(A) Storm sewers.
(1) No person, firm or corporation shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any natural outlet or storm sewer any sanitary sewage or other polluted waters.
(2) Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged into such sewers as are specifically designed as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the city.
(B) Sanitary sewers.
(1) No person, firm or corporation shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, including interior and exterior foundation drains, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
(2) Any such connections made before or after the effective date hereof shall be considered illegal and shall be subject to immediate removal by the owner of the premises so connected and at such owner’s expense.
(3) Should the owner of such an illegal connection fail to remove the connection within 60 days after notification by certified mail, the city may take any appropriate action to cause the connection to be removed.
(4) No person, firm, corporation or municipality constructing a sanitary sewer or building sewer shall leave same open, unsealed or incomplete in such a fashion as to permit storm, surface or subsurface water to enter such sewers.
(5) Any waters or wastes having a five- day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 300 parts per million by weight; containing more than 350 parts per million by weight of suspended solids; containing ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) greater than 30 parts per million; having an average monthly flow greater than 60,000 gallons; or having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the average sewage flow of the city, shall be subject to the review of the city. Where necessary, in the opinion of the city, the owner shall provide, at the owner’s expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 300 parts per million by weight; reduce the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight; reduce the ammonia nitrogen (NH3-N) to 30 parts per million by weight; and control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to the proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the city, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until these approvals are obtained in writing.
(C) Discharges prohibited. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any public sewer any of the following described substances, materials, waters and/or wastes:
(1) Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel, oil or other inflammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;
(2) Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant including, but not limited to, the following list indicating maximum concentrations allowable in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer:
Milligrams per Liter (mg/L) |
Milligrams per Liter (mg/L) | |
Arsenic | 2 |
Cadmium | 1 |
Chlorinated hydrocarbons (total identifiable) | 0.5 |
Copper | 1 |
Cyanide | 1 |
Iron | 100 |
Lead | 1 |
Mercury | 0.05 |
Nickel | 5 |
Phenolic compounds | 100 |
Silver | 1 |
Total chromium | 2 |
Zinc | 1 |
(3) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the water pollution control center; and
(4) (a) Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the water pollution control center such as, but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, and the like, either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
(b) The accidental discharge of any prohibited liquid or solid material into any sewer or natural outlet, either directly or indirectly, shall be reported to the director and the waste treatment plant operator immediately by the individual company or industry responsible for the discharge.
(c) Although no penalty, as such, will be levied as a result of such accidental discharge, it shall be understood that the individual, company or industry shall not be relieved of its responsibilities and shall be liable for any expense, loss or damage occasioned by the city by reason of such accidental discharge.
(D) Discharge prohibited except by permit. No person, firm or corporation shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes without a discharge permit issued pursuant to § 51.06:
(1) Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 120ºF (48ºC);
(2) Any water or wastes which contain grease, fats, wax or oil, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 milligrams per liter, or other substances that will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperatures between 32ºF and 150ºF (0ºC - 65ºC);
(3) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the city;
(4) Any water or wastes containing nonedible type oil or grease such as petroleum or mineral oil or grease;
(5) Any water or wastes that contain more than ten parts per million by weight of the following gases: hydrogen sulphide, sulphur dioxide or nitrous oxide;
(6) Any water or wastes that contain phenols or other taste and odor producing substances in excess of 0.5% parts per million by weight;
(7) Any water or wastes, acid or alkaline in reaction and having corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the city;
(8) Any water or wastes containing any of the constituents listed in division (C) above, or any other objectionable or toxic substances;
(9) Any water or wastes containing the discharge of strong acid iron pickling wastes or concentrated plating solution whether neutralized or not;
(10) Any noxious or malodorous gas or substances which either singly or by interaction with other wastes is capable of creating a public nuisance or hazard to life or of preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance and repair;
(11) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the city in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(12) Materials which exert or cause unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids such as, but not limited to, fuller’s earth, lime slurries and lime residues or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate). Excessive discolorations such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions;
(13) Any waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the water pollution control processes employed or are amenable to treatment only to such a degree that the water pollution control plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving water;
(14) Any water or wastes which by interaction with other water or wastes in the public sewer system releases obnoxious gases or develops color of undesirable intensity; or forms suspended solids in objectionable concentration; or creates any other conditions deleterious to structures and treatment processes, shall be subject to control or shall be banned from the system as determined by the city; and
(15) Any wastes, which in the opinion of the city, may harm either the sewers, water pollution control plant, treatment process, equipment, or have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. In forming its opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the city shall give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the treatment processes, capacity of the water pollution control works, degree of treatability of wastes in question and other pertinent factors. Factors influencing this ruling and known conditions at the time of this ruling shall be recorded by the city.
(Prior Code, § 4-4-4) (Ord. 215, passed 3-20-1977; Ord. 687, passed 5-18-2009) Penalty, see § 51.99