Responsibilities of generator and disposal site operator.
San Antonio City Code § 34-518
in effectSec. 34-518. - Responsibilities of generator and disposal site operator.
The liquid waste generators and disposal site operators shall have the following responsibilities, and failure to perform such responsibilities shall constitute a violation of this division:
(1) Generators.
(a) It shall be the responsibility of every generator of liquid waste to:
1. Know or ascertain the contents, characteristics and classifications of wastes generated.
2. Have liquid waste removed from his premises by a transporter holding the proper control authority, city, state, and/or federal permits or registrations required to collect and transport such waste.
3. Make a determination that the waste to be hauled under this division is non-hazardous, as required.
(b) A generator of hazardous waste, or liquid waste in combination with hazardous waste, shall only have such waste removed from his premises by a transporter holding the applicable state or federal permit or registration to transport said wastes.
(c) A generator of grease trap waste or grit trap waste shall have traps serviced as frequently as necessary to prevent bypass or overflow, and to ensure proper operation of the trap. Such generators shall, at a minimum, have grease traps and grit traps serviced quarterly or as approved by the control authority in accordance with all other provisions of this division.
(d) A generator of grit trap waste, grease trap waste or septage shall sign the manifest presented by the liquid waste transporter holding a control authority permit at the time of service and shall keep the generator manifest copies for a period of five (5) years. The records, both the generator copy (yellow) and the generator - final copy (goldenrod) shall be maintained at the location where the interceptor is located, unless a written request to store the records at a different location is submitted to the control authority for approval and the control authority approval is granted. Appropriate department personnel may inspect such receipts during normal business hours.
(e) A generator shall, in addition to the requirements above, be responsible for performing the following:
1. Install or provide a collection point for grit trap waste, grease trap waste, or septage of a size and type specified by the appropriate city, state, or federal authority, if any such specification exists. This facility may be the same (with possible modifications or adaptations) required by the control authority pursuant to the San Antonio City Code, chapter 34, article V, division 3, as may be amended.
2. Continuously maintain the collection point in an accessible, clean, safe and proper operational condition.
3. Monitor the transporter's evacuation and cleaning of the waste interceptors.
4. Report discharges, spills or accidents involving the collection point which pose a threat to the public health or potential damage to the environment involving the collection point to the department immediately.
5. Recover all accidental spills and discharges immediately and have such waste disposed of by a transporter holding a valid permit, license or registration from the appropriate city, state, or federal authority.
(f) Generators are prohibited from placing any agent, including but not limited to emulsifiers, surface active agents, enzymes, degreasers or any type of product that will liquefy grease trap wastes, directly into a grease trap or into any drain that leads to the grease trap.
(2) Mobile waste generators. Liquid waste generated by bus companies, recreational vehicles or other mobile sources must be disposed into the sanitary sewer system via a cleanout designed for this purpose or at an appropriate disposal facility. It shall be considered a violation of chapter 34, article VI, division 5, section 34-702(a)(6) to allow liquid waste to discharge into a street, storm drainage system, water course or stream or other unapproved location.
(3) Disposal site operators. Liquid waste disposal site operators which accept liquid waste from a transporter permitted by the control authority shall comply with the terms of this division and receive waste from a transporter holding a control authority permit issued hereunder according to the requirements of the permit and this division. Every disposal site operator shall maintain the operator's copy of a manifest from a control authority liquid waste transporter permit for a period of five (5) years. The disposal site operator shall submit copies of all liquid waste manifests to the control authority on a monthly basis, by the 15th day of each month.
(4) Commercial vehicle wash facilities. A commercial vehicle wash facility which uses a registered vehicle wash grit drying facility shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) The commercial vehicle wash owner/operator must use a permitted liquid waste transporter to collect and dispose of commercial vehicle wash grit trap waste if public right-of-way will be used for the transportation and/or disposal of such waste while in liquid form (prior to drying).
(b) The commercial vehicle wash owner/operator must clean out each grit trap quarterly, at a minimum, or more often as needed to prevent illegal discharge of pollutants into the sanitary sewer collection system and to ensure proper operation of the grit trap(s) as a pretreatment device. Owners of facilities performing onsite self-servicing of grit traps must document the date the trap was cleaned, the approximate quantity of waste removed for drying, the date the dried grit was sent offsite for final disposal, and the final disposal location. A control authority liquid waste transportation manifest is not required for onsite transfers, as long as the self-serving record are maintained. The commercial vehicle wash owner shall submit this information to the control authority annually by December 31 of each year.
(c) If the vehicle wash grit drying facility is located onsite and public right-of-way is not used for transferring the waste from the interceptor to the drying facility, the waste must be transferred in a manner that prevents spillage. In the event grit is spilled during the transfer, the spill must be cleaned up immediately. Grit may not be placed into a stormwater collection system.
(5) Vehicle wash grit drying facilities. Vehicle wash grit drying facilities shall comply with the following requirements:
(a) The submittal of a letter requesting a registration number and describing the vehicle wash grit drying facility, signed by the owner of the facility, shall be submitted to the control authority. This letter should individually list the addresses of each commercial vehicle facility that will dry its wastes at the drying facility. The control authority will issue a registration number to each drying facility.
(b) The vehicle wash grit drying facility, at a minimum, shall be constructed in a manner that is liquid tight and which ensures that all drainage from the facility, if any, is returned to the onsite sanitary sewer collection system at a point upstream from the grit trap. The drying facility must be enclosed or protected in a manner to prevent intrusion or infiltration of stormwater. Public access to the drying facility must be restricted.
(c) When commercial vehicle wash grit trap wastes are received from an offsite commercial vehicle wash facility, the drying facility must complete the disposal plant operator section of the manifest. The drying facility shall maintain the pink copy of the manifest in accordance with sections 34-516.3 and 34-518.3 and shall submit copies of all liquid waste manifests to the control authority on a monthly basis, by the 15th of each month. The drying facility may only accept wastes from commercial vehicle wash facilities owned by the same company.
(d) Commercial vehicle wash grit trap waste is considered appropriately dried when it passes TCEQ's paint filter test. Once the waste is appropriately dried, it is no longer considered liquid waste for the purpose of this division.
(e) The control authority may revoke a drying facility's registration for failure to comply with the applicable provisions of this division. In the event that the control authority revokes a facility's drying registration, the facility must maintain any onsite grit traps in accordance with this division.
(Ord. No. 80574, § 14, 8-4-94; Ord. No. 85765, § 2, 3-20-97; Ord. No. 99480, § 1(Exh. 1), 7-22-04; Ord. No. 2019-02-14-0123, § 1(Att. I), 2-14-19)
Source: City of San Antonio, City Code, City Charter and Unified Development Code (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/tx/san_antonio/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=PTIICO_CH34WASE_ARTVSETRTRDI_DIV4LIWATRDIRE_S34-518REGEDISIOPFetched: 10/27/2026