(A) It is unlawful for any person, unless authorized, to uncover, make any connections with or openings into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof, without first obtaining the written permit from the city.
(B) All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify and hold harmless the city from any loss or damage to public sewer that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(C) A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where two or more buildings are situated on one parcel such that the parcel may not be subdivided; such a joint use private sewer may be extended to the rear building or buildings and the whole considered as one joint use private sewer. Special variances will be considered by the Council.
(D) Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the city, to meet all requirements of this section.
(E) Unused septic tanks, cesspools, leaching pits and similar devices and structures shall be backfilled or made safe and unusable in a manner acceptable to the city.
(F) The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer, and the method to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations. In the absence of Code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) Manual of Practice No. 9 and applicable American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) Standards shall apply.
(G) Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, the building drain shall be provided with a lifting device by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
(H) It is unlawful for any person to make connections of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other source of surface runoff or ground water to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
(I) Any dwelling, structure, or building that has a sump pump discharge system to remove groundwater from its foundation drain must have a permanently installed discharge line. A permanently installed discharge line shall be one which provides for discharge capability to either the outside of the dwelling, building or structure, or is connected to the city storm sewer. It shall consist of a rigid discharge line connected to the city storm sewer line, with valving or quick connections for altering the path of discharge and, if connected to the city storm sewer line, include a check valve. If approved by a designated city representative, a permanent connection, with valves and a checkvalve, may be made to the city sanitary sewer line.
(J) The construction of the building sewer and its connection into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code, the sewer specifications included herein or other applicable rules and regulations and the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) Manual of Practice No. 9 and the American Society of Testing and Materials (ASTM), all the construction shall be made gas-tight and water-tight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the city before installations.
(K) Employees of the city shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction and, in any event, the applicant for the permit shall notify the city when the work is ready for final inspection and no underground portions shall be covered before the final inspection is completed. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the city or its representative.
(L) All excavations for building sewer installations shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazards. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(M) For new construction, a sump pump and rigid pipe discharged connection to the outside shall be required for all construction in new subdivisions when it is determined necessary by a designated city representative to protect sanitary sewer infiltration. The city representative shall conduct an analysis and make a determination of soil conditions on a subdivision basis. The sump pump and rigid pipe discharge requirement will apply to all units constructed within a specific subdivision. Flexible piping shall be allowed outside a property at a minimum distance of ten to 20 feet from the foundation but shall not be allowed inside a property. Rigid piping located outside a property must be buried.
(N) Any new construction in a subdivision platted prior to October 1, 2022 of this chapter shall be examined by a designated city representative when the footing inspection is made. At that time a designated city representative will determine, based upon excavated soils, whether a sump pump and rigid pipe discharge connection are required. Should the building owner choose the option of installing a sump pump and rigid connection where they are not required, they shall be adequate to maintain ground water levels below the first floor.
(1) The building shall have a drain tile placed around the inside or outside perimeter of the foundation connected to a sump pit. All baseboard seepage collection systems shall be discharged to the sump pit.
(2) A discharge pipe shall be installed to the outside wall of the building with rigid pipe (plastic, copper, galvanized or black pipe) one inch inside diameter minimum. The discharge pipe must have a checked valve within one foot of the floor grade and a union or other approved coupling for easy disconnection for repair or replacement.
(2003 Code, § 3.30-4) (Ord. 209, passed 9-6-2022) Penalty, see § 10.99