Amador City Municipal Code Art. 7 Use of Public Sewers

No leaders from roofs and no surface drains for rain water shall be connected to any sanitary sewer. No surface or sub surface drainage, rain water, storm water, seepage, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters shall be permitted to enter any sanitary sewer by any device or method whatsoever.

(Ord. 147 § 7.01, 2002)

Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the manager. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the manager, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet.

(Ord. 147 § 7.02, 2002)

Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:

A. Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty (150) degrees Fahrenheit;

B. Any water or waste which may contain more than one hundred (100) parts per million, by weight, of fat, oil or grease;

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

D. Any garbage that has not 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 one half inch in any dimension;

E. Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works;

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

G. Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to human or animals, or create a hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant;

H. Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant;

I. Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance;

J. Any septic tank sludge.

(Ord. 147 § 7.03, 2002)

Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when in the opinion of the city engineer and/or the Amador County department of environmental health they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for buildings used for residential purposes. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the city engineer and shall be so located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Grease traps shall be required at all public premises where food is prepared, such as restaurants, cafeterias and boarding houses.

Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be of a type and constructed in accordance with the specifications approved by the city engineer and/or the Amador County department of environmental health and shall be made of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, water tight and equipped with easily removable covers which, when bolted in place, shall be gas tight and water tight.

(Ord. 147 § 7.04, 2002)

A. All grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his or her expense, in continuously efficient operations at all times.

B. Each user shall regularly inspect, clean and repair interceptors owned by the user. Such inspection, cleaning and repairing will be conducted at least annually. Cleaning or pumping of grease traps shall be at such a frequency to prevent the over flow of grease into the city public sewer main. Records of inspections, cleaning and repairs and the costs associated with these actions shall be kept for three years and be made available for inspection by city personnel upon request. The debris from interceptors shall be disposed of through a licensed waste hauler. Waste disposal records, including receipts, shall be kept for three years and be made available for inspection by city personnel upon request.

C. If in the opinion of the city engineer, sanitation engineer and/or public works department more frequent scheduled maintenance is necessary, then the user will comply with more frequently scheduled maintenance as determined by the city engineer, sanitation engineer and/or public works department

(Ord. 147 § 7.05, 2002)

The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having:

A. A five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than three hundred (300) milligrams per liter (mg/l);

B. Containing more than three hundred fifty (350) mg/l of suspended solids;

C. Containing any quantity of substance having the characteristics described in Section 13.04.520; or

D. Having an average daily flow greater than two percent of the average daily sewage flow of the service area;

Shall be subject to the review and approval of the city engineer. Where necessary in the opinion of the city engineer, the owner shall provide, at his or her expense, such treatment as may be necessary to:

1. Reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 300 mg/l and the suspended solids to 350 mg/l,

2. Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in Section 13.04.520, or

3. Control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes.

Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the city engineer and/or Amador County department of environmental health, and such other agencies as the city may from time to time direct, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until the approvals are obtained in writing.

(Ord. 147 § 7.07, 2002)

Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense.

(Ord. 147 § 7.07, 2002)

When required by the manager, the owner of any property served by a side sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the side sewer to facilitate observations, sampling and measurement of wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the city. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense, and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

(Ord. 147 § 7.08, 2002)

All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in Sections 13.04.520 and 13.04.550 shall be determined in accordance with standard methods and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in Section 13.04.570, or upon suitable samples taken at the control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the side sewer is connected.

(Ord. 147 § 7.09, 2002)

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, subject to payment therefor by the industrial concern and subject to such terms and conditions as might be required by city.

(Ord. 147 § 7.10, 2002)

It is unlawful for any person to discharge the contents of a swimming pool into a sanitary sewer.

(Ord. 147 § 7.11, 2002)

From and after the effective date of this regulation, the manager may require that the applicant for any permit which includes a car wash within the facilities to be covered by the permit provide facilities for reclamation and reuse of all or a portion of the water used in the car wash process and the submittal of plans and specifications for the installation of such reclamation and reuse facilities acceptable to the manager.

(Ord. 147 § 7.12, 2002)