Wastewater discharge prohibitions and limitations.
Las Vegas Municipal Code § 14.17.015
in effect14.17.015 - Wastewater discharge prohibitions and limitations.
(A) General prohibitions. No industrial user shall introduce into the POTW any pollutant which causes pass through or interference. These general prohibitions and the specific prohibitions in subsection (B) apply to all industrial users of the POTW whether they are subject to pretreatment standards, or any other national, State, or local pretreatment requirements.
(B) Specific prohibitions. No industrial user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW the following pollutants:
(1) Any substance which either alone or by interaction with other substances create a fire or explosive hazard in the POTW, including, but not limited to wastestreams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 60°C (140°F) using the test method specified in 40 CFR 261.21. The Director may require industrial users with the potential to discharge flammable, combustible or explosive substances to install and maintain an approved combustible gas detection meter or explosion hazard meter. No two successive readings on an explosion hazard meter at the point of discharge shall be more than five percent, nor any single reading more than ten percent, of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the meter.
(2) Wastewater having a pH of less than 5.0 or more than 11.0, or any wastewater capable of causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW unless the POTW is specifically designed to accommodate such discharges.
(3) Solid or viscous pollutants in amounts which cause obstruction to the flow in the POTW resulting in interference.
(4) Any pollutant, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD 5 , COD , etc.) released in a discharge at a flow rate, pollutant concentration, or both, which will cause interference with the POTW.
(5) Heat in amounts which will inhibit biological activity in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case heat in such quantities that the temperature at the POTW treatment plant exceeds 40°C (104°F) unless the approval authority, upon request of the POTW, approves alternate temperature limits.
(6) Petroleum oil, non-biodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin that will cause pass through or interference.
(7) Pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors or fumes within the POTW in a quantity which may cause acute worker health and safety problems, or pollutants which singly or cumulatively or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create a public nuisance or hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent or interfere with entry into the sewers for their maintenance and repair.
(8) Trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated and as approved by the Director.
(9) Wastewater which contains grease, oil or any other substances that will solidify or become discernibly viscous at temperatures between 0°C (32°F) and 65.5°C (150°F).
(10) Wastewater from food facilities containing free or floating oil and grease, or any discharge containing animal fat or grease by-product in excess of two hundred fifty milligrams per liter. This limit will not apply if the industrial user has installed an appropriately sized gravity grease interceptor (GGI), and is properly operating and maintaining the GGI and implementing all required BMPs, as specified in Section 14.17.070 for food-related facilities.
(11) Wastewater generated as a result of wastes pumped from GGIs, hydromechanical grease interceptors (HMGIs) or grease traps, sand/oil interceptors or other storage tanks or treatment units back into the POTW, either directly or indirectly, without approval of the Director.
(12) Wastewater which imparts color to the POTW's effluent such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions.
(13) Wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except in compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations.
(14) Medical wastes that cause or contribute to pass through or interference.
(15) Discharge of any hazardous waste pharmaceutical or DEA controlled substances to the POTW by a healthcare facility or reverse distributor pursuant to 40 CFR 266.505.
(16) Any substance that causes the City to violate its NPDES permit or applicable water quality standards.
(17) Sludge, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes or industrial processes except as authorized by an industrial wastewater discharge permit, special approved discharge authorization or other control mechanism issued by the Director.
(18) A slug discharge as defined in Section 14.17.010.
(19) Any substance which may cause the POTW's effluent or treatment residues, sludge or sludge products produced for public distribution, or scums, to be unsuitable for reclamation or reuse or which otherwise interferes with the reclamation process.
(20) Any waste designated as hazardous waste unless done so in compliance with LVMC 14.17.065(K) and this Chapter.
(21) Any pesticides, herbicides or fungicides that cause or contribute to pass through, interference or other problems at the treatment works or in the receiving waters. In no case shall an industrial user discharge wastewater that is generated from the rinsing of any container that contains or contained any concentrated or formulated pesticide, herbicide or fungicide.
(22) Bulk, expired, outdated or concentrated prescription or non-prescription drugs.
(23) Wastewater or pollutants discharged directly into a manhole or other opening to the POTW unless specifically authorized by the Director or as otherwise permitted under this Chapter. The opening of a manhole or discharging into any opening in violation of this Chapter is prohibited.
(24) Wastewater contaminated because of discharge from aboveground or underground gasoline (or both), diesel fuels, fuel oil, kerosene, and jet fuel tanks, tank accessories, or pipelines, or any combination thereof, without applying for and obtaining a permit or other control mechanism prior to discharge.
(25) Wastewater causing, alone or in conjunction with other sources, the POTW effluent to fail a whole effluent toxicity (WET) test.
(26) Detergents, surfactants and other surface-active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW or cause or contribute to pass through or interference.
(27) Discharge of nonylphenol from the use of bulk or concentrated nonylphenol containing detergents as employed by some industrial or commercial laundries, car washes, asphalt manufacturers or other industrial users.
(28) Discharge of any wastewater containing perchloroethylene (PCE) (also known as tetrachloroethene and tetrachloroethylene) from any industrial user involved in the dry-cleaning business.
(29) Discharge of concentrated or used trichlorethylene (TCE).
(30) Discharge into the POTW any ground or unground sharps.
(C) Additional prohibitions.
(1) Stormwater, surface water, groundwater, subsurface drainage, yard drainage, roof drain, swimming pool drainage, condensate, deionized water, effluent from groundwater pump-and-treat systems and unpolluted water shall not be discharged through any direct or indirect connection to the wastewater collection system unless authorized by the Director.
(2) No chemicals, materials, or substances, including but not limited to, paints, solvents, boiler or water treatment chemicals, sludges, chemicals, or wastes shall be stored in proximity to a floor drain or other sewer openings unless secondary containment is provided or there are physical barriers to entry to the wastewater collection system. The storage of any chemicals, materials, substances, or wastes that leak or have potential to leak or discharge into the POTW which may create an explosion hazard or in any way have a deleterious effect to the POTW or constitute a nuisance or a hazard to POTW personnel, the general public, the environment, or the receiving stream shall be prohibited.
(D) Dilution prohibited. Dilution is prohibited as a substitute for treatment and shall be a violation of this Chapter. Except where expressly authorized to do so by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement, no industrial user shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any other way attempt to dilute a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a pretreatment standard or requirement. The Director may impose mass limitations on industrial users which are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements or in other cases where the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate.
(E) Local discharge limits and surcharge concentrations.
(1) No SIU or other designated industrial user shall discharge or cause to be discharged, wastewater containing pollutants that exceed the following limits, which shall apply at the point where wastewater is discharged to the POTW:
Pollutant | Daily maximum discharge limit | Units of measurement
Arsenic | 1.11 | mg/L
Cadmium | 0.217 | mg/L
Chromium | 12.4 | mg/L
Copper | 6.27 | mg/L
Cyanide | 0.488 | mg/L
Lead | 0.939 | mg/L
Mercury | 0.150 | mg/L
Molybdenum | 1.14 | mg/L
Nickel | 8.22 | mg/L
Selenium | 0.169 | mg/L
Silver | 5.08 | mg/L
Zinc | 10.3 | mg/L
Total petroleum hydrocarbons (TPH) | 100 | mg/L
(2) An SIU or other designated industrial user who introduces wastewater into the POTW may be required to submit a salinity control plan if monitoring of the industrial user's discharge shows it exceeds one thousand two hundred mg/L of TDS. This plan shall contain a description of the chemicals and materials used that contribute to the TDS concentration and the source control measures that could be implemented to reduce the TDS concentration in the discharge to less than one thousand two hundred mg/L or to a level specified by the Director that prevents discharges that cause or contribute to pass through or interference.
(3) The limits set forth below shall apply to wastewaters that are discharged from groundwater contaminated with petroleum or gasoline constituents or other wastewaters containing these pollutants or where these pollutants are appropriate surrogates. It shall be unlawful for any industrial user to discharge or cause to be discharged any waste or wastewater that exceeds the limits set forth below, as applicable:
Pollutant (a), (c) | Daily maximum limit (mg/L)
Benzene | 0.050
BTEX (b) | 0.750
(a) All pollutants shown in the Table are total.
(b) BTEX shall be measured as the sum of benzene, ethylbenzene, toluene and xylenes.
(c) These limits are based upon installation of air stripping technology as described in the EPA document "Model NPDES Permit for Discharges Resulting from the Cleanup of Gasoline Released from Underground Storage Tanks, June 1989."
(F) Surcharges for excess strength waste.
(1) A permitted SIU or other designated industrial user discharging to the POTW excess strength waste, including discharges that exceed the surcharge concentrations listed below, may be required to pay a surcharge established by the Director:
Parameter | Surcharge concentration (mg/L)
Ammonia (as N) | 61.0
Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD 5 ) | 600
Phosphorus | 14.0
Total suspended solids (TSS) | 750
(2) The Director may require an industrial user to pay surcharge fees in amounts that have been established by the City Council pursuant to Section 14.17.090, which shall be in addition to sewer service charges established under Chapter 14.04.
(3) The Director shall determine the method to be used to calculate the total cost of surcharges for the parameters in the table above that is discharged into the POTW. The method shall be subject to other applicable provisions of this Chapter including the charges and fees pursuant to Section 14.17.090.
(4) Sampling and analysis for pollutants shall be as specified in Section 14.17.060.
(G) More stringent limits. The Director may establish more stringent pollutant limits, additional site-specific pollutant limits, best management practices, or additional pretreatment requirements when, in the judgment of the Director, such limitations are necessary to implement the provisions of this Chapter.
(H) State requirements and limitations. State requirements and limitations on discharges shall apply in any case where they are more stringent than Federal pretreatment standards or requirements or those in this Chapter.
(Ord. No. 6891, § 2, 11-6-24)
Source: City of Las Vegas, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/nv/las_vegas/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=TIT14PUSE_CH14.17WACOTR_14.17.015WADIPRLIFetched: 10/28/2026