(a) Permit Requirements. All commercial establishments that are required to install a fats, oils and greases removal system shall be issued a permit from the City of Newark, Division of Water and Wastewater. Permits will be issued for a two-year period. The Division shall provide the owner with a permit indicating the requirements that the establishment must meet in order to comply with the FOG ordinance. The Division shall keep a running public log, including permit number, address, and name of owner.
(b) Fee. A fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be assessed to each permit issued and shall be payable within 30 days of request. Failure to pay the fee will result in termination of services. Fees will be pro-rated for permits issued mid-cycle.
(c) Owner Responsibility. The owner shall be responsible for cleaning and maintaining the fats, oils and grease removal system located on their property and shall maintain accurate records of the dates of cleaning and means of fats, oils and greases disposal, subject to inspection and review by the Division. Any removal and hauling of fats, oils and greases shall be performed by a licensed waste disposal or rendering firm. All cost incidental to the building sewer installation, connection and registration shall be borne by the owner.
(d) Biological or Chemical Treatment Agents. Biological or chemical treatment agents for the separation, emulsification and/or removal of fats, oils and greases shall be conditionally approved on a case by case basis and shall not be used without special approval.
(e) Grease Interceptor Maintenance, Record-keeping and Grease Removal.
(1) Grease traps or interceptors shall be installed by users as required by the Director or his or her designee. Grease traps or interceptors shall be installed at the user's expense, where the discharge of grease laden waste, from food preparation or food processing or other commercial establishment, into the City sewer will cause an impediment or obstruction of the City sanitary sewer main. All grease interceptors shall be of a type, design and capacity approved by the Director or his or her designee and shall be readily and easily accessible for user cleaning and inspection by City inspectors. All such grease interceptors shall be serviced and emptied of accumulated waste content as required in order to maintain minimum design capability or effective volume of the grease interceptor, but not less often than every 180 days. Users who are required to pass water through a grease interceptor shall:
A. Provide for a minimum hydraulic retention time of 24 minutes at actual peak flow or 12 minutes at the calculated theoretical peak flow rate as predicted by the Uniform Plumbing Code future criteria, between the influent and effluent baffles with 20 percent of the total volume of the grease interceptor being allowed for sludge to settle and accumulate, identified hereafter as a "sludge pocket".
B. Remove any accumulated grease cap and sludge pocket as required, but at intervals of not longer than 180 days at the users expense. Grease interceptors shall be kept free of inorganic solid materials such as grit, rocks, gravel, sand, eating utensils, cigarettes, shells, towels, rags, etc., which could settle into this pocket and thereby reduce the effective volume of the grease interceptor.
C. Accept the following conditions. If any skimmed or pumped wastes or other materials removed from the grease interceptor are treated in any fashion on site and reintroduced back into the grease interceptor as an activity of and after said on site treatment, the user shall be responsible for the attainment of the established grease numerical limit consistent with and contained in division (e)(1) of this section on all discharges of wastewater from said grease interceptor into the City of Newark sanitary sewer collection and treatment system.
D. Operate the grease interceptor in a manner so as to maintain said device such that attainment of the grease limit is consistently achieved. "Consistent" shall mean any wastewater sample taken from said grease interceptor and shall be subject to terms of numerical limit attainment described in (5) (a). If an establishment desires, because of documented space constraints, an alternate to an out-of-building grease interceptor, the request for an alternative location shall contain the following information:
1. Location of the City sewer main and easement in relation to available exterior space outside the building;
2. Existing plumbing at or in a site that uses common plumbing for all services at that site.
E. Understand and agree that the use of biological additives as a grease degradation agent is conditionally permissible, upon prior written approval by the Director. Any establishment using this method of grease abatement shall maintain the trap or interceptor in such a manner that attainment of the grease wastewater discharge limit, as measured from the trap's outlet, is constantly achieved.
F. Understand and agree that the use of automatic grease removal systems is conditionally permissible, upon prior written approval by the Director, the City Plumbing Inspector and the City Health Department. Any establishment using this equipment shall operate the system in such a manner that attainment of the grease wastewater discharge limit, as measured from the unit's outlet, is constantly achieved.
G. Understand and agree that the Director reserves the right to make determinations of grease interceptor adequacy and need, based on review of all relevant information regarding grease interceptor performance, facility site and building plan review and to require repairs to, or modification or replacement of such traps.
H. Understand and agree that the size, type and location of each grease trap shall be approved by the Division. Grease interceptors shall be sized and engineered based upon the anticipated load and/or conditions of actual use. Grease traps of pre-cast or poured in place concrete shall be constructed of sound durable material, not subject to excessive corrosion or decay, and shall be water and gas tight.
(2) The user shall maintain a written record of trap maintenance for three years. All such records will be available for inspection by the Division at all times.
(3) No grease-laden sources are allowed to be connected to sewer lines intended for grease interceptor service.
(4) Except as provided herein, for a period of one year following adoption of this chapter, although installation of grease interceptors will be required to be installed, no enforcement actions will be taken under this chapter for failure to achieve limits on grease discharges from grease interceptors. If, during this one year period, an obstruction of a City sewer main(s) occurs that causes a sewer overflow to the extent that an impact on the environment is realized, and that said overflow or failure of the sanitary sewer collection system to convey sewage can be attributed in part or in whole to an accumulation of grease in the City's sewer main(s), the City of Newark will take appropriate enforcement actions, as stipulated in the City's Industrial Pretreatment Enforcement Plan and Sewer Use Ordinance, against the generator or contributor of such grease.
(5) Access manholes, with a minimum diameter of 24 inches, shall be provided over each chamber and sanitary tee. The access manholes shall extend at least to finished grade and be designed and maintained to prevent water inflow or infiltration. The manholes shall also have readily removable covers to facilitate inspection, grease removal and wastewater sampling activities.
(6) Waste that does not contain fat, grease or oils and that otherwise doesn't require treatment shall not discharge into the grease, fats and oils removal system. Wastewater from dishwasher machines or wastewater that otherwise exceeds 140o F shall not be introduced into any grease removal system.
(7) Food waste grinders shall not discharge into the building drainage system through a grease interceptor, grease trap or grease recovery device.
(Ord. 03-41. Passed 9-15-03; Ord. 09-13. Passed 4-6-09.)