Patterson Municipal Code Art. VI Use Of Public Sewers

No leaders from roofs, surface drains for rainwater or storm sewers shall be connected to any sanitary sewer. No surface, stormwater, artesian well flows or cooling water shall be permitted to enter any sanitary sewer by any device or method whatsoever.

(Ord. 250 § 701, 1974)

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following wastes to any public sanitary sewer:

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

B. Any waste containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewer treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans, or create a public nuisance;

C. Any waste having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the city;

D. Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the sewerage works, such as, but not limited to ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, paper dishes, cups, containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

(Ord. 250 § 702, 1974)

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the city manager that such wastes may harm either the sewers, sewage treatment process or equipment, or can endanger personnel or property or create a public nuisance. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the city will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers to which they discharge, sewer material, treatment process, treatment plant capacity and other pertinent factors. The substances so subject to prohibition include, but are not limited to:

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

B. Any water or waste which may contain more than one hundred milligrams per liter of fat, oil or grease;

C. 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;

D. Any waters or wastes having a pH higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structure, equipment and personnel of the city;

E. Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials in the sewerage works;

F. Any septic tank sludge or other digested sludge;

G. Any wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor producing substances, in concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the city manager;

H. Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits set by the city in compliance with state or federal regulations;

I. Materials which exert or cause:

1. Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids,

2. Excessive discoloration,

3. Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment plant,

4. Unusual volume of flow or slugs. As used herein, "slug" means any discharge of water, sewage or waste which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than fifteen minutes more than five times the average twenty-four-hour concentration or flow during normal operation;

J. Wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment by the sewage treatment process employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board, Central Valley Region.

(Ord. 250 § 703, 1974)

If any wastes containing the characteristics listed in Section 13.02.510, which in the judgment of the city manager may have a deleterious effect upon the sewerage works, process, equipment or receiving water, is to be discharged to a public sewer, the city manager may do one or more of the following:

A. Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition prior to discharging to a public sewer;

B. Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge;

C. Require payment, in an amount established by the city manager, to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes.

If the city manager recommends pretreatment or equalization of flow, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the city manager and no construction of such facilities shall commence until the approval is obtained in writing.

(Ord. 250 § 704, 1974)

Where pretreatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense and to the satisfaction of city.

(Ord. 250 § 705, 1974)

Any type of business or establishment where grease or other objectionable materials may be discharged into a public or private sewage main or disposal system shall be required to provide a grease, oil and sand interceptor when in the opinion of the city one is necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes, containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients. Grease interceptors, including grease traps, are grease removal devices that interrupt the flow of wastewater, allowing grease and solids to separate out before the wastewater enters the public sewer system. Interceptors shall conform to the following:

A. The size of grease interceptors shall be determined as described in the Uniform Plumbing Code and as approved by the city.

B. Interceptors shall be so installed and connected that they shall be at all times easily accessible for inspection, sample collection, cleaning and removal of grease and other ingredients.

C. Waste discharge from fixtures and equipment in establishments which may contain grease or other objectionable materials including, but not limited to, scullery sinks, pot and pan sinks, dishwashers, food waste disposals, soup kettlers, and floor drains located in areas where such objectionable materials may exist may be drained into the sanitary waste through the interceptor when approved by the city; provided, however, that toilets, urinals, wash basins, and other fixtures containing fecal material shall not flow through the interceptor.

D. Discharges entering interceptors shall not exceed one hundred ten degrees Fahrenheit.

E. Abandoned interceptors shall be emptied and filled as required for abandoned septic tanks.

(Ord. 250 § 706, 1974; Ord. 739 (part), 2013)

All grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in a continuously efficient operation at all times.

All grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by periodic removal of the accumulated grease. The use of chemicals to dissolve grease is specifically prohibited. No accumulated grease shall be introduced into any drainage piping or public or private sewer.

The discharger shall develop and maintain a record of periodic maintenance and pumping of the grease interceptor. Records shall be retained for a period of not less than three years. A copy of the cleaning record shall be maintained at the facility and made available to the city upon request.

Pumping shall be sufficiently frequent to prevent objectionable odors, surcharge of the removal device causing pass-through or interference with the operation of the sanitary sewer system.

When a grease interceptor is cleaned, the removed sediment, liquid and floating material shall be legally disposed of in a manner other than to city's collection system.

All interceptor owners shall provide immediate access to the interceptor chambers at all times for the purpose of inspection, sampling, cleaning and maintenance. At no time shall any material, debris, obstacles or other obstructions be placed which will prevent immediate access to the interceptor.

Regular inspection of grease interceptors will be conducted by the city, the frequency of which will be determined by the public works director.

(Ord. 250 § 707, 1974; Ord. 739 (part), 2013)

When required by the city, the owner of any property served by the side sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the side sewer to facilitate observation, 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 manager. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

(Ord. 250 § 708, 1974)

All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," and shall be determined 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. 250 § 709, 1974)

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. 250 § 710, 1974)

It is unlawful for any person to discharge the contents of a swimming pool into a sanitary sewer without notification to city manager, twenty-four hours in advance.

(Ord. 250 § 711, 1974)