§ 25-186. Use of public sewers.

(a)

No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass-through or interference. These general prohibitions apply to all users of the POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other National, State, or local pretreatment standards or requirements. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, non-contact cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters into any sanitary sewer but such waters shall be discharged into such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewer or into a natural outlet. The discharge into any storm sewer or into natural outlet of any waters, which may have a deleterious effect upon the receiving stream, is prohibited.

(b)

Specific prohibitions. No user shall contribute or cause to be contributed, directly or indirectly, any pollutant or wastewater which will interfere with the operation or performance of the POTW, or will have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or will violate any of the provisions of this article. These general provisions apply to all users of the city's POTWs whether or not the user is subject to National Categorical Pretreatment Standards or any other national, state, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.

No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW the following pollutants, substances, or wastewater:

(1)

Pollutants which create a fire or explosion hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to, wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than one hundred forty (140) degrees Fahrenheit (sixty (60) degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21. Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are, or may be, sufficient either alone or by interaction with other substances to cause fire or explosion or to be injurious in any other way to the POTW or to the operation thereof. 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 and other substances which the city, the state or EPA has notified the user is a fire hazard or a hazard to the system.

(2)

Any wastewater having a pH less than 6.0 or having a pH greater than 12.0, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and/or personnel of the POTW.

(3)

Any solid or viscous material, which could cause an obstruction to the flow in the sewer or in any way, interferes with the treatment process. Examples of such materials include, but are not limited to; ashes, wax, paraffin, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, wood and sawdust, bones, paunch manure, hair, hides or fleshings, entrails, whole blood, feathers, lime slurries, beer and distillery slops, grain processing wastes, grinding compounds and residues from grinding operations, acetylene generation sludge, chemical residues, acid residues, plastics, tar, asphalt residues, and food processing bulk solids or any discharge of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin in amounts that will cause interference or pass-through.

(4)

Pollutants, including chlorine and oxygen demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference to the POTW. In no case shall a slug load have a flow rate or concentration or quantities of pollutants that exceed for any time period longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty-four (24) hour concentration, quantities, or flow during normal operation.

(5)

Wastewater having a temperature greater than one hundred fifty (150) degrees Fahrenheit (sixty-five (65) degrees Celsius), or which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater with a temperature that raises the wastewater temperature of the influent to the POTW to more than one hundred four (104) degrees Fahrenheit (forty (40) degrees Celsius).

(6)

Any noxious or malodorous liquids, toxic gases, vapors or fumes, or solids which either singly or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create a public nuisance or a hazard to life, are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair or are sufficient potentially to cause acute worker health and safety problems.

(7)

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 to exceed the limitation set forth in a categorical pretreatment standard.

(8)

Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths (¾) horsepower (0.76 horsepower metric) or greater shall be subject to review and approval by the control authority.

(9)

Any substance which will cause the POTW to violate its NPDES permit or the receiving stream water quality standards.

(10)

Any substance that may cause the POTW's effluent, or any other product of the POTW such as residues, sludges, or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse or to interfere with the reclamation process. In no case, shall a substance discharged to the POTW cause the POTW to be in non-compliance with sludge use or disposal criteria, guidelines, or regulations developed under Section 405 of the ACT, any criteria, guidelines, or regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances Control Act, or Arkansas State criteria applicable to the sludge management method being used.

(11)

Wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.

(12)

Wastewater containing 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 regulation.

(13)

Any wastewaters containing materials which exert or cause unusual concentrations of solids or composition; as for example, unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids such as, but not limited to, fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues, or, unusual concentrations of dissolved solids such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride, calcium chloride and sodium sulfate.

(14)

Trucked or hauled pollutants, except that such pollutants may be discharged by permitted haulers into selected treatment plants only at locations designated for this purpose.

(15)

Any wastewater, which either alone or in conjunction with other sources causes a hazard to human life, creates a public nuisance or causes the POTW's effluent to fail toxicity tests.

(c)

Hazardous waste discharge. An industrial user shall notify the POTW, the EPA regional waste management division director, and state hazardous waste authorities in writing of any discharge into the POTW of a substance, which, if otherwise disposed of, would be a hazardous waste under 40 CFR part 261. Such notification must include the name of the hazardous waste as set forth in 40 CFR part 261, the EPA hazardous waste number, and the type of discharge (continuous, batch, or other). If the industrial user discharges more than one hundred (100) kilograms of such waste per calendar month to the POTW, the notification shall also contain the following information to the extent such information is known and readily available to the industrial user: An identification of the hazardous constituents contained in the wastes, an estimation of the mass and concentration of such constituents in the wastestream discharged during that calendar month, and an estimation of the mass of constituents in the waste stream expected to be discharged during the following twelve (12) months. All notifications must take place within one hundred eighty (180) days of the effective date established by 40 CFR 403.12(p).

(d)

Storage of dangerous materials. The storage of any material in areas served by public sewers or in areas draining into the city sewer which, because of discharge or leakage from such storage, may create an explosion hazard in sewage works or in any other way have a deleterious effect upon these works or treatment processes, or constitute a hazard to human beings or animals, or the receiving stream shall be subject to review by the control authority, who at their discretion may require reasonable safeguards to prevent discharge or leakage of such material into the sewers.

(e)

Rejection or control of waste discharge. If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged into the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in the preceding subsections and which, in the judgment of the control authority may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the control authority may (1) reject the wastes, (2) require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge in the public sewers, and/or (3) require control over the quantities and rates of discharge.

If the control authority requires pretreatment or equalization of waste flows into the public sewer, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the control authority and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.

(f)

Grease oil and grit interceptors. Grease, oil and grit interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the control authority, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amount or any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the control authority and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.

(Ord. No. 80-11, § 3, 10-4-11)

Editor's note

Ord. No. 80-11, § 3, adopted Oct. 4, 2011, repealed former § 25-186, and enacted a new § 25-186 as set out herein. Former § 25-186 pertained to the same subject matter and derived from Ord. No. 69-97, § 6, adopted Nov. 18, 1997.