TABLE OF CONTENTS - East Bay Municipal Utility District

FOOD HANDLING FACILITY WASTEWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT 

STANDARD TERMS AND CONDITIONS 

TABLE OF CONTENTS 

INTRODUCTION 

Introduction............................................................................................................................1 

SECTION A. DEFINITIONS 

Definitions..............................................................................................................................1 

SECTION B. GENERAL PROVISIONS 

Duty to Comply......................................................................................................................2 

Availability of Permit ............................................................................................................2 

Continuation of Expired Permits ...........................................................................................2 

Permit Termination ................................................................................................................3 

Transfer of Permit Prohibition...............................................................................................3 

Severability ............................................................................................................................3 

SECTION C. REPORTING AND RECORD KEEPING 

Falsifying Information ...........................................................................................................3 

SECTION D. WAIVERS 

Business Type Waivers..........................................................................................................3 

SECTION E. CONDITIONAL VARIANCES 

Design and Installation ..........................................................................................................4 

Grease Generating Capabilities..............................................................................................4 

Pumping Frequency ...............................................................................................................5 

5/10/2005



INTRODUCTION 

This document contains definitions, as well as waiver, and conditional variance information 

pertaining to Food Handling Facility Wastewater Discharge Permits (Permit) issued by the East 

Bay Municipal Utility District (EBMUD). Permits are issued pursuant to EBMUD Ordinance 

No. 311A-03. All food-handling facilities are required to obtain a Food Handling Facility Permit 

from EBMUD. 

The purpose of this program is to set forth uniform requirements for food handling facilities in 

the EBMUD Wastewater Service Area to enable compliance with applicable State and Federal 

laws for community sewer overflows and to control the discharge of fats, oil, and grease (FOG) 

to the community sewer. 

SECTION A. DEFINITIONS 

Best Management Practices (BMPs) – Practices that will help to reduce the quantity of FOG 

discharged to grease removal devices and the community sewer during food handling operations. 

Community sewer – The sewer owned and operated by public agencies within the boundaries of 

the District, which are connected to an interceptor of the District. A “community sewer” is a 

portion of a community sewer system that receives wastewater from the side sewer of a 

discharger. 

Director – Director refers to the Director of the EBMUD Wastewater Department, or his 

designated representative. 

District – Refers to Special District No. 1 (SD-1) of EBMUD. 

EBMUD approved waste hauler – Hauler of grease removal device contents who has 

participated in an EBMUD training class for waste haulers. Haulers receive a letter of 

completion demonstrating that they agree to implement proper pumping, documentation and 

grease disposal practices and that they are aware of penalties for non-compliance. 

EBMUD Ordinance 311A-03 – EBMUD Ordinance that regulates the interception, treatment, 

and disposal of wastewater and industrial waste. 

Fats, Oil, and Grease (FOG) – Fats, oil and grease generated from food preparation, food 

service, and kitchen clean up. Most types of restaurant and food service establishment kitchens 

generate FOG. 

Food handling facility – Includes but is not limited to any facility preparing and/or serving food 

for commercial use or sale. This includes restaurants, cafes, lunch counters, cafeterias, hotels, 

hospitals, convalescent homes, factory or school kitchens, catering kitchens, bakeries, grocery 

stores with food preparation and packaging, and meat cutting and preparation (excluding grocery 

stores with only food warming operations), meat packing facilities and other food handling 

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facilities not listed above where fats, oil and grease may be introduced into the community sewer 

system and cause line blockages and sewer overflows. 

Grease interceptor – A large, partitioned vault made of various materials, installed to remove 

grease and food waste by trapping floatables and settleable solids so that they can be separated 

and removed before discharge to the community sewer. It is usually installed underground, 

outside of the food handling establishment. 

Grease removal device – A device used to remove and/or separate out fat, oil and grease from 

kitchen wastes discharged to the community sewer, i.e. grease interceptor, grease trap or other 

mechanical device. 

Grease trap – A device designed to retain grease before it enters plumbing lines. It is usually 

installed indoors in kitchen floors or under counters. 

Newly constructed food handling facility– A facility for which a construction (plumbing, 

building, electrical, or mechanical) permit is issued on or after the effective date of a Food 

Handling Facility Wastewater Discharge Permit. This includes all facilities that are newly 

constructed or converted from a non-food handling facility to a food handling facility. 

Permit Holder – Owner or operator of the food handling business to which the Food Handling 

Facility Wastewater Discharge Permit is issued. 

Wastewater Service Area – Areas served by SD-1 including Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, 

Emeryville, Oakland, Piedmont, and the Stege Sanitary District, which serves El Cerrito, 

Kensington, and the Richmond annex. 

I. Duty to Comply 

SECTION B. GENERAL PROVISIONS 

The Permit Holder shall comply with all terms and conditions of the Food Handling 

Facility Wastewater Discharge Permit, these Food Handling Facility Standard Terms and 

Conditions and EBMUD Ordinance 311A-03 (available at: 

www.ebmud.com/water_&_environment/wastewater/industrial_&_commercial_ 

permits_&_fees/wastewater_control_ordinance/default.htm). 

II. 

Availability of Permit 

The Permit Holder shall maintain a copy of the current Permit at the permitted site and 

make the Permit available to both facility and EBMUD staff at all times. 

III. Continuation of Expired Permits 

An expired Permit will continue to be effective and enforceable until the Permit is reissued. 

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IV. Permit Termination 

SECTION B. GENERAL PROVISIONS (continued) 

The District may terminate the Permit for violation of the terms and conditions of the 

Permit or for violation of the provisions of EBMUD Ordinance 311A-03, unless waived by 

the Permit. 

V. Transfer of Permit Prohibition 

The Permit Holder shall not assign or transfer the Permit. 

VI. Severability 

If any provision of the Permit, these Standard Terms and Conditions, EBMUD Ordinance 

311A-03, or the application thereof to any person or circumstance, is held invalid, the 

remainder of the Permit, these Standard Terms and Conditions, EBMUD Ordinance 311A- 

03, or the application of such provisions to other persons or circumstances, shall not be 

affected. 

SECTION C. REPORTING AND RECORD KEEPING 

I. Falsifying Information 

Knowingly making any false statement on any report or other document required by the 

Permit or knowingly rendering any monitoring device or method inaccurate, is a crime, 

and may result in administrative, civil, and criminal enforcement action. 

SECTION D. WAIVERS 

A food handling facility determined to have no immediate adverse impact on the collection 

system because of business type may be granted a waiver from grease interceptor installation 

requirements. 

The Director may, at any time, revoke a waiver and require the food handling facility to install a 

grease interceptor. 

I. Waiver for Grease Interceptor Requirement Due to Business Type 

A grease interceptor may not be required for business types listed below: 

a) Establishments serving only beverages 

b) Establishments serving beverages and/or ready to eat, packaged or unpackaged items 

(with or without food warming) 

c) Ice cream parlors without any baking or other food preparation 

d) Snack bar with no food preparation other than food warming 

e) Bakeries with no food preparation other than food warming 

f) Other establishments serving only ready to eat foods with or without food warming 

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SECTION D. WAIVERS (continued) 

To obtain a waiver, a Grease Interceptor Installation Waiver application form must be 

completed and submitted, and then approved by the EBMUD Environmental Services Division 

and the Building Department of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, or Piedmont, 

or the Stege Sanitary District which serves, El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Richmond Annex. 

Please call (510) 287-1651 for an application form. 

SECTION E. CONDITIONAL VARIANCE 

The Director may, at any time, revoke a variance and require the food handling facility to install 

a grease interceptor. 

I. Variance for Grease Interceptor Requirement Due to Installation Restrictions 

A food handling facility determined to have grease interceptor installation restrictions and 

that has no immediate adverse impact on the collection system may be granted a 

conditional variance from grease interceptor installation requirements. 

A grease interceptor may not be required at a food service establishment if one or both of 

the following occur: 

a) Adequate slope cannot be provided for gravity flow between plumbing fixtures and the 

grease interceptor or from the interceptor to the sewer 

b) Adequate space cannot be provided, at the site, for installation and/or maintenance of a 

grease interceptor 

To obtain a variance, a Grease Interceptor Installation Conditional Variance application form 

must be completed, submitted, and then approved by the EBMUD Environmental Services 

Division and the Building Department of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland or 

Piedmont or the Stege Sanitary District which serves, El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Richmond 

Annex. 


II. 

Variance for Grease Interceptor Requirement Due to Grease Generating Capabilities 

A grease interceptor may not be required if a facility can demonstrate that food preparation 

and service do not generate fats, oil, and grease in a quantity sufficient to require a grease 

interceptor due to menu and number of meals served, or a combination of the two. 

To obtain a variance, a Grease Interceptor Installation Conditional Variance application form 

must be completed, submitted, and then approved by the EBMUD Environmental Services 

Division and the Building Department of Alameda, Albany, Berkeley, Emeryville, Oakland, or 

Piedmont or the Stege Sanitary District which serves, El Cerrito, Kensington, and the Richmond 

Annex. 


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SECTION E. CONDITIONAL VARIANCE (continued) 

If at any time the grease generating capabilities of the facility increase, the Permit Holder must 

notify EBMUD Environmental Services Division at (510) 287-1651. 

III. 

Variance for Grease Interceptor Pumping Frequency 

The pumping frequency determined in the Food Handling Facility Wastewater Discharge 

Permit may be decreased for a grease interceptor upon approval from the EBMUD 

Environmental Services Division. 

The following conditions must be met in order to apply for a conditional variance of 

pumping frequencies from permit requirements: 

1) At no time can the discharge from the interceptor exceed 100 mg/l total oil and grease 

concentration and 

2) The interceptor continues to operate properly 

To obtain a variance, a Grease Interceptor Pumping Frequency Conditional Variance 

application form must be completed, submitted, and then approved by the EBMUD 

Environmental Services Division. 


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TABLE OF CONTENTS - East Bay Municipal Utility District

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