(A) No provision of this chapter shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city and any user whereby sewage or wastes of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the sewage system for treatment, subject to the payment by such user of such additional charges as may be reasonable. However, federal and state prohibited discharge standards can never be waived. Where authorized by the WRRF Superintendent, special alternative limit agreements shall be made such that the allocation to all industrial users in the city service area does not exceed the calculated maximum allowable industrial loading (MAIL) for any parameter and such that the allocation to all sewer users does not exceed the calculated maximum allowable headworks loading (MAHL) for any parameter summarized in this section.
(B) A non-domestic user may, at the time of application for a wastewater discharge permit, or by a special alternative limit application, request that permitted discharge limits be increased from the standard local limits listed in § 51.062. Such special alternative limits shall be expressed as total daily pounds of pollutant discharged. Special alternative limits (SALs) shall be developed in accordance with the procedure for special alternative limits allocation as outlined in the Industrial Pretreatment Program manual for the city and approved by EGLE. The city's rules and regulations shall be available for inspection at 1301 N. Franklin St., Mt. Pleasant, MI 48858.
(C) The city reserves the right to reduce or deny special alternative limits if total pollutant discharges near or reach the MAHLs set forth in the table in this section. The city reserves the right to amend the MAHLs set forth in this section at its discretion. The special alternative limit must not result in the POTW (including the collection system) receiving pollutants in excess of its ability to convey or treat.
(D) A user which requests a special alternative limit through the permit application process must sign a written acknowledgment whereby the user consents to comply with all terms and conditions which may be imposed by the city. Such acknowledgment shall be in a form provided by the city, and must be executed by an authorized representative before any special alternative limit is effective.
(E) In addition, the city reserves the right to institute a review of any previously permitted special alternative limits at any time, pursuant to which the city, in its discretion, upon notice and the opportunity for hearing, may reduce or eliminate a user's previously permitted to approved special alternative limit.
(F) Any discharge in excess of the amount permitted by the special alternative limit is prohibited and is therefore a violation of this section and the user's wastewater discharge permit.
(G) The EGLE approved (2020) MAHL and MAILs for parameters that may be considered for SALs are as follows:
Parameter | MAHL (lb/day) | MAIL (lb/day) |
BOD5 | 5,764 | 645 |
TSS | 5,725 | 924 |
Phosphorus | 114 | 13 |
Ammonia (as N) | 918 | 54 |
(H) MAHL and MAIL values will be re-evaluated periodically as required by federal and state IPP regulations.
(Ord. 622, passed 3-4-85; Am. Ord. 1074, passed 9-27-21)