WQCSD0287_FOG Ordinance_20221006

Cliffside Sanitary District
Cliffside, North Carolina
Fats, Oil, and Grease
Sewer Use Ordinance
Sec. I Purpose.
This ordinance is intended to aid in the prevention of sanitary sewer blockages and obstructions caused by
the introduction, discharge and contribution of fats, oils, greases, grease complexes, scum, sludge and other
organic polar compounds into the District’s wastewater collection system or publicly-owned treatment
works by commercial, industrial, institutional and all other non-residential activities.
Sec. II Definitions.
(1) “District” shall mean the Cliffside Sanitary District, Cliffside, North Carolina, and its utility service
area.
(2) “Person” shall mean any actual person, corporation, partnership, unincorporated association, and any
governmental entity or political subdivision and department and agencies thereof.
(3) “Fats, oils, and greases” shall mean all greases, grease complexes, fats, oils, scum, sludges and all other
organic polar compounds derived from animal and/or plant sources that contain multiple carbon chain
triglyceride molecules. Such substances are detectable and measurable using analytical procedures
established in 40 C.F.R. 136.
(4) “Wastewater” shall mean any substance introduced, contributed to, or discharged into the District’s
wastewater collection system or publicly-owned treatment works (“POTW”).
(5) “Grease trap” or “grease interceptor” shall mean a device for separating and retaining waterborne
greases before the wastewater which contains such grease exits the grease trap or interceptor into the
Town’s wastewater collection system or POTW. The grease trap or interceptor also collects settable solids
generated by or incidental to commercial, industrial and food preparation activities.
(6) “Cooking establishment” shall mean any person primarily engaged in the activities of cooking,
preparing, serving or otherwise making available for human consumption any form of foodstuff, and which
uses one or more of the following cooking or preparation methods in connection with such activities:
cooking or preparation by frying (all methods), baking (all methods), grilling, sauteing, rotisserie cooking,
broiling (all methods), boiling, blanching, roasting, toasting, poaching, or any type of cooking or
preparation that produces a hot non-potable product in or on a receptable that requires washing, rinsing or
other form of cleaning. Such establishments include, but are not limited to, restaurants, cafeterias, extended
care facilities, and school cafeterias (public and private).
(7) “Non-cooking establishment” shall mean any person primarily engaged in the rendering or preparation
of pre-cooked foodstuffs that do not require or involve any form of cooking. Such establishments include,
but are not limited to, establishments that are primarily engaged in the rendering preparation of cold dairy
and frozen foodstuffs, as well as, other establishments that may be capable of accumulating and
discharging grease into the sewer system.
(8) “User” shall mean any person primarily engaged in any commercial, industrial, institutional or other
non-residential activity who introduces, contributes or discharges (or causes or permits the introduction,
contribution or discharge of) wastewater into the District’s wastewater collection system or POTW,
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including but not limited to any person who introduces, contributes or discharges wastewater into the
wastewater collection system or POTW through any mobile source.
(9) “Commercial establishment” and “industrial establishment” shall mean any user that has the potential to
use, contribute to or otherwise impact the District’s wastewater collection system or POTW. Such
establishments include, but are not limited to, maintenance facilities, repair facilities and equipment
cleaning facilities.
(10) “Minimum Design Capacity” shall mean the design features of a grease interceptor and its ability or
volume required to effectively intercept and retain greases from grease-laden wastewaters discharged to the
public sanitary sewer.
Sec. III Grease Trap and Interceptor Installation, Maintenance, Record-Keeping and Removal.
(1) No later than one (1) year after adoption of this ordinance, all users shall install grease traps or
interceptors designed to limit the introduction, contribution and discharge of greases into the Town’s
wastewater collection system or POTW. Grease traps and interceptors with appropriate sampling or
inspection points shall be installed at the user’s expense whenever any user operates a commercial,
industrial, or institutional cooking establishment. Grease traps and interceptors must have a minimum
capacity of one thousand (1,000) gallons or more as required to affect grease concentration maximum of
100 mg/l.
(2) Alternative methods of compliance may be approved by the District if the user demonstrates that
compliance with this ordinance is impossible or impractical at the time of adoption of this ordinance as a
result of limited space. However, any such proposed alternative method of compliance will be required to
meet the performance criteria specified in Section III-(1) of this ordinance, and the user must adequately
demonstrate to the satisfaction of the District that the proposed alternative method will satisfy those
performance criteria. In addition, any such alternative method must be cleaned at a more frequent interval
than is required of grease traps and interceptors under section III-(5) of this ordinance. Under-the-counter
types of grease traps and interceptors shall be cleaned daily. Prior to approval of any such proposed
alternative method of compliance, documentation of the proposed method’s actual performance criteria
must be submitted to the District’s presiding officer or the District’s designee/ORC for review and
approval.
(3) Grease traps and interceptors may also be required in other facilities, as deemed necessary by the
District’s presiding officer or the District’s designee/ORC.
(4) Upon the prior written approval of the District’s presiding officer or the District’s designee/ORC , non-
cooking establishments may be exempted from the requirement of this ordinance after an inspection of the
subject premises and submission of adequate supporting documentation, as deemed necessary in the sole
and absolute discretion of the District’s presiding officer or the District’s designee/ORC. At a minimum,
such supporting documentation shall include: blueprints of the subject premises, a full and detailed
description of the operations and activities at the subject premises, and a full and detailed list of all
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potential sources of grease at the subject premises.
(5) Users shall empty and service grease traps and interceptors to comply with the performance criteria in
Section III-(1) of this ordinance as often as necessary, but in any event no longer than every sixty (60)
days. The District may require a specific schedule if deemed necessary by the District’s presiding officer or
the District’s designee/ORC. Under-the-counter types of grease traps and interceptors shall be cleaned at
least daily, and shall comply with the performance criteria in Section III of this ordinance. There shall be
no reintroduction of wastewater back into the grease trap or interceptor unless and until said wastewater
has been proven to contain 100 mg/l or less of grease. Under no circumstances shall the sludge or scum
layer be reintroduced or discharge into the District’s wastewater collection system or POTW.
(6) Users shall supply (i) and adequate sampling point downstream of the grease trap of interceptor, prior to
mixing with the other sanitary flows, and (ii) an accessible entry into each chamber of the grease trap or
interceptor. The minimum requirement for the sampling point shall be a four inch (4”) vertical clean-out.
The District shall have the right to inspect at any time and without prior notice.
(7) Users shall retain detailed records on-site for a minimum of three (3) years reflecting all maintenance
carried out pursuant to this ordinance. At a minimum, such records shall contain the following information:
date of service, name of the employee involved, and a receipt reflecting all services rendered by the waste
hauler providing the service.
(8) Users are required to keep the grease trap or interceptor free of inorganic solids such as grit, towels,
gloves, cigarettes, eating utensils, etc., which could clog or settle in the trap or interceptor, thereby
reducing the effective volume or capacity of the trap or interceptor.
(9) Users are required to ensure that all waste material removed from grease traps and interceptors is
disposed of in a manner that complies with all federal, state and local statutes, rules, regulations, policies
and ordinances.
(10) In the event an existing grease interceptor is either under-designed or substandard in accordance with
this policy, the owner(s) will be notified in wiring of the deficiencies and required improvements, and
given a compliance deadline, not to exceed six months, to conform to the requirement of this chapter.
(11) Except as provided herein, for a period of one (1) year following the adoption of this ordinance, no
enforcement actions will be taken under this section for failure to achieve the performance criteria specified
in Section III of this ordinance. If, during such period, (i) an obstruction of any of the Town’s sanitary
sewer main(s) occurs and causes a sewer overflow, spill, leak or other event with any environmental
impact, and (ii) such overflow, spill, leak or other event may be attributed in part or in whole to a particular
user, then the Town will seek enforcement action under the Sewer Use Ordinance. For purposes of this
section, an overflow, spill, leak or other event shall be deemed to have an environmental impact when (i)
such overflow or other event involves an amount of wastewater equal to or in excess of one thousand
(1,000) gallons, or (ii) any amount of wastewater reaches any body of surface water.
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Sec. IV Penalty
(1) Users whose operations cause or allow excessive grease to discharge or accumulate in the town
wastewater collection system may be liable to the town for costs related to service calls for sewer line
blockages, line cleaning, line and pump repairs, and the like, including all labor, materials and equipment.
Failure to pay all service-related charges may also be grounds for discontinuance of services.
(2) Establishments that continue to violate the oil and grease removal ordinance requirements may be
considered for discontinuance of services. The Cliffside Sanitary District may assess penalties of $500 for
failure to keep required records, and failure to perform regularly scheduled maintenance of grease handling
facilities and equipment.
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