13.08.290 Compliance monitoring (subregional system)

13.08.290 Compliance monitoring (subregional system).

1. Users shall install sampling and/or monitoring equipment, including manholes, as necessary or required. The user’s sampling and monitoring equipment shall be maintained at all times in a safe and proper operating condition by the user at the user’s own expense. All devices used to determine wastewater flow and quality shall be calibrated, at a frequency to be determined by the Director of Utilities, to ensure their accuracy. The sampling and monitoring facilities shall be provided in accordance with the City’s requirements and all applicable construction standards and specifications. Construction and installation shall be completed within 90 days following written notification by the Director of Utilities unless a time extension is granted by the Director of Utilities.

2. Location of Equipment. The sampling and monitoring equipment shall be situated on the user’s premises, but the Director of Utilities may, when such a location would be impractical or cause undue hardship on the user, allow the facility to be constructed or installed in the public right-of-way and located so that it will not be obstructed by landscaping or parked vehicles. The user shall obtain an encroachment permit from the City prior to any construction or installation in the public right-of-way.

3. Access to Equipment. If the monitoring facility is inside the user’s fence, there shall be accommodations to allow access for City personnel, such as a gate secured with a City lock. There shall be ample room in or near such sampling manhole to allow accurate sampling and compositing of samples for analysis.

4. Effluent Meter and Composite Sampler. New industrial users or existing users planning a remodel of existing process facilities and/or pretreatment system which contribute high strength wastewater to the POTW shall install a nonresettable totalizing effluent meter and a flow proportioned composite sampler which is controlled by a flow meter.

5. Provisions for Existing Users. Existing industrial users shall be subject to the provisions of this section at the discretion of the Director of Utilities.

6. Plan Review. Detailed plans showing the operation and proposed installation of all monitoring and/or sampling equipment shall be submitted to the City for review and shall be acceptable to the Director of Utilities before installation of the equipment. Any subsequent changes to any sampling and/or monitoring equipment shall be reported to and be acceptable to the Director of Utilities.

1. Where required in the waste discharge permit or by State or Federal laws and regulations, the discharger shall provide, operate and maintain, at his expense, such preliminary treatment or controls as may be necessary to eliminate or reduce the objectionable characteristics, constituents, or quantities and rates of discharge to conform to the maximum limits provided for in the permit.

2. Plans, specifications, and any other pertinent information related to proposed pretreatment facilities and operating procedures shall be submitted for the approval of the Director of Utilities. Construction of such facilities shall not commence until said approval is obtained in writing, and use of such facilities shall not commence until completed facilities are approved in writing. Pretreatment facilities shall be continuously maintained in satisfactory and effective operating condition to the satisfaction of the Director of Utilities.

1. The Director of Utilities may require any user discharging into the POTW to install and maintain, on their property and at their expense, a suitable storage and flow-control facility to ensure equalization of flow. A wastewater discharge permit may be issued solely for flow equalization.

2. From time to time the City may adopt best management practices for activities and/or industries. In these cases, users may employ the adopted best management practices in lieu of application of other pretreatment technologies, when approved by the Director of Utilities.

3. Users with the potential to discharge flammable substances may be required to install and maintain an approved combustible gas detection meter.

D. Grease Removal Devices. Grease, oil, and sand interceptors or other grease removal devices shall be provided by the user when, in the opinion of the Director of Utilities, 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 type and capacity acceptable to the Director of Utilities and shall be so located to be easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Such interceptors shall be inspected, cleaned, and repaired regularly, as needed, by the user at their expense. The user shall keep and maintain records that document all cleaning, repair and proper disposal from all such interceptors for the preceding three years. Such records shall be kept on the site for review by the Director of Utilities.

E. Amalgam Separators. The Director of Utilities may specify additional requirements for dental facilities that remove or place amalgam fillings.

1. All users of and dischargers from dental facilities that remove or place amalgam fillings shall comply with the following waste management practices:

a. No person shall rinse chair-side traps, vacuum screens, or amalgam separator equipment in a sink or other connection to the sanitary sewer.

b. Users of and dischargers from dental facilities shall ensure that all staff members who handle amalgam waste are trained in the proper handling, management, and disposal of mercury-containing material and fixer-containing solutions, and shall maintain training records that shall be available for inspection by the Director of Utilities during normal business hours.

c. Amalgam waste shall be stored and managed in accordance with the instructions of the recycler or hauler of such materials.

d. Bleach and other chlorine-containing disinfectants shall not be used to disinfect the vacuum line system.

e. The use of bulk mercury is prohibited. Only pre-capsulated dental amalgam is permitted.

2. All users of and dischargers from dental vacuum suction systems, except as set forth in subsections (E)(3) and (4) of this section, shall comply with the following:

a. An ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator device shall be installed for each dental vacuum suction system on or before one year of the effective date of this title; provided, however, that all dental facilities that are newly constructed on and after the effective date of this title shall include an installed ISO 11143 certified amalgam separator device. The installed device must be ISO 11143 certified as capable of removing a minimum of 95 percent of amalgam. The amalgam separator system shall be certified at flow rates comparable to the flow rate of the actual vacuum suction system operation. Neither the separator device nor the related plumbing shall include an automatic flow bypass. For facilities that require an amalgam separator that exceeds the practical capacity of ISO 11143 test methodology, a noncertified separator will be accepted; provided, that smaller units from the same manufacturer and of the same technology are ISO-certified. Alternative materials and methods may be proposed to the Director of Utilities for approval.

b. Proof of certification and installation records shall be submitted to the Director of Utilities within 30 days of installation.

c. Amalgam separators shall be maintained in accordance with manufacturer’s recommendations. Installation, certification, and maintenance records shall be available for immediate inspection upon request by the Director of Utilities during normal business hours.

3. Facilities with vacuum suction systems that meet all of the following conditions may apply to the Director of Utilities for an exemption to the requirements of subsection (E)(2) of this section:

a. The system was installed before the effective date of this title.

b. The system is a dry vacuum pump system with an air-water separator.

c. The sedimentation tank is nonbottom draining, with the drain above the anticipated maximum level of accumulated sludge.

d. Evidence of regular pump-outs (a minimum of once a year, or more often if either directed by the manufacturer or necessary to keep solids from exiting through the drain) is maintained and open to inspection by the Director of Utilities during normal business hours.

e. The system has no direct discharge pipe to the sewer on the bottom of the sedimentation tank.

4. The following types of dental practice are exempt from this section; provided, that removal or placement of amalgam fillings occurs at the facility no more than three days per year: orthodontics, periodontics, oral and maxillofacial surgery, radiology, oral pathology or oral medicine, and endodontistry and prosthodontistry.

5. Any user or discharger whose facility meets all five conditions in subsection (E)(3) of this section may apply for an exemption by written letter to the Director of Utilities. The Director of Utilities will review the system and, if the exemption is approved, shall provide a written letter of exemption. An exemption obtained pursuant to subsection (E)(3) of this section shall expire upon installation of a new vacuum system. Upon expiration of the exemption, the facility shall comply with subsection (E)(2) of this section before commencing further operation.

F. Right of Entry – Inspection and Sampling. The Director of Utilities shall have the right to enter the premises of any user, announced or unannounced, to determine whether the user is complying with all requirements of City ordinances and any wastewater discharge permit or order issued hereunder. Users shall allow the Director of Utilities ready access to all parts of the premises for the purposes of inspection, sampling, records examination and copying, and the performance of any additional duties.

1. Where a user has security measures in force which require proper identification and clearance before entry into their premises, the user shall make necessary arrangements with its security guards so that, upon presentation of suitable identification, the Director of Utilities shall be permitted to enter, without delay, for the purposes of performing specific responsibilities.

2. The Director of Utilities shall have the right to set up or require installation of, on the user’s property, such devices as are necessary to conduct sampling and/or metering of the user’s operations.

3. The Director of Utilities may require the industrial user to install monitoring equipment as necessary. The facility’s sampling and monitoring equipment shall be maintained at all times in a safe and proper operating condition by the user at its expense. The Director of Utilities may require the installation of such facilities on the premises of the user at a location which will be accessible to the Director of Utilities at all times. All devices used to measure wastewater flow and quality shall be calibrated and certified periodically to ensure their accuracy.

4. Any temporary or permanent obstruction to safe and easy access to the facility to be inspected and/or sampled shall be promptly removed by the user at the written or verbal request of the Director of Utilities and shall not be replaced. The costs of clearing such access shall be the responsibility of the user.

5. When the owner of premises fails to comply with an order to cease and desist, allowing the entrance of surface or subsurface drainage water from the owner’s premises to the City sewer system, the Director of Utilities shall have the right to enter the premises and to block the flow of drainage water.

6. Unreasonable delays in allowing the Director of Utilities access to the user’s premises shall be a violation of this title.

G. Unmetered Waste Flows. Sewage and industrial wastewater flows from nonresidential and industrial users not required to install control manholes shall be determined as follows:

1. For premises where no significant portion of the water received from any source is consumed in the principal activity of the user, or is removed from the premises by means other than the sewerage system, the volume of waste flow shall be equal to the total volume of water used from all sources. Water received from each source shall be determined by the registration shown in the corresponding water meter.

2. For premises where a portion of the water received from any source does not flow into the sewerage system, either because of the principal activity of the user or because of its removal by other means, the volume of waste flow shall be equal to the volume of water used from all sources less the volume of water removed by the user’s activity. Water received from each source, as well as water removed, shall be determined by the registration shown in the corresponding water meters or by other means approved by the Director of Utilities.

3. All meters required in subsections (G)(1) and (2) of this section shall be installed in accordance with City standards at the user’s expense. Existing private meters installed by the user prior to the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section shall continue in service until they are required to be replaced. Upon the Director of Utilities’ determination that the meter requires replacement, the user shall pay a one-time fee to have a City-maintained meter installed. A monthly service charge will be assessed to the user to cover City meter reading and maintenance costs.

H. Timing. Written reports and notices pursuant to this title will be deemed to have been submitted or given on the date postmarked. For reports and notices which are not mailed, the date of receipt of the report or notice will govern.

I. Record-Keeping. Users subject to the reporting requirements of this title shall retain, and make available for inspection and copying, all records of information obtained pursuant to any monitoring activities required by this title and any additional records of information obtained pursuant to monitoring activities undertaken by the user independent of such requirements. Records will include the date, exact place, method, and time of sampling, and the name of the person(s) taking the samples, the dates analyses were performed, who performed the analyses, the analytical techniques or methods used, and the results of such analyses. These records shall remain available for a period of at least five years. This period will be automatically extended for the duration of any litigation concerning the user or the City, or where the user has been specifically notified of a longer retention period by the Director of Utilities.

J. Confidential Information. Information and data on a user obtained from reports, surveys, wastewater discharge permit applications, wastewater discharge permits, and monitoring programs, and from the Director of Utilities’ inspection and sampling activities, shall be available to the public without restriction, unless the user specifically requests in writing, and is able to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the Director of Utilities, that the release of such information would divulge information, processes, or methods of production entitled to protection as trade secrets under applicable State law. Any such request must be asserted at the time of submission of the information or data. When requested and demonstrated by the user furnishing a report that such information should be held confidential, the portions of a report which might disclose trade secrets or secret processes shall not be made available for inspection by the public but shall be made available immediately upon request to governmental agencies for uses related to this title, the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) program, and in enforcement proceedings involving the person furnishing the report. Wastewater constituents and characteristics and other “effluent data” as defined by 40 CFR Part 2.302 or as amended will not be recognized as confidential information and will be available to the public without restriction. (Ord. 1078, 2015; Ord. 3047 § 1 (part), 1993)