(A) No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city or its authorized representative.
(B) All disposal by any person into the sewer system is unlawful except those discharges in compliance with federal standards promulgated pursuant to the Federal Act and more stringent state and local standards.
(C) There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: for residential and commercial service; and for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In either case, the owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the Council. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans and specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Council. The industry, as a condition of permit authorization, must provide information describing its wastewater constituents, characteristics and type of activity.
(D) A building sewer permit will only be issued and a sewer connection shall only be allowed if it can be demonstrated that the downstream sewerage facilities, including sewers, pump stations and wastewater treatment facilities, have sufficient reserve capacity to adequately and efficiently handle the additional anticipated waste load.
(E) All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(F) A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, except that where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court yard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer if the establishment is an expansion of previous existence. Otherwise, if the new building sewer is to furnish an independent ownership or an addition for the purpose of a newly established business, the sewer shall be classified as two independent sewers.
(G) Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the city, to meet all requirements of this chapter.
(H) The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the rules and regulations of the Council. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society of Testing Materials, Water Pollution Control Federation Manual of Practice No. 9, the Guidelines for Water and Sewer Main Construction in Minnesota shall apply.
(I) Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by the building drains shall be lifted by a means which is approved in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and discharged to the building sewer.
(J) It is unlawful for any person to make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
(1) No water from any roof, surface, groundwater sump pump, footing tile, swimming pool or other natural precipitation shall be discharged into the sanitary sewer system. Dwellings and other buildings and structures which require, because infiltration of water into basements, crawl spaces and the like, a sump pump discharge system shall have a permanently installed discharge line which shall not at any time discharge water into the sanitary sewer system, except as provided herein. Permanent installation shall be one which provides for year-round discharge capability to the outside of the dwelling, building or structure or is connected to the city storm sewer or discharges through the curb and gutter to the street. It shall consist of a rigid discharge line, without valving or quick connections for altering the path of discharge.
(2) The Public Works Department shall have the power and duty of hearing and deciding requests for waivers from the applicability of the provisions of this chapter where strict enforcement would cause undue hardship because of circumstances unique to the individual property under consideration or cause a safety problem. Application for a waiver shall be in writing addressed to the Public Works Department. The applications shall identify the property for which the waiver is being applied, the name of the property owner and describe in detail what characteristics of the subject property create an undue hardship or safety concerns. Upon approval of an application for a waiver, the property owner shall be allowed to temporarily pump directly into the sanitary sewer system between the dates of November 1 and April 1 via a city-controlled, locked valve. The owner of a property with a waiver shall allow a city employee access prior to April 1 each year to lock out the valve allowing winter discharge to the sanitary sewer.
(3) Cost for processing sump pump water through sanitary system will be billed to the property owner for an annual charge to be set by resolution of the Council. The city shall have the right to inspect all property in the spring to assure his or her discharge water connection has been removed from the sanitary sewer. Failure to remove the discharge will result in a $100 per month surcharge.
(K) The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements and applicable rules and regulations of the city, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society of Testing Materials, Water Pollution Control Federation Manual of Practice No. 9, and Guidelines for Water and Sewer Main Construction in Minnesota. All the connections shall be made gastight and watertight.
(L) All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(M) Every person owning real estate that discharges into the city’s sanitary sewer system shall allow an employee of the city or their designated representative to inspect the buildings to confirm that there is no sump pump or other prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewer system. In lieu of having the city inspect the property, any person may furnish a certificate from a licensed plumber certifying that his or her property is in compliance with this chapter.
(1) Any person refusing to allow his or her property to be inspected or refusing to furnish a licensed plumber’s certificate, within 14 days of the date city employees or their designated representatives are denied admittance to the property, shall immediately become subject to the surcharge hereinafter provided for. Any property found to violate this chapter shall make the necessary changes to comply with this chapter and furnish proof of the changes to the city within 15 days.
(2) During any new construction, renovation or demolition the connection(s) to the sanitary sewer shall be protected through the use of a cover plug in order to eliminate the potential for inflow to enter the sanitary sewer system. Any water collected shall not be allowed to enter the sanitary sewer system at any time.
(3) All new buildings with groundwater sump systems are required, prior to final inspection by city personnel, to have the sump pump installed.
(4) All new homes will be required to have their sump pump system inspected within 30 days of occupancy and a certificate of compliance completed.
(5) Property owners not in compliance with these provisions shall be charged a monthly surcharge in accordance with this chapter.
(6) Upon verified compliance with this chapter, the city reserves the right to reinspect the property on a yearly basis to verify continued compliance.
(7) Before any properties in the city are sold, they must comply with the city code pertaining to sump pump installations. Prior to final sale, the city will reinspect property to confirm compliance.
(1989 Code, § 3.40, Subd. 3) (Ord. 33, 2nd Ser., eff. 5-21-1999) Penalty, see § 53.99