(A) Installations.
(1) New facilities. Food processing or food service facilities which are newly proposed or constructed, or existing facilities which will be expanded or renovated to include a food service facility, where such facility did not previously exist, shall be required to design, install, operate and maintain a grease trap/interceptor in accordance with locally adopted plumbing codes or other applicable ordinances. Grease traps/interceptors shall be installed and inspected prior to issuance of a certificate of occupancy.
(2) Existing facilities. Existing grease traps/interceptors must be operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and in accordance with these model standards, unless specified in writing and approved by the POTW.
(3) All grease trap/interceptor waste shall be properly disposed of at a facility in accordance with federal, state, or local regulation.
(B) Cleaning and maintenance.
(1) Grease traps and grease interceptors shall be maintained in an efficient operating condition at all times.
(2) Each grease trap 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 Tex. Administrative Code § 312.143.
(C) Self-cleaning.
(1) 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:
(a) The grease trap is no more than 50 gallons in liquid/operating capacity;
(b) Proper on-site material disposal methods are implemented (e.g. absorb liquids into solid form and dispose into trash);
(c) The local solid waste authority allows such practices;
(d) 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
(e) Detailed records on these activities are maintained.
(2) Grease trap self-cleaning operators must submit a completed self-cleaning request to the POTW for approval. The written request shall include the following information:
(a) Business name and street address;
(b) Grease trap/interceptor operator name, title, and phone number;
(c) Description of maintenance frequency, method of disposal, method of cleaning and size (in gallons) of the grease trap/interceptor; and
(d) Signed statement that the operator will maintain records of waste disposal and produce them for compliance inspections.
(3) 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 indicates, at a minimum, the following information:
(a) Date the grease trap/interceptor was serviced;
(b) Name of the person or company servicing the grease trap/interceptor;
(c) Waste disposal method used;
(d) Gallons of grease removed and disposed of;
(e) Waste oil added to grease trap/interceptor waste; and
(f) 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.
(4) Violations incurred by grease trap self-cleaners will be subject to enforcement action including fines and/or removal from the self-cleaner program.
(D) Cleaning schedules.
(1) Grease traps and grease 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.
(2) Grease traps and grease interceptors subject to these standards shall be completely evacuated a minimum of every 90 days, or more frequently when:
(a) 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; or
(b) The discharge exceeds BOD, COD, TSS, FOG, pH, or other pollutant levels established by the POTW; or
(c) If there is a history of non-compliance.
(3) Any person who owns or operates a grease trap/interceptor may submit to the POTW a request in writing for an exception to the 90 day pumping frequency of their grease trap/interceptor. The POTW may grant an extension for required cleaning frequency on a case-by-case basis when:
(a) 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 POTW; or
(b) 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.
(4) In any event, a grease trap and grease interceptor shall be fully evacuated, cleaned, and inspected at least once every 180 days.
(E) Manifest requirements.
(1) Each pump-out of a grease trap or interceptor must be accompanied by a manifest to be used for record keeping purposes.
(2) Persons who generate, collect and transport grease 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:
(a) Name, address, telephone, and commission registration number of transporter;
(b) Name, signature, address, and phone number of the person who generated the waste and the date collected;
(c) Type and amount(s) of waste collected or transported;
(d) Name and signature(s) of responsible person(s) collecting, transporting, and depositing the waste;
(e) Date and place where the waste was deposited;
(f) Identification (permit or site registration number, location, and operator) of the facility where the waste was deposited;
(g) Name and signature of facility on-site representative acknowledging receipt of the waste and the amount of waste received;
(h) The volume of the grease waste received; and
(i) A consecutive numerical tracking number to assist transporters, waste generators, and regulating authorities in tracking the volume of grease transported.
(3) Manifests shall be divided into five parts and records shall be maintained as follows:
(a) One part of the manifest shall have the generator and transporter information completed and be given to the generator at the time of waste pickup.
(b) The remaining four parts of the manifest shall have all required information completely filled out and signed by the appropriate party before distribution of the manifest.
1. One part of the manifest shall go to the receiving facility.
2. One part shall go to the transporter, who shall retain a copy of all manifests showing the collection and disposition of waste.
3. 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.
4. One part of the manifest shall go to the local authority.
(4) Copies of manifests returned to the waste generator shall be retained for five years and be readily available for review by the POTW.
(F) Alternative treatment.
(1) 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.
(2) It is an affirmative defense to an enforcement of division (F)(1) above that the use of surfactants or soaps is incidental to normal kitchen hygiene operations.
(3) Bio-remediation media may be used with the POTW's approval if the person has proved to the satisfaction of the POTW that laboratory testing which is appropriate for the type of grease trap to be used has verified that:
(a) 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 degrees F (71 degrees C).
(b) 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.
(c) The use of the bio- remediation media does not cause foaming in the sanitary sewer.
(d) 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 five and 11.
(4) All testing designed to satisfy the criteria set forth in division (F)(3) 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 Code of Federal Regulations, Part 136 or Tex. Administrative Code § 319.11. Testing shall be open to inspection by the POTW, and shall meet the POTW's approval.
(Ord. 22-0321, passed 3-21-2022)