For the purpose of this chapter, the meaning of the following terms shall be defined in this section:
(A) DEBT SERVICE CHARGE shall mean the charge assessed to users of the sewerage system for the retirement of principal and interest payments on outstanding debt authorized and issued by the city to construct sewage system facilities.
(B) OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS shall mean the costs in keeping all equipment facilities used in collecting and pumping sewage in a good state of repair and functioning properly.
(C) REPLACEMENT shall mean expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances that are necessary during the useful life of the sewerage system to maintain the capacity and performance for which such system was designed and constructed.
(D) SEWER SERVICE CHARGE shall mean the total charge levied against users of the sewerage system for sewer service. This includes debt service, operation and maintenance costs, replacement costs, plus the rates charged by the City of Columbus.
(E) SEWERAGE SYSTEM shall mean all of the facilities required to transport sewage from the premises of the source to a sewage treatment facility.
(F) USER CHARGES shall mean the costs to users by the city for operation and maintenance costs, and replacement costs. This excludes any charges by the City of Columbus.
(G) USER CLASSES shall mean the following groups of users as hereby defined.
(1) RESIDENTIAL shall mean a principal family residence classified as single family, multi-family, or apartment dwelling, discharging normal domestic wastewater into the sewerage system.
(2) COMMERCIAL USER shall mean all users who discharge wastewater from a non-industrial business establishment into the sewerage system.
(3) INDUSTRIAL USER shall mean users discharging wastewater resulting from manufacturing activities involving the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials or substance into other products. This user class includes facilities such as plants, factories, or mills, and characteristically use power-driven machines and material handling equipment.
(4) GOVERNMENTAL/INSTITUTIONAL usually include users such as hospitals, nursing homes, schools, city, county, state, or federal buildings or facilities that discharge wastewater to the sewerage system.
(H) NORMAL DOMESTIC SEWAGE shall mean the wastewater discharged by the average residential user and excludes trade or process waters. The strength, in terms of Biochemical Oxygen Demand and Suspended Solids, for normal domestic sewage is used to determine the surcharge for industrial users and/or commercial users discharging higher than normal domestic strength wastewater.
(I) NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PERMIT shall mean any permit or equivalent document or requirements issued by the state water pollution control agency to regulate the discharge of pollutants.
(Ord. 47-97, passed 4-14-97)