(A) General prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass through or interference with the operation or performance of the POTW. These general prohibitions apply to all users of the Rochester POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other national, state, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.
(B) Specific prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW the following pollutants, substances, or wastewater:
(1) A pollutant from any source of nondomestic wastewaters that could pass through or cause interference with the operation or performance of the POTW;
(2) Pollutants which create a fire or explosive hazard in the Rochester POTW, including but not limited to, wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21;
(3) Wastewater having a pH less than 5.0 or more than 10.5, or otherwise causing corrosive structural damage to the Rochester POTW or equipment;
(4) Solid or viscous substances in amounts which will cause obstruction of the flow in a sewer or other interference with the operation of the POTW such as , but not limited to, ashes , cinders, sand, mud, straw, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, paints, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch, manure, hair, fleashing, entrails, paper, dishes, cups, milk containers, and the like either whole or ground by garbage grinders;
(5) Pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD and the like), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference in the Rochester POTW;
(6) Wastewater having a temperature greater than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius), or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference or damage to the POTW, but in no case wastewater which causes the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius);
(7) Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass through;
(8) Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the Rochester POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems;
(9) Trucked or hauled pollutants, except with the permission of the POTW, and when introduced to the POTW at a discharge point designated by the POTW;
(10) Noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids, or other wastewater which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, are sufficient to create a public nuisance or a hazard to life, or to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance or repair;
(11) Wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions, which consequently imparts color to the treatment plant’s effluent, thereby violating the city’s NPDES permit;
(12) Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(13) Sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes;
(14) Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the Rochester Board of Public Works and Safety upon recommendation of the Superintendent in a wastewater discharge permit;
(15) Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources, the treatment plant’s effluent to fail a toxicity test;
(16) Detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the Rochester POTW;
(17) Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease, or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 degrees Fahrenheit and 150 degrees Fahrenheit or 0 degrees Celsius and 65 degrees Celsius;
(18) Any garbage that has not been properly ground or shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-quarters horsepower (0.76 HP metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval by the Board;
(19) Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Board as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters;
(20) Any waters or wastes containing acid metallic pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions; and
(21) Prohibited materials include, but are not limited to, gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethers, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, peroxides, chlorates, perchlorates, bromates, carbides, hydrides, and sulfides, and any other substances which the city, the state, or EPA has notified the user is a fire hazard or a hazard to the system.
(C) If any waters or wastes are discharged, or area proposed to be discharged, to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in division (B) above, and which in the judgment of the Board may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters, or otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Board may:
(1) Develop and enforce specific limits on prohibited substances.
(2) Require new industries, or industries with significant increase in discharges, to submit information on wastewater characteristics and obtain prior approval for discharges.
(3) Enter the premises of any industrial user to conduct inspections, surveillance, record review, and/or monitoring, as necessary to determine compliance with the SUO and, if applicable, any effective industrial wastewater pretreatment permit.
(4) Accept or deny any new or increased discharges from any indirect discharger.
(5) Require compliance with all applicable pretreatment standards and requirements by indirect dischargers.
(6) Immediately halt or prevent any discharge of pollutants to the POTW which reasonably appears to present an imminent endangerment to the health or welfare of the public, the environment, and/or which threatens to interfere with the operation of the POTW.
(7) Require payment of a surcharge on any excessive flows or loadings discharged to the treatment works to cover the additional costs of having capacity for and treating such wastes.
(8) If the Board permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plant and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Board and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
(D) Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense.
(E) When required by the Superintendent, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Superintendent. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense, and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times. Agents of the city, the Indiana Department of Environmental Management and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purpose of inspection, record review, observation, measurement, sampling and testing.
(F) All measurements, tests and analysis of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in this subchapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole, except for application for NPDES Permits and report there of which shall be conducted in accordance with rules and regulations adopted by the USEPA, 40 CFR Part 136 and any subsequent revisions subject to approval by the city. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. (The particular analysis involved will determine whether a 24-hour composite of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, CBOD, suspended solids and ammonia analysis are obtained from 24-hour composites of all outfalls whereas PHs are determined from periodic grab samples.)
(G) No statement contained in this subchapter shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city and any industrial concern whereby a compatible industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for treatment, subject to payment therefore, by the industrial concern, at such rates as are compatible with the rate ordinance.
(Ord. 15-2021, passed 11-23-21)