For the purpose of this chapter, the meaning of terms shall be as follows (unless the context specifically indicates otherwise):
Allowable Runoff. "Allowable runoff" means non-stormwater discharges associated with firefighting activities or as otherwise authorized by the Commissioner pursuant to this chapter.
Articles. "Articles" means clothing, garments, textiles, fabrics, leather goods, and the like, that are dry cleaned.
Automatic grease removal device. "Automatic grease removal device" means a plumbing appurtenance that is installed in a drainage system to intercept grease-laden waste from a wastewater discharge. Such device operates on a time- or event-controlled basis and has the ability to remove free-floating fat, oil and grease automatically without intervention from the user, except for maintenance.
Best Management Practices ("BMP"). "Best Management Practices" or "BMP" include, but are not limited to, a schedule of activities, prohibitions, maintenance policies, and other management procedures that are implemented to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants into the public sewer system. Best Management Practices also include pretreatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw material storage.
Best Management Practices Plan ("BMPP"). "Best Management Practices Plan" or "BMPP", for the purposes of this regulation, means an operational methodology prepared in accordance with the requirements of this section and established by any person pursuant to this 15 RCNY Chapter 19 or by order of the Commissioner to prevent or reduce the discharge of any substance regulated under this Chapter, consistent with the principles of Best Management Practices, to the public sewer system.
Biological liquefaction system. See "food waste liquefier."
BOD (denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand). "BOD" means the laboratory determination of the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in a given time and at a specified temperature. It is expressed in parts per million (ppm) or (mg/L) of oxygen used in a period of five days at 20°C.
Building drain. "Building drain," also known as "house drain," means that part of the lowest piping of a drainage system that receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside and that extends to the exterior face of the exterior building wall, or the outlet of the most downstream trap, private manhole, catch basin, detention tank, or similar fixture or equipment, and conveys the drainage directly to the building sewer or, in the absence of a building sewer, to an approved place of disposal.
Building drainage system. "Building drainage system," also known as "house drainage system," means that part of the plumbing system which receives, conveys and removes liquid and waterborne wastes to a public or private sewer.
Building sewer. "Building sewer," also known as "house sewer," means that part of the drainage system that extends from the end of the building drain, or the outlet of the most downstream trap, private manhole, catch basin, detention tank or similar fixture or equipment, and conveys the discharge to a public sewer.
Bypass. "Bypass" means the intentional diversion of wastes from any portion of a treatment system.
Catch basin. "Catch basin" means a structure or device designed to collect and convey stormwater to a storm or combined sewer. It captures some of the debris and heavy solids carried by the flow in a settlement chamber and stores this material for periodic removal.
Clear water waste. "Clear water waste" means clear water drips from pumps and equipment, coil condensate, steam condensate, single pass refrigeration discharge, reduced pressure zone device discharge, and similar clear water drippage.
Combined sewage. "Combined sewage" means sewage originating from sanitary and/or industrial wastewater and stormwater.
Combined sewer. "Combined sewer" means a sewer receiving a combination of sewage, stormwater, groundwater and nonpotable clear water waste.
Commissioner. "Commissioner" means the Commissioner of Environmental Protection.
Contributory area. "Contributory area" means the area from which the intercepted sewage flow is controlled by a regulator chamber.
Cooling water. "Cooling water" means the water discharged from any system of condensation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, or other similar temperature reducing sources. It shall contain no polluting substances which would produce BOD or SS in excess of 10 mg/L or toxic substances in concentrations or amounts greater than those specified herein.
Cost per pound of removing pollutants. "Cost per pound of removing pollutants" means the cost per pound (in dollars) of removing from sewage the BOD and SS contained in wastewater discharged into the sewerage system expressed to the nearest tenth of a cent as certified by the Commissioner pursuant to Paragraph 14 of Subdivision a of § 24-523 of the Administrative Code.
Department. "Department" means the Department of Environmental Protection of the City of New York.
Dip tank. "Dip tank" means a separate tank that contains perchloroethylene and is used for purposes other than dry cleaning.
Discharge. "Discharge" means the introduction, placement, or release of any substance, whether knowing or unknowing, accidental or otherwise, into a public sewer or private sewer connected to a public sewer and shall include indirect discharges as defined herein.
Diversion chamber. "Diversion chamber" means a structure which diverts sanitary sewage into a regulator chamber under dry-weather conditions. During wet-weather it directs combined sewage, in excess of wastewater resource recovery facility capacity, to overflow into a tide gate chamber.
Drainage area. "Drainage area" means the geographical area which contributes flow to a particular location in the sewerage system.
Dry cleaning. "Dry cleaning" means the process used to remove soil, greases, paints and other unwanted substances from articles with the use of perchloroethylene.
Dry cleaning equipment. "Dry cleaning equipment" means any machine, device, or apparatus used to dry clean articles.
Dry cleaning facility. "Dry cleaning facility" means an establishment with one or more dry cleaning systems.
Dry cleaning system. "Dry cleaning system" means all of the following equipment, devices, or apparatus associated with the perchloroethylene dry cleaning operations, including, but not limited to: dry cleaning equipment; filter or purification systems; waste holding; treatment or disposal systems; water separators; perchloroethylene supply systems; dip tanks; pumps; gaskets; piping, ducting, fittings, valves, or flanges that convey perchloroethylene-contaminated air; and dry cleaning control systems.
Effluent. "Effluent" means wastewater, treated or untreated, which is discharged directly or indirectly to a combined or sanitary sewer.
Flammable. "Flammable" means any waste stream with a closed cup flash point of less than 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 38 degrees Centigrade using the test methods specified in the definition of "flash point" in New York City Fire Code Section FC 3402.
Flushable. "Flushable" means meeting the International Water Services Flushability Group (IWSFG) testing criteria for flushability, as currently set forth in the 2018 IWSFG Publicly Available Specification (PAS) documents 1, 2, and 3, and in any successor documents.
Food waste disposal. See "food waste disposer."
Food waste disposer. "Food waste disposer" also known as "food waste disposal," means an electric motor driven device installed between a sink's drain and trap, for grinding food waste and disposing of such ground food waste through the plumbing drainage system.
Food waste liquefier. "Food waste liquefier" also known as "biological liquefaction system" means a device that breaks down food waste into liquefied form typically, but not exclusively, by mechanical turning, agitation, maceration, shredding, grinding, and/or aerobic digestion, as well as dilution with water, and may use additives such as microorganisms, enzymes, vitamins, and/or minerals. The resulting liquefied food waste is discharged into the drainage system.
Gravity grease interceptor. "Gravity grease interceptor" means a grease interceptor that utilizes gravity flow and retention time as the primary means of separating fat, oil, and grease from the facility waste stream prior to it entering the public sewer. Gravity grease interceptors are predominantly located outside due to their large size.
Grease interceptor. "Grease interceptor" means a plumbing appurtenance that is installed in a drainage system to intercept grease-laden wastes from a wastewater discharge. Such device has the ability to intercept free-floating fat, oil, and grease.
Grease retention capacity. "Grease retention capacity" means the maximum amount of grease that a grease interceptor or automatic grease removal device is able to hold in accordance with its testing and rating certification, without compromising its ability to remove an average of 90 percent or more of the grease or other extractable matter in the wastewater.
Green infrastructure. "Green infrastructure" means the range of city-owned measures that use plant or soil systems, permeable pavement or other permeable surfaces or substrates, stormwater harvest or reuse, or landscaping to store, infiltrate or evapotranspirate stormwater and reduce flows to sewer systems or to surface waters.
Groundwater. "Groundwater" means water located beneath the ground surface in soil pore spaces and in the fractures of rock formations and any water removed from the ground, including water from springs, and natural underground streams but excluding water from wells used for the delivery of potable or process water.
House drain. See "building drain".
House drainage system. See "building drainage system".
House sewer. See "building sewer".
Hydromechanical grease interceptor. "Hydromechanical grease interceptor" means a grease interceptor that utilizes hydraulic flow action, internal baffling, and air entrainment as the primary means of separating fat, oil, and grease from the fixture waste stream. Hydromechanical grease interceptors are predominantly located indoors, compact in size, and located in proximity to the fixtures they serve.
Indirect discharge. "Indirect discharge" means a discharge from a private sewer to a public sewer, or a discharge to any street, gutter, pipe, channel, pumping station, catch basin, drain, waterway, or other conveyance leading to or connecting with a public sewer, including but not limited to the placement or abandonment of any substance which could reasonably enter a public sewer under the force of stormwater or other influence.
Industrial wastes. "Industrial wastes" means any liquid, gaseous or solid substances, or a combination thereof, resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing, trade or business or from the development or recovery of any natural resources.
Influent. "Influent" means wastewater which flows into a pretreatment device or facility, or into a wastewater resource recovery facility.
Interceptor. "Interceptor" means a sewer which receives the dry-weather flow from a number of transverse combined or sanitary sewers and conducts such sewage to a wastewater resource recovery facility. During storms it receives predetermined quantities of dry-weather flow admixed with stormwater and conducts commingled sewage to a wastewater resource recovery facility.
Interceptor-collector. "Interceptor-collector" means a sewer which not only intercepts existing combined sewers to convey the flow to a wastewater resource recovery facility, but also serves as a local sanitary sewer.
Laboratory determination. "Laboratory determination" means the measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes in accordance with the methods contained in the latest edition at the time of any such measurements, tests and analysis, of "Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Waste Water," a joint publication of the American Public Health Association, the American Waterworks Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation or in accordance with any other methods prescribed by the Commissioner in these Rules and Regulations or in any other Rules and Regulations.
May. "May" is permissive.
mg/L. "mg/L" means a unit of concentration expressed in milligrams per liter.
Non-polar material. "Non-polar material" means that portion of the oil and grease that is not eliminated from a solution containing N-Hexane, or any other extractant the EPA shall prescribe, by silica gel or any other means of adsorption the EPA shall prescribe.
Oil and grease. "Oil and grease" means the matter extractable from a wastewater sample using N-Hexane or any other extractant the EPA shall prescribe.
Other wastes. "Other wastes" means garbage (shredded or unshredded), refuse, decayed wood, sawdust, shavings, bark, sand, lime, cinder, ashes, and all other discarded matter not sewage or industrial waste.
Perchloroethylene. "Perchloroethylene" means a colorless, volatile chlorinated hydrocarbon. Perc is also known as tetrachloroethylene and PCE. The chemical formula for perc is Cl2C:CCl2. The CAS (chemical abstract service) registry number for perc is 00127-18-4.
Person. "Person" means any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation, institution or group.
pH. "pH" means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration. It indicates the intensity of acidity or alkalinity expressed in terms of pH scale running from 0 to 14. A pH value of 7.0, the midpoint of the scale, represents neutrality. Values above 7.0 indicate alkalinity and those below 7.0 acidity.
Pollutants. "Pollutants" means substances that may be present in sewage, industrial waste or other waste, whether gaseous, liquid or solid.
ppb. "ppb" means parts per billion by volume in air or by weight in water.
Potable water. "Potable water" means water free from impurities present in amounts sufficient to cause disease or harmful physiological effects and conforming to the bacteriological and chemical quality requirements of the New York State Sanitary Code.
Premises. "Premises" means any parcel of real property including land, improvements or appurtenances, such as buildings.
Pre-rinse sink. See "scraper sink".
Pretreatment. "Pretreatment" means any measures to be taken by a user of the public sewer that are necessary in order that the characteristics or amounts of substances discharged to a combined or sanitary sewer, either directly or indirectly, comply with 15 RCNY §§ 19-03 or 19-04, including but not limited to the alteration of plant or processes, the installation of equipment and/or the implementation of procedures designed to reduce or eliminate the discharge of pollutants and toxic substances or eliminate any discharge so that compliance with 15 RCNY §§ 19-03 or 19-04 is attained.
Private sewer. "Private sewer" means a private sanitary, storm, or combined sewer that is designed and constructed in accordance with the requirements of the City drainage plan.
Process water. "Process water" means any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product.
Process wastewater. "Process wastewater" means process water that has been discharged or discarded.
Public sewer. "Public sewer" means a sewer that is owned by the City of New York.
Pumping station. "Pumping station" means a structure in the sewerage system housing pumps and appurtenances to lift sewage from a lower to a higher level.
Receiving water. "Receiving water" means a channel, canal, stream, creek, river, pond, lake, ocean, or other body of water.
Reduced pressure zone device. "Reduced pressure zone device" means a minimum of two independently acting check valves, with an automatically operated pressure differential relief valve located between the two check valves.
Regulator. "Regulator" means a device or apparatus for controlling the quantity of combined sewage from a contributory area admitted to an interceptor or interceptor collector. It is usually comprised of a regulator chamber, a diversion chamber and a tide gate chamber.
Regulator chamber. "Regulator chamber" means a structure and related appurtenances, which limits the quantity of flow to an interceptor or interceptor-collector.
Sanitary sewer. "Sanitary sewer" means a sewer that conveys only sewage.
Sanitary wastes. "Sanitary wastes" means bodily wastes, wash water, or similar matter.
Scavenger wastes. "Scavenger wastes" means the sludge derived from sanitary wastewater discharged into cesspools, septic tanks or privies located within the City of New York.
Scraper sink. "Scraper sink," also known as "pre-rinse sink" means a sink used for scraping food scraps, particles, and residue off of dishes.
Scullery sink. "Scullery sink" means a sink used for cleaning dishes and cooking utensils.
Sewage. "Sewage" means, for purposes of these Regulations, water and waterborne materials and substances of every kind and description which are typically conveyed through a sewer, including but not limited to, liquid wastes, chemicals, wastewater, human, animal, or plant wastes, industrial waste, nonpotable clear water waste or other waste, or infiltration and inflow.
Sewage treatment works, sewage treatment plant or wastewater resource recovery facility. "Sewage treatment works," "sewage treatment plant" or " wastewater resource recovery facility" means a City-owned facility for the treatment of sewage.
Sewer. "Sewer" means a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage and/or stormwater. Except where otherwise specified or where the context clearly dictates otherwise, the term "sewer" as used in this chapter shall refer to a public sewer.
Sewer surcharge. "Sewer surcharge" means a charge which may be applied by the New York City Water Board to premises or users discharging wastewater, directly or indirectly, into a combined or sanitary sewer which contains BOD and/or SS in concentrations exceeding those which may be specified by rule of said board.
Sewerage system or sewer system. "Sewerage system" or "sewer system" means and includes all sewers, including storm sewers, sanitary sewers, combined sewers and intercepting sewers and manholes, sewage pumping treatment and disposal works and any other plants, works or equipment, accessories, and green infrastructure within the City, which are used or are useful in connection with the collection, treatment or disposal of sewage, waste, or stormwater, and which are owned, operated or maintained by the City as part of the public sewer system.
Shall. "Shall" is mandatory.
Shredded garbage. "Shredded garbage" means garbage shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under flow conditions normally prevailing in combined or sanitary sewers, with no particle having a dimension greater than 1/2 inch in any direction.
Silver-Rich Solutions. "Silver-Rich Solutions" include, but are not limited to, fixers, bleach-fixes, stabilizers (e.g. plumbless stabilizers and chemical washes), low-flow washes, and all functionally-similar solutions.
SS (denoting suspended solids). "SS" means the laboratory determination of the dry weight expressed in parts per million (ppm) or mg/L of solids that either float on the surface or are in suspension in sewage and can be removed by filtration.
Storm sewer. "Storm sewer" means a sewer, the primary purpose of which is to carry stormwater.
Stormwater. "Stormwater" means runoff that is generated when precipitation from rain events or snowmelt flows overland and does not percolate into the ground.
Tide gate chamber. "Tide gate chamber" means a structure and related appurtenances which allows bypassing or overflow of excess combined sewage of a combined sewer or the flow of stormwater of a storm sewer to enter the receiving waters and prevents back flow of the receiving waters into the sewerage system.
Tilting braiser. "Tilting braiser," also known as "tilting skillet" means a cooking device that can be used in various different cooking operations such as braising, frying, stewing, broiling, grilling, roasting, etc., which is drained after usage by tilting the cooking compartment and pouring out its liquid waste.
Tilting skillet. See "tilting braiser."
Total silver halide process wastewater. "Total silver halide process wastewater" means the sum of all aqueous solutions used in any silver halide imaging process, including, but not limited to, photography film developers, fixers, bleach-fix, stabilizers, washes, rinse waters, and all functionally-similar solutions.
Toxic substance. "Toxic substance" means any substance on the list of toxic pollutants or combination of pollutants published by the Administrator of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency pursuant to § 307(a)(1) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act, as amended, or any substance whether gaseous, liquid or solid, which when discharged to the sewerage system may tend to (1) interfere with or inhibit any wastewater resource recovery facility process or disposal operation or (2) be detrimental to the health of human beings, animals or to aquatic life.
Unshredded garbage. "Unshredded garbage" means solid waste from preparation, cooking and dispensing of food or food products and from handling, storing and sale of produce.
User. "User" means any person which causes a direct or indirect discharge to a public sewer.
Wastewater. "Wastewater" means liquid-carried sanitary, industrial or other wastes, contaminated stormwater runoff, or any liquid that is conveyed by means of a pump or a hose into a public sidewalk, street, sewer, or sewer appurtenance, including but not limited to a catch basin or manhole.
Water separator. "Water separator" means a vessel that uses gravity to physically separate liquid perc from liquid water.
Wipe. "Wipe" means a non-woven disposable product that is designed, marketed, or used for personal hygiene, or for household, commercial, or industrial cleaning purposes.
Wok. "Wok" means a bowl-shaped pan used especially for frying and steaming.
Yellow grease. "Yellow grease" means waste cooking oil.
(Amended City Record 2/28/2018, eff. 3/30/2018; amended City Record 2/18/2020, eff. 3/19/2020; amended City Record 8/26/2021, eff. 9/25/2021)