§ 19-69. Restricted use of public sewers.

(a)

Discharge into a sanitary sewer. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any unpolluted waters such as stormwater, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.

(b)

Discharge into a storm sewer system. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any sanitary wastewater into a storm sewer system.

(c)

NPDES permit. Any person discharging cooling, condensing or unpolluted process water to the storm sewer must obtain a NPDES permit from the Georgia EPD.

(d)

Prohibited waters or wastes. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:

(1)

Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;

(2)

Any waters 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 waste treatment process, constitute a hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment plant;

(3)

Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or greater than 9.0, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the wastewater works; or

(4)

Solids 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 wastewater facilities, such as but not limited to ashes, bones, cinder, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

(e)

Unharmful concentrations or quantities. The following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes shall be limited in discharge to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewater discharged to the sanitary sewer that shall not be violated without approval of the City are as follows:

(1)

Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius) or wastewater which will elevate the temperature of the influent to the publicly owned treatment works (POTW) to 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) or higher;

(2)

Wastewater containing more than 25 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils or product of mineral oil origin;

(3)

Wastewater containing more than 100 milligrams per liter of oils, fat, grease or wax, whether emulsified or not, or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 degrees Fahrenheit (0 degrees Celsius) and 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius);

(4)

Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments, or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers;

(5)

All industrial discharges to the City sewer system must comply with the Federal Industrial Pretreatment Standards (40 CFR 403) and those Industrial Pretreatment Standards developed by the Georgia Environmental Protection Division;

(6)

Any waters or wastes containing taste or odor producing substances exceeding limits that may be established by the City;

(7)

Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentrations as may exceed limits established in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations;

(8)

Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both which constitute a slug;

(9)

Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters;

(10)

Any waters or wastes which, by interaction with other waters or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, form solids which interfere with the collection system, or create a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes; and

(11)

Materials that exert or cause:

a.

Any 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);

b.

Excessive discoloration (such as but not limited to dyes, wastes and vegetable tanning solutions); or

c.

Unusual BOD (above 300 mg/l), chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine demand in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment plant.

(f)

City's authority to regulate discharge. If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in subsection (e) of this section and which, in the judgment of the City, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the City may:

(1)

Reject the wastes;

(2)

Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;

(3)

Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or

(4)

Require surcharge payment to cover added cost of handling and treating the wastes.

(g)

Grease, oil and sand interceptors. Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the City, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts, 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 Department of Public Works and shall be located 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 that are subject to review by the Department of Public Works. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by owner's personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.

(h)

Observation, sampling and measurement facilitation. When required by the City, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure, together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such structure when required, shall be accessibly safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with approved plans. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times. This requirement will be on a case-by-case basis.

(i)

Requirements of industrial users. The industrial users shall be required to provide information needed to determine compliance with this article. These requirements shall include:

(1)

Wastewater discharge peak rate and volume over a specific time period;

(2)

Chemical analyses of wastewaters;

(3)

Information on raw materials, processes and products affecting wastewater volume and quality;

(4)

Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent, or other material important to sewer use control;

(5)

A plot of sewers of the user's property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location;

(6)

Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities; and

(7)

Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the public sewers.

(j)

Statement severability. No statement contained in this article shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment.

(k)

Measurements, tests and analyses to be in accordance with. All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this article 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. Sampling methods, location, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis, subject to approval by the City.

(l)

Pretreatment of wastes. Persons discharging industrial wastes into the sewerage system may be required to pretreat such wastes. Plans for all pretreatment facilities shall be approved by the Department of Public Works or the State Environmental Protection Division prior to construction. At the time written plans are submitted for approval, written maintenance plans shall also be submitted and approved by the Department of Public Works. The facilities shall be allowed to operate only as long as they are maintained in accordance with the approved maintenance plans. Pretreatment requirements shall include the following facilities as a minimum:

(1)

If plans are submitted for the neutralization of strong acid or alkaline wastes, the plans shall include the necessary instrumentation and controls to assure compliance with the above regulations at all times;

(2)

Holding tanks or equalization basins shall be required ahead of the receiving manhole of the City sewerage system when deemed necessary by the Department of Public Works to prevent peak flows that exceed the capacity of the system or that result in operational problems; and

(3)

All pretreatment facilities shall be operated and maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.

(m)

Waiver of requirements. There shall be no provision for the granting of variances for discharge of incompatible wastes. If a user begins to violate any of the provisions of this section, it shall be his responsibility to apply to the Department of Public Works which can issue a temporary permit along with a compliance schedule for planning and construction of necessary treatment or pretreatment works. Each case will be carefully evaluated with respect to its effect on the wastewater treatment system and the environment prior to issuance of a temporary permit and compliance schedule. Any dilution of the wastewater by the user for the purpose of decreasing the concentrations of toxic material shall be considered as a violation of this article.

(n)

Discontinuance of service for failure to comply. Failure to comply with the provisions of section 19-74 shall be cause for the discontinuance of sewer or water service to the offending person. The procedure shall be as follows:

(1)

A written notice, signed by the City Manager or designee, shall be delivered personally to the person then responsible for the offending use, outlining the conditions of the wastes that violate the City ordinances. In the event that the person in charge will not accept the notice, it shall be conveyed by registered mail to the responsible person;

(2)

The person notified shall have 24 hours from the time of receipt of the notice, either personally delivered or received by registered mail, to correct the offending conditions;

(3)

If correction is not made or a request for extension is not received by the City within 24 hours, it shall be mandatory that water and/or sewer service shall be discontinued to the offending person without further notice; and

(4)

If a request for an extension of time is received by the City within 24 hours of the above notice and if circumstances are such that in the opinion of the Department of Public Works, the best interest of the City would be served by extending the time for correction of the offending condition, then he may grant an extension of time up to a maximum limit of 30 days.

(o)

Responsibilities of the person discharging waste. It shall be the responsibility of the person discharging industrial waste into the City sewerage system to:

(1)

Build a control structure in the discharge line from his premises, immediately prior to the entrance of the discharge line into the City's sewerage system, suitable for the sampling and measuring of wastes. Plans for this structure must be approved by the City. This requirement may be waived if deemed unnecessary by the City. In the event that no special manhole is 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.

(2)

Contact the Department of Public Works prior to operation changes that will materially alter the characteristics of the waste from the last prior sampling.

(3)

Make timely, periodic payments to the City of surcharges for excessive loadings as detailed in the City user charge system.

(Code 1978, § 20-35)