Barstow Municipal Code Art. III Discharge Prohibitions

No person or user shall discharge any wastewater directly into a manhole or other opening in the collection system other than through an approved building sewer connection, unless written permission for the discharge has been granted by the industrial pretreatment division. This prohibition shall not apply to authorized city or contracted personnel involved with the maintenance, cleaning, repair, or inspection of the collection system.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

Except as hereinafter provided, no person or user shall discharge or cause to be discharged into the BWWTP, or any opening, sump, tank, clarifier, piping or waste treatment system, which drains or flows into the BWWTP, any of the following:

(1) Any earth, sand, rocks, ashes, cinders, spent lime, stone, stone cutting dust, gravel, plaster, concrete, glass, metal filings, or metal or plastic objects, garbage, grease, viscera, paunch manure, bones, hair, hides, or fleshings, whole blood, feathers, straw, shavings, grass clippings, rags, spent grains, spent hops, waste paper, wood, plastic, tar, asphalt residues, residues from refining or processing fuel or lubrication oil and similar substances, or solid, semi-solid or viscous material in quantities or volume which will obstruct the flow of sewage in the collection system or any object which will cause clogging of a sewer or sewage lift pump, or interfere with the normal operation of the BWWTP.

(2) Any compound which will produce noxious odors in the BWWTP.

(3) Any recognizable portions of human or animal anatomy.

(4) Any solids, liquids, gases, devices, or explosives which by their very nature or quantity are or may be, sufficient either alone or by interaction with other substances or sewage to cause fire or explosion hazards, to exceed ten percent of the LEL at the point of discharge or in the collection system, or in any other way create imminent danger to the city or city personnel, the BWWTP, the environment or public health.

(5) Any wastewater or material with a closed cup flash point of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit or 60 degrees Celsius using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21 and amendments thereto.

(6) Any overflow from a septic tank, facility wastewater holding tank, cesspool or seepage pit, or any liquid or sludge pumped from a septic tank, facility wastewater holding tank, cesspool or seepage pit.

(7) Any discharge from any wastewater holding tank of a recreational vehicle, trailer, bus and other vehicle, except as may be permitted by the industrial pretreatment division.

(8) Any storm water, groundwater, well water, street drainage, subsurface drainage, roof drainage, yard drainage or runoff from any field, driveway or street. The industrial pretreatment division may temporarily approve the discharge of such waters, to the BWWTP, when no reasonable alternative method of discharge is available, subject to the payment of all applicable user charges and fees by the discharger. Waters from swimming pools, wading pools, spas, whirlpools, and therapeutic pools may be discharged to the BWWTP 24 hours a day, unless specifically prohibited by the industrial pretreatment division. The waters list in this section shall not be discharged to city streets or storm drains unless it complies with the guidelines set forth in the most current Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan Ordinance.

(9) Any substance or heat in amounts that will inhibit biological activity in the BWWTP resulting in interference or which will cause the temperature of the sewage in the BWWTP to be higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit. In no case shall any substance or heat be discharged to the sewer that will raise the BWWTP influent higher than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

(10) Any radioactive waste in excess of federal, state or county regulations.

(11) Any pollutant(s), material or quantity of material which causes or contributes to:

a. Damage to any part of the BWWTP;

b. A need for non-routine maintenance or increased maintenance of the BWWTP;

c. An increase in the operational costs of the BWWTP;

d. A nuisance or menace to public health;

e. Interference or pass through in the BWWTP, its treatment processes, operations, sludge processes, use or disposal. This applies to each user introducing pollutants into the BWWTP whether or not the user is subject to other national pretreatment standards or any federal, state, or local pretreatment requirements; or

f. A violation of the city's WDR permit.

(12) Any quantities of herbicides, algaecides, or pesticides.

(13) Any petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin in excess of local discharge limits or national pretreatment standards.

(14) Any material or quantity of material(s), which will cause abnormal sulfide generation.

(15) Any wastewater having a corrosive property capable of causing damage to the BWWTP, equipment, or structures, or harm to the city or city personnel. However, in no case shall wastewater be discharged to the BWWTP with a pH below 5.5, or greater than 9.5, or which will change the influent pH of the BWWTP to be below 6.5 or above 8.0.

(16) Any substance that will cause discoloration of the BWWTP effluent.

(17) Any unpolluted water, including cooling water, heating water, storm water, subsurface water, single pass cooling water, and single pass heating water except as permitted by the industrial pretreatment division. The industrial pretreatment division may approve, on a temporary basis, the discharge of such water only when no reasonable alternative method of discharge is available and the user pays all applicable user charges and fees.

(18) Any substance which may cause the BWWTP effluent or any other product such as residues, sludge, or scums to be unsuitable for reclamation or reuse or which will interfere with any of the reclamation processes. This includes any material which will cause the sludge at the BWWTP to violate applicable sludge use or disposal regulations developed under the Federal Clean Water Act, 33 USCA, section 1251 et seq., or any regulations affecting sludge use or disposal developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 USCA, section 6901, et seq.; Clean Air Act, 42 USCA, section 7401, et seq.; Toxic Substance Control Act, 15 USCA, section 2601, et seq., or any other applicable federal, state, or local regulations, and any amendments thereto.

(19) Any pollutant, including oxygen demanding pollutants (BOD, COD, etc.) released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration that will cause interference with the BWWTP.

(20) Pollutants that result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the BWWTP in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems.

(21) Any hazardous substance which violates the objectives of the general pretreatment regulations (40 CFR 403), this chapter, or any statute, rule, regulation or chapter of any public agency having jurisdiction over said discharge, and any amendments thereto.

(22) Any discharge from any groundwater remediation projects, except as may be permitted by the industrial pretreatment division.

(23) Any slug loads must comply with the control measures implemented in the dischargers permit that are a result from raw material, spent solutions, or sludges generated from processing tanks or vessels, unless no reasonable alternative is available to prevent severe loss of life or to protect the environment. These shall include, but are not limited to, wash tanks, chemical conversion tanks, acid and alkali tanks, lubricating tanks, condensate from dry cleaning processes, fruit and vegetable wash tanks, brine wastewater from soft water regeneration processes above permitted limits, and any other tank or vessel containing a material which would exceed permitted discharge limits.

(24) Any radiator fluid or coolant, cutting oil, water soluble cutting oil, or water-based solvent.

(25) Any photo processing waste from developing or fixing solutions or rinse waters that violate the discharge limits specified in this chapter.

(26) Any toxic organics in amounts which are determined to be toxic to the maintenance or operation of the BWWTP. The city may require the submittal of a toxic organic management plan (TOMP) from any user determined to discharge toxic organics above detection limits.

(27) Any domestic liquid wastes. Such wastes shall only be disposed of at a legal disposal site.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

The use of any biological or chemical products or other materials designed to metabolize, emulsify, suspend, or dissolve oil and grease within any sand/oil or oil/grease interceptor is prohibited. All automatic grease removal devices are prohibited.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

No person shall discharge any waste removed from any pretreatment equipment, systems, or devices into any sewer or storm drain opening or any drains or other openings leading to any sewer or storm drain or to the ground without authorization and permits from the regulatory agency having jurisdiction over the discharge of such waste. All waste removed from pretreatment equipment shall be disposed of in accordance with all applicable federal, state, county, and local laws and regulations.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

(a) No user shall discharge medical waste to the BWWTP without first complying with all requirements of the California Medical Waste Management Act (California Health and Safety Code sections 117600 through 118360) and obtaining written permission from the industrial pretreatment division. The request shall be submitted to the industrial pretreatment division and shall include:

(1) The source and volume of the medical waste;

(2) The procedures and equipment used for disinfection of the medical waste; and

(3) Employee training procedures for the legal disposal of the medical waste.

(b) If the industrial pretreatment division believes that the waste would not be adequately disinfected, the industrial pretreatment division shall issue a written denial to the user and state the reasons for the denial. This denial shall be issued within 30 days from receipt of the written request.

(c) If the industrial pretreatment division believes that adequate disinfection of the waste can be achieved prior to discharge of the waste to the collection system, then conditional approval may be granted for the disposal of the waste. A letter of approval shall be sent to the user within 30 days of receipt of the written request.

(d) If the user is granted permission for disposal of the medical waste, the user:

(1) Shall adequately disinfect the medical waste prior to discharge to the BWWTP as outlined in the approval letter;

(2) Shall not dispose of solid medical waste to the BWWTP, including hypodermic needles, syringes, instruments, utensils or other paper and plastic items of a disposable nature, or recognizable portions of human or animal anatomy; and

(3) Shall be subject to periodic inspections to verify that all disinfection methods, procedures, and practices are being performed.

(4) As authorized by the Industrial Pretreatment Division, wastewater generated from medically required life saving operations, including, but not limited to, dialysis facilities, may be approved for disposal to the BWWTP.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

No industrial user shall increase the use of water, or in any other manner, attempt to dilute a wastewater discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with this chapter and the user's permit, or to establish an artificially high flow rate for permitted mass emission rates or permitted flow amounts.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

(a) No industrial user shall install, replace, enlarge, or use any apparatus for softening all or any part of the water supply to any premises when such apparatus is an ion-exchange softener, demineralizer or reverse osmosis unit of the type that is regenerated at the site of use with the regeneration wastes being discharged to the ground, storm drain or the BWWTP unless the apparatus is in compliance with the following conditions:

(1) The brine solutions generated during the backwash cycles of the water conditioner shall be segregated from the fresh water rinses for disposal to a legal brine disposal site;

(2) The backwash equipment shall be equipped with an electrical conductivity controlled discharge valve that controls the wastewater discharged to the BWWTP. The electrical conductivity valve shall be calibrated at a minimum annually or as often as necessary to control and prevent any wastewater from being discharged to the BWWTP that exceeds the maximum electrical conductivity, total dissolved solids, or associated sodium and chloride concentrations established in the local discharge limitations specified in this chapter; and

(3) The industrial user shall maintain the electrical conductivity controlled discharge valve in proper operating condition at all times. The industrial user shall notify the industrial pretreatment division within 24 hours in the event of a valve failure and immediately cease the discharge of all wastewater to the BWWTP associated with the soft water regenerating processes. A written report documenting the cause of the failure and the corrective actions taken shall be submitted to the industrial pretreatment division, within five calendar days after discovery of the electrical conductivity valve failure.

(b) Pursuant to California Health and Safety Code sections 116775 through 116795 and amendments thereto, no residential water softening or conditioning appliance shall be installed except in either of the following circumstances:

(1) The regeneration of the appliance is performed at a nonresidential facility separate from the location of the residence where such appliance is used; or

(2) The regeneration of the appliance discharges to the waste disposal system of the residence where such appliance is used and the following conditions are met:

a. The appliance activates regeneration by demand control;

b. An appliance installed on or after January 1, 2000, shall be certified by a third party rating organization using industry standards to have a salt efficiency rating of no less than 3,350 grains of hardness removed per pound of salt used in generation. An appliance installed on or after January 1, 2002 shall be certified by a third party rating organization using industry standards to have a salt efficiency rating of no less than 4,000 grains of hardness removed per pound of salt used in generation;

c. The installation of the appliance is accompanied by the simultaneous installation of the following softened or conditioned water conservation devices on all fixtures using softened or conditioned water, unless such devices are already in place or are prohibited by local and state plumbing and building standards or unless such devices will adversely restrict the normal operation of such fixtures:

i. Faucet flow restrictors.

ii. Shower head restrictors.

iii. Toilet reservoir dams.

iv. A piping system installed so that untreated (unsoftened or unconditioned) supply water is carried to hose bibs and sill cocks which serve water to the outside of the house, except that bypass valves may be installed on homes with slab foundations constructed prior to the date of installation; or condominiums constructed prior to the date of installation; or otherwise where a piping system is physically inhibited.

(c) The certification required under subsection B of this section shall be provided by the new user of the appliance and shall be completed by a contractor having a valid Class C-55 water conditioning contractor's license or Class C-36 plumbing contractor's license and filed with the city building division. The certification form shall contain all of the following information:

(1) Name and address of homeowner;

(2) Manufacturer of the water softening or conditioning appliance, model number of the appliance, pounds of salt used per regeneration, and salt efficiency rating at the time of certification.

(3) Manufacturer of the water-saving devices installed, model number, and number installed; and

(4) Name, address, and the specialty contractor's license number of the C-55 and C-36 licensee making the certification.

(d) Any person installing or operating a water conditioning apparatus of any kind shall make such apparatus accessible to the industrial pretreatment division for inspection at reasonable times.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

No user shall discharge industrial wastewater to the BWWTP unless the wastewater conforms to the limitations and requirements of this chapter. Discharge limitations shall be revised and adopted by the city council to ensure compliance of the BWWTP effluent and biosolids reuse in compliance with the city's WDR permit.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)

As required by the industrial pretreatment division, all users shall comply with the Local Discharge Limits as set forth in this section.

INDUSTRIAL USER LOCAL DISCHARGE LIMITATION TABLE

(The "Daily Maximum Constituent Discharge Limit")

1 WS= Water Service plus assigned limit (per constituent equals Local Discharge Limit)

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019; Ord. No. 990-2022, § 3, 6-6-2022)

Except as may otherwise be stated in this chapter, the industrial pretreatment division will comply with and utilize the wastewater examination procedures set forth in the most current edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation.

(Ord. No. 965-2019, § 1, 12-2-2019)