(a) No person shall discharge or caused to be discharged into the MS4 or watercourses any materials, including but not limited to, pollutants or waters containing any pollutants that cause or contribute to a violation of applicable water quality standards, other than storm water. The commencement, conduct or continuance of any illegal discharge to the MS4 is prohibited except described as follows:
(1) The following discharges are exempt from the discharge prohibitions established by this Chapter: water line flushing or other potable water sources, landscape irrigation or lawn watering, diverted stream flows, rising ground water, ground water infiltration to storm drains, uncontaminated pumped ground water, foundation or footing drains (including active groundwater dewatering systems), crawlspace pumps, air conditioning condensation, springs, non-commercial washing of vehicles, street wash water, natural riparian habitat or wetland flows, swimming pools (if dechlorinated – typically less than one PPM chlorine), firefighting activities and any other water source not containing pollutants.
(2) Discharges specified in writing by the County Engineer as being necessary to protect public health and safety.
(3) Discharges from off-lot household sewage treatment systems permitted by the Summit County Combined General Health District for the purpose of discharging sewage effluent in accordance with Ohio Administrative Code § 3701-29-02 until such time as the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency issues an NPDES permitting mechanism for residential 1, 2, or 3-family dwellings. These discharges are exempt unless such discharges are deemed to be creating a public health nuisance by the Summit County Combined General Health District. In compliance with NPDES Permit #OHQ000001, or subsequent versions thereof, discharges from all off-lot discharging household sewage systems must either be eliminated or have coverage under an appropriated NPDES permit issued and approved by the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency. When such permit coverage is available, discharges from the off-lot discharging household sewage treatment systems will no longer be exempt from the requirement of this Chapter.
(4) Dye testing is an allowable discharge, but requires a verbal notification to the authorized enforcement agency prior to the time of the test.
(5) The prohibition shall not apply to any non-storm water discharge permitted under an NPDES permit, waiver, or waste discharge order issued to the discharger and administered under the authority of the Federal Environmental Protection Agency, provided that the discharger is in full compliance with all requirements of the permit, waiver, or order and other applicable laws and regulations, and provided that written approval has been granted for any discharge to the storm drain system.
(b) Prohibition of Illicit Connections.
(1) The construction, use, maintenance or continued existence of illicit connections to an MS4 is prohibited.
(2) This prohibition expressly includes, without limitation, illicit connections made in the past, regardless of whether the connection was permissible under law or practices applicable or prevailing at the time of the connection.
(3) A person is considered in violation of this Chapter if the person connects a line conveying sewage to an MS4 or allows such a connection to be made.
(Ord. 2021-347. Adopted 11-22-21.)