For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
AMMONIA NITROGEN (NH3–N). The amount of ammonia nitrogen measured as nitrogen within the wastewater.
BUILDING DRAIN. The part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning five feet (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal, also called HOUSE CONNECTION.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
FIVE-DAY BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD5). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures in five days at twenty degrees (20°) C, expressed in milligrams per liter.
FLOATABLE OIL. Oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. A wastewater shall be considered free of floatable fat if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.
GARBAGE. The animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and serving of foods.
INDUSTRIAL SURCHARGE. Any payment assessed a nondomestic user for wastewater of unusual or excessive strength over and above the standard rate charged to domestic users.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES. The wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
INTERFERENCE. The inhibition or disruption of the POTW treatment processes or operations which contribute to a violation of any requirement of the POTW’s NPDES permit.
NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRE-TREATMENT STANDARD. Any regulation containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated by the EPA in accordance with § 307(b) and (c) of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1317) which applies to a specific category of industrial users.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM or NPDES PERMIT. A permit issued pursuant to § 402 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1342), or pursuant to G.S. § 143-215.1 by the state under delegation from the EPA.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface of groundwater.
OPERATOR RESPONSIBLE IN CHARGE (ORC). The person designated by the City to supervise the operation of the publicly-owned treatment works and who is charged with certain duties and responsibilities by this chapter or his or her duly authorized representative.
pH. The reciprocal of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions, in grams, per liter of solution. Neutral water, for example, has a pH value of 7 and a hydrogen ion concentration of 10-7.
PRETREATMENT or TREATMENT. The reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater to a less harmful state prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing the pollutants into a POTW. The reduction or alteration can be obtained by physical, chemical, or biological processes, except as prohibited by federal, state, or City regulations.
PRETREATMENT REQUIREMENTS. Any substantive or procedural requirement related to pretreatment, other than a national pretreatment standard imposed on an industrial user.
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 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SANITARY SEWER. A sewer that causes liquid- and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions within a public right-of-way and operated and maintained by the City.
PUBLICLY-OWNED TREATMENT WORKS (POTW). A treatment works as defined by § 212 of the Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1292) which is owned, in this instance, by the City.
SERVICE LATERAL. A line between a house connection and the main public sanitary sewer constructed for the sole purpose of serving a particular building.
SEWAGE. The spent water of a community. The preferred term is WASTEWATER.
SEWER. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
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 fifteen (15) minutes more than five times the average twenty-four-hour (24) concentration or flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STORM DRAIN. Sometimes termed STORM SEWER, a drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water, or unpolluted water from any source.
SUPERINTENDENT. The Water Department Supervisor, the POTW Director, or any other person as may be appointed as Superintendent of these provisions by the City Manager, or the Superintendent’s authorized deputy, agent, or representative.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and that is removable by laboratory filtration as prescribed in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and referred to as nonfilterable residue.
TOXIC POLLUTANT. Any pollutant or combination of pollutants listed as toxic in any North Carolina law or regulation, or in regulations promulgated by the administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency under the provisions of the Clean Water Act or other Acts.
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 sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
WASTEWATER. The spent water of a community. From the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of the liquid- and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water, and storm water that may be present.
WASTEWATER FACILITIES. The structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, carry away, and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS. An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes, and sludge. Sometimes used as synonymous with WASTE TREATMENT PLANT or WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT or WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.
(1989 Code, § 16-19) (Ord. passed 8-23-1976; Ord. passed 10-22-1979; Ord. passed 10-14-1991; Ord. passed 3-22-1993)