Section 78-96. General prohibitions and limitations.
(a) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, reclaimed groundwater, roof runoff, swimming pool water, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
(b) Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the city. Industrial cooling water and unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of the city to a storm sewer or natural outlet. Under no conditions will the discharge of domestic, sanitary, industrial or commercial waste be permitted into the storm sewer system.
(c) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes or any other substance which in the opinion of the city might harm the entire sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, adversely affect the receiving stream, pass through untreated or otherwise endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance:
(1) Liquids, solids or gases which because of their nature or quantity are or may be sufficient, either alone or by interaction with other substances, to cause fire or explosion or be injurious in any other way to the sewer facilities or to the operation of the system. At no time shall two successive readings on an explosion hazard meter, at the point of discharge into the sewer system, be more than five percent or any single reading over ten percent of the lower explosive limit (L.E.L.) of the meter. Prohibited materials include but are not limited to: gasoline, kerosene, naphtha, benzene, toluene, xylene, ethers, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes, peroxides, chlorates, perchlorates, bromates, carbides, hydrides and sulfides.
(2) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works. The maximum pH shall be no higher than 8.5.
(3) 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 sewage works, such as but not limited to ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, shells, feathers, tar, plastics, grass clippings, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, bones, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, asphalt residues, residues from refining or processing of fuel and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
(4) Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).
(5) Any water or waste containing floatable fats, wax, grease or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 mg/l or containing substances which solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32 and 104 degrees Fahrenheit (0 and 40 degrees Celsius).
(6) 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. garbage grinders which release particles greater than one-half inch shall be prohibited.
(7) radioactive wastes or isotopes of such halflife or concentration that they do not comply with regulations or orders issued by the appropriate authority having control over their use and which will or may cause damage or hazards to the sewer facilities or personnel operating the system.
(8) Materials which exert or cause:
a. 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 dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
c. Chlorine demand requirement in such quantity as to constitute a significant load on the wastewater treatment works. An unusual chlorine demand is considered one which requires an increase of more than 25 percent in chlorine over that used prior to entry of the waste into the treatment works.
d. Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting slugs.
(9) Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment by 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 the discharge to the receiving waters.
(10) Any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, to injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the POTW or exceed the limitation set forth in a categorical pretreatment standard. A toxic pollutant shall include but not be limited to any pollutant identified pursuant to section 307(a) of the act. (This section currently identifies 129 priority pollutants in 64 categories.)
(11) Any water or waste containing hazardous or toxic pollutants in quantities in excess of the following limits and measured at the point of discharge into the sewer system:
TABLE INSET:
|
Substance |
mg/l |
|
Arsenic |
0.05 |
|
Barium |
3.5 |
|
Boron |
10.0 |
|
Cadmium |
0.11 |
|
Chromium, hexavalent |
0.2 |
|
Chromium, total |
2.0 |
|
Copper, total |
1.5 |
|
Cyanides |
0.05 |
|
Fluorides |
10.0 |
|
Iron |
1.0 |
|
Lead |
0.05 |
|
Manganese |
1.0 |
|
Mercury, total |
0.03 |
|
Nickel |
1.0 |
|
Phenols |
0.2 |
|
Selenium |
0.01 |
|
Silver |
0.05 |
|
Surfactants |
2.0 |
|
Zinc, total |
1.0 |
or any substance that will:
a. Pass through the waste treatment facilities and exceed the state and federal requirements for receiving waters;
b. Preclude the beneficial reuse of wastewater effluent; or
c. Preclude the beneficial use of wastewater sludge either in landspreading or in marketing the sludge in a treated form.