Ventura Municipal Code Art. 2 General Sewer Use Requirements

A. General Prohibitions. 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. Specific Prohibitions. 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 F (60 degrees C) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21;

2. Wastewater or pollutants having a pH or any corrosive or detrimental characteristics that may cause injury to the general public, maintenance personnel, or damage to or interference with the POTW. In no case shall discharges into the POTW have a pH of less than 5.0;

3. Any solid or viscous substances of such size or in such quantity that they may cause obstruction to flow in the POTW or be detrimental to proper POTW operation. These objectionable substances include, but are not limited to, FOG discharges, asphalt, dead animals, offal, ashes, sand, mud, straw, industrial process shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, whole blood, paunch manure, bones, hair and fleshings, entrails, paper dishes, paper cups, milk containers, or other similar paper products, either whole or ground;

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

5. Any waste having an eight-hour temperature average higher than 140 degrees Fahrenheit or any waste having an instantaneous temperature exceeding 212 degrees Fahrenheit, or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater which causes the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed 104 degrees F (40 degrees C);

6. Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin commonly called soluble oils, which form persistent emulsions, 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, except at discharge points designated by public works director in accordance with Section 22.240.300;

9. Any waste containing noxious or malodorous liquids, toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in such quantities that, alone or in combination with other waste substances, may create a hazard for humans, animals or the environment, interfere detrimentally with sewage treatment processes, pass through treatment facilities in concentrations exceeding discharge limitations, cause a public nuisance, or cause any hazardous condition to occur in the POTW;

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, thereby violating the city’s NPDES permit;

11. Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes in excess of those allowed by the applicable state or federal regulations;

12. Any rainwater, stormwater, groundwater, street drainage, subsurface drainage, elevator shaft drainage, roof drainage, yard drainage, water from ornamental fountains, ponds or lawn sprays or any other surface runoff waters, unless specifically authorized by public works director;

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

14. Medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the public works director in a nondomestic wastewater discharge permit or a general permit;

15. Any strongly odorous waste or any waste which causes objectionable odors from POTW facilities;

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

17. Any waste containing substances that may precipitate, solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 40 degrees Fahrenheit and 100 degrees Fahrenheit;

18. Any blow-down or bleed water from cooling towers or other evaporative coolers exceeding one-third of the makeup water;

19. Any single pass cooling water;

20. Any deionized water, steam condensate or distilled water in excess of laboratory usage;

21. Any water added for the purpose of diluting wastes exceeding maximum concentrations limitations or contrary to an applicable BMP standard;

22. Any garbage that is not ground sufficiently to pass through a half-inch screen;

23. Any discharges of wastes or wastewater from the operation or maintenance of a swimming pool. Discharges of such wastes are strictly prohibited unless done pursuant to a permit issued by the public works director. Any person wishing to discharge swimming pool wastes to the POTW must present satisfactory evidence to the public works director that alternate disposal is not available and obtain approval from the public works director before commencing such discharge. The public works director shall not issue a permit allowing a discharge through any pipe larger than two inches in diameter or under a head exceeding 20 feet, or if pumped, exceeding a flow rate of 100 gallons per minute. The public works director shall additionally require, as a condition any discharge permit, that any connection to the POTW be made only through an approved separation device adequate to prevent any possible backflow of sewage to the pool or to the domestic water supply system, and with filter backwash connections made only through an approved sedimentation device prior to connection to the POTW;

24. Saltwater or brine from commercial or industrial establishments in concentrations that will interfere with wastewater collection, treatment or treated wastewater reuse including, but not limited to, commercial or industrial backwashes or similar wastestreams resulting from the direct addition of salt; and

25. Wastewater originating from commercial garbage disposal units shall pass through a grease interceptor or other grease controlling device prior to discharge to the POTW.

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.

The public works director may, from time to time, prepare a list of additional BMP standards, maximum permissible quantities or concentrations of the above or other constituents in nondomestic wastewater flows as such additional limitations are required to meet the purposes and provisions of this article and to assure the continued safe and proper operation of POTW facilities. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

Users must comply with the categorical pretreatment standards found at 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N, Parts 405 through 471.

A. Where a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of either the mass or the concentration of a pollutant in wastewater, the public works director may impose equivalent concentration or mass limits in accordance with subsections D and E of this section.

B. When the limits in a categorical pretreatment standard are expressed only in terms of mass of pollutant per unit of production, the public works director may convert the limits to equivalent limitations expressed either as mass of pollutant discharged per day or effluent concentration for purposes of calculating effluent limitations applicable to individual industrial users.

C. When wastewater subject to a categorical pretreatment standard is mixed with wastewater not regulated by the same standard, the public works director shall impose an alternate limit in accordance with 40 CFR 403.6(e).

D. When a categorical pretreatment standard is expressed only in terms of pollutant concentrations, an industrial user may request that the city convert the limits to equivalent mass limits. The determination to convert concentration limits to mass limits is within the discretion of the public works director. The city may establish equivalent mass limits only if the industrial user meets all the conditions set forth in subsections (D)(1)(a) through (D)(1)(e) of this section.

1. To be eligible for equivalent mass limits, the industrial user must:

a. Employ, or demonstrate that it will employ, water conservation methods and technologies that substantially reduce water use during the term of its nondomestic wastewater discharge permit;

b. Currently use control and treatment technologies adequate to achieve compliance with the applicable categorical pretreatment standard, and not have used dilution as a substitute for treatment;

c. Provide sufficient information to establish the facility’s actual average daily flow rate for all wastestreams, based on data from a continuous effluent flow monitoring device, as well as the facility’s long-term average production rate. Both the actual average daily flow rate and the long-term average production rate must be representative of current operating conditions;

d. Not have daily flow rates, production levels, or pollutant levels that vary so significantly that equivalent mass limits are not appropriate to control the discharge; and

e. Have consistently complied with all applicable categorical pretreatment standards during the period prior to the industrial user’s request for equivalent mass limits.

2. An industrial user subject to equivalent mass limits must:

a. Maintain and effectively operate control and treatment technologies adequate to achieve compliance with the equivalent mass limits;

b. Continue to record the facility’s flow rates through the use of a continuous effluent flow monitoring device;

c. Continue to record the facility’s production rates and notify the public works director whenever production rates are expected to vary by more than 20 percent from its baseline production rates determined in subsection (D)(1)(c) of this section. Upon notification of a revised production rate, the public works director will reassess the equivalent mass limit and revise the limit as necessary to reflect changed conditions at the facility; and

d. Continue to employ the same or comparable water conservation methods and technologies as those implemented pursuant to subsection (D)(1)(a) of this section so long as it discharges under an equivalent mass limit.

3. When developing equivalent mass limits, the public works director:

a. Will calculate the equivalent mass limit by multiplying the actual average daily flow rate of the regulated process(es) of the industrial user by the concentration-based daily maximum and monthly average standard for the applicable categorical pretreatment standard and the appropriate unit conversion factor;

b. Upon notification of a revised production rate, will reassess the equivalent mass limit and recalculate the limit as necessary to reflect changed conditions at the facility; and

c. May retain the same equivalent mass limit in subsequent nondomestic wastewater discharger permit terms if the industrial user’s actual average daily flow rate was reduced solely as a result of the implementation of water conservation methods and technologies, and the actual average daily flow rates used in the original calculation of the equivalent mass limit were not based on the use of dilution as a substitute for treatment pursuant to Section 22.240.260. The industrial user must also be in compliance with Section 22.240.830 regarding the prohibition of bypass.

E. The public works director may convert the mass limits of the categorical pretreatment standards of 40 CFR Parts 414, 419, and 455 to concentration limits for purposes of calculating limitations applicable to individual industrial users. The conversion is at the discretion of the public works director.

F. Once included in its permit, the industrial user must comply with the equivalent limitations developed in this section in lieu of the promulgated categorical standards from which the equivalent limitations were derived.

G. Many categorical pretreatment standards specify one limit for calculating maximum daily discharge limitations and a second limit for calculating maximum monthly average, or four-day average, limitations. Where such standards are being applied, the same production or flow figure shall be used in calculating both the average and the maximum equivalent limitation.

H. Any industrial user operating under a permit incorporating equivalent mass or concentration limits calculated from a production-based standard shall notify the public works director within two business days after the user has a reasonable basis to know that the production level will significantly change within the next calendar month. Any user not notifying the public works director of such anticipated change will be required to meet the mass or concentration limits in its permit that were based on the original estimate of the long-term average production rate. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

State requirements and limitations on discharges shall apply when they are more stringent than federal requirements and limitations or those in this chapter. Up to the date of the adoption of the ordinance codified in this chapter the state has not developed any limitations. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

A. The public works director is authorized to establish local limits pursuant to 40 CFR 403.5(c). The public works director may impose mass limitations in addition to or in place of concentration-based limitations for local limits.

B. Local limits established by the public works director and approved by the state are listed below:

C. Local limits shall apply at the end of the user’s lateral pipeline at the point where the industrial wastewater is discharged to the POTW. Users holding a valid nondomestic wastewater discharge permit or general permit shall have limits apply at the designated sample station.

D. Local limits shall be reviewed as needed to prevent pass through and interference. Any revision to the control authority’s local limits shall be submitted for approval to the state. Upon state approval, the revised local limits shall be enforceable under the conditions of this article. Copies of the most recently state-approved local limits shall be made available upon request through the office of the public works director.

E. The public works director may develop best management practices (BMPs), by ordinance or in nondomestic wastewater discharge permits or general permits, to implement local limits and the requirements of Section 22.240.210. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10; Ord. No. 2018-009, § 1, 4-23-18; Ord. No. 2024-004, § 2, 5-21-24)

The city reserves the right to establish, by ordinance or in nondomestic wastewater discharge permits or in general permits, more stringent standards or requirements on discharges to the POTW consistent with the purpose of this chapter. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

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 public works 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. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

Users shall provide wastewater treatment as necessary to comply with this chapter and shall achieve compliance with all categorical pretreatment standards, local limits, and the prohibitions set out in Sections 22.240.210 through 22.240.240 within the time limitations specified by EPA, the state, or the public works director, whichever is more stringent. Any facilities necessary for compliance shall be provided, operated, and maintained at the user’s expense. Detailed plans describing such facilities and operating procedures shall be submitted to the public works director for review, and shall be acceptable to the public works director before such facilities are constructed. The review of such plans and operating procedures shall in no way relieve the user from the responsibility of modifying such facilities as necessary to produce a discharge acceptable to the city under the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

A. The public works director may require commercial and industrial waste drain lines to be separate from all domestic and sanitary wastewaters from restrooms, showers, drinking fountains, etc., in instances where the public works director determines that such separation is necessary to prevent damage to or interference with the POTW.

B. Normally, a gravity separation interceptor, equalizing tank, neutralizing chamber and control maintenance hole will be required respectively to remove prohibited settleable and floatable solids, grease and oil, to equalize wastewater streams varying greatly in quantity and/or quality, to neutralize low or high pH flows and to facilitate inspection, flow measurement and sampling. Floor drains from commercial or manufacturing buildings, warehouses or multiuse structures shall not discharge directly to the POTW, but first shall discharge to a gravity separation interceptor. A nondomestic wastewater discharge permit or a general permit may be issued solely for flow equalization.

C. Whenever deemed necessary, the public works director may require users to restrict their discharge during peak flow periods, designate that certain wastewater be discharged only into specific sections of the POTW, relocate and/or consolidate points of discharge, separate sewage wastestreams from industrial wastestreams, and such other conditions as may be necessary to protect the POTW and determine the user’s compliance with the requirements of this chapter.

D. Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the public works director, they are necessary for the proper handling of wastewater containing excessive amounts of grease and oil, or sand; except that such interceptors shall not be required for residential users. All interception units shall be of a type and capacity approved by the public works director, and shall be so located to be easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Such interceptors shall be inspected, cleaned, and repaired by the user at their expense. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)

A. The public works director shall evaluate whether each SIU needs an accidental discharge/slug discharge control plan or other action to control slug discharges. The public works director may require any user to develop, submit for approval, and implement such a plan or take such other action that may be necessary to control slug discharges. Alternatively, the public works director may develop such a plan for any user. An accidental discharge/slug discharge control plan shall address, at a minimum, the following:

1. Description of discharge practices, including nonroutine batch discharges;

2. Description of stored chemicals;

3. Procedures for immediately notifying the public works director of any accidental or slug discharge, as required by Section 22.240.430; and

4. Procedures to prevent adverse impact from any accidental or slug discharge. Such procedures include, but are not limited to, inspection and maintenance of storage areas, handling and transfer of materials, loading and unloading operations, control of plant site runoff, worker training, building of containment structures or equipment, measures for containing toxic organic pollutants, including solvents, and/or measures and equipment for emergency response.

B. Dischargers not required to develop an approved slug discharge control plan shall provide essential spill control measures. If toxic, hazardous or other prohibited substances are stored or used in areas where a spill could result in discharge of these materials to the POTW, the POTW entry must be protected by curbs, berms or similar isolating structures adequate to contain any possible spill from reaching the POTW. If substances, which if mixed would produce toxic or hazardous products or mixtures otherwise prohibited from entering the POTW, are stored or used in areas where a spill could result in mixing and subsequent discharge of these materials to the POTW, the POTW entry and the storage area of each such substance must be protected by curbs, berms or similar isolating structures adequate to prevent mixing in the event of a spill and to contain any possible spill from reaching the POTW. In any instance where construction of facilities, installation of equipment or development of plans or procedures to meet the requirements of this chapter or of state or federal law or regulation or of any other applicable standard, the discharger shall develop, and have approved by the public works director, a planning and/or construction schedule adequate to meet city, state and federal deadlines for compliance with such standards. Failure to meet a compliance deadline including any deadlines for intermediate planning or construction steps or for reporting of construction progress or compliance status or any other report required as part of a compliance schedule shall be a violation of the provisions of this chapter subject to all penalties for such violation. (Ord. No. 2010-002, § 2, 2-1-10)