Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1020 Definition.
11-4-1020 Definition.
"Commissioner" means the commissioner of water management.
(Prior code § 17-3.1; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. II, § 6)
WASTE CONTROL (11-4-1020 et seq.)
Municipal Code of Chicago tit. 11, ch. 11-4, art. VI
in effectMunicipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1030 Preliminary treatment.
11-4-1030 Preliminary treatment.
Whenever an industrial plant or other establishment discharges or proposes to discharge industrial wastes into any waters, sewer, drain, watercourse or natural outlet in the City of Chicago and it becomes necessary either to:
(a) Reduce or modify the objectionable characteristics or constituents of such industrial wastes to meet the limits or requirements provided for in Section 11-4-1040 hereof and to prevent pollution; or
(b) Control the quantities and rates of discharge of such industrial wastes over a 24-hour day and a seven-day week to prevent surge discharges which may place an unreasonable burden upon the sewage works of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District.
The commissioner shall require the owner, operator or tenant of such industrial plant, or other establishment, to provide adequate preliminary treatment or handling facilities to accomplish such a result. Before any permit for the construction of preliminary treatment or handling facilities shall be issued, plans, specifications and other pertinent data or information relating to such proposed treatment or handling facilities shall be submitted by the industry for the approval of the commissioner. No permit shall be issued and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced without the prior written approval of the commissioner; and no substantial alteration or addition to or in the sewer or drain or in the preliminary treatment or handling facilities shall be made without the prior written approval of the commissioner.
(Prior code § 17-3.2; Amend Coun. J. 12-11-91, p. 10978)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1040 Prohibited wastes.
11-4-1040 Prohibited wastes.
Except as otherwise provided herein, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described wastes or waters into any sewer, watercourse, natural outlet or waters within or partially within or adjoining the boundaries of the City of Chicago:
(1) Maximum concentrations acceptable for discharge into the sewage system of the City of Chicago shall be as set forth by the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District ordinance titled the Sewage and Waste Control Ordinance enacted September 18, 1969, and as amended from time to time.
(2) Any discharge of wastes or water into a sewer which terminates in or is a part of the sewage system of the City of Chicago must not contain the following:
(a) Water or wastes containing more than 100 parts per million (833 pounds per million gallons) of fats, oils or greases if such water or wastes are in the opinion of the commissioner sufficient (1) to interfere with the biological processes of a sewage treatment plant, (2) interfere with proper operation of the sewage works, (3) cause obstruction to flow in sewers or (4) cause pollution as herein defined;
(b) Liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quantity are sufficient to cause fire or explosion or be injurious in any way to the structures making up the sewage works or to the operation of the sewage works;
(c) Noxious or malodorous liquids, gases or substances which whether singly or by interaction with other wastes are sufficient to create a public nuisance or hazard to life or are sufficient to prevent entry into the sewers for their maintenance and repair;
(d) Water or wastes containing toxic substances in quantities which are sufficient to pose a hazard to life or interfere with the biological processes of the sewage treatment works;
(e) Garbage that has not been ground or comminuted to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely in suspension under conditions normally prevailing in public sewers with no particle greater than one-half inch in dimension;
(f) Radioactive wastes unless they comply with the Atomic Energy Commission Act of 1954 (68 Stat. 919 as amended and Part 20, Subpart D – Waste Disposal, Section 20.303 of the regulations issued by the Atomic Energy Commission) or amendments thereto;
(g) Solid or viscous wastes which cause obstruction to flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewerage system or sewage treatment works, such as grease, uncomminuted garbage, animal guts or tissues, paunch manure, bone, hair hides, fleshings, entrails, feathers, sand, cinders, ashes, spent lime, stone or marble dust, metal, glass, straw, shavings, grass clippings, rags, spent grain, waste paper, wood, plastic, gas tar, asphalt, residues, residues from refining or processing of fuels or lubricating oil, gasoline, naphtha and similar substances;
(h) Liquids or vapors having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit at the point of entrance into a public sewer;
(i) Waters or waste-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 water reclamation plants effluent cannot meet the requirement of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters;
(j) Excessive discoloration (such as but not limited to dye waste and vegetable tanning solutions);
(k) Mercury as Hg. Concentrations of mercury shall not exceed the standards set forth in the Illinois Pollution Control Board's Mercury Regulation No. R70-5; adopted March 31, 1971.
(3) The Department of the Environment shall have authority to enforce the provisions of this section.
(4) Any person violating this section shall be subject to a fine of $500.00 for each offense. Each day that such violation continues shall be considered a separate offense.
(Prior code § 17-3.3; Amend Coun. J. 12-11-91, p. 10978; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. II, § 6; Amend Coun. J. 11-21-17, p. 61858, Art. VII, § 1; Amend Coun. J. 12-20-25, p. 39283, Art. III, § 6)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1050 Discharges of clean waters.
11-4-1050 Discharges of clean waters.
Wherever possible clean waters from air conditioning, cooling or condensing systems or from swimming pools or clean waters resulting from pretreatment of industrial wastes shall be discharged into a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet approved by the commissioner or the commissioner of buildings.
(Prior code § 17-3.4; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. II, § 6)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1060 Manholes.
11-4-1060 Manholes.
Any person discharging industrial wastes into a sewer shall construct and maintain a suitable control manhole or manhole downstream from any such places or discharge to permit observation, measurement and sampling of such wastes by the commissioner or by personnel of the sanitary district as hereinafter provided. Where no manhole has been constructed or can be constructed, as in the case of some existing industries, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
(Prior code § 17-3.5)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1070 Gauging and sampling.
11-4-1070 Gauging and sampling.
The commissioner shall have the right to enter and set up, on the owner's property, such devices as may be necessary to conduct a gauging and sampling operation after first giving ten days' advance notice of his intention so to do. While performing said gauging and sampling, the commissioner, his representative or anyone performing said work in his behalf, shall observe and comply with all safety rules applicable to the premises, established by the said owner or occupant.
The commissioner is hereby authorized to make arrangements for the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District, without incurring any legal or financial obligation upon the City of Chicago, to undertake and conduct such gauging and sampling operations, in its behalf; and to provide the necessary devices and facilities as well as the personnel and also to make the analyses of samples of such wastes, as hereinafter provided, in its own laboratories and other facilities or equipment; provided, that no such arrangements with the district shall place any personnel of the district under the control of the commissioner or cause such personnel of the district to be treated as employees of the City of Chicago for any purpose whatsoever.
(Prior code § 17-3.6; Amend Coun. J. 12-11-91, p. 10978)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1080 Sampling methods.
11-4-1080 Sampling methods.
In order to ascertain whether or not the sewage or waste of any kind discharged by any person into any waters or sewage system conforms to the criteria or water quality standards of the department of water management, City of Chicago, the department of water management will use any appropriate method or device which will lead to such a determination.
(Prior code § 17-3.7; Amend Coun. J. 12-11-91, p. 10978; Amend Coun. J. 11-16-11, p. 13798, Art. II, § 6)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1090 Analyses standards.
11-4-1090 Analyses standards.
All analyses to determine the strength and character of industrial wastes shall be made in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater" prepared and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation. Strength, character and quantity of wastes shall be based on any appropriate samples taken from the flow from all plant outlets discharging into a single public sewer.
The commissioner shall require the owner, operator or tenant of such industrial plant or other establishment to provide adequate preliminary treatment or handling facilities to accomplish such a result. Before any permit for the construction of preliminary treatment or handling facilities shall be issued, plans, specifications and other pertinent data or information relating to such proposed treatment or handling facilities shall be submitted to the industry for approval of the commissioner. No permit shall be issued and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced without the prior approval of the commissioner and no substantial alteration or addition to or in the sewer or drain or in the preliminary treatment or handling facilities shall be made without the prior written approval of the commissioner.
(Prior code § 17-3.8)
Municipal Code of Chicago § 11-4-1095 Interceptors at shooting range facilities.
11-4-1095 Interceptors at shooting range facilities.
Interceptors and separators located in shooting ranges and shooting range facilities, as those terms are defined in Section 4-151-010, shall be operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendation to ensure that the devices will continue to perform in accordance with all applicable local, state and federal discharge standards. Accumulated material from interceptors, separators, and downstream manholes shall be sampled for waste characterization and disposed of in accordance with all local, state, and federal laws and regulations.
(Added Coun. J. 7-6-11, p. 3073, § 6)
Source: City of Chicago, Municipal Code of Chicago (American Legal Publishing, codelibrary.amlegal.com)URL: https://codelibrary.amlegal.com/codes/chicago/latest/chicago_il/0-0-0-2654872Fetched: 10/24/2026