(A) No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharged any unpolluted waters such as stormwater, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, or cooling water to any sewer, except stormwater runoff from limited areas, which stormwater may be polluted at times, may be discharged to the sanitary sewer by permission of the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator.
(B) Stormwater other than that exempted under division (A) of this section and all 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 authorized agent and other regulatory agencies. Unpolluted industrial cooling water or process waters may be discharged, on approval of the authorized agent, to a storm sewer, combined sewer, or natural outlet.
(C) No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers;
(1) Any gasoline, benzene, naptha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas.
(2) Any waters 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 waste 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 5.5 or higher than 9.5, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the wastewater works.
(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 facilities such as, but not limited to, ashes, 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.
(D) (1) The following described substances, materials, waters, or waste shall be limited in discharges to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have any adverse effect on the receiving stream, or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the regulations below if in his opinion such more severe limitations are necessary to meet the above objectives.
(2) In forming his opinion as to the acceptability, the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator 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 treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be exceeded without approval of the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator are as follows:
(a) Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150° Fahrenheit (60° Celsius).
(b) Wastewater containing more than 100 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradeable cutting oils, or product of mineral oil origin.
(c) Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat, or grease.
(d) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded (see § 51.01). 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.
(e) Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc, and similar objectionable or toxic substances to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater at the wastewater treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator for such materials.
(f) Any waters or wastes containing odor-producing substances exceeding limits, which may be established by the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator.
(g) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
(h) Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both which constitute a “slug” as defined herein.
(i) Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater 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.
(j) Any water or wastes which, by interaction with other water 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.
(k) Materials which exert or cause:
1. Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, lime slurries, and lime residues) or dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to sodium chloride and sodium sulfate);
2. Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions; and
3. Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works.
(l) Wastewater containing BOD5 greater than 200 mg/l or TSS in excess of 250 mg/l unless permitted by specific written agreement with the city provided the city has determined that no adverse effect on the city’s wastewater treatment facilities will occur from these alternative limits. Any written agreement with the city to discharge such BOD5 or TSS may provide for special charges, payments or provisions for treating and testing equipment.
(E) (1) If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in division (D) of this section, and which in the judgment of the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise created a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator may:
(a) Reject the wastes;
(b) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(c) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(d) Require payment to cover added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer changes under the provisions of division (J) of this section.
(2) When considering the above alternatives, the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator shall give consideration to the economic impact of each alternative or the discharge. If the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator.
(F) (1) Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided at the user’s expense when, in the opinion of the authorized agent, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, as specified in division (D)(2)(c) of this section, 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 Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Grease and oil separators shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. The units shall be of substantial construction, watertight and equipped with easily removable covers which when butted in place shall be gas-tight and watertight. Suitable grease traps are aimed at the control of fats, oils and grease (FOG) to address maintenance issues such as sanitary sewer blockages and accumulation of FOG materials in pump station wet wells and wastewater treatment plant unit processes. The primary targeted commercial entities for this type of waste are restaurants, car washes, commercial laundry facilities, etc.
(2) In maintaining of these interceptors the owner(s) 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 Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner(s)’ personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms. Where installed, all grease and oil separators shall be maintained by the user at their expense in continuously efficient operations.
(G) 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(s) at his expense.
(H) When required by the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator, the owner(s) of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure together with any necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
(I) The Industrial Pretreatment Coordinator may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this subchapter. These requirements may include:
(1) Wastewater’s discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period.
(2) Chemical analyses of wastewaters.
(3) Information on raw materials, processes, and products affecting wastewater volume and quality.
(4) Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent, or other materials important to sewer use control.
(5) A plot plan of sewers of the user’s property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location.
(6) Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities.
(7) Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the municipal sewer.
(J) Water quality standards have been adopted by the State of Illinois, naming dissolved and suspended substances which are objectionable, and established the quantities of each which may be discharged into the Illinois River as a receiving stream. The city sewer system may normally be expected to provide a considerable dilution and this may be taken into account by an industrial or commercial user as follows:
(1) Any industrial or commercial sanitary sewer user may normally expect to discharge 5 times the concentration of any substance into the sanitary sewer which would be permitted by the water quality standards if the said user discharged the said waste directly to the Illinois River.
(2) Possibly higher concentrations of some substances may be discharged without interfering with the sewage treatment process and this will be considered by the city, providing:
(a) The industrial or commercial user inaugurates and maintains a suitable system of policing its sewage effluent quality and quantity.
(b) The industry shall arrange to discharge at a uniform rate any substances included in the list of objectionable materials of the State Water Quality Standards for the Illinois River at LaSalle.
(K) Any industry discharging as much as 5 times the allowable concentration of any substance which falls into the category of an objectionable substance in terms of the water quality standards shall periodically sample the sewage leaving each sewer which discharges into the city system and shall submit a monthly report to the city including sampling data and results of analysis. The concentration of any of said substances which can occur in a grab sample of waste taken under the “worst” circumstances at the “worst” time shall be the concentration that governs.
(L) (1) All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this subchapter shall be determined in accordance with the last edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said 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.
(2) Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb, and property. (The particular analyses involved will determine whether a 24 hour composite of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from 24-hour composites of all outfalls whereas pHs are determined from periodic instantaneous grab samples.)
(M) 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 therefore, by the industrial concern.
(N) All disposal by any person into the sewer system is unlawful except those discharges in compliance with federal standards promulgated pursuant to the Federal Act and more stringent state and local standards.
(Ord. 1677, passed 9-7-1999; Am. Ord. 2157, passed 1-12-2009)