Sewer rates for all single residential properties including property owned by any religious organization and used as a church, synagogue, or other place of worship, shall be based upon average water consumption as billed in the months of January, February, and March according to the schedule below. A single residential property is defined as a single family home, an individual townhouse or row house, an apartment within a larger building, a mobile home or any grouping of rental rooms using a common bathroom. All residential users shall be charged the same rate regardless of the location where wastewater is treated.
Rate | Usage |
$0.86/100 gallons | 0 to 90,000 gallons |
$0.76/100 gallons | Over 90,000 gallons |
$38.62 | Minimum billing |
The bill, as determined by the average consumption described above, shall become effective with the April 1st billing of each year and remain in effect until April 1st of the following year. Prior to April 1st of each year, average consumption shall be recalculated to determine if the residential customer's bill should be adjusted. Properties connected to sewer, but without metered water consumption, shall be subject to the minimum billing amount.
(Ord. 2017-04, passed 6-5-2017; Ord. 2018-01, passed 2-19-2018; Ord. 2019-01, passed 2-4-2019; Ord. 2020-01, passed 2-3-2020; Am. Ord. 2021-02, passed 3-1-2021; Am. Ord. 2022-05, passed 2-8-2022; Am. Ord. 2023-02, passed 2-20- 2023)
Sewer Rates for non-residential users, including schools, shall be based upon monthly water consumption. All nonresidential rates shall be charged the same rate regardless of the location wastewater is treated.
Rate | Usage |
$0.86/100 gallons | 0 to 90,000 gallons |
$0.76/100 gallons | Over 90,000 gallons |
$38.62 | Minimum billing |
High strength users. For those users whose wastewater has a greater strength than normal domestic sewage, a surcharge in addition to the normal user charge will be collected. The amount of the surcharge will be based upon the concentration of the waste above that concentration defined as domestic waste.
Domestic Waste Concentration
BOD | 200 mg/l average | 250 mg/l maximum |
Suspended Solids (SS) | 250 mg/l average | 300 mg/l maximum |
Ammonia | 20 mg/l average | 40 mg/l maximum |
The surcharge for high strength waste users will be calculated as follows:
$0.68/lb | BOD |
$0.78/lb | Suspended Solids (SS) |
$7.10/lb | Ammonia |
Any user which discharges any pollutants (as defined in this ordinance) which cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent of the sludge from the City's treatment works, or any user which discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other substances causes identifiable increases in the cost or operation, maintenance, or replacement of the treatment works, shall pay for such increased costs. The charge to each such user shall be as determined by the appropriate financial personnel and approved by the City Council.
(Ord. 2017-04, passed 6-5-2017; Ord. 2018-01, passed 2-19-2018; Ord. 2019-01, passed 2-4-2019; Ord. 2020-01, passed 2-3-2020; Am. Ord. 2021-02, passed 3-1-2021; Am. Ord. 2022-05, passed 2-8-2022; Am. Ord. 2023-02, passed 2-20-2023)
Bills are mailed on the first of each month and are due upon receipt. After the 20th of each month a late penalty of 1.5% will be applied to the bill. (Ord. 2017-04, passed 6-5-2017; Ord. 2018-01, passed 2-19-2018; Ord. 2019-01, passed 2-4-2019; Ord. 2020-01, passed 2-3-2020)
All discharges of wastewater, gases or solids which are not similar to domestic sewage shall meet the following pretreatment requirements.
A) This section adopts by reference the General Pretreatment- Treatment Regulations for Existing and New Sources of Pollution promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, Title 40, Chapter I, Part 403 as published in the Federal Register, Vol. 46, No. 18 Wednesday, January 28, 1981, and amended at April 7, 1993, as the Cit y pretreatment regulation.
B) Any industrial, commercial or other utility customer which discharges any sewage, industrial waste or other waste to the municipal sanitary sewer system shall comply with all regulations or requirements of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and/or the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Where regulations have not been set by those agencies, the Director of Public Works shall establish pretreatment requirements to obtain the following objectives:
1) To prevent the introduction of pollutants which will interfere with the treatment plant operation or contaminate the resulting sludge;
2) To prevent the introduction of pollutants which will pass through the system, inadequately treated, into the receiving waters or the atmosphere or otherwise be incompatible with the system, and;
3) To improve the opportunity to recycle and reclaim wastewaters and sludges from the system.
C) Any costs for pretreatment flow measuring, or monitoring facilities or analytical systems or tests to meet the pretreatment regulations shall be the responsibility of the customer.
D) Any cost to the City including increased operation or maintenance expenditures or fines levied by the State or Federal agencies which result from the discharge from any utility customer shall be assessed to that customer. In the event more than one utility customer is responsible, the cost shall be prorated among those responsible based upon percent of total pounds of pollutants.
E) No utility customer may expand their process or operation if that expansion results in a discharge or results in a discharge which exceeds any limitation established for their discharges or results in the discharge of some other substance which will violate any provision of the pretreatment regulations unless their plans for expansion are approved by the Director of Public Works at least six (6) months prior to the planned expansion.