Utilities Director, Public Utilities Director’s, state regulatory authority’s, or EPA’s access to the users premises shall be a violation of this section.
(E) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
CONTROL AUTHORITY. The Director of Public Utilities for the City or his or her designee.
FOOD SERVICE ESTABLISHMENT. Any commercial facility discharging kitchen or food preparation wastewater; including restaurants, motels, hotels, cafeterias, hospitals, schools, bars, delicatessen, meat cutting preparation, bakeries, etc. or any other facility which, in the opinion of the City, would require a grease trap installation by virtue of its operation.
GREASE. An accumulation of oils, fats, cellulose, starch, proteins, wax, or grease, whether emulsified or not, in sewer system of the City. These are substances that may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-two degrees (32) Fahrenheit and one hundred and fifty degrees (150) Fahrenheit.
GREASE GENERATING ESTABLISHMENTS. All retail food establishments, catering establishments, commercial food preparation facilities, meat processing facilities, churches, and other establishments that may be capable of accumulating and discharging grease into the sewer system.
GREASE INTERCEPTOR/GREASE TRAP. A device utilized to effect the separation of grease and oils in wastewater effluent from a food service establishment. Such TRAPS or INTERCEPTORS may be of the outdoor or underground type normally of one thousand-gallon (1,000) capacity or more, or the under the counter package units, which are typically less than one hundred-gallon (100) capacity.
INTERFERENCE. A discharge which alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources inhibits and/or disrupts the wastewater collection system, its treatment processes and/or its sludge processes, use and/or disposal. Interference shall include, but not be limited to, a discharge which alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources causes, in whole or part, a violation(s) of City’s NPDES permit, collection system permit, and/or to the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with any of the following statutory/regulatory provisions or permits issued hereunder, or any more stringent state or local regulations.
OWNER. Any individual, person, firm, company, association, society, corporation, or group whose property the building or structure is located or will be constructed.
(F) General requirements. A grease interceptor shall be installed in the waste line leading from the sinks, drains, or other fixtures in the following establishments when, in the opinion of the plumbing official, a hazard exists: (all retail food establishments, catering establishments, commercial food preparation facilities, meat processing facilities, and other establishments that may be capable of accumulating and discharging grease into the sewer system) where grease can be introduced in to the drainage system in quantities that can affect line stoppage or hinder sewage disposal.
(1) All food service establishments shall have grease-handling facilities approved by the Control Authority. Establishments whose grease-handling facilities or methods are not adequately maintained to prevent floatable oils, fats, or grease from entering the sewerage system shall be notified in writing of any noncompliance and required to provide a schedule whereby corrections will be accomplished.
(2) All food service establishment’s grease-handling facilities shall be subject to review, evaluation, and inspection by the City Public Utilities Department representatives during normal working hours. Results of inspections will be made available to facility owner, leaseholder, or operator.
(3) Food service establishments receiving two consecutive unsatisfactory evaluations or inspections may be subject to penalties or other corrective actions as provided for in the Sewer Use Ordinance.
(4) Food service establishments who continue to violate this section’s requirements may be considered ground for discontinuance of sewer service.
(5) Food service establishments whose operations cause or allow excessive grease to discharge or accumulate in the City collection system may be liable to the City for cost related to Public Utility Department service calls for line blockages, line cleanings, line and pump repairs, etc. including all labor, materials, and equipment. Failure to pay all service related charges may also be grounds for sewer service discontinuance.
(6) Regularly scheduled maintenance of grease handling facilities and equipment is required to ensure adequate operation. In the maintaining of these grease interceptors, the owner, lease holder, or operator shall be responsible for the approved removal and disposal for grease by this section’s guidelines, and shall maintain on site records of clean out date, name of clean out firm, signature of owner/manager, and a receipt from the clean out firm. Records shall be maintained for a period of three years.
(7) The owner shall be responsible for ensuring that no waste or wastewater pumped from the grease interceptor/grease trp is reintroduced back into the interceptor. This is a violation of the City Sewer Use Ordinance and can result in enforcement action.
(8) Any food service establishment whose effluent discharge to the sewerage system is determined by the City to cause interference in the conveyance or operation of the sewerage system may be required to sample its grease trap discharge and have it analyzed for oil and grease at the expense of the owner, leasehoder, or operator. Results of such analyses shall be reported to the City Public Utilities Department.
(9) All grease traps/interceptors shall be designed to have a minimum twenty-four-minute (24) detention time and installed to allow for complete access for inspection and maintenance of the inner chamber(s) and viewing and sampling of effluent wastewater discharged to the sewer.
(10) Food service establishments shall adopt procedures of handling sources of floatable oils, far, or grease originating within their facility. A notice shall be permanently posted at a prominent place in the facility advising employees of the procedures to be followed.
(G) Construction standards.
(1) New facilities.
(a) All new food service establishments, car wash facilities, laundry washing facilities and vehicle service centers shall be required to install a grease interceptor according to the Control Authority guidelines. Grease interceptors shall be adequately sized, with no interceptor less than 1,000 gallons total capacity unless otherwise approved by the Control Authority. The following information must be supplied to the City Public Utilities Department before plans will be approved and authorization to construct is issued.
1. Plumbing drawings for the proposed facility signed and sealed by a licensed engineer.
2. Identification and dimensions in inches for each compartment of each drainage unit.
3. Dishwasher contribution in gpm.
4. Pulper contribution in gpm.
5. Drain specification (pipe diameter).
6. Name of engineering firm or supplier who sized “trap.”
7. Trap information including: supplier, type, size, calculations used to determine detention time.
8. Flow control device information.
9. Statement/disclaimer on plans indicating proposed interceptor will meet or exceed current plumbing codes.
(b) No new facilities will be allowed to initiate operations until grease handling facilities are installed and approved by the Control Authority.
(c) All grease interceptors, whether singular or two tanks in series, must have each chamber directly accessible from the surface to provide means for servicing and maintaining the interceptor in working and operating condition.
(d) A basket screen or other intercepting device shall prevent passage into the drainage system of solids, one-half inch or larger in size, for under counter units. The basket or device shall be removable for cleaning purposes.
(2) Existing facilities.
(a) All facilities shall have grease-handling facilities approved by the Control Authority. Facilities without any grease handling will be given a compliance deadline not to exceed six months from date of notification to have approved and installed grease-handling equipment in compliance with this policy. Failure to do so will be considered a violation of the City Sewer Use Ordinance and may subject the facility to penalties and corrective actions or service discontinuance. The installations shall meet the same requirements of this section.
(b) In the event an existing facilities grease handling facilities are either under designed or substandard in accordance with this policy, owners will be notified in writing of the deficiencies, required improvements and given a compliance deadline not to exceed six months to conform with the requirements of this section.
(c) For cases in which outdoor type grease interceptor is infeasible to install, existing facilities will be required to install adequate and approved under the counter grease traps for use on individual fixtures including dishwashers, sinks, and other potentially grease containing drains.
(d) If it is determined an outdoor type grease interceptor is infeasible the facilities shall meet the same requirements for design as for new facilities. Flow control fittings must be provided to the inlet side of all under the counter units to prevent overloading of the grease trap and to allow proper operation.
(e) The Control Authority approval of flow control devices and grease trap design must be obtained prior to installation.
(f) The location of under the counter units must be near the source of the wastewater as physically possible.
(g) In maintaining grease traps/interceptors, the owners 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 City Pubic Utilities Department. The use of enzymes, grease solvents, emulsifiers, etc. is not considered an acceptable grease trap maintenance practice and therefore is prohibited.
(3) New food service establishments in existing buildings.
(a) Where practical, new food service establishments locating in existing buildings will be required to comply with the grease trap standards applicable to new facilities.
(b) Where physically impossible to install outdoor units, under the counter units may be allowed as with existing food service establishments provided prior approval of unit type, size, location, etc. is approved by the City Public Utilities Department.
(4) Exceptions.
(a) Under certain circumstances, the interceptors size and location may need special exceptions to this policy. If an exception to this policy is requested, the user must demonstrate that the size and location will not cause the facility any problems in meeting the discharge requirements of the Control Authority. Any variance to the requirements herein shall be granted at the discretion of the Public Services Director of the City.
(b) The intent of this policy is to ensure compliance with the City NPDES permit, which is required by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. This policy is in no way intended to discourage development, but rather to protect the facilities and the City’s infrastructure as it relates to the sanitary sewer system.
(5) Enforcement.
(a) The state regulatory authority may conduct one or more compliance inspections annually. The Director of Public Utilities may direct Public Utilities staff to inspect any one or more facilities based on compliance history, collection system problems, etc., in addition to any inspections conducted by the state regulatory authority.
(b) Facilities determined to be in non-compliance with this section’s requirements that are linked to a collection lin blockage will be required to reimburse the City for expenses associated with clean up.
(c) Facilities determined to be in non-compliance with this section’s requirements that are linked to a collection line blockage will be required to increase its interceptor cleaning frequency.
(d) The City may assess penalties for failure to keep required records, failure to clean in floor/under sink unit’s daily or in ground units every 30 days or according to variance issued by the City.
Penalty, see § 52.999