(a) Prohibition of Unpolluted Water.
(1) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, either directly or indirectly, any stormwater, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer. Any such connections shall be subject to immediate removal by the owner of the premises so connected and at the owner's expense.
(2) Sub-foundation building drains connected to sanitary sewers before the effective date of this section will not be required to be removed unless it is established by the Director that such connection is detrimental to the satisfactory operation of the sewerage works and that such removal is cost effective in accordance with guidelines established by the USEPA. Any such connections made after the effective date of this section shall be prohibited and shall be removed.
(3) Should the owner of such an illegally connected premises fail to remove the connection within ninety (90) days after the date of official notice to do so, the Director shall cause the connection to be removed and the cost thereof shall be billed to the owner of the premises. If such cost is not paid within sixty (60) days, the City shall certify such cost to the Greene County Auditor as an assessment upon the property.
(b) Allowable Discharge of Unpolluted Water. Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage, such as from air conditioning, swimming pools, and the like, shall be discharged into such sewers as are specifically designed and designated as storm sewers or to a combined sewer or a natural outlet approved by the Director. Industrial uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted wastewater may be discharged, on approval of the Director, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet. If such waters are polluted with insoluble oils or grease or suspended solids, they shall be treated for removal of the pollutants, and the clear water discharged as specified.
(c) Protection of Sanitary and Building Sewers During Construction. No person constructing a sanitary sewer, building or house connection shall leave the same open, unsealed or incomplete in such a fashion as to permit storm, surface or subsurface water to enter such sewers.
(d) Obstructions in Sewers. No garbage or obstruction of any kind shall be placed or thrown in any receiving basin or sewer, and any person so offending shall be subject to penalty for each offense.
(e) Authority for Control of Wastewater Discharges.
(1) If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in subsections (e) and (f) hereof, and which, in the judgment of the Director, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment or receiving waters, including a violation of applicable water quality standards, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Director shall:
A. Reject the wastes;
B. Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
C. Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
D. Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes under the extra strength surcharge provisions of Chapter 1046.
(2) All industrial wastewaters discharged to the public sewers by major contributing industries shall, as a minimum, meet the national pretreatment standards or best practical control technology currently available for incompatible pollutants, as published in 40 CFR 403, unless the City is committed, in its NPDES permit, to remove a specified percentage of the incompatible pollutant. In those instances, the applicable pretreatment standards may be correspondingly reduced to levels determined by the Director or his or her duly authorized representative or any state regulatory agencies.
(3) If the Director requires pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plans and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director and any state regulatory agencies and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws. No permit will be granted until such pretreatment facilities have been placed in operation and have demonstrated their effectiveness by test. The cost of such testing, sampling and analyzing shall be borne by the wastewater contributor. The approval of proposed pretreatment facilities by the Director does not guarantee that these facilities or equipment will function in the manner described by their manufacturer, nor shall it relieve a person, firm or corporation of the responsibility of enlarging or otherwise modifying such facilities to accomplish the intended purpose.
(f) Grease and Oil Interceptors. For grease, oil and inorganic material, such as sand, grit, and the like, interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Director, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Director and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintenance of these interceptors, the owner shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal, by appropriate means, of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates and means of disposal, which are subject to review by the Director. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner's personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.
(g) Operation of Pretreatment Facilities. Where pretreatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided or required for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner, at his or her expense, and shall be subject to periodic inspection by the Director. The owner shall maintain operating records and shall submit to the Director a quarterly summary report of the character of the influent and effluent to show the performance of the treatment facilities.
(h) Measurements, Tests and Analyses. All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes, to which reference is made in this chapter, shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods or EPA Methods. Reference shall also be made to the EPA Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for Analysis of Pollutants (40 CFR 136). Sampling methods, location, times, durations and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis, subject to approval by the Director.
(i) Special Conditions. No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial wastewater of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to possible payment therefor by the industrial concern for subsequent treatment. Any industrial concern may appeal any determination made by the Director in the enforcement of this Chapter. Any contract with an industry shall be governed by all sewer service charges and regulations, as established in the City's ordinances.
(Ord. 79-33. Adopted 06-/04/79; Ord. 04-28. Adopted 07/08/04; Ord. 05-23. Adopted 06/09/05; Ord. 10-42. Adopted 09/10/10; Ord. 15-41. Adopted 09/10/15; Ord. 2020-20. Adopted 08/27/20)