GENERALLY

Oklahoma City Municipal Code ch. 47, art. VII, div. 1

in effect

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-211 Prohibited discharge standards.

§ 47-211. - Prohibited discharge standards. (a) No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass-through or interference. These general prohibitions apply to all users of the POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other National, State or local pretreatment standards or requirements. Furthermore, no user may contribute the following substances to the POTW: (1) pollutants which create a fire or explosive hazard in the municipal wastewater collection and POTW, including, but not limited to, waste streams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140 degrees (60 degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21, as amended. (2) any wastewater having a pH less than 5.0 or more than 10.5, or otherwise causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW or equipment, or endangering City personnel. (3) solid or viscous substances in amounts which will cause obstruction of the flow in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case solids greater than ½ inch in any dimension. (4) any wastewater containing pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants (BOD, etc.), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference with either the POTW, or any wastewater treatment or sludge process, or which will constitute a hazard to humans or animals. (5) any wastewater having a temperature greater than 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius), or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater which causes the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed 104 degrees (40 degrees Celsius). (6) any discharge of nonpolar or saturated oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin which is greater than 100 mg/l or in amounts that will cause interference or pass-through. (7) any pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause acute worker health and safety problems. (8) any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the City in accordance with 40 CFR 403.5(b)(8). (9) any wastewater containing toxic pollutants in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other substances, to injure or interfere with any wastewater treatment process or to create a toxic effect in the receiving waters of the municipal wastewater collection and/or treatment system. (10) any noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids or other wastewater which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, are sufficient to create a public nuisance, a hazard to life, or to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair. (11) any wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions. (12) any wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes except as specifically approved by the Director, in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations. (13) stormwater, surface water, groundwater, artesian well water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, condensate, deionized water, noncontact cooling water, and unpolluted industrial wastewater, unless specifically authorized by the Director, or as defined in 47-1(W.1). (14) any sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes. (15) any medical wastes, except as specifically authorized by the Director in a wastewater discharge permit. (16) any wastewater causing the treatment plant's effluent to fail a toxicity test. (17) any wastes containing detergents, surface-active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW. (18) any discharge of polar or nonsaturated fats, oils or greases which is greater than 200 mg/l, or in amounts that will cause interference or obstruction of the POTW. Signs with proper grease disposal messages are required near 3-compartment sinks. (19) any substance which causes a hazard to human life or creates a public nuisance. (20) any garbage from categorical or non-categorical users that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder or garbage disposal equipped with a motor of three-fourths horsepower or greater shall be subject to review and approval of the Director. (b) At no time shall two readings on an explosion hazard meter at any point of discharge into the POTW, or at any point in the POTW, be more than five percent nor any single reading over ten percent of the lower explosive limit (LEL) of the meter. (c) When the Director determines that a user is contributing to the municipal wastewater collection and treatment system any of the above enumerated substances in such amounts as to interfere with the operation of the municipal wastewater collection and treatment system, the Director shall: (1) advise the user of the impact of the contribution on the municipal wastewater collection and treatment system; and (2) inform said user that the user has two days to correct the interference with the municipal wastewater collection and treatment system. (d) Wastes prohibited by this article shall not be processed or stored in such a manner that the wastes could be discharged to the POTW. All floor drains located in process or materials storage areas must discharge to the user's pretreatment facility before connecting with the POTW or have spill control measures approved by the Director installed and operational. (Code 1980, § 41-2.1; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92; Ord. No. 20916, § 5, 10-21-97; Ord. No. 22053, § 3, 10-8-02; Ord. No. 25828, § 1, 1-2-18, eff. 2-1-18; Ord. No. 27272, § 4, 1-31-23)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-212 Federal categorical pretreatment standards.

§ 47-212. - Federal categorical pretreatment standards. The national categorical pretreatment standards found at 40 CFR, Chapter I, Subchapter N, Parts 405 through 471, and all amendments thereto, are hereby incorporated. (Code 1980, § 41-2.2; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-213 State requirements.

§ 47-213. - State requirements. Local, State, or Federal requirements and limitations on discharges shall apply in any case where they are more stringent than requirements and limitations in this chapter. The City shall notify all affected users of any change in the above-described requirements or limitations, including the promulgation and/or date of effectiveness of national categorical pretreatment standards. (Code 1980, § 41-2.3; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-214 Specific pollutant and impurities limitations and special conditions.

§ 47-214. - Specific pollutant and impurities limitations and special conditions. (a) Limits. The following pollutant limits are established to protect against pass-through and interference. No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of the following maximum allowable discharge limits: Limits 0.35 | mg/l arsenic 0.05 | mg/l cadmium 1.50 | mg/l chromium 1.14 | mg/l copper 0.17 | mg/l cyanide 0.57 | mg/l lead 0.003 | mg/l mercury 0.61 | mg/l molybdenum 3.98 | mg/l nickel 0.04 | mg/l selenium 0.46 | mg/l silver 2.17 | mg/l zinc * | mg/l BOD * | mg/l suspended solids 100 | mg/l saturated or nonpolar oil and grease 200 | mg/l nonsaturated or polar oil and grease *The Director shall set surcharge limits for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and suspended solids (TSS). (b) Concentrations. Concentrations apply at the point where the industrial waste is discharged to the POTW. All concentrations for metallic substances are for "total" metal unless indicated otherwise. At his discretion, the Director may impose mass limitations in addition to or in place of the concentration based limitations above. At the Director's discretion, Best Management Practices (BMPs) may be utilized in addition to numeric limits. Records of BMPs must be kept in accordance with this chapter. (c) Organic pollutants. (1) At the discretion of the Director, the City may establish organic pollutant discharge limits for industrial users. Industrial users identified for organic pollutant discharge limits may be required to submit an organic compounds control plan containing such information as required by the Director. (2) The explosivity and worker health and safety limit will be considered along with other environmental criteria such as allowable headworks loading and/or maximum allowable headworks loading for a specific POTW in the establishment of organic pollutant discharge limits for industrial users. (3) Worker health and safety criteria are established pursuant to the O.S.H.A. or N.I.O.S.H. standards. (d) Additional limitations and conditions for extrajurisdictional users. (1) Permit limits and special conditions. The permit limits and special conditions to be imposed in the pretreatment permit will be issued at the discretion of the Director after reviewing the permit application. The Director reserves the right to reject a permit application and deny connection to the Oklahoma City sewer system based on the type of discharge; information in the permit application; protection of City facilities; and the ability of City facilities to maintain compliance with environmental requirements. The permittee shall be subject to all provisions of the City sewer use ordinances and policies of the Oklahoma City industrial pretreatment program. The Director reserves the right to terminate services to any user outside City limits when in his/her opinion the discharge from facilities outside the City limits begins to adversely impact either City facilities or permit compliance. The Director reserves the right to reopen any permit to a user outside the City limits at any time due to impacts to City Facilities or changes in environmental requirements. (2) Maximum wastewater impurity concentration limits. Maximum TDS Concentration = | 6,000 mg/L Maximum Chloride Concentration = | 1,000 mg/L Maximum Sulfate Concentration = | 1,000 mg/L (e) Special conditions for City users and extrajurisdictional users. (1) permittee shall be responsible for any damage to City facilities caused by or contributed to by the discharge of pollutants or impurities from permittee's facility. In order to minimize damage to City's facilities, the permittee may be required through surcharges or permit fees to pay for modifications to City facilities to minimize the impact of TDS, chlorides, and sulfates. These impacts may include, but not limited to include the design of a diffuser for rapid mixing of high TDS wastewater into the City's wastewater treatment and collection facilities, which will minimize damage from corrosion and the primary clarifier from density interference with the removal of BOD and TSS. (2) in accordance with the City's discharge control policy, the permittee is being informed that at some time in the future additional pretreatment may be required to control the discharge of TDS, chloride, and sulfate from permittee's facility. These revised permit requirements will contain a compliance schedule with milestones for design and installation of pretreatment facilities. (3) permittee shall provide, in its permit application, estimates of water requirements and wastewater based on operational controls at its facility. Permit limits have been developed for the permittee as not exceed concentration limits and monthly average mass limits. These not to exceed limits will allow the permittee flexibility in the design and operation of its facility within these limits. The permittee must be in compliance with discharge limits at all times. If the permittee must be in compliance with discharge limits at all times. If the permittee desires to change discharge flow and/or strength above its established permit limits, a new permit application shall be submitted to the City for review and approval prior to any changes. (4) the City is under no obligation to grant approval of a revised permit that increases flow or strength. The City reserves the right to make any individual permit limits or discharge standards more restrictive. The City reserves the right to establish discharge standards and permit limits that are more restrictive for outside City users than for inside City users. The City reserves the right to make any individual permit limits or discharge standards more restrictive in order to meet any changes or modifications to State or Federal law or as it may determine to be in the best interest of The City of Oklahoma City and its users. (Code 1980, § 41-2.4; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92; Ord. No. 20916, § 6, 10-21-97; Ord. No. 21759, § 1, 7-3-01; Ord. No. 22053, § 3, 10-8-02; Ord. No. 24155, § 4, 10-19-10; Ord. No. 25828, § 1, 1-2-18, eff. 2-1-18)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-215 City's right of revision.

§ 47-215. - City's right of revision. The City reserves the right to establish by ordinance or in wastewater discharge permits more stringent standards or requirements on discharges to the POTW if deemed necessary to comply with the objectives presented in this chapter or the general and specific prohibitions in this chapter. (Code 1980, § 41-2.5; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-216 Special agreements.

§ 47-216. - Special agreements. (a) The City reserves the right to enter into special agreements with industrial users setting out special terms under which they may discharge to the POTW. In no case will a special agreement waive compliance with a pretreatment standard or requirement. However, the industrial user may request a net gross adjustment to a categorical standard in accordance with 40 CFR 403.15, as amended. The industrial user may also request a variance from the categorical pretreatment standard from the EPA. Such a request will be approved only if the industrial user can prove that factors relating to its discharge are fundamentally different from the factors considered by the EPA when establishing that pretreatment standard. An industrial user requesting a fundamentally different factor variance must comply with the procedural and substantive provisions in 40 CFR 403.13, as amended. (b) If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, that contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in this chapter and that in the judgment of the Director may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or that otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a health hazard or 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; and/or 4. require a variance agreement to treat such wastes; said agreement shall remain in effect for a period of one year and shall be renewable at the discretion of the Director. Payment to cover the cost of handling and treating the wastes shall be under the provision of Chapter 60 the General Schedule of Fees. If the Director permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plant and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances, and laws. (Code 1980, § 41-2.6; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92; Ord. No. 20916, § 8, 10-21-97)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-217 Dilution.

§ 47-217. - Dilution. No industrial user shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any way attempt to dilute a discharge, as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a discharge limitation unless expressly authorized by an applicable 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 when the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate. (Code 1980, § 41-2.7; Ord. No. 19830, § 1, 9-29-92)

Oklahoma City Municipal Code § 47-218 Waivers and variances.

§ 47-218. - Waivers and variances. (a) A user may submit to the Director a written request for a waiver or variance of specific pollutant limitations. All requests will be evaluated by the Director on a case-by-case basis, a determination will be made within 60 days of receipt of the request. All limits shall be met until the User receives written approval from the Director granting the request. The Director may deny any request for a waiver. The following conditions shall apply to all waivers granted: (1) waiver of applicable Federal Categorical Pretreatment Standards or the pollutants outlined in Paragraph 47-214 (a) is prohibited. (2) capacity at the Wastewater Treatment Facility must be available for the requested pollutant(s). (3) the duration of the waiver will be specified and shall in no event exceed five years. Application for renewal of the waiver must be made at least 60 days before expiration. (4) any violation of the Industrial Waste Discharge Permit or Special Use Authorization conditions may result in the immediate revocation of the waiver. (5) the waiver will be issued to a specific user for a specific operation. A waiver shall not be reassigned, transferred, or sold to a new owner, new user, different premises, or a new or changed operation without the approval of the Director. (6) notwithstanding the language in any individual permit or any individual waiver, all permit waivers are subject to revocation or modification by the Director subsequent to any periodic review of the technically based local limits. (7) the User will bear the cost of any testing or evaluation deemed necessary by the Director in evaluating any waiver or the impact of any waiver or class of waivers upon the POTW. (b) Upon the request of any permitted commercial laundry, the Director may grant a variance in the discharge requirements to permit discharge up to a pH of 11.0. Notwithstanding the language in any individual permit or any individual variance, all permit variances are subject to revocation or modification by the Director subsequent to any period review of the technically based local limits. (Ord. No. 22686, § 1, 3-22-05; Ord. No. 27272, § 4, 1-31-23)

Source: City of Oklahoma City, Municipal Code and City Charter (Municode Library, library.municode.com)URL: https://library.municode.com/ok/oklahoma_city/codes/code_of_ordinances?nodeId=OKMUCO2020_CH47SESEDI_ARTVIIINHADI_DIV1GEFetched: 10/28/2026