For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
AGRICULTURAL LAND USE. The use of land for the production of animal or plant life, including forestry, pasturing or yarding livestock, and planting, growing, cultivating, and harvesting crops for human or livestock consumption.
BEST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES (BMPs). Schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, general good house keeping practices, pollution prevention and educational practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to prevent or reduce the discharge of pollutants directly or indirectly to stormwater, receiving waters, or stormwater conveyance systems. BMPs also include treatment practices, operating procedures, and practices to control site runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or water disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage.
CITY. The City of Columbia City, or designated party.
CLEAN WATER ACT. The federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.), and any subsequent amendments thereto.
CONSTRUCTION ACTIVITY. Activities subject to NPDES construction permits. Currently these include construction projects resulting in land disturbance of five acres or more. Beginning in March 2003, NPDES Stormwater Phase II permits will be required for construction projects resulting in land disturbance of one acre or more. For this application the city will require a permit for construction projects with disturbance of 10,000 square feet or more. Such activities include but are not limited to clearing and grubbing, grading, excavating and demolition.
EASEMENTS. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
EROSION. The detachment and movement of soil, sediment, or rock fragments by water, wind, ice, or gravity.
EROSION AND SEDIMENT CONTROL PLAN. A written description of pertinent information concerning erosion control measures designed to meet the requirements of this chapter as submitted by the applicant for the review and approval of the city.
EROSION CONTROL MEASURE. A practice or a combination of practices to control erosion and resulting sedimentation.
GROUNDWATER. An accumulation of underground water, natural or artificial. The term does not include manmade underground storage or conveyance structures.
HAZARDOUS MATERIALS. Any material, including any substance, waste, or combination thereof, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may cause, or significantly contribute to, a substantial present or potential hazard to human health, safety, property, or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed.
ILLEGAL DISCHARGE. Any discharge to a conveyance (or to the storm water drain system) that is not composed entirely of storm water except naturally occurring floatables, such as leaves or tree limbs.
ILLICIT CONNECTIONS. An illicit connection is defined as either of the following:
(1) Any drain or conveyance, whether on the surface or subsurface, which allows an illegal discharge to enter the storm drain system including but not limited to any conveyances which allow any non-stormwater discharge including sewage, process wastewater, and wash water to enter the storm drain system;
(2) Any connections to the storm drain system from indoor drains, sinks and pumps, regardless of whether said drain or connection had been previously allowed, permitted, or approved by the city; or
(3) Any drain or conveyance connected from a commercial or industrial land use to the storm drain system which has not been documented in plans, maps or equivalent records and approved by the city.
INDUSTRIAL ACTIVITY. Activities subject to NPDES industrial permits as defined in 40 CFR §122.26 (b)(14).
LAND-DISTURBING ACTIVITY. Any manmade change of the land surface including removing vegetative cover, excavating, filling, transporting, and grading. In the context of this chapter, it includes only nonagricultural land- disturbing activities on sites which also require a local improvement location permit or an approved subdivision plat.
MS4. Municipal Separate Storm Sewer System.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) STORMWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT. A permit issued by EPA (or by a state under authority delegated pursuant to 33
USC § 1342(b)) that authorizes the discharge of pollutants to water of the United States, whether the permit is applicable on an individual, group, or general area-wide basis.
NONAGRICULTURAL LAND USE. The commercial use of land for the manufacturing and wholesale or retail sale of goods and services, residential or institutional use of land intended primarily to shelter people, highway use of land including lanes, alleys, and streets, and other land uses not included under agricultural land use.
NON-STORMWATER DISCHARGE. Any discharge to the storm drain system that is not composed entirely of stormwater.
PERSON. Any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, corporation, association, trust, estate, political subdivision, state agency, or any other legal entity or their legal representative, agent or assigns legally capable of owning property in the state.
POLLUTANT. A pollutant is something that causes or contributes to pollution. POLLUTANTS may include, but are not limited to: paints, varnishes, and solvents; oil and other automotive fluids; non-hazardous liquid and solid wastes and yard wastes; refuse, rubbish, garbage, litter, or other discarded or abandoned objects, ordnances, and accumulations so that same may cause or contribute to pollution; floatables; pesticides, herbicides, and fertilizers; hazardous substances and wastes; sewage, fecal coliform and pathogens; dissolved and particulate metals; animal wastes; wastes and residues that result from constructing or building or structure; sediments and noxious or offensive matter of any kind.
PREMISES. Any building, lot, parcel of land, or portion of land whether improved or unimproved including adjacent sidewalks and parking strips.
RUNOFF. The portion of the precipitation from such sources as rainfall, snowmelt, or irrigation water that flows over the ground surface.
SITE. The entire area included in the legal description of the land on which land-disturbing activity has been proposed in the permit application.
STORM DRAINAGE SYSTEM. Publicly-owned facilities by which stormwater is collected and/or conveyed, including but not limited to any roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, gutters, curbs, inlets, piped storm drains, pumping facilities, retention and detention basins, natural and human-made or altered drainage channels, reservoirs, and other drainage structures.
STORMWATER. Any surface flow, runoff, and drainage consisting entirely of water from any form of natural precipitation, and resulting from such precipitation.
STORMWATER POLLUTION PREVENTION PLAN. A document which described the best management practices and activities to be implemented by a person or business to identify sources of pollution or contamination at a site and the actions to eliminate or reduce pollutant discharges to stormwater, stormwater conveyance systems, or receiving waters to the maximum extent possible.
WASTEWATER. Any water or other liquid, other than uncontaminated stormwater discharged from a dwelling, commercial building, industrial facility or institution.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.
(Ord. 2004-39, passed 10-26-2004; Am. Ord. 2004-46, passed 1-11-2005; Am. Ord. 2012-9, passed 5-22-2012)