San Diego Municipal Code Div. 2 Definitions

(“Definitions” added 6–6–1983 by O–15984 N.S.)

Unless otherwise defined herein, terms relating to water and wastewater shall be as adopted in the latest 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 Pollution Control Federation. Terms related to Industrial Wastewater and to General Provisions when applied in relation to industrial wastewater shall have the same meaning as set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations [C.F.R.] at 40 C.F.R. 401.11 and 403.3.

The meaning of other various terms as used in this ordinance shall be as
follows:

(a) “Act” means the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C.
1251 et seq., 86 Stat. 816, Pub. L. 92-500.

(b) “Applicant” means any person, firm or corporation who applies for
connections to a public sewer.

(c) “BMP” or Best Management Practice” means any procedure or measure
designed to reduce, eliminate, or control the generation or discharge of
pollutants in lieu of a numeric limit.

(d) “C.F.R.” means the Code of Federal Regulations.

(e) “Discharger” means any person that discharges or causes a discharge of
wastewater directly or indirectly to a public sewer.

(f) “Discharge Authorization” means any written authorization granted by
the City Manager authorizing the discharge of Industrial Wastewater to the
public sewer that is not an Industrial User Discharge Permit.

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(g) “Domestic Wastewater” means the liquid and waterborne wastes derived
from the ordinary living processes in a dwelling unit, said wastes being of
such character as to permit satisfactory disposal, without special treatment,
into a public sewer or by means of a private disposal system.

(h) “EPA” means the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(i) “Industrial Wastewater” means all wastewater, excluding domestic
wastewater, and shall include all wastewater from any producing,
manufacturing, processing, institutional, commercial, service, agricultural, or
other operation. These may also include wastes of human origin similar to
domestic wastewater.

(j) “Industrial User” means a discharger of Industrial Wastewater to a Public
Sewer.

(k) “Interference” means a Discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a
discharge or discharges from other sources, both:

(1) inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations, or
its sludge processes, use or disposal; and

(2) therefore is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the POTW’s
National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System [NPDES] permit
(including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation)
or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance
with the following statutory provisions and regulations or permits
issued thereunder (or more stringent State or local regulations):
Section 405 of the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act
[SWDA] (including title II, more commonly referred to as the
Resource Conservation and Recovery Act [RCRA], and including
State regulations contained in any State sludge management plan
prepared pursuant to subtitle D of the SWDA), the Clean Air Act, the
Toxic Substances Control Act, and the Marine Protection, Research
and Sanctuaries Act.

(l) “Local Limit” means a limit established by the POTW to implement the
general and specific prohibitions set forth at San Diego Municipal Code
section 64.0512. Such limits shall be technically based and shall require EPA
approval prior to implementation.

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(m) “Mass Emission Rate” means the weight of material discharged to a public
sewer during a given time interval.

(n) “National Pretreatment Standard,” “Categorical Pretreatment Standard,” “Federal Pretreatment Standard Pretreatment Standard,” or “Standard” means the regulations set forth in the Code of Federal Regulations at 40 C.F.R Chapter I, Subchapter N, parts 405 -499, containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated by the EPA, which apply to Industrial Users. This term includes prohibitive discharge limits established pursuant to 40 C.F.R. 403.5 and San Diego Municipal Code section 64.0200(k).

(o) “New Source” has the same meaning as in 40 C.F.R. 403.3 (k)(1).

(p) “Pass Through” means a non-domestic discharge which exits the POTW into
waters of the United States in quantities or concentrations which, alone or
in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, is a cause of
a violation of any requirement of the POTW’s NPDES permit (including an
increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation).

(q) “Process wastewater” means any water which, during manufacturing or
processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or
use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or
waste product.

(r) “Publicly Owned Treatment Works” or POTW means treatment works
as defined by section 212 of the Act, which is owned by a State or
municipality (as defined by section 502(4) of the Act). This definition
includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and
reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also
includes sewers, pipes and other conveyances only if they convey wastewater
to a POTW Treatment Plant. The term also means the municipality as defined
in section 502(4) of the Act, which has jurisdiction over the indirect
discharges to and the discharges from such a treatment works.

(s) “POTW Treatment Plant” means that portion of the POTW which is designed
to provide treatment (including recycling and reclamation) of municipal
sewage and industrial waste.

(t) “Pretreatment” means the reduction of the amount of pollutants, the
elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties
in wastewater prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing such

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pollutants into a POTW. The reduction or alteration may be obtained by
physical, chemical or biological processes, process changes or by other
means, except as prohibited by 40 C.F.R. 403.6 (d). Appropriate pretreatment
technology includes control equipment, such as equalization tanks or
facilities, for protection against surges or slug loadings that might interfere
with or otherwise be incompatible with the POTW. However, where
wastewater from a regulated process is mixed in an equalization facility with
unregulated wastewater or with wastewater from another regulated process,
the effluent from the equalization facility must meet an adjusted pretreatment
limit calculated in accordance with 40 C.F.R. 403.6(e).

(u) “Pretreatment requirement” means any substantive or procedural requirement
related to Pretreatment, other than a National Pretreatment Standard, imposed
on an Industrial User.

(v) “Significant Industrial User” means:

(i) All industrial users subject to Categorical Pretreatment Standards
under 40 C.F.R. 403.6 and 40 C.F.R chapter I, subchapter N; and

(ii) Any other industrial user that: discharges an average of 25,000
gallons per day or more of process wastewater to the POTW
(excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and boiler blowdown
wastewater); contributes a process wastestream which makes up
5 percent or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic
capacity of the POTW treatment plant; or is designated as such by the
Control Authority as defined in 40 C.F.R. 03.12 (a) on the basis that
the industrial user has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting
the POTW’s operation or for violating any pretreatment standard
or requirement (in accordance with 40 C.F.R. 403.8(f)(6)).

(w) “Significant Non-Compliance” or “SNC” has the same meaning as in
40 C.F.R. 403.8(f)(2)(vii).
(Amended 11-14-2000 by O–18880 N.S.)

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Article 4: Sewers