(A) General.
(1) Prohibited discharges, storm water drainage. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any “storm water drainage”, defined as any storm water, ground water or flow from roof runoff, subsurface drainage, down spouts, yard drains, sump pumps, yard fountains, drains, swimming pools, ponds, cistern overflows or lawn sprays into any sanitary sewers.
(2) Unlawful acts. It is unlawful for any person to make or maintain a connection between eaves troughs, rainspouts, footing drains or any other conductor used to carry natural precipitation or ground water, and the sanitary sewer system or any part thereof.
(3) Violation. Any property owner in violation of this section, and upon receiving notice of said violation, shall disconnect the conductor from the sanitary sewer system within the designated time as determined by the city’s prohibited discharges, storm water drainage policy. Any property owner in violation of this section shall be assessed a monthly surcharge, the amount of which will be established by Ch. 35 of this code of ordinances, for each month that the conductor is not permanently disconnected. Failure to permanently disconnect the conductor, or reconnection of a disconnected conductor, may result in the suspension of water and sanitary sewer service.
(4) Unlawful discharge. It is unlawful to discharge storm water or any other prohibited drainage anywhere other than a specifically designed storm sewer or any other specifically designed point approved by the city and/or other regulatory agencies.
(5) Surcharge. Any property found where a reconnection of a disconnected prohibited discharge storm water drainage conductor has occurred shall be assessed a surcharge of $100 per month. The surcharge shall be calculated from the date of the certificate of compliance and remain in effect until disconnection has been reestablished. Failure to permanently disconnect the conductor shall result in the suspension of water and sanitary service.
(1992 Code, § 276:18)
(B) Regulations relative to prohibited discharges.
(1) Except as hereinafter provided, all storm water drainage hereinabove prohibited in division (A) above shall be disconnected by the owner, tenant or occupant, at his, her or their expense, no later than 9-1-1975.
(2) To ensure compliance, the City Council may, by resolution, designate a person or persons who shall be authorized and given authority at any reasonable hour to enter any building or premises for the purpose of inspecting the same to determine whether or not the premises comply with the terms of this subchapter.
(3) Such inspection may be made at any reasonable hour and such inspector may do such acts as may reasonably be necessary to determine the facts with reference to any suspected violation.
(4) The designated inspector shall give written notice to the owner, and the tenant or occupant if rental property, directing him or her to disconnect such prohibited storm water drainage from the sanitary sewer system within such time as may be prescribed in the notice.
(5) If any person fails or refuses to make the disconnection from the sanitary sewer system required by this subchapter, the city may make the necessary corrections and charge the cost thereof to the property owner. Such charges are hereby made a lien upon such premises and shall be certified to the County Auditor as a special assessment and collected with other taxes.
(6) In cases where, and in the opinion of the approving authority, the character of the wastewater from any manufacturer or industrial plant building or other premises is such that it will damage the system or cannot be treated satisfactorily in the system, the approving authority shall have the right to require such user to dispose of such waste otherwise and prevent it from entering the city system.
(7) Any person aggrieved by action of the designated inspector or approving authority under this section may appeal to the Board of Review and Appeals hereunder in accordance with the procedure set forth therein.
(8) All subsurface drainage, footing drains and sump pump discharge shall discharge underground into storm water drainage systems in all newly platted areas that have been accepted after 2-19-1974.
(1992 Code, § 276:21)
(C) Prohibited discharges, specific requirements. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged either directly or indirectly any of the substances, materials, waters or waste described in this division (C):
(1) Any liquid having a temperature higher than 150°F (65°C); (Exceptions may be granted for short duration flows where it has been shown that the high temperature wastewater would not cause any significant sewerage works problems.)
(2) Any water or wastes which contain wax, grease or oil, plastic or other substances that will solidify or become discernible viscous at temperatures between 32° to 150°F;
(3) Any solids, liquids or gases which, by themselves or by interaction with other substances, may cause fire or explosion hazards, or in any other way may be injurious to persons, property or the operator of the wastewater treatment facilities;
(4) Any solids, slurries or viscous substances of such character as to be capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the wastewater treatment facilities, such as ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, lime slurry, lime residues, chemical residues or bulk solids;
(6) Any noxious or malodorous substance which, either singly or by interaction with other substances, is capable of causing objectionable odors, or hazard to life; or forms solids in concentrations exceeding limits established in §§ 50.17 through 50.20 of this chapter or creates any other conditions deleterious to structures or treatment processes; or requires unusual provisions, alteration or expense to handle such materials;
(7) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazards to structures, equipment or personnel (exceptions may be granted for short duration flows where it has been shown that the high or low pH would not cause any significant sewerage works problems);
(8) Any wastes or waters containing suspended or dissolved solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials in the wastewater collection and treatment facilities;
(9) Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance such as plating or heat treating wastes in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process, to constitute a hazard to humans or animals or to create any hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment facilities;
(10) Any cyanide greater than one part per million, as CN;
(11) Any hexavalent chromium greater than one part per million;
(12) Any trivalent chromium greater than ten parts per million;
(13) Any copper greater than one part per million;
(14) Any nickel greater than one part per million;
(15) Any cadmium greater than one part per million;
(16) Any zinc greater than one part per million;
(17) Any phenols greater than 12 parts per million;
(18) Any iron greater than 12 parts per million;
(19) Any tin greater than one part per million; and/or
(20) Any radioactive wastes greater than allowable releases as specified by current United States Bureau of Standards’ handbooks dealing with the handling and release of radioactive materials.
(1992 Code, § 276:24)
(D) Prohibited discharges, quantity and concentrations. Except in quantities or concentrations, or with provisions as set forth herein, it shall be unlawful for any person, corporation or individual to discharge waters or wastes to the sanitary sewer containing:
(1) Free or emulsified oil and grease exceeding on analysis an average of 100 parts per million (834 pounds per million gallons) of either or both, or combinations of free or emulsified oil and grease, if, in the opinion of the approving authority, it appears probable that such wastes:
(a) Can deposit grease or oil in the sewer lines in such manner as to clog the sewers;
(b) Are not amenable to bacterial action and will therefore pass to the receiving waters without being affected by normal wastewater treatment processes; and
(c) Can have deleterious effects on the treatment process.
(2) Materials which exert or cause:
(a) Unusual concentrations of solids or composition; as for example, in total suspended solids of inert nature (such as fuller’s earth) and/or in total dissolved solids (such as sodium chloride or sodium sulfate);
(b) Excessive discoloration;
(c) Unusual biochemical oxygen demand or an unusual immediate oxygen demand; and/or
(d) High hydrogen sulfide content.
(1992 Code, § 276:27)
(Ord. 1226, passed 4-4-2000) Penalty, see § 50.99