(a) Except as hereinafter provided, any person that discharges or causes to be discharged, including any placement, run, leak, or escape into any combined or sanitary sewer, pipe, channel, pumping station, catch basins, drain connecting with any combined or sanitary sewer or any other sewer appurtenances, or green infrastructure, or waterway connecting with any combined or sanitary sewer, or into any private sewer connected with a combined or sanitary sewer any of the following described materials, substances or wastes, except as authorized in writing by the Commissioner or such small quantities through a building drainage system as may be present in normal household wastes, shall be strictly liable, without regard to fault:
(1) Construction materials, concrete or concrete contaminated water, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastic, wood, paunch manure, coffee grounds, fur, wax, power wash waste, building wash waste, fats, oils, grease, or any solids or viscous substances capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewerage system. No amount of the following shall be considered normal household wastes for purposes of this section: wipes that are not flushable, diapers, paper towels, floss, condoms, razors, hypodermic needles, contact lenses, bandages, sanitary pads, tampons, tampon applicators, gauze, cotton balls, swabs, any other personal hygiene products, drinking straws, any other items that are not toilet paper, sanitary waste, or items that have otherwise been authorized in writing by the Commissioner;
(2) Snow and ice at locations not authorized in writing by the Commissioner;
(3) Steam or wastewater above 150°F;
(4) Flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases, including but not limited to gasoline, benzene and naphtha (notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in these Regulations, under no circumstances may any such substances be discharged into the sewerage system, even if diluted prior to or after discharge);
(5) Oil sludges, waste oil, motor oil, heating oil, diesel and other fuels, dielectric fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, hydraulic fluid, or other similar substances;
(6) Non-polar material, as defined in 15 RCNY § 19-01, in concentrations greater than 50 mg/L for any given time;
(7) Coal tar, its derivatives and waste;
(8) Paints and related paint waste products from any source that tend to clog or otherwise interfere with the operation of the sewerage system;
(9) Corrosive wastewater having a pH lower than 5.0 or higher than 12.0 or having any other corrosive property likely to cause damage to structures or equipment of the sewerage system or create a hazard to personnel;
(10) Toxic substances in such quantities, which may when discharged from a single source or in combination with other sources:
(i) interfere with any sewage treatment process, including sludge digestion;
(ii) limit the City's options for operating its sewerage system or disposing of the sewage sludge, grit or scum generated at wastewater resource recovery facilities;
(iii) be detrimental to the health of human beings, animals, or aquatic life;
(iv) have any negative impact on the receiving waters; or
(v) violate federal or state laws or regulations or the requirements of a discharge permit of a sewage treatment plant issued pursuant to § 402 of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, commonly referred to as the Clean Water Act, as amended, or any other permit issued pursuant to federal or state law.
(11) Toxic substances in such quantities which may, when discharged from a single source or in combination with other sources:
(i) violate any federal or state laws, regulations, rules or standards governing such discharge; or
(ii) violate the toxic discharge limits to be set by the Commissioner, contained in a list to be maintained by the Commissioner and which may be published from time to time in the City Record, or
(12) Any liquids or wastes containing pollutants of such quality and/or quantity that become burdensome in the operation and maintenance of a sewage treatment plant;
(13) Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance;
(14) Any wastewater or substance, which in the opinion of the Commissioner, will result in a violation of any applicable federal, state or local water quality standard concerning discoloration or other undesirable physical change in the appearance of the receiving waters;
(15) Any still bottom or sludge residues resulting from dry cleaning processes including, but not limited to, dirt, lint, soil and any other deposits or residues extracted as a result of any dry cleaning processes. The discharge of filters or filter media used in dry cleaning processes is also prohibited;
(16) Antifreeze;
(17) Hazardous waste pharmaceuticals, as defined in the Code of Federal Regulations, in 40 C.F.R. Part 266.500.
(b) (1) Food waste disposers shall be permitted only within dwelling units. Under no circumstances will the discharge of garbage or refuse whether shredded or unshredded, other than ground putrescible food waste from food waste disposers in dwelling units, be permitted into a combined or sanitary sewer.
(2) Except for food waste disposers within dwelling units, any device that breaks down food waste by whatever means for the purpose of discharging it into the sewer system, including but not limited to food waste liquefiers, is prohibited in both residential and non-residential premises unless such device, prior to the effective date of this paragraph, either was connected to a grease interceptor as a result of an Order issued by the Department, appeared on engineering plans approved by the Department, or was registered with the New York City Department of Sanitation. When any such device reaches the end of its useful life, if it is replaced, it may only be replaced with on-site processing methods that do not break down food waste for the purpose of discharging it into the sewer system, and which comply with all applicable federal, state, and local requirements.
(c) Except with the written approval of the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, and in compliance with the terms and conditions thereof, only stormwater and allowable runoff may enter a receiving water without first passing through a wastewater resource recovery facility or its bypass.
(d) (1) Every person must provide protection from accidental discharge and from spillage with the potential to cause a discharge of any materials or substances prohibited or regulated by any provision of any section of any title of these Regulations. Facilities to prevent accidental discharges and spills, such as spill prevention equipment, must be provided and maintained by the person at his or her expense. The Commissioner may require the construction and/or installation of special facilities to prevent accidental discharges and spills and the submission of detailed plans, for review, prior to the construction and/or installation.
(2) In the event of a discharge in violation of any provision of any section of any title of these Regulations, the person involved in the accidental discharge must immediately notify the Department, at any hour, by telephone at 311, and must give such other additional notice as the Commissioner may direct. The telephone notification must include, the name of the person reporting the discharge, the exact time and location of the discharge, the nature of the discharge, including quantity, what it contains and any other information the Commissioner may request. The Commissioner may require additional notification and reporting, including written reports in a form he or she may prescribe.
(3) All establishments using or storing toxic or other substances the discharge of which would be prohibited, restricted, or regulated by these Regulations, must post a notice of the procedures to be followed in the event of an accidental discharge. The Commissioner may prescribe the size, form and content of this notice. This notice must be posted at the location of the storage and use of toxic and other substances, the discharge of which would be prohibited, restricted or regulated by these Regulations.
(4) In the event of a discharge that enters or has the potential to enter the public sewers, in violation of any provision of any section of any title of these regulations, any person involved in the discharge must immediately take steps to mitigate the effects of such discharge and commence clean-up procedures of such discharge in accordance with all applicable Federal, State and City laws, rules and regulations.
(e) The control of all odors which arise in premises from a public sewer must at all times be the responsibility of the owner or occupiers of premises. The cost of such control shall be borne by the owner or occupiers of premises.
(f) (1) All pretreatment and monitoring devices, including but not limited to a grease or oil interceptor or automatic grease removal device, whether required to be installed by order of the commissioner or by any other law or regulation and located on any premises, shall be the proper device and correctly installed, maintained in good working order, and operated properly to ensure that the requirements of this section and other applicable sections of the regulations are met.
(2) Bypass of pretreatment systems is prohibited except under the conditions and subject to the limitations specified in 15 RCNY § 19-04(d)(2).
(g) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any radioactive material either directly or indirectly into the sewerage system, unless all restrictions, prohibitions, and requirements of 24 RCNY Health Code Article 175 are fully complied with.
(h) (1) Interceptors and separators must be provided to prevent the discharge of oil, grease, sand and other substances harmful or hazardous to the building drainage system, the public sewer, the private sewage disposal system, or the wastewater resource recovery facility or processes.
(2) The size, type and location of grease interceptors and automatic grease removal devices must be designed and installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the requirements of 15 RCNY § 19-11 based on the anticipated conditions of use.
(3) The size, type and location of other types of interceptors and separators, including but not limited to oil separators, and sand interceptors must be designed and installed in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and the requirements of Section 1003 of the New York City Plumbing Code based on the anticipated conditions of use.
(4) Wastes that do not require treatment or separation must not be discharged into any interceptor or separator.
(Amended City Record 2/18/2020, eff. 3/19/2020; amended City Record 8/26/2021, eff. 9/25/2021)