(a) Charges. A monthly charge is hereby levied and assessed upon each lot, parcel of land, building or other premises having a source of water, purchased or pumped, for the production of sanitary wastewater or waste that is contaminated or impure in character and that would endanger the health, safety and welfare of the City unless properly treated. Such charge shall be the sum of all applicable commodity, readiness-to-serve and industrial surcharges computed in accordance with this section.
(b) Measurement of Quantities. The owner of property subject to charges imposed by this Section may install and maintain a meter to measure the quantity of waste discharged to the municipal sewage system. Such metering equipment shall be approved by the Superintendent of Water Pollution Control prior to installation and shall be subject to accuracy verification and calibration at the direction of the Superintendent. All costs incident to the installation, operation, maintenance, verification, calibration and recalibration of the equipment shall be paid by the owner of the equipment. The installation of such equipment shall not be approved in the absence of architectural drawings, smoke test results or other verifiable data establishing that all contaminated or impure waters discharged from the premises to the municipal sewage system are metered.
(Ord. 6658. Passed 2-28-06.)
(Ord. 6658. Passed 2-28-06.)
(c) Estimated Quantities.
(1) Except as provided in subsection (2) hereof, the amount of wastewater discharged from any lot, parcel of land, building or other premises that does not meter discharges to the sewage system in conformity with subsection (b) hereof shall be deemed equal to the total amount of water supplied to the premises less and except such quantities of water as may be delivered to the premises in strict conformity with all applicable requirements of subsection (d) hereof. Where the Municipal Water Division is the exclusive source of water supplied to the premises, the amount of wastewater subject to charge shall be determined from the Consumer’s water purchase records as maintained by the Utility Billing Office. If the premises are supplied with water purchased or pumped from a source other than the Municipal Water Division, the amount used shall be metered or otherwise reliably determined in a manner satisfactory to the Superintendent of Water Pollution Control and included in the quantities subject to charge.
(2) Billings issued to occupants of residential dwellings located in one, two or three family structures in the months of June, July, August and September shall be computed on the lesser of:
A. The total amount of water supplied to the premises during the billing cycle to which the bill pertains as determined in accordance with paragraph (1) of this subsection; or
B. The average amount of water supplied to the premises during the eight monthly billing cycles ending in the months of October, November, December, January, February, March, April and May immediately preceding the cycle to which the June billing pertains, provided:
1. The account has been maintained in the name of the current occupant throughout the 8 month period on which the average usage is computed; and
2. Any month in which the account was inactive shall be excluded from the computation of average monthly use.
(Ord. 7496. Passed 4-16-13.)
(d) Exempt Quantities. Charges shall not be assessed pursuant to subsection (c) hereof on quantities of water that are supplied to a property for a specific purpose that does not produce sanitary wastewater or other waste requiring treatment and that does not, under normal circumstances, result in the discharge of pure or impure water to the municipal sewage collection system. To qualify for exemption from the estimated quantities upon which charges would otherwise be based, waters must be delivered to the property by distribution facilities that limit access to the water in a manner that insures that it cannot be diverted from the intended purpose to any other use. Installations qualifying for exemption include, without limitation, those which utilize water purchased from the Municipal Water Division or another public water utility through separately metered lines or that utilize water obtained from springs, cisterns, wells, ponds, rivers or other sources exclusively for: lawn sprinkling, agricultural irrigation; packaging and resale as bottled water or incorporation into a finished product; or fire suppression. In all such instances, the distribution facilities must be designed and constructed in a manner that prohibits access to water downstream of the system meter or pump except through orifices specifically designed to dispense water in a manner appropriate to the intended exempt use or necessary maintenance accesses.
(e) Readiness to Serve Charges. Each lot, parcel of land, building or other premises that does not meter discharges to the municipal sewage system as authorized by subsection (b) hereof and that has a source of water for use in the production of sanitary wastewater or waste that requires treatment under OEPA standards to ensure the preservation of the public health, safety and welfare, whether the water is purchased from the Municipal Waterworks or acquired from other sources, shall be assessed a readiness-to-serve charge based upon the capacity of the water distribution facilities located on the premises. Where water is supplied to the premises by the Municipal Water Division or by another public water utility, the capacity of the distribution system shall be determined from the size of the service line and meter. Where the property is supplied water from springs, cisterns, wells, ponds, rivers or other sources, the amount purchased or pumped shall be metered or otherwise reliably determined by a method approved by the Superintendent of Water Pollution Control and, if the quantity is determined other than by metering, a charge levied based upon the size of meter that would be necessary to deliver an equivalent volume to the premises at the rate at which such water is used on the premises. Where the premises are supplied with water from more than one source, the readiness-to-serve charge shall be assessed upon each source save and except for water supplied to exempt facilities in accordance with subsection (d) hereof. The readiness-to-serve charge assessed by this section during each of the time periods specified in subsection (e)(1) to (5) inclusive shall be:
(Ord. 6658. Passed 2-28-06.)
The Readiness-to-Serve charge levied by this subsection for sewer connections to properties inside and outside the corporate limits of the City and for which invoices are issued during the following periods shall be:
(1) January 1 through December 31, 2020:
Diameter of water supply line (or equivalent water supply) less than or equal to:
Property location | ||
In City | Outside City | |
3/4" | 32.00 | 96.00 |
1" | 53.12 | 159.36 |
1 1/4" | 85.12 | 255.36 |
1 ½" | 106.56 | 319.68 |
2" | 170.56 | 511.68 |
3" | 373.12 | 1,119.36 |
4" | 640.00 | 1,920.00 |
6" | 1,333.12 | 3,999.36 |
8" | 1,920.00 | 5,760.00 |
(2) January 1 through December 31, 2021:
Diameter of water supply line (or equivalent water supply) less than or equal to:
Property location | ||
In City | Outside City | |
3/4" | 30.16 | 90.48 |
1" | 50.07 | 150.21 |
1 1/4" | 80.23 | 240.69 |
1 ½" | 100.44 | 301.32 |
2" | 160.76 | 482.28 |
3" | 351.67 | 1,055.01 |
4" | 603.20 | 1,809.60 |
6" | 1,256.47 | 3,769.41 |
8" | 1,809.60 | 5,428.80 |
(3) January 1 through December 31, 2022:
Diameter of water supply line (or equivalent water supply) less than or equal to:
Property location | ||
In City | Outside City | |
3/4" | 30.23 | 90.69 |
1" | 50.19 | 150.57 |
1 1/4" | 80.42 | 241.26 |
1 ½" | 100.67 | 302.01 |
2" | 161.13 | 483.39 |
3" | 352.49 | 1,057.47 |
4" | 604.60 | 1,813.80 |
6" | 1,259.39 | 3,778.17 |
8" | 1,813.80 | 5,441.40 |
(4) January 1 through December 31, 2023:
Diameter of water supply line (or equivalent water supply) less than or equal to:
Property location | ||
In City | Outside City | |
3/4" | 30.35 | 91.05 |
1" | 50.39 | 151.17 |
1 1/4" | 80.74 | 242.22 |
1 ½" | 101.07 | 303.21 |
2" | 161.77 | 485.31 |
3" | 353.89 | 1,061.67 |
4" | 607.00 | 1,821.00 |
6" | 1,264.39 | 3,793.17 |
8" | 1,821.00 | 5,463.00 |
(f) Commodity Charge. Each lot, parcel of land, building or other premises discharging sanitary wastewater or other wastes to the municipal sewage collection system shall be assessed a Commodity charge based on measured flow. For premises that are not equipped with facilities to meter the quantities discharged to the sewer, the volume of water used in and upon the premises as metered or otherwise determined in accordance with subsections (c) and (d) hereof shall be deemed to be the amount of wastewater produced and discharged to the sewage collection system.
The Commodity Charge levied by this subsection on each property discharging sanitary waste water or other wastes to the municipal sewage collection system and for which invoices are issued during the following periods shall be:
(1) January 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020:
$4.86 per 100 cubic feet
(2) January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021:
$4.92 per 100 cubic feet
(3) January 1, 2022 through December 31, 2022:
$4.98 per 100 cubic feet
(4) January 1, 2023 through December 31, 2023:
$5.03 per 100 cubic feet
(Ord. 8182. Passed 12-10-19.)
(g) Industrial Surcharge for Suspended Solids. All persons discharging industrial wastewater to the public sewers as determined under this chapter shall be subject to a monthly surcharge of $0.0830 per pound for suspended solids in excess of 250 milligrams per liter. The surcharge imposed by this subsection shall be computed in accordance with the following formula:
MSS = F x 62.383 (SS - 250mg/l) S. As used herein:
MSS = |
Total Monthly surcharge for suspended solids |
F = |
Monthly flow measured in units of million cubic feet |
SS = |
Average concentration of suspended solids discharged expressed in milligrams per liter |
S = |
$0.0830 (unit cost per pound levied by this section for suspended solids in excess of 250 milligrams per liter) |
(h) Industrial Surcharge for Chemical Oxygen Demand. All persons discharging industrial wastewater to the public sewers as determined under this chapter shall be subject to a monthly surcharge of $0.0288 per pound for chemical oxygen demand in excess of 500 milligrams per liter. The surcharge imposed by this subsection shall be computed in accordance with the following formula:
MCOD = F x 62.383 (COD -500 mg/l) C. As used herein:
MCOD = |
Total Monthly surcharge for chemical oxygen demand |
F = |
Monthly flow measured in units of million cubic feet |
COD = |
Average concentration of chemical oxygen demand discharged expressed in milligrams per liter |
C = |
$0.0288 (unit cost per pound for chemical oxygen demand in excess of 500 milligrams per liter). |
(Ord. 6375. Passed 4-22-03.)
(i) Evaluation of Rates. The wastewater rates established by this section shall be annually reviewed by the City Administrator to determine whether they are sufficient to defray the costs of operation and maintenance of the Water Pollution Control Division and provide for the payment of all fixed charges including the amortization of debt incurred for the construction of improvements to the Waste Water Treatment Plant and sewerage system. If the difference between revenues derived from the rates and cost of operation and debt service is sufficient to justify an increase or decrease in the rates, the City Administrator shall recommend appropriate changes to Council.
(j) Asset Depreciation Account. The asset depreciation account has been created to assist the wastewater utility in its future funding needs. The Finance Director shall place the authorized annual amount of funds into an interest bearing account. These funds shall accumulate and be used only for needs and improvements to the wastewater utility. (Storm sewers are not considered a part of the wastewater utility.) This account may be used for such things as replacement or repair of sewers, pump station facilities, treatment plant facilities, vehicles, etc. These funds may also be used to assist operating cash flow needs until rate adjustments can be made and/or to help reduce the amount of funds needed for a wastewater utility project.
(Ord. 5882. Passed 11-18-97.)