Sections:
15-24.010 Permitted discharges
15-24.020 General prohibitions
15-24.030 Prohibited effects
15-24.040 Prohibited substances or characteristics
15-24.050 Reporting requirements - Notification of discharge
15-24.060 Regulated discharge characteristics
15-24.070 Seasonal flow
Section 15-24.010. Permitted Discharges. Wastewater may be discharged into city sewers for collection, treatment, and disposal by the city, provided that such wastes do not contain substances prohibited or exceed limitation of wastewater volume or strength, as set forth in this chapter and, if applicable, in a sewer use permit; and further, provided that the user pays all applicable city charges and is in compliance with all other terms of this chapter. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.45)
Section 15-24.020 General prohibitions. No persons shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, into a public sanitary sewer:
(1) Any water, wastes, or other matter which will result in a contamination, pollution, or a nuisance.
(2) Any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, or subsurface drainage. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.46)
Section 15-24.030 Prohibited effects. No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, wastewater into a public sewer if it contains substances or has characteristics which, either alone or by interaction with other wastewaters, cause or threaten to cause:
(1) Damage to the city sewage collection system or interference with or impairment of the operation or maintenance of that system;
(2) Obstruction of flow in sewers;
(3) Damage to or interference with, or overloading of, the Subregional interceptors, treatment or disposal system or processes;
(4) Flammable or explosive conditions;
(5) Wastewater, or any other by-products of the treatment process, to be unsuitable for reclamation and reuse, or interference with any processes for reclamation;
(6) Noxious or malodorous gases or odors;
(7) Discoloration or any other condition in the quality of the Subregional treatment plant effluent in such a manner that receiving water quality requirements established by law cannot be met by the city;
(8) Conditions at or near city facilities which violate any statute, or any rule, regulation, or ordinance of any public agency or state or federal regulatory body;
(9) Any wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the publicly owned treatment works resulting in interference. In no case shall wastewater with a temperature which exceeds 40o C (104o F) be introduced into the publicly owned treatment works;
(10) Any violation of any requirement of the POTW's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation). (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.47)
Section 15-24.040 Prohibited Substances or Characteristics. No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, to a city sewer line the following:
(1) Any cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process water. Unpolluted water shall be discharged to such pipelines as are specifically designated as storm drains, or to a natural outlet approved by the engineer and the North Coast Regional Water Quality Control Board (NCRWQCB).
(2) Any waste or wastewater having a pH lower than 5.0, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel;
(3) Garbage, except ground garbage from residential premises where food is prepared and consumed. For the purpose of this chapter, "garbage" means that it has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than 0.25 inch (6 millimeters) in any direction.
(4) Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, leaves, grass cuttings, metal, glass, ceramics, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of either causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or interfering with the proper sewerage system operation and/or maintenance.
(5) Any radioactive wastewater, except when the person is authorized to use radioactive material by the U. S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission, or other governmental agency empowered to regulate the use of radioactive materials, and when the wastewater is discharged in strict conformance with current Nuclear Regulatory Commission regulations and recommendations for safe disposal, and in strict compliance with all rules and regulations of state, local regulatory agencies,and the sewer use permit.
(6) Those pesticides and other toxic pollutants identified by the EPA and in excess of amounts determined by the EPA in accordance with Section 307(a) of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972 or as subsequently amended, which may be revised from time to time, including:
(a) Aldrin, Dieldrin
(b) Benzidine and its salts
(c) DDD, DDE, and DDT
(d) Endrin
(e) Cadmium and all cadmium compounds
(f) Cyanide and all cyanide compounds
(g) Mercury and all mercury compounds
(h) Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB's)
(i) Toxaphene
(7) Any substance in violation of the Categorical Pretreatment Standards referred to in Section 307(b) and (c) of the Clean Water Act. In addition, any affected industries must comply with categorical pretreatment standards which can be found in Title 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations, Chapter I, Subchapter N, Parts 405 through 471. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.48)
Section 15-24.050 Reporting requirements and notification of discharge. Those users which come within the Code of Federal Regulations definition of "Categorical Industries" shall comply with the reporting requirements of 40 Code of Federal Regulations 403.12.
Notification of Discharge. Users shall notify the Agency immediately upon accidentally discharging wastes in violation of this title to enable countermeasures to be taken by the Agency to minimize damage to the community sewer, treatment facility, treatment processes and the receiving waters.
This notification shall be followed, within ten (10) days of the date of occurrence, by a detailed written statement describing the causes of the accidental discharge and the measures being taken to prevent future occurrence.
Such notification will not relieve users of liability for any expense, loss or damage to the sewer system, treatment plant, or treatment process or for any fines imposed on the Agency on account thereof, under Section 13550 of the California Water Code or for violations of Section 5650 of the California Fish and Game Code. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.48.1)
Section 15-24.060 Regulated discharge characteristics. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, to a city sewer, any of the following without first obtaining a sewer use permit that specifically permits such industrial waste discharge characteristics:
(1) Discharge during a daily twenty-four hour period in excess of twenty thousand gallons;
(2) Volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting "slugs", as defined in Section 15-04.030.
(3) Discharge which has a daily average concentration of:
(a) BOD > 1,400 mg/l*; or
(b) COD > 2,600 mg/l; or
(c) Suspended solids > 16,800 mg/l
(d) Polar grease > 150 mg/l
(e) Nonpolar grease or other hydrocarbons > 100 mg/l
(f) Ammonia > 190 mg/l
(3) Water or wastes with a pH < 6.0 or > 9.5.
(4) Discharges containing metal pickling or etching wastes or plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
(5) Any discharge which has an average daily concentration of:
(a) Antimony > 153 mg/l
(b) Arsenic > 0.47 mg/l
(c) Beryllium > 0.5 mg/l
(d) Cadmium > 0.04 mg/l
(e) Hexavalent chromium > 0.1 mg/l
(f) Total chromium > 1.71 mg/l
(g) Copper > 0.2 mg/l
(h) Cyanide > 0.2 mg/l
(i) Lead > 0.3 mg/l
(j) Mercury > 0.0003 mg/l
(k) Nickel > 1.51 mg/l
(l) Selenium > 2.7 mg/l
(m) Silver > M.P. **
(n) Thallium > 3.9 mg/l
(o) Zinc > 1.63 mg/l
* - milligrams per liter (parts per million)
** - Allowable Industrial Load is allocated using the Mass Proportion Method, and thus, each Industrial User has a different limit.
(6) Discharges containing phenols or other taste and odor producing substances in concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the engineer as necessary to meet water quality requirements.
(7) Any wastewater having a temperature which will inhibit biological activity in the publicly owned treatment works treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater with a temperature at the introduction into the publicly owned treatment works which exceeds 40o centigrade (104o Fahrenheit);
(8) Materials which exert or cause in the sewerage system or receiving waters:
(a) Unusual concentrations of either inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, soil solids, Fuller's earth, lime slurries, and lime residues) or of dissolved inorganic solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate) in excess of 3,000 milligrams per liter.
(b) Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions).
(9) Discharges in such quantities or such qualities that they are not amenable to treatment or reduction by wastewater treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such a degree that the treatment plant effluent cannot meet water quality requirements. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.49)
Section 15-24.070 Seasonal flow. Seasonal flow is defined as an industrial waste discharge during any fifteen (15) day period during which the average volume and/or strength of any regulated wastewater characteristic exceeds the respective yearly averages by fifty (50) percent. Seasonal flow dischargers shall be subject to wastewater treatment plant service capacity allocation by the engineer. If overloading conditions occur or threaten to occur at the treatment plant or if unused service capacity is insufficient to accommodate all seasonal flows, the engineer may allocate available service capacity among all seasonal dischargers. In allocating the flow or constituent load, the engineer shall take into account the discharger's nonseasonal flow, wastewater conservation practice, economic and environmental impact, historical data, and any other consideration advanced by the discharger which will help the engineer make an equitable allocation. (Ord. 2286 ß1(part), 1983: prior code ß20.50)