Ceres Municipal Code Ch. 15 General Sewer Use Requirements

A. No property within the City limits shall dispose of sewage other than into the POTW. The introduction of septic tank waste or waste hauled from other jurisdictions is prohibited.

B. No property within the City or within a territory hereafter annexed to the City shall tie into or connect with the POTW without first obtaining a permit from the City.

C. Each applicant for a permit shall pay a connection fee as set forth by resolution by the City Council.

D. The Director upon receipt of the fee shall issue the permit and at the time of issuance inform the person to whom the permit is issued of the location of the tie-in connection. All connections made with the sewer system shall be in conformity with plans and specifications approved by the Director and are subject to inspection by the Director.

E. Premises situated outside the City may, upon issuance of a permit pursuant to subsection B of this section, be connected to the POTW, by paying all costs and fees appropriate thereto, as set forth by ordinance, and thereafter paying the user fees set in chapter 13.16.

F. Domestic sewage, consisting essentially of human waste, may be passed into the POTW without screening. Industrial waste must be screened through the equivalent of 20 mesh screen. No peach, plum, cherry, apricot, or other fruit pits may be discharged or permitted to enter into the POTW.

G. The Director shall determine what commercial businesses and industries should be required to install an approved means of measurement, including but not limited to an improved flume or an automatic recording device. The measurement of sewage may be required to determine the amount of the user charge or to monitor flows.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

The conditions under which sewer lines may be constructed are as follows:

A. Sewer lines may be financed by the formation of assessment districts in accordance with existing State laws governing the formation of such districts.

B. The owner of any undeveloped subdivision, tract, area, or lot within the sewer district may make private arrangements for the construction of sewer lines to serve such subdivision, tract, area or lot in accordance with plans and specifications prepared by a registered engineer in accordance with the City's improvement standards and approved by the City, at their own expense, and by employing a licensed contractor to perform the work. The owner shall reimburse the City for costs incurred for plan checking and inspection of the work.

C. The City Council, by resolution, may enter into reimbursement agreements with subdividers or developers to provide partial recovery of the reasonable costs that are incurred to extend sewer lines which provide service to areas outside the subdivider's or developer's project. The reimbursements shall be made from sewer connection fees paid from parcels designated in the agreement as benefiting from the extension.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

The City shall not be responsible for the repair, maintenance, cleaning or replacement of a lateral sewer.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

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.

B. 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 explosive hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to, wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR § 261.21;

2. Wastewater having a pH less than 5.5 or more than 9.0, or otherwise causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW or equipment;

3. Solid or viscous substances in amounts which will cause obstruction of the flow in the POTW resulting in interference but in no case solids greater than one-half inch or 1.27 centimeters in any dimension;

4. Pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released in a discharge at a flow rate or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference with the POTW;

5. Wastewater having a temperature greater than 105 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference;

6. Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass through;

7. Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors, or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems;

8. Trucked or hauled pollutants including septic tank waste;

9. Noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids, or other wastewater which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, is sufficient to create a public nuisance or a hazard to life, or to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance or repair;

10. Wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions, which consequently imparts color to the treatment plant's effluent;

11. Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except in compliance with applicable State or federal regulations;

12. Storm water, surface water, groundwater, artesian well water, roof runoff, street drainage, yard drainage, subsurface drainage, swimming pool drainage, condensate, deionized water, noncontact cooling water, and unpolluted wastewater, unless specifically authorized by the Director;

13. Sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes;

14. Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the Director in a wastewater discharge permit;

15. Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources, the treatment plant's effluent to be considered toxic to plant or animal life;

16. Detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW;

17. Fats, oils, or greases of animal or vegetable origin in concentrations greater than 100 milligrams per liter (100 mg/l), except as specifically authorized by the Director in the wastewater discharge permit;

18. Wastewater causing two readings on an explosion hazard meter at the point of discharge into the POTW, or at any point in the POTW, of more than five percent or any single reading over ten percent of the lower explosive limit of the meter.

Pollutants, substances, or wastewater prohibited by this section shall not be processed or stored in such a manner that they could be discharged to the POTW.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

A. The local limits listed in subsection B of this section are established to prevent pass through, interference, and short-circuiting at the wastewater treatment plant; and to protect against detrimental impacts to the environment, including the natural groundwater resource, in the vicinity of the wastewater treatment plant. No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of these local limits, unless specifically authorized by the Director, or his/her authorized designee, in the wastewater discharge permit.

The local limits listed in subsection B of this section apply at the point where the wastewater is discharged into the publicly owned wastewater collection system. The concentration based on local limits listed in subsection B of this section shall be instantaneous peak limits, unless specifically stated otherwise. All concentration-based local limits for metallic substances are for "total" metal, unless indicated otherwise, and are the maximum allowable for any given sample.

B. Local limits.

To protect against detrimental impacts to the environment, including the natural groundwater resource, the Director may impose mass limitations in addition to, or in place of, the concentration-based local limits listed in this subsection B.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

A. The additional local limits listed in subsection B of this section are established for commercial and industrial dischargers to prevent pass through, interference, and short-circuiting at the wastewater treatment plant, and to protect against detrimental impacts to the environment, including the natural groundwater resource, in the vicinity of the wastewater treatment plant. The concentration-based local limits listed in subsection B of this section shall be instantaneous peak limits, unless specifically stated otherwise. The additional local limits apply at the point where the wastewater is discharged into the publicly owned wastewater collection system.

B. Additional local limits.

To protect against detrimental impacts to the environment, including the natural groundwater resource, the Director may impose mass limitations in addition to, or in place of, the concentration-based local limits listed in this subsection B.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

City reserves the right to establish, by ordinance or in wastewater discharge permits, more stringent standards or requirements on discharges to the POTW.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

No user shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any way attempt to dilute a discharge, as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a discharge limitation unless expressly authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement. The Director may impose mass limitations on users who are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements, or in other cases when the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

The City may require a sewer main or trunk sewer line to be designed to serve beyond the limits of the immediate subdivision, area or tract. In such cases, the City Council may enter into a reimbursement agreement for that sewer portion of the cost of construction of the trunk sewer line or sewer main line required to provide sewer service which is in excess of that which would be required for the lots to be immediately served by such a line. No reimbursement shall be made for sewer mains or trunk sewer lines less than ten inches in diameter.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

Upon proper determination that sewer service can be made available to an area outside of the City, the City Council may designate such area to receive sewer service. Sewer lines serving such area shall be provided under the applicable provisions and in the same manner as provided in this chapter for areas within the City.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

A. There shall be a separate connection to the sewage system for each building unit designated in this chapter, except that multiple dwellings or buildings on a lot, as shown on the assessor's parcel maps, may be connected by the same house or industrial connection.

B. Permits for sewer connections shall be obtained from the City's Department of Public Works. Such permits connections will not be permitted until the main line is completed and certified as ready for use by the City Engineer.

C. The provisions of section 6.01.090 relating to common billing for municipal services, payment, and notice and termination of service shall apply equally to charges for sewer service, and those provisions are incorporated in this chapter by reference.

D. A two-percent discount will be made on all sewer bills paid six months in advance, and a five percent discount will be made on all sewer bills paid one year in advance.

E. All persons, firms or corporations must keep their house or industrial connections in good order at their own expense and may be held liable for damages which may result from their failure to do so. A City inspector shall be admitted at all reasonable hours to all parts of any premises connected with the sewage system for the purpose of checking the fixtures and establishment of service charges as provided in this chapter. The City will only repair or replace that portion of a house connection within the City right-of-way that has been damaged by a City maintained tree as defined in Title 12.

F. Upon advance notice to the Finance Department, sewer service charges may be stopped if the property will be vacant for at least one month and if garbage service is also stopped. If any premises are to remain unoccupied for one or more full calendar months and no municipal solid waste accumulates during such vacancy, no charge shall be made during that time, provided the City is notified in writing of such contemplated vacancy on or before the last day of the preceding month. If either sewer or garbage service is recommenced after being stopped, charges shall be imposed for both sewer and garbage.

G. All commercial facilities, where food is prepared for sale, shall be equipped with a grease interceptor, having a minimum size of at least 100 pounds.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

It is unlawful and a violation of this title or any person to cause, permit, aide, abet, or conceal a violation of any provision of this title.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)