For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
AUTHORITY. The City Council, or its authorized representative, of the City of Aurora, St. Louis County, State of Minnesota.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD). The quantity of oxygen, expressed in mg/l, utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures in five days at 20ºC.
BUILDING DRAIN. The part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside the walls of a building and conveys it to the building sewer beginning three feet outside the building wall.
BUILDING DRAIN, SANITARY. A building drain which conveys sanitary or industrial sewage only.
BUILDING DRAIN, STORM. A building drain which conveys stormwater or other clearwater drainage but no wastewater.
BUILDING SEWER. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal (also called HOUSE CONNECTION).
BUILDING SEWER, SANITARY. A building sewer which conveys sanitary or industrial sewage only.
BUILDING SEWER, STORM. A building sewer which conveys stormwater or other clearwater drainage but no sanitary or industrial sewage only.
CESSPOOL. A tank in the ground used to receive drainage or sewage from a sink or toilet facilities of a building.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the chemical oxidation of organic matter, expressed in milligrams per liter as determined in accordance with standard laboratory procedures.
CITY. The City of Aurora, St. Louis County, State of Minnesota, or the authorized agent, deputy or representative.
CLASSES OF USERS. The division of wastewater treatment customers by waste characteristics and process or discharge similarities.
(1) COMMERCIAL. Includes transient lodging, retail and wholesale establishments or places engaged in selling merchandise for personal, household or industrial consumption and/or rendering services to others.
(2) GOVERNMENTAL. Includes legislative, judicial, administrative and regulatory activities of federal, state and local governments, such as courthouses, police and fire stations, city halls and similar governmental users.
(3) INDUSTRIAL. Includes manufacturing activities involving the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substances into other products. These activities occur in establishments usually described as plants, factories or mills and characteristically use power-driven machines and material handling equipment.
(4) INSTITUTIONAL. Includes social, charitable, religious and educational activities such as schools, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, penal institutions and similar institutional users.
(5) RESIDENTIAL. Includes all dwelling units such as detached, semi-detached and row houses, mobile homes, garden and standard apartments, permanent multi-family dwellings. (Transient lodging, considered commercial in nature, is not included.)
COMPATIBLE POLLUTANT. Biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, pH and fecal coliform bacterial, plus additional pollutants identified in the NPDES permit if the treatment works was designed to treat these pollutants, and in fact does remove the pollutants to a substantial degree. The term “substantial degree” is not subject to precise definition, but generally contemplates removals in the order of 80% or greater. Minor incidental removals in the order of 10% to 30% are not considered substantial. Examples of the additional pollutants which may be considered COMPATIBLE include: chemical oxygen demand; total organic carbon; phosphorus and phosphorus compounds; nitrogen and nitrogen compounds; and fats, oils and greases of animal or vegetable origin (except as prohibited where these materials would interfere with the operation of the treatment works).
COLLECTION SYSTEM. The system of sewers and appurtenances for the collection, transportation and pumping of domestic wastewater.
COMBINED SEWER. A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
DEBT SERVICE. Charges levied to customers of the wastewater system and which are used to pay principal, interest and administrative costs of retiring the debt incurred for constructing the local portion of the wastewater treatment systems, and which may include any further upgrading of the system as needed to maintain compliance of the discharge permit. The DEBT SERVICE CHARGE shall be in addition to the user charge specified in this chapter, depreciation allowance or surcharge.
DEPRECIATION. The annual operating cost reflecting capital consumption and obsolescence (reduction of future service potential) of the treatment works.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
E.P.A. The Environmental Protection Agency.
FECAL COLIFORM. Any of a number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of humans and animals, whose presence in sanitary sewage is an indicator of pollution.
FEDERAL GRANT. A grant in aid of construction for wastewater treatment works provided under Pub. L. No. 92-500, being 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
FLOATABLE OIL. Oil, fat or grease in a physical state, such that will not separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in a pretreatment facility approved by the city.
FLOW. The quantity of sewage expressed in gallons or in 1,000-gallon units.
GARBAGE. Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the commercial handling, storage and sale of produce.
INCOMPATIBLE POLLUTANT. Any pollutant that is not defined as a compatible pollutant, including non-biodegradable dissolved solids.
INDUSTRIAL COST RECOVERY (ICR). A charge collected from users discharging industrial wastes for the recovery of the Federal EPA grant amount allocable to the treatment of the wastes and is proportionate to the volume and pollutional characteristics at design capacity of Federal EPA-funded wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
INDUSTRIAL USER. For the purpose of cost recovery, any non-governmental user of publicly owned treatment works identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemented under the following Divisions. Any industry discharging less than the equivalent of 25,000 PD or less of sanitary waste shall be excluded from ICR, provided the industry does not discharge any pollutants which may interfere with treatment processes, may be toxic or incompatible or may contaminate or otherwise reduce the utility of the sludge.
(1) Division A - Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing;
(2) Division B - Mining;
(3) Division D - Manufacturing;
(4) Division E - Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas and Sanitary Services; and
(5) Division I - Services.
INFILTRATION. The water entering a sewer system, including building drains and sewers, from the ground, through such means as but not limited to defective pipes, pipe joints, connections or manhole walls. (INFILTRATION does not include and is distinguished from inflow.)
INFILTRATION/INFLOW. The total quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow without distinguishing the source.
INFLOW. The water discharged into a sewer system, including building drains and sewers, from sources such as but not limited to: roof leaders, groundwater sump pumps, cistern overflows, cellar, yard and area drains, foundation drains, unpolluted cooling water discharges, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross-connections from storm sewers and combined sewers, catch basins, stormwaters, surface water, street wash waters or drainage. (INFLOW does not include and is distinguished from infiltration.)
LOAD. Quantities of sewage characteristics such as BOD5, SS or other constituents as expressed in mg/l or pounds per 24 hours (lbs./24 hrs.).
MAJOR CONTRIBUTING INDUSTRY. An industry that:
(1) Has a flow of 50,000 gallons or more per average work day;
(2) Has a flow greater than 5% of the flow carried by the municipal system receiving the wastes;
(3) Has in its waste a toxic pollutant in toxic amounts as defined in standards issued under § 307(a) of Pub. L. No. 92-500, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(a); or
(4) Has a significant impact, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, on a treatment works or on the quality of effluent from that treatment works.
MG/L. Milligrams per liter.
MULTI-DWELLING. A building housing more than one family, business or combination of family and business, either a rental unit, dual ownership or combination of a rental unit and dual ownership.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
NORMAL DOMESTIC SEWAGE. As defined for the purpose of determining surcharge, shall mean wastewater or sewage having an average daily suspended solids concentration of not more than 250 mg/l, and average daily BOD of not more than 200 mg/l, an average daily phosphorus concentration of ten mg/l and containing not more than 2.5 mg/l of hexane soluble matter (grease and oil).
NPDES PERMIT. A permit issued under the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System for discharge of wastewaters to the navigable waters of the United States pursuant to § 402 of Pub. L. No. 92-500, being 33 U.S.C. § 1342.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. All costs, direct and indirect (other than debt service), necessary to ensure adequate wastewater treatment on a continuing basis, conform with related federal, state and local requirements and assure optimal long term facility management. (These costs include depreciation and replacement.)
OTHER WASTE. Other substances except sewage and industrial wastes.
PARTS PER MILLION. A weight to weight ratio (ppm).
pH. The reciprocal of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
PHOSPHORUS. Phosphorus (P), the total PHOSPHORUS in wastewater as determined in the method in standard laboratory procedures.
PRETREATMENT. The treatment of industrial sewage from privately owned industrial sources prior to introduction into a public treatment works.
PRIVATE SEWER. A sewer which is not owned by a public authority.
PRIVY. Outside toilet facilities.
PRIVY VAULT. An outside toilet facility with an underground concrete or wood cavity.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food that has been shredded to the degree that all particles will be carried freely under flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than three-eighths inch in any dimension.
PUBLIC AUTHORITY. Any governmental agency having jurisdiction by law over construction and use of a wastewater collection or treatment facility.
PUBLIC SEWER. A sewer which is owned and controlled by the public authority and will consist of the following increments:
(1) COLLECTOR SEWER. A sewer whose primary purpose is to collect wastewaters from individual point source discharges;
(2) INTERCEPTOR SEWER. A sewer whose primary purpose is to transport wastewater from collector sewers to a treatment facility;
(3) FORCE MAIN. A pipe in which wastewater is carried under pressure; and
(4) PUMPING STATION. A station positioned in the public sewer service at which wastewater is pumped to a higher level.
REPLACEMENT. Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the service life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which the works were designed and constructed.
SANITARY SEWER. A sewer which carries sanitary and industrial wastes and to which storm, surface and groundwater are not intentionally admitted.
SEPTIC TANK. An underground tank in which wastes are putrefied and decomposed of through bacterial action.
SEWAGE. The combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions (including polluted cooling water). The two most common types of sewage are:
(1) INDUSTRIAL SEWAGE. A combination of liquid and water-carried wastes, discharged from any industrial establishment and resulting from any trade or process carried on in that establishment (this shall include the wastes from pretreatment facilities and polluted cooling water); and
(2) SANITARY SEWAGE. The combination of liquid and water-carried wastes discharged from toilet and other sanitary plumbing facilities.
SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. The sum applicable of the user charge, surcharges, industrial cost recovery, depreciation and debt services, if applicable.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRY. Any industry that will contribute greater than 10% of the design flow or design pollutant loading of the treatment works.
SLUG. Any discharge of water or wastewater which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration of flows during normal operation.
STANDARD METHODS. The laboratory procedures set forth in the latest edition, at the time of analysis, of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, prepared and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation.
STORM SEWER. A sewer for conveying water, groundwater or unpolluted water from any source and to which sanitary and/or industrial wastes are not intentionally admitted.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS). Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory filtering.
SURCHARGE. As a part of a service charge, any customer discharging wastewater having strength in excess of 200 mg/l BOD and 250 mg/l SS will be required to pay an additional charge to cover the cost of treating the excess strength wastewater, or higher than ten mg/l P.
THE CLEAN WATER ACT. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act of 1972, being Pub. L. No. 92-500 of the 92nd Congress and adopted on October 18, 1972, being 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
TOTAL SOLIDS. The sum of suspended and dissolved solids.
TOXIC AMOUNT. Concentrations of any pollutant or combination of pollutants, which upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism will cause adverse effects, such as cancer, genetic mutations and physiological manifestations, as defined in standards issued pursuant to § 307(a) of Pub. L. No. 92-500, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(a).
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect, or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefitted by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
USER CHARGE. A charge levied on users of a treatment works for the cost of operation and maintenance of these works pursuant to § 204(b) of Pub. L. No. 92-500, being 33 U.S.C. § 1284 and includes the cost of replacement.
VOLATILE ORGANIC MATTER. The material in the sewage solids transformed to gases or vapors when heated at 550ºC for 15 to 20 minutes.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS. The structures, equipment and processes required to collect, transport and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent and accumulated residual solids.
WATER WORKS. All facilities for water supply, filtration plant, storage reservoir, water lines and services, and booster stations for obtaining, treating and distributing potable water.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water, either continuously or intermittently.
(1989 Code, § 3.40, Subd. 1) (Ord. 33, 2nd Ser., eff. 5-21-1999)