§ 34-43. Purpose and policy.

(a)

The City will not accept any wastewater that does not meet the City's standards for acceptance nor will the City allow inflow or infiltration into the public sewer system. Prior to accepting wastewater from any customer, other than a residential customer, the City may require that the customer demonstrate that the wastewater meets City standards. Prior to connecting any new customer, the City will require integrity testing of the customer's existing collection system at the customer's expense.

(b)

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:

(1)

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

(2)

Any waters or wastes 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 sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant, including but not limited to cyanides in excess of two (2) milligrams per liter (mg/l) as cyanides (CN) in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer.

(3)

Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than five and one-half (5.5) or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the sewage works.

(4)

Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of nine and one-half (9.5).

(5)

Any waters having salinity in excess of three (3.0) parts per thousand.

(6)

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 sewage works, such as but not limited to ashes; cinders; sand; mud; straw; shavings; metal; glass; rags; feathers; tar; plastics; wood; unground garbage; whole blood; paunch manure; hair and fleshings; fish skin or scales; entrails; and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

(c)

No person shall allow or cause infiltration and inflow to enter the City's sewer system from private property. After City inspections and/or testing of the water entering the public sewer has been completed, if the City Manager determines that infiltration and inflow is entering the sewer system from private property, he shall provide written notice to the property owner or his agent of such defect. The City Manager may require that the owner make repairs to laterals or make other repairs as the City Manager determines necessary within 30 days of the sending of such notice. If, in the judgment of the City Manager, the defect presents an emergency, the City Manager may require immediate repairs. Upon receipt of the notice, the property owner may request a hearing before the City's Code Compliance Board at which the owner or his agent may present evidence to rebut the determination of the City Manager or to negotiate terms of the repair. The City Manager may deny such hearing in an emergency situation. If the property owner fails to correct the infiltration and inflow problem immediately in an emergency or otherwise on a timely basis, the City Manager on behalf of the City may undertake either or both of the following actions:

(1)

Institute penalty proceedings against the property owner as provided in Section 34-59.

(2)

Make a written finding of the emergency nature of the infiltration and inflow, after consultation with the City Attorney. If the City Manager determines an emergency, he may authorize City workers or agents of the City to enter onto the private property for the limited purpose of effecting repairs. In such event, the City may bill the property owner the cost of repairs, payable within 90 days of mailing. Failure of the property owner to pay the bill timely shall entitle the City to place a lien on the property by an appropriate filing with the Monroe County Clerk of Court. The City shall be entitled to foreclose the lien in the manner provided by the laws of the State, and when applicable the lien shall have priority pursuant to Fla. Stat. § 159.17.

(d)

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water, air conditioning condensate, groundwater, pool water, roof runoff, surface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer. However, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters may be discharged into a storm sewer or natural outlet upon the prior written approval of the City Manager.

(e)

The City Manager or his designee is authorized to administer requirements for grease interceptors, and grease traps, collect inspection fees, and take appropriate actions to protect the City's wastewater system from blockages, obstructions or overflows due to the contributions and accumulation of greases, or other similar deleterious products.

(f)

Automotive related facilities including but not limited to car washes and automobile repair shops, which may contribute petroleum based oil to the wastewater system, are required to have an approved oil/water separator.

(g)

The City Manager shall have the authority to halt or eliminate, immediately and effectively any actual or threatening discharge to the City's wastewater system which presents or causes interferences with the operation of the City's wastewater system.

(h)

If any waters or wastes are discharged or proposed to be discharged to the City's wastewater system which contain substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in this section and which may have a deleterious effect upon the City's wastewater system, processes, equipment or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance. The City Manager may require payment to cover any costs for handling and treating the grease or oils or disallow connection to the City's wastewater system.

(i)

All traps shall be cleaned by a licensed liquid waste hauler prior to connection to wastewater system and regularly thereafter to maintain at least 50 percent of the retention capacity. For properties with less than 12 EDUs the cleaning interval is every 180 calendar days and for all other properties every 90 calendar days unless waived by the City Manager.

(j)

Inflow and Infiltration Ordinance 2016-02 further regulates influent characteristics, including grease, and states penalties for any non-compliance.

(k)

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any materials which exert or cause:

(1)

Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids, such as but not limited to fuller's earth, lime slurries, and lime residues, or of dissolved solids, such as but not limited to sodium chloride and sodium sulfate.

(2)

Excessive discoloration, such as but not limited to dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.

(3)

Unusual or excessive BOD or chemical oxygen demand exceeding 500 mg/l, or in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works.

(4)

Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting slugs as defined under 40 CFR 403.5(b).

(5)

Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction 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 other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.

(l)

Actions of City Manager for potentially harmful wastes.

(1)

If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in this section, and which, in the judgment of the City Manager, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the City Manager may:

a.

Reject the wastes;

b.

Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;

c.

Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or

d.

Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges, i.e.:

1.

The wastewater discharge from certain facilities, even when passed through properly sized and maintained grease interceptors, may contain elevated levels of biochemical oxygen demand "BOD". A surcharge may be applied to the customer's wastewater services bill for wastewater discharges with a BOD in excess of 500 parts per million. The surcharge will be applied at a rate to be adopted from time to time in a rate resolution by the City Council.

(2)

If the City Manager permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the City Manager and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances, and laws.

a.

The Utility Director shall notify the City Manager in writing of conditions present to which actions in this section are applicable.

(m)

Measurements, testing and analyses of wastes. All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this article shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the City's point of connection provided or upon suitable samples taken at the owner's list station or buffer tank. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb, and property. The particular analyses involved will determine whether a 24-hour composite of all outfalls of the premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from 24-hour composites of all outfalls, whereas pHs and salinities are determined from periodic grab samples.

(n)

Special agreements between City and industrial users. 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 agreed upon by the industrial concern and the City.

(Ord. No. 2008-10, § 2(Art. VIII), 5-27-2008; Ord. No. 2011-14, § 6, 10-25-2011; Ord. No. 2016-02 , § 2, 4-26-2016; Ord. No. 2018-01 , § 6, 2-27-2018)