La Palma Municipal Code Div. 1 Generally

(a) Unless otherwise defined herein, terms related to water quality shall be as adopted in the latest edition of Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation. The testing procedures for waste constituents and characteristics shall be as provided in 40 CFR 136.

(b) Other terms not herein defined are defined as being the same as set forth in the latest adopted applicable editions of the California Codes applicable to building construction adopted pursuant to the California Building Standards Law.

(c) The words "includes" and "including" shall mean including but not limited to.

(d) Subject to the foregoing provisions, the following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

Best management practices (BMP) means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other practices to prevent or reduce the introduction of FOG to the sewer facilities.

Composite sample means a collection of individual samples obtained at selected intervals based on an increment of either flow or time. The combination of individual samples forms a representative sample of the wastestream discharged during the sample period.

Discharge establishment means any establishment that discharges or causes a discharge of FOG wastewater directly or indirectly to a public sewer. The phrase "discharge establishment" includes the term "discharger" in reference to entities that discharge FOG into wastewater through a physical structure within the boundaries of the City.

Effluent means any liquid outflow from the food service establishment that is discharged to the sewer.

Establishment means any commercial entity within the boundaries of the City, operating in a permanently constructed structure.

Fats, oils and grease (FOG) means any substance, such as a vegetable, animal or other product that turns, or may turn, viscous with a change in temperature or other conditions.

FOG control program means the FOG control program required by and developed pursuant to RWQCB Order No. R8-2002-0014, Section (c)(12)(viii).

FOG Control Program Manager means the individual designated by the City to administer the FOG control program. The FOG Control Program Manager is responsible for all determinations of compliance with the program, including approval of discretionary waivers. References to the FOG Control Program Manager include his or her designee.

FOG wastewater discharge permit means a permit issued by the City subject to the requirements and conditions established by the City authorizing the permittee to discharge wastewater into the City's facilities or into sewer facilities which ultimately discharge into a City facility.

Food grinder means any device installed in the plumbing or sewage system that grinds or chops food waste or food preparation byproducts for the purpose of disposal in the sewer system.

Food service establishment means facilities defined in California Uniform Retail Food Facilities Law (CURFFL) section 113785, and any commercial entity within the boundaries of the City, operating in a permanently constructed structure maintained, used, or operated for the purpose of storing, preparing, serving, or manufacturing, packaging, or otherwise handling food for sale to other entities or for consumption by the public, its members, or employees, and which has any process or device that uses or produces FOG or grease vapors, steam, fumes, smoke, or odors that are required to be removed by a type I or type II hood, as defined in CURFFL section 113785.

Grab sample means a sample taken from a wastestream on a one-time basis without regard to the flow in the wastestream and without consideration of time.

Grease control device means any grease interceptor, grease trap, or other mechanism, device, or process, which attaches to, or is applied to, wastewater plumbing fixtures and lines, the purpose of which is to trap, collect, or treat FOG prior to being discharged into the sewer system. May also include any other proven method to reduce FOG subject to the approval of the City.

FOG mitigation fee means a fee charged to an owner/operator of a food service establishment when there are physical limitations to the property that make the installation of the usual and customary grease interceptor or grease control device for the food service establishment under consideration impossible or impractical. The FOG mitigation fee is intended to cover the costs of increased maintenance of the sewer system for inspection and cleaning of FOG that a properly employed grease control device would otherwise prevent from entering the sewer system.

Grease interceptor means a multi-compartment device that is constructed in different sizes and is generally required to be located underground between a food service establishment and the connection to the sewer system. These devices primarily use gravity to separate FOG from the wastewater as it moves from one compartment to the next. The term "grease interceptor" includes the term "interceptor."

Grease trap means a grease control device that is used to serve individual fixtures.

Infiltration means water entering a sewer system, including sewer service connections, from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manhole walls.

Inflow means water entering a sewer system through a direct stormwater runoff connection to the sanitary sewer, which may cause an almost immediate increase in wastewater flows.

Inspector means a person authorized by the City to inspect any existing or proposed wastewater generation, conveyance, processing, and/or disposal facility.

Interference means any discharge which, alone or in conjunction with discharges from other sources, inhibits or disrupts the City's sewer system, treatment processes, or operations; or is a cause of violation of the City's NPDES or waste discharge requirements or prevents lawful sludge use or disposal.

Limited food preparation establishment means a facility engaged only in reheating, hot holding, or assembly of ready-to-eat food products resulting in no wastewater discharge containing significant amounts of FOG. This term does not include any operation that changes the form, flavor, or consistency of food. A limited food preparation establishment is not considered a food service establishment.

National pollutant discharge elimination system (NPDES) means the permit issued to control the discharge of liquids or other substances or solids to surface waters of the United States as detailed in Public Law 92-500, Section 402 (33 USC 1251 et seq.).

Permitted FOG pumper means a company who is permitted by the City to service food service establishments to remove, clean, and maintain grease interceptors and/or grease traps of their contents. These permitted FOG pumpers ensure the removed contents are contained and transported to the final waste treatment facility.

Permittee means a person who has received a permit to discharge wastewater into the City's sewer facilities subject to the requirements and conditions established by the City.

Person means any individual, partnership, firm, association, corporation, or public agency, including the State of California and the United States of America.

Public agency means the State of California and/or any City, County, special district, other local governmental authority, or public body of or within this State.

Pumping schedule means a schedule set by either the pumping company servicing a facility, the designer of the device, or the City FOG Inspector after careful review of at least two years of pumping reports.

Regulatory agencies means those agencies having regulatory jurisdiction over the operations of the City, including, but not limited to:

(1) United States Environmental Protection Agency, Region IX, San Francisco and Washington, DC (EPA);

(2) California State Water Resources Control Board (SWRCB);

(3) California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Santa Ana Region (RWQCB);

(4) South Coast Air Quality Management District (SCAQMD);

(5) California Department of Public Health (CDPH).

Remodeling means a physical change to a food service establishment that could cause the amount of FOG to exceed the current amount of FOG discharge to the sewer system and that alone or collectively causes or creates a potential for sanitary sewer overflows to occur. The term "remodeling" includes any physical change to a food service establishment that requires a building permit for which the project valuation exceeds $50,000.00 and involves at least one of the following:

(1) Under slab plumbing in the food processing area;

(2) A 30 percent increase in the net public seating area;

(3) A 30 percent increase in the size of the kitchen area; or

(4) Any change in the size or type of food preparation equipment excluding a direct removal and replacement of existing food preparation equipment.

Sample point means a location approved by the City, from which wastewater can be collected that is representative in content and consistency of the entire flow of wastewater being sampled.

Sampling facilities means a structure for the City or user to measure and record wastewater constituent mass, concentrations, collect a representative sample, or provide access to plug or terminate a discharge.

Sanitary sewer overflow (SSO) means any overflow, spill, release, discharge, or diversion of wastewater from a sanitary sewer system. An overflow or release is an SSO, regardless of whether the wastewater reaches the waters of the United States. The term "sanitary sewer overflow (SSO)" includes wastewater backups into buildings and on private property that are caused by blockages or flow conditions in a sanitary sewer other than a building lateral. Wastewater backups into buildings caused by a blockage or other malfunction of a building lateral that is privately owned is an SSO when sewage is discharged off of private property into streets, storm drains, or waters of the State of California.

Sewer facility or system means any property belonging to the City used in the treatment, reclamation, reuse, transportation, or disposal of wastewater, or sludge. The term" sewer facility or system" includes the term "public sewer."

Sewer lateral means a building sewer as defined in the latest edition of the California Plumbing Code. It is the wastewater connection between the building's wastewater facilities and a public sewer system.

Sludge means any solid, semi-solid, or liquid decant, subnate, or supernate from a manufacturing process, utility service, or pretreatment facility.

Twenty-five percent rule means a standard for grease interceptors to be maintained such that the combined FOG and solids accumulation does not exceed 25 percent of the design hydraulic depth of the grease interceptor. The twenty-five percent rule is established to ensure that the minimum hydraulic retention time and required available hydraulic volume is maintained to effectively intercept and retain FOG discharged to the sewer system.

Waste means sewage and any and all other waste substances, liquid, solid, gaseous, or radioactive, associated with human habitation or of human or animal nature, including such wastes placed within containers of whatever nature prior to and for the purpose of disposal.

Waste minimization practices means plans or programs intended to reduce or eliminate discharges to the sewer system or to conserve water, including, product substitutions, housekeeping practices, inventory control, employee education, and other steps to minimize wastewater produced.

Waste hauler means any person carrying on or engaging in vehicular transport of waste as part of, or incidental to, any business for that purpose.

Wastewater means the liquid-carried wastes of the community and all constituents thereof, whether treated or untreated, discharged into or permitted to enter a public sewer. "Wastewater" includes the term "sewage."

Wastewater constituents and characteristics means the individual chemical, physical, bacteriological, and other parameters, including volume and flow rate, that serve to define, classify, or measure the quality and quantity of wastewater.

(Ord. No. 2022-13, § 1, 12-13-2022)