Ceres Municipal Code Ch. 19 Industrial Sewage

No person, firm or corporation shall empty any industrial sewage into the City sewer, without having obtained a permit therefor from the City, except as expressly provided in this chapter. For the purpose of this chapter, "industrial sewage" means all trade sewage produced by industrial plants or factories, and does not include sanitary sewage from bathrooms in industrial plants or factories, residences, or from hotels, restaurants, eating houses or from business establishments or from premises engaged solely in the sale, storage or repair of goods, wares or merchandise.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

A. Written application for the permit required under the provisions of this chapter shall be made to the City, by filing an application with the City Public Works Department upon application forms provided by the City together with an application fee as set by resolution of the City Council to help cover the cost of investigation of permit applications. Such application shall be in writing and shall contain the following information:

1. Name and address of applicant;

2. Exact location and nature of business of applicant;

3. Proposed location of connection;

4. Estimated gallonage of sewage proposed to be discharged;

5. Character of sewage proposed to be discharged;

6. Such other information as may be deemed necessary by the Director of Public Works or his designee.

B. In each application, the applicant shall agree faithfully to comply with the following:

1. All City ordinances, rules and regulations, now in force or effect or which may be subsequently adopted;

2. Also all laws, rules and regulations of Stanislaus County, State of California, and the federal government relating to the emptying of the applicant's industrial sewage into the Ceres sewer system; and

3. The payment of all industrial sewer service charges and sewer service charges that are made by the city in accordance with the schedule of charges adopted or to be adopted as provided in this chapter or as may be subsequently adopted in any amendment to this chapter or amendment to any resolution provided by this chapter.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

Upon the filing of an application with the Public Works Department pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, the Director of Public Works or his designee shall investigate such application and determine if the following conditions or criteria are satisfied:

A. That the sewer pipe into which the connection is to discharge has sufficient unused carrying capacity for the disposal of other sewage;

B. That the character of the sewage proposed to be discharged by the applicant is such that it can be successfully treated in the wastewater treatment facility;

C. That such sewage will not result in damage to the plant or sewer system;

D. That provision has been made by the applicant to screen the sewage or remove the solid matter therefrom as provided by the permit granted to the City by the California Water Quality Control Board, or any other department, bureau or board of the State as required by the laws of California.

If the above conditions and criteria are satisfied, the City may at its discretion may issue a permit with conditions, and may impose such conditions with respect to the discharge of such sewage Such conditions may include: the requirement of treatment; the installation of monitoring equipment; the maintenance of individual screens to reflect sewage products; or requirement of construction and use of tanks designed to equalize the flow and reduce peak loads. As a further condition to the granting of a permit by the City to the applicant for industrial sewage disposal through the City sewer system, the City may require that applicant furnish and install an approved means of monitoring and recording the flow of its sewage, which monitoring device shall be kept and maintained at all times in a satisfactory operating condition. The monitoring device shall be subject to inspection and verification by the City.

E. That the character of the sewage, once treated by the City can be discharged without violating any permits or agreements for such discharge;

F. That the flows do not exceed the following without City Council approval:

1. More than 2,500 gallons per gross acre per day; or,

2. More than 500 gallons per employee per day with a total discharge not to exceed 30,000 gallons per day; or,

3. Total discharge of less than 30,000 gallons per day.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

In the case where a sewage connection to the sewer system is proposed to be converted to industrial sewage, then upon request of the Public Works Department, the person owning or operating the industrial plant, shall, at his own expense, change the connection to meet all the requirements imposed in the permit.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

All persons to whom a permit shall have been granted for the disposition of industrial sewage into the sewer system, shall pay to the City the appropriate industrial sewer service charge. Such charges may be from time to time established by the resolution of the City Council. All such rate schedules shall become effective upon the first day of the month following their adoption by the City Council. All charges shall be paid monthly, and the charges may be set on an individual basis, dependent upon the burden placed on the City's sewage system as determined by the City Council.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

In order to facilitate the payment of charges made in accordance with the rate schedule as set forth in section 13.19.050, each and every person who holds an industrial sewage connection permit, may be required, not later than the tenth day of each month, to submit to the City a statement showing the gallonage which was processed, treated, used or discharged during the preceding calendar month, the approved rate for such items, and the total amount of the industrial sewer service charge. Accompanying this statement shall be a check or cash in the amount calculated.

If upon an audit of the statement an error is found, or, if upon later investigation the amount of gallonage it is found that an error exists, the person making the statement shall pay such additional sum, or the City may make such refund, as may be necessary to properly adjust the payment. If it is determined that an understatement is intentional, then a penalty shall be imposed of up to 100 percent of the amount due from the understatement. This amount is in addition to paying the industrial sewer service charge on the under-reported amount.

In unique circumstances, as determined by the Director, the owner may be required to install a meter to accurately measure the discharge flow into the City's sewer system and pay meter and volume charges based on the measure flow consistent with this title.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

All industrial sewer service charges and other moneys collected or derived pursuant to the provisions of this chapter or any amendments hereto shall be deposited in the sewer service fund as defined in section 13.16.030 and expended as stated in section 13.16.030.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)

Whether after the granting of a permit, as provided for in this chapter, circumstances should change, by reason of increased flow; change of character of discharge; change in regulations; or for any other cause whatsoever, which change reasonably requires modification of the conditions prescribed at the time of issuing the original permit; then, the City Public Works Department may revoke the permit or may impose further conditions with respect thereto, including the requirement of such pretreatment necessary to remedy the changed circumstances.

(Ord. No. 2019-1054, § 2, 12-9-2019)