The requirement (§20-46.1)
“All new food preparation facilities, such as restaurants, commercial kitchens, bars, cafeterias, clubs, schools, jails and grocery stores connected to the public sewer system shall be required to install a grease interceptor for the retention of grease, fat and oil-laden drainage ... Existing facilities in noncompliance with the provisions of this code section shall have ninety (90) days from notification by the department to install a county approved grease interceptor, upon determination by the director that oil and grease laden discharge exceeds the Hanover County Code limits. Costs for the installation and maintenance of the interceptor shall be borne by the customer. No sanitary sewage shall be discharged into the interceptor.”
The device “shall be located so that it remains accessible for periodic inspections by county personnel,” and “it shall be the responsibility of the customer to provide proper maintenance, upkeep, and clean-out of the grease interceptor.” The county’s design standards add that domestic waste is not plumbed through the trap and that a monitoring manhole goes downstream of it, both privately owned and maintained (DPU Standards §1.2.16.3).
The limits
No discharge containing “fats, wax, grease or oils, whether emulsified or not, petroleum based one hundred (100) mg/l and animal/vegetable based three hundred (300) mg/l” (§20-39(a)(2)); and nothing that “may cause flow obstructions or other interference with the operation of the sewage system” (§20-36(b)).
The interval: guidance, not code
Chapter 20 contains no cleaning interval; the only ninety days in it is the retrofit window above. Hanover Public Utilities’ Strong Waste Program page says: “Each grease trap and interceptor should be cleaned at least twice a year,” and “Do not flush pipes with hot water or use drain cleaners, enzymes, emulsifiers or bacteria agents.” Twice a year is a floor for a light kitchen and far too long for a fryer line; the calculator turns your unit and covers into the real number.
Strong waste surcharge
Wastewater over 250 mg/L in BOD or suspended solids is “strong waste” and surcharged at $25.70 per 100 pounds of BOD and $16.75 per 100 pounds of solids above that line (§20-24(h)). A neglected interceptor raises both.
What non-compliance costs
| Provision | Exposure |
|---|---|
| §20-46.1 | “Failure to install an adequate grease interceptor or to provide proper maintenance, repair and upkeep shall constitute a violation”; the director may discontinue water and/or sewer service, “including plugging the sewer line,” on seven days’ written notice, or without notice for an immediate threat |
| §20-24(g) | Re-inspection fee: $85.00 for up to two interceptors per site; $42.50 for each additional |
| §20-48 | Class 1 misdemeanor, or civil penalties in lieu; “each day during which the violation persists shall constitute a separate offense” (§20-47.1(g)(1)) |
Contacts
Hanover Public Utilities customer service 804-365-6024; administrative offices 804-365-6019. Hauled grease-trap waste from within the county is accepted under the county’s truck-hauled waste permit.
What we do in Hanover
Full pump-outs on an interval built from your kitchen, not the twice-a-year floor; receipts with gallons and percent-full, because the code names no record and an inspector will still ask; and, for a facility that has had the 90-day notice, the sizing and installation coordination with a licensed plumber.
Hanover kitchen?
Call with the unit size. Before the re-inspection fee, not after.
Call (804) 234-8623