TOWN OF HASTINGS, FLORIDA

TOWN CODE

Chapter 18

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Water and Sewer

Article II

Sewers -- Prohibited Discharges.

Sec. 18-20. General Prohibition No Person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial water process waters to any sanitary sewer. A sanitary sewer is a sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwaters, surface water and groundwater are excluded.

Proper Discharge Procedures. Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specificially designated as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the local, state and federal agencies having jurisdiction. A storm sewer is a sewer which carries storm and surface water and drainage but which excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of those local, state and federal agencies exercising jurisdiction.

Sec. 18-21. Specifically Prohibited Discharges.

A. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge any of the following described waters or waste to any public sewer. A public sewer is a sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have certain rights which shall include all fixtures and appurtenances connected to and included in the sewage collection system and which is controlled by the TOWN'S sanitary sewer utility:

1. Any Liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty (150) degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Any waters or wastes which may contain more than seventy-five (75) ppm, or parts per million, by weight, or fats, oil or grease, or any water or waste containing oil, grease or other substance that will solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-two (32) degrees Fahrenheit and ninety (90) degrees Fahrenheit.

3. Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, mineral spirits, commercial solvent, motor oil or other flammable or explosive liquid.

4. Any waters or wastes that contain more than ten (10) ppm by weight, of hydrogen sulfide, sulfur dioxide or nitrous oxide.

5. Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, offal, plastics, wood, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, lime residues, beer or distillery slops, chemical residues, fiberglass, paint or ink residues, cannery waste, bulk solids, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of sewage works without proper pretreatment and written approval of the Director of Utilities.

6. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5 or higher that 9 at any time or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works or to the treatment process.

7. Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous substances in such concentrations as to constitute a hazard to humans or animals or to interfere with any sewage treatment process, or to create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant without proper pretreatment and written approval of the Director of Utilities.

8. [Materials which exceed specific fixed upper limits as set forth herein.**] The limits fixed herein may be used as a guide in design and plant control but may be altered by the Director in the event of a cumulative overload on a sewage treatment plant:

Fixed Upper Limits for Constituents (parts per million by weight).

Baron
Cadmium
Chromium (Hex)
Chromium (Total)
Copper
Cyanide
Lead
Nickel
Silver
Tin
Zinc
Phenol
Mercury
Iron Arsenic
Detergents ABS (hard)
Detergents LAS (soft)
Detergents (biodegradable)
Phosphate (totals)
1.0
0.5
2.0
2.0
1.0
1.0
0.1
2.0
0.1
*
5.0
1.0
0.005
0.1
0.1
*
*
*

* To be established by the Director of Utilities.

9. Any waters containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual provision, attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.

10. Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance, capable of creating a public nuisance or hazard or of lying in or preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance, inspection and repair.

11. Any waters containing quantities of radium or naturally occurring or artificially produced radioisotopes in excess of presently existing or subsequently accepted limits for drinking water as established by the National Committee on Radiation Protection and Measuring.

12. Any concentrated dye wastes, spent tanning solutions, other wastes which are highly colored, or wastes which are of unusual volume, concentration of solids or composition that may create obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation and treatment of influent of the sewage works without proper pretreatment and written approval of the Director of Utilities.

13. Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amendable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed or are amendable to treatment only to such degrees that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.

14. Any waters containing more than two thousand (2,000) ppm total solids.
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* * Codifer's Note: Language added and separate subsection number added for clarity
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B. BOD5 Limit: The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a biochemical oxygen demand, or BOD5, in excess of three hundred (300) ppm by weight on a twenty-four hour composite basis, or for any grab sample having a BOD5 in excess of one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) ppm by weight, will be subject to review by the Director of Utilities. BOD5 shall be measured in compliance with standards acceptable to local, state or federal agencies regulating the operation of the TOWN'S sewage treatment plant. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director, the Owner shall provide and operate, at his own expense, such pretreatment as may be required to reduce the BOD5 to meet the above requirements.

C. COD Limit: The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a chemical oxygen demand, or, COD, in excess of five hundred (500) ppm by weight on a twenty-four composite basis, or for any grab sample having a five-day COD in excess of two thousand eighty-five (2,085) ppm, will be subject to review by the Director of Utilities. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director, pretreatment may be required as stated heretofore. COD shall be measured in compliance with standards acceptable to local, state or federal agencies regulating the TOWN'S sewage treatment plant.

D. Suspended Solids: The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a suspended solids content in excess of three hundred (300) ppm by weight on a twenty-four hour composite basis, or having a suspended solids content for any grab sample greater than one thousand two hundred fifty (1,250) ppm, will be subject to review by the Director of Utilities. Suspended solids are solids are solids that wither float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or liquid and which are removable by laboratory filtering. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director, pretreatment may be required as stated heretofore.

E. Total Nitrogen: The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a total nitrogen content in excess of eighty-five (85) ppm by weight on a twenty-four hours composite basis, or having a total nitrogen content for any grab sample greater than two hundred )200) ppm, will be subject to review by the Director of Utilities. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director, pretreatment may be required as stated heretofore.

F. Septic Tank Waste: No septic tank waste solids will be disposed of in any public sewers.

G. Dilution. The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes in volumes or with constituents such that existing dilution conditions in the sewers or at the treatment plant would be affected to the detriment of the Town's Utility Department shall be subject to review and approval of the Director of Utilities. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director, pretreatment or equalizing units may be required to bring constituents or volume of flow within the limits previously prescribed or to an otherwise acceptable level and to hold or equalize flows such that no peak flow conditions may hamper the operation of any unit of the sewer system. Such equalization or holding unit shall have a capacity suitable to serve its intended purpose and be equipped with acceptable outlet control facilities to provide flexibility in operation and accommodate changing conditions in the waste flow.

Sec. 18-22. Deleterious Discharges.

A. If any waters or wastes are discharged from commercial or residential customers, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewer, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in this section and which in the judgment of the Director of Utilities and/or local, state and federal agencies having jurisdiction, 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 Director may:

1) Reject the wastes.

2) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers.

3) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge.

4) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by sewer charges At the discretion of the Director of Utilities, the treatment for the presence of the pollutants and wastes shall be surcharged on the basis of the additional cost that the TOWN incurs in treating the pollutants and waste.

B. If the Director 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 Director and consulting engineer for the TOWN and the local, state and federal agencies having jurisdiction and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, resolutions and laws.

C. In the event of the accidental spill or unavoidable loss to the drains of any deleterious materials, the owner concerned shall promptly notify the Director of the nature of the spill, the quantity and time of occurrence.

Sec. 18-23. Penalty for Prohibited Discharges. Any person who continues prohibited discharges is guilty of an offense and upon conviction is punishable by a fine not to exceed five hundred dollars ($500.00) for each act of violation. Any person who violates this provision shall become liable to the TOWN for any expense, loss or damage incurred by the TOWN by reason of such violation. The TOWN is entitled additionally to pursue all other criminal and civil remedies to which it is entitled under authority of statutes, ordinances or resolutions against a person continuing prohibited discharges.

Sec. 18-24. Termination of Service; Criteria. The TOWN COMMISSION may terminate water and wastewater disposal services and disconnect an industrial user from the system in the event of the following occurrences:

A. A government agency informs the TOWN that the effluent for the sewage and wastewater treatment plant is no longer of a quality permitted for discharge to a watercourse and it is found that the customer is delivering sewage or wastewater to the TOWN'S system that cannot be sufficiently treated or requires treatment not provided by the TOWN as normal domestic treatment; or

B. The industrial customer:

1) Discharges waters or wastes prohibited by this ordinance.

2) Discharges wastewater at an uncontrolled variable rate in sufficient quantities to cause an imbalance in the wastewater treatment system.

3) Fails to pay monthly bills for water and sanitary sewer services when due.

4) Reports a discharge of prohibited waste to public sewer.

5) Fails to install flow measuring devices as required; or

6) Fails to report an incidental spill or discharge of deleterious materials to the TOWN'S sewer system.

C. The Town Council shall serve the persons discharging in violation of this Ordinance with written notice by certified mail stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time for satisfactory compliance. No person may continue discharging in violation of this Section beyond the time limit provided in the notice.

D. An industrial customer or user is one which discharges wastewaters having characteristics of industrial waste as distinct for commercial or domestic wastes and having a BOD5 of more than three hundred (300) ppm and/or suspended solids of more than three hundred (300) ppm; COD of more than five hundred (500) ppm; grease, animal or vegetable fats and act of more that fifty (50) ppm; detergents or more than eight (8) ppm; total phosphate of more than ten (10) ppm; organic nitrogen of more than thirty-five (35) ppm; or ammonia in excess of fifty (50) ppm.

Sec. 18-25. Maintenance of lines. All sewer lines and connections which are located on or under the property of a Town resident and which extend to the connection with the Town's sewer system will be installed and maintained by the property owner. Said property owner will be responsible for all expenses for this installation and maintenance.
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History: Section 1, Ordinance 92-01
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Sec. 18-26. Prevention of Inflow. The property owner will maintain the lines on his or her property in a manner which prevents inflow of stormwater into the Town's sewer system.
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History: Section 2. Ordinance 92-01
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