(A) No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, any stormwater, surface water, groundwater roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any separate sanitary sewer.
(B) Stormwater 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 Approving Authority. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of the Approving Authority or authorized regulatory agencies, to a storm sewer, combined sewer, or natural outlet.
(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 water 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 sewage treatment plant.
(3) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the sewage 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 proper operation of the sewage works 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, cup, milk containers, and the like, 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 if it appears likely in the opinion of the city or regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the discharge that such wastes can harm either the sewers sewage substances, materials, waters, or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the approving authorities that such wastes can harm either the sewers sewage 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 sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant, and maximum limits established by regulatory agencies. The substances prohibited are:
(1) Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150°F (65°C).
(2) Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous materials; or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32°F and 150°F (65°C).
(3) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the city or authorized regulatory agencies.
(4) Any waters or wastes containing strong acid, iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solution whether neutralized or not.
(5) Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc, or similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material received in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment works exceeds the limits established by the city or authorized regulatory agencies for such materials.
(6) Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor-producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the city or authorized regulatory agencies as necessary after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of the state, federal, or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
(7) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the city or authorized regulatory agencies in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
(8) Any wastes or waters having a pH in excess of 9.5.
(9) Any mercury or any of its compounds in excess of 0.0005 mg/l as Hg at any time except as permitted by the city or authorized regulatory agencies in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.
(10) Any cyanide in excess of 0.025 mg/l at any time except as permitted by the city or authorized regulatory agencies in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.
(11) 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 BOD, chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works; and/or
(d) Unusual volume of flow or concentrations of water constituting “slugs” as defined herein.
(12) 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 sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of 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 waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in the preceding section, and/or which are in violation of the standards for pretreatment provided in 40 CFR 403, June 26, 1978, relating to the EPA General Pretreatment Regulations, and any amendments thereto, and which in the judgment of the city or authorized regulatory agencies may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the city or authorized regulatory agencies may:
(1) Reject the wastes;
(2) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(3) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(4) Require payment to cover the added costs of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges, under the provisions of division (K) below. If the city or authorized regulatory agencies 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 city or authorized regulatory agencies, and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
(F) Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the city or authorized regulatory agencies they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, 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 city or authorized regulatory agencies, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(G) Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense.
(H) Each industry shall be required to install a control manhole and, when required by the city or authorized regulatory agencies permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate 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 or authorized regulatory agencies permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
(I) The owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall provide laboratory measurements, tests, and analyses of water and wastes to illustrate compliance with §§ 52.02—52.05 and § 52.99 and any special conditions for discharge established by the city or regulatory agencies having jurisdiction over the discharge. The number, type, and frequency of laboratory analyses to be performed by the owner shall be as stipulated by the city, but no less than once per year the industry must supply a complete analysis of the constituents of the wastewater discharge to assure that compliance with the federal, state, and local standards are being met. The owner shall report the results of measurements and laboratory analyses to the city at such times and in such manner as prescribed by the city. The owner shall bear the expense of all measurements, analyses, and reporting required by the city. At such times as deemed necessary the city reserves the right to take measurements and samples for analyses by an outside laboratory service.
(J) All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in §§ 52.02—52.05 and § 52.99 shall be determined in accordance with the regulatory agencies with jurisdiction, 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. 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 premise 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 grab samples.
(K) 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.
(L) The Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (“MWRD”) Sewage and Waste Control Ordinance (“SWCO”), per latest edition, as the same may be amended from time to time, is hereby adopted and incorporated by reference by the city, as authority for administration and enforcement of the industrial waste pretreatment program within areas of the city that are subject to the agreement for sewerage services between the MWRD and the city and amendments thereto.
(Ord. 23-O-2349, passed 2-1-2023) Penalty, see § 52.99