(A) Scope and purpose. To aid in the prevention of sanitary sewer blockages and obstructions from contributions and accumulation of fats, oils, and greases into said sewer system from industrial or commercial establishments, particularly food preparation and serving facilities.
(B) Definitions. For the purpose of this section, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
(1) COOKING ESTABLISHMENTS. Those establishments engaged in activities of preparing, serving, or otherwise making available for consumption foodstuffs and that use one or more of the following preparation activities: cooking by frying (all methods), baking (all methods), grilling, sauteing, rotisserie cooking, broiling (all methods), boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting, or poaching. Also included are infrared heating, searing, barbecuing, and any other food preparation activity that produces a hot, non-drinkable food product in or on a receptacle that requires washing. Such establishments include, but are not limited to, restaurants, cafeterias, extended care facilities, school cafeterias (public and private), and daycare facilities where meals for more than six children are prepared, served or otherwise made available for human consumption.
(2) FATS, OILS, AND GREASES. Organic polar compounds derived from animal and/or plant sources that contain multiple carbon chain triglyceride molecules. These substances are detectable and measurable using analytical test procedures established in 40 C.F.R. 136, as may be amended from time to time. All are sometimes referred to herein as GREASE or GREASES.
3) GREASE TRAP or INTERCEPTOR. An approved device for separating and retaining waterborne greases and grease complexes prior to the wastewater exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. These devices also serve to collect settable solids, generated by and from food preparation activities, prior to the water exiting the trap and entering the sanitary sewer collection and treatment system. GREASE TRAPS and INTERCEPTORS are sometimes referred to herein as GREASE INTERCEPTORS.
(4) MINIMUM DESIGN CAPABILITY. The design features of a grease interceptor and its ability or volume required to effectively intercept and retain greases from grease-laden wastewaters discharged to the public sanitary sewer.
(5) NON-COOKING ESTABLISHMENTS. Those establishments primarily engaged in the preparation of precooked foodstuffs that do not include any form of cooking. These include cold dairy and frozen foodstuffs preparation and serving establishments.
(6) USER. Any person, including those located outside the jurisdictional limits of the town, who contributes, causes or permits the contribution or discharge of wastewater into the publicly owned treatment works (POTW), including persons who contribute such wastewater from mobile sources, such as those who discharge hauled wastewater.
(C) Grease interceptor maintenance, record keeping, and grease removal. Grease interceptors shall be installed by users as required by the Public Works Director or his or her designee. Grease interceptors shall be installed at the user’s expense, when such user operates a cooking establishment. Grease interceptors may also be required in non-cooking or cold dairy and frozen foodstuffs establishments and other industrial or commercial establishments when they are deemed necessary by the Director of Public Works/Waste Water Superintendents for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease. No user shall allow wastewater discharge concentration from subject grease interceptor to exceed 325 milligrams per liter, as identified by method EPA Method 1664 or 275 milligrams per liter, as identified by EPA method 413. All grease interceptors shall be of a type, design, and capacity approved by the Public Works Director/Waste Water Superintendents or his or her designee and shall be readily and easily accessible for user cleaning and town inspection. 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 30 days. Users who are required to pass water through a grease interceptor shall:
(1) 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 fixture criteria, between the influent and effluent baffles with 20% of the total volume of the grease interceptor being allowed for sludge to settle and accumulate, identified hereafter as a “sludge pocket”;
(2) Remove any accumulated grease cap and sludge pocket as required, but at intervals of not longer than 30 days at the user’s expense. Grease interceptors shall be kept free of inorganic solid materials such as grit, rocks, gravel, sand, eating utensils, cigarettes, shells, towels, rags, and the like, which could settle into this pocket and thereby reduce the effective volume of the grease interceptor;
(3) Accept the following conditions: if any skimmed or pumped wastes or other materials removed from grease interceptor are treated in any fashion onsite and reintroduced back into the grease interceptor as an activity of and after the onsite treatment, the user shall be responsible for the attainment of established grease numerical limit consistent with and contained in division (C)(1) of this section on all discharges of wastewater from the grease interceptor into the Town of Sharpsburg sanitary sewer collection and treatment system;
(4) The user is required to ensure that all waste material removed from grease traps and interceptors are disposed of in a manner that complies with all federal, state and local statutes, rules regulations, policies and ordinances;
(5) The user shall maintain a written record of trap maintenance. All such records will be available for inspection by the town at all times;
(6) Operate the grease interceptor in a manner so as to maintain the device such that attainment of the grease limit is consistently achieved. “Consistent” shall mean any wastewater sample taken from the grease interceptor shall be subject to terms of numerical limit attainment described in division (C)(1) of this section. 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:
(a) Location of town sewer main and easement in relation to available exterior space outside building; or
(b) Existing plumbing at or in a site that uses common plumbing for all services at that site;
(7) 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 consistently achieved;
(8) Understand and agree that: the use of automatic grease removal systems is conditionally permissible, upon prior written approval by the Director of Public Works/Wastewater Superintendent, of the Town of Sharpsburg. 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 consistently achieved;
(9) Understand and agree that: the Director of Public Works/Wastewater Superintendent 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;
(10) Upon the prior written approval of the Public Work Director, non-cooking establishments may be exempted from the requirements of this section after an inspection of the subject premises and submission of adequate supporting documentation, as deemed necessary in the sole and absolute discretion of the Public Works Director. At a minimum, such supporting, documentation shall include: blue prints at the subject premises, and a full and detailed list of all potential sources of grease at the subject premises;
(11) Grease traps and interceptors may also be required in other facilities, as deemed necessary by the Town’s Public Works Director. Impact and (ii) such overflow, spill, leak or other event may be attributed in part or in whole to a particular user, then the town will seek enforcement action under the Sewer Use Ordinance, and/or the Pretreatment Enforcement Plan. For purposes of this section and overflow, spill, leak or other event shall be deemed to have an environmental impact when (i) such overflow or other event in voices and amount of wastewater equal to or in excess of 1,000 gallons, or (ii) any amount of wastewater reaches any body of surface water;
(12) No non-grease laden sources are allowed to be connected sewer lines intended for grease interceptor service;
(13) Users shall supply (i) an adequate sampling point down stream of grease trap or interceptor, prior to mixing with other sanitary flows, and (ii) an accessible entry into each chamber of the grease trap or interceptor. The minimum requirement for the sampling point shall be a four-inch vertical clean out;
(14) 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. All manhole construction shall conform to the Town of Sharpsburg’s specifications; and
(15) Users shall empty and service grease traps and interceptors to comply with the perform aces criteria in division (C)(1) of this section as often as necessary, but in any event no longer than every 30 days. Under the counter types of grease traps and interceptors shall be cleaned at least daily, and shall comply with the performance criteria in division (C) of this section. There shall be no reintroduction of wastewater back into the grease trap or interceptor unless and until reintroduction of wastewater back into the grease trap or interceptor unless and until the wastewater has been proven to contain 325 mg/l or less of grease. Under no circumstances shall the sludge or scum layer be reintroduced or discharged into the town’s wastewater collection system or POTW.
(D) Enforcement.
(1) No later than six months after inspection by the Public Works Department, all users shall install grease traps or interceptors designed to limit the introduction, contribution and discharge of greases into the town’s wastewater collection system, or POTW. Grease traps and interceptors with appropriate sampling or inspection points shall be installed at the user’s expense whenever any user operates a commercial establishment, industrial establishment, or a cooking establishment, or when required by the Director of Public Works. Grease traps and interceptors must have a minimum capacity of 1,000 gallons or more as required to effect a grease concentration maximum of 325 mg/1.
(2) Except as provided herein, for a period of six months following inspection, although installation of grease interceptors will be required to be installed, no enforcement actions will be taken under this section for failure to achieve limits on grease discharges from grease interceptors.
(3) If an obstruction of a town 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 town’s sewer main(s), the Town of Sharpsburg will take appropriate enforcement actions, as stipulated in the town’s ordinance, against the generator or contributor of such grease.
(1988 Code, § 51.057) (Ord. passed 12-7-1976; Am. Ord. passed 5-1-1979; Am. Ord. passed 3-4-2008) Penalty, see § 51.999