For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACT. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also referred to as the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
ADMINISTRATION COSTS. Those expenditures attributable to administration of the wastewater treatment works.
ASTM. The American Society for Testing Materials.
AUTHORITY. The city or its representative.
BOD5 or BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND. The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures in five days at 20°C, expressed in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/l).
BUILDING DRAIN. The part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from waste and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning two feet outside the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal, also referred to as a house connection or service connection.
CAPITAL RECOVERY CHARGE. A charge levied on users of the wastewater treatment works for the cost of capital-related expenditures.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the chemical oxidation of organic matter as determined by standard laboratory procedures, expressed in terms of milligrams per liter (mg/l).
CITY. The area within the corporate boundaries of the city. The term may also be used to refer to the City Council and its authorized representative.
COMMERCIAL USER. Any place of business which discharges domestic-strength waste.
COMPATIBLE WASTE. Biochemical oxygen demand, suspended solids, pH, and fecal coliform bacteria, plus additional pollutants identified in the district’s NPDES/SDS permit if the treatment works are designed to treat such pollutants to a degree which complies with effluent concentration limits imposed by the permit.
CONTROL MANHOLE. A structure specially constructed for the purpose of measuring flow and sampling of wastes.
DISTRICT. The service area of the Serpent Lake Sanitary Sewer District. The term may be used to refer to the Board of Commissioners (Commission) and its authorized representative.
DOMESTIC-STRENGTH WASTE. Wastewater which does not exceed any pollutant concentration shown below.
BOD5 | 300 mg/l |
Phosphorus | 20 mg/l |
TSS | 350 mg/l |
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
EXTRA-STRENGTH WASTE. Wastewater which has a pollutant concentration greater than that defined for domestic-strength waste and not otherwise classified as an incompatible waste.
FECAL COLIFORM. Any number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of humans and animals whose presence in sanitary sewage is an indicator of pollution.
FLOATABLE OIL. Includes oil, fat, or grease in a physical state, such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater.
GARBAGE. Includes animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and serving of food.
GOVERNMENTAL USER. Any unit, agency, or instrument of federal, state, or local government which discharges domestic-strength waste.
INCOMPATIBLE WASTE. Includes waste which contains toxic pollutants or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to contaminate the sludge of the treatment works, or to interfere with any treatment works process, or which constitutes a hazard to humans or animals, creates a public nuisance, or creates any hazard in or has an adverse effect on the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment works, or is not defined as a compatible waste, including non-biodegradable dissolved solids.
INDUSTRIAL USER. Any person who discharges any of the following wastes into the wastewater treatment works:
(1) Industrial wastes;
(2) Incompatible wastes; or
(3) Extra-strength wastes.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. Includes gaseous, liquid, or solid wastes resulting from an industrial or manufacturing process, trade, or business, or from the development of any natural resources, including, but not limited to, all Standard Industrial Classification Manual divisions, as follows.
Division | Industry
|
A | Agriculture, forestry, and fishing |
B | Mining |
D | Manufacturing |
E | Transportation, communications, electric, gas, and sanitary sewers |
I | Services |
INFILTRATION. Includes water, other than wastewater, that enters a sewer system, including building drains and sewers, from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, and manhole walls.
INFILTRATION/INFLOW (I/I). The total quality of water from both infiltration and inflow.
INFLOW. Includes water, other than wastewater, that enters a sewer system, including building drains and sewers, from sources such as, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellar drains, yard and area drains, foundation drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross connections from storm sewers, catch basins, surface runoff, street wash waters, or drainage.
INSTITUTIONAL USER. Any user, other than commercial, governmental, industrial, or residential users, which discharges domestic-strength waste (e.g., nonprofit organizations).
INTERFERENCE. The inhibition or disruption of the wastewater treatment works, processes, or operations which causes or significantly contributes to a violation of any requirement of the district’s NPDES and/or SDS permit. The term includes the inhibition or disruption of sewage sludge use or disposal in accordance with published regulations providing guidelines under § 405 of the Act or any regulations developed pursuant to the Solid Waste Disposal Act being 42 U.S.C. §§ 6901 et seq., the Clean Air Act being 42 U.S.C. §§ 7401 et seq., the Toxic Substances Control Act being 15 U.S.C. §§ 2601 et seq., or more stringent state criteria applicable to the method of disposal or use employed.
MPCA. The Minnesota Pollution Control Agency.
NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS. Federal regulations establishing pretreatment standards for introduction of pollutants in publicly-owned wastewater treatment works which are determined to be not susceptible to treatment by such treatment works or would interfere with the operation of such treatment works, pursuant to § 307(b) of the Act.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PERMIT. A permit issued by the MPCA, setting limits on pollutants that a permittee may legally discharge into navigable waters of the United States pursuant to §§ 402 and 405 of the Act.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewers, which overflows into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface water or ground water.
NONCONTACT COOLING WATER. The water discharged from any use such as air conditioning, cooling, or refrigeration, or during which the only pollutant added is heat.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE. Activities required to provide for the dependable and economical functioning of the treatment works throughout the design or useful life, whichever is longer, of the treatment works, and at the level of performance for which the treatment works were constructed. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE includes replacement.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. Expenditures for operation and maintenance, including replacement.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions in terms of grams per liter of solution.
PRETREATMENT. The treatment of wastewater from industrial sources prior to the introduction of the waste effluent into a publicly-owned treatment works.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers with no particle greater than one-half inch (1.27 cm) in any dimension.
REPLACEMENT. The procurement and installation of equipment, accessories, or appurtenances which are necessary during the design life or useful life, whichever is longer, of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
REPLACEMENT COSTS. Expenditures for replacement.
RESIDENTIAL USER. A user of the treatment works whose premises or building is used primarily as a residence for one or more persons, including dwelling units such as detached and semi-detached housing, apartments, and mobile homes, and which discharges primarily domestic-strength wastes.
SEWAGE. The spent water of a community. The preferred term is WASTEWATER.
SEWER. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
(1) COLLECTION SEWER. A sewer whose primary purpose is to collect wastewater from individual point-source discharges and connections.
(2) COMBINED SEWER. A sewer intended to serve as a sanitary sewer and a storm sewer.
(3) FORCE MAIN. A pipe in which wastewater is carried under pressure.
(4) INTERCEPTOR SEWER. A sewer whose primary purpose is to transport wastewater from collection sewers to a treatment facility.
(5) PRIVATE SEWER. A sewer which is not owned and maintained by a public authority.
(6) PUBLIC SEWER. A sewer which is owned, maintained, and controlled by a public authority.
(7) SANITARY SEWER. A sewer intended to carry only liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, governmental facilities, and institutions, together with minor quantities of ground water, storm water, and surface waters which are not admitted intentionally.
(8) STORM SEWER OR STORM DRAIN. A drain or sewer intended to carry storm waters, surface runoff, ground water, subsurface water, street wash water, drainage, and unpolluted water from any source.
SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. The aggregate of all charges, including charges for operation, maintenance, replacement, capital recovery, and other sewer-related charges that are billed periodically to users of the wastewater treatment works.
SEWER SERVICE FUND. A fund into which income from sewer service charges is deposited along with other income for wastewater treatment. Expenditures of the SEWER SERVICE FUND will be for operation, maintenance, and replacement costs and capital-related costs for the wastewater treatment works.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USER. Any industrial user of the wastewater treatment works which has a discharge in excess of 25,000 gallons per average workday; has exceeded 5% of the total flow received at the treatment works; which contains a pollutant in toxic amounts pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act; or which has a significant effect, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, on the wastewater treatment works, the quality of sludge, the system’s effluent quality, or emissions generated by the treatment system.
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 flow during normal operation, and shall adversely affect the operation and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION MANUAL. The manual of the Office of Management and Budget, 1972, as amended and supplemented.
STATE DISPOSAL SYSTEM (SDS) PERMIT. Any permit, including any terms, conditions and requirements, issued by the MPCA pursuant to M.S. § 115.07, as it may be amended from time to time, for a disposal system as defined by M.S. § 115.01, Subd. 5, as it may be amended from time to time.
SUBSURFACE SEWAGE TREATMENT SYSTEM (SSTS). As defined in Minn. Rules Part 7080.1100.
SUPERINTENDENT. The Utilities Superintendent of the city or his or her deputy, agent, or representative.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS) or TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS). The total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of or is in suspension in water, wastewater, or other liquids, and is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, latest edition, and referred to as non-filterable residue.
TOXIC POLLUTANT. The concentration of any pollutant or combination of pollutants which, upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism, will cause adverse effects as defined in standards issued pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act.
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 wastewater treatment works. See NONCONTACT COOLING WATER.
USER. Any person who discharges or causes or permits the discharge of wastewater into the wastewater treatment works.
USER CHARGE. A charge levied on users of the treatment works for the user’s proportionate share of the cost of operation and maintenance, including replacement.
WASTEWATER. The spent water of a community, also referred to as sewage. From the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, government facilities, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any ground water, surface water, and storm water that may be present.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS or TREATMENT WORKS. An arrangement of any devices, facilities, structures, equipment, or processes owned or used by the city or the district for the purpose of the transmission, storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of municipal, domestic, or industrial wastewater, or structures necessary to recycle or reuse water, including interceptor sewers, outfall sewers, collection sewers, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions, improvements, remodeling, additions, and alterations; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled water supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including land, which is an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water, either continuously or intermittently.
WPCF. The Water Pollution Control Federation.
(Prior Code, § 3.9) (Ord. 2015-03, passed 3- -2015)