For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
BOD or BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND. The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in five days at 20°C, expressed as milligrams per liter (mg/l). Quantitative determination of BOD shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in Standard Methods.
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.
BUILDING SEWER. A sanitary sewer which begins immediately outside of the foundation wall of any building or structure being served, and ends at its connection to the public sewer.
CATEGORY A. The sanitary users who discharge normal domestic strength wastewater with concentrations of BOD no greater than 200 mg/l, suspended solids no greater than 300 mg/l and nitrogen no greater than 45 mg/l.
CATEGORY B. The sanitary sewer users who discharge wastewater with concentrations in excess of 200 mg/l of BOD, 300 mg/l suspended solids or 45 mg/l nitrogen. Users whose wastewater exceeds the concentration for any one of these parameters shall be in CATEGORY B.
CHLORINE REQUIREMENT. The amount of chlorine, in mg/l, which must be added to sewage to produce a residual chlorine as specified in the National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit.
COMBINED SEWER. A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and storm or surface water.
COMMERCIAL USER. Any place of business which discharges sanitary waste as distinct from industrial wastewater.
COMPATIBLE POLLUTANTS. BOD, suspended solids, phosphorus, nitrogen, pH or fecal coliform bacteria, plus additional pollutants identified in the city’s NPDES permit for its wastewater treatment facility; provided that, this facility is designed to treat these additional pollutants and, in fact, does remove these pollutants to a substantial degree.
DEBT SERVICE CHARGE. A charge levied on users of wastewater treatment facilities for the cost of repaying money bonded to construct those facilities.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specified use of land owned by others.
FIXED CHARGE. A charge levied on users of the treatment works for those costs attributable to administration of the wastewater treatment works (i.e., billing and associated bookkeeping and accounting costs) and for one-half of the total debt service attributable to sewer rehabilitation.
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. Wastewater shall be considered free of FLOATABLE OIL if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.
GOVERNMENTAL OR PUBLIC USER. Users which are units, agencies or instrumentalities of federal, state or local government discharging normal domestic strength wastewater.
GROUND GARBAGE. The residue from the preparation, cooking, dispensing, handling, storage and sale of food products and produce that has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely in suspension under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension.
INCOMPATIBLE POLLUTANTS. Wastewater with pollutants that will adversely affect the wastewater treatment facilities or disrupt the quality of wastewater treatment if discharged to the wastewater treatment facilities.
INDUSTRIAL USERS or INDUSTRIES. Includes:
(1) Entities that discharge into a publicly owned wastewater treatment works, liquid wastes resulting from the processes employed in industrial or manufacturing processes, or from the development of any natural resources. These are identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemental under one of the following divisions: Division A: Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; Division B: Mining; Division D: Manufacturing; Division E: Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas and Sanitary Sewers; or Division I: Services. For the purpose of this definition, domestic waste shall be considered to have the following characteristics:
(a) BOD no greater than 200 mg/l;
(b) Suspended solids no greater than 300 mg/l; and
(c) Nitrogen no greater than 45 mg/l.
(2) Any non-governmental user of a publicly owned treatment works which discharges wastewater to the treatment works which contains toxic pollutants or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in sufficient quantity either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to contaminate the sludge of any municipal systems, or to injure or to interfere with any sewage treatment process, or which constitutes a hazard to humans or animals, creates a public nuisance, or creates any hazard in or has an adverse effect on the waters receiving any discharge from the treatment works.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance discharged or escaping from any industrial, manufacturing or commercial establishment. The term includes any wastewater which is not sanitary sewage.
INFILTRATION. Water entering the sewage system (including building drains and pipes) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections and manhole walls.
INFILTRATION/INFLOW or I-I. The total quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow.
INFLOW. Water other than wastewater that enters a sewer system (including building drains) from sources such as, but not limited to, roof leaders, cellar drains, yard and area drains, foundation drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross-connections from storm sewers, catch basins, surface runoff, street wash waters or drainage.
INSTITUTIONAL USER. A user other than commercial, governmental, industrial or residential users, discharging primarily normal domestic strength wastewater (e.g., non-profit organizations).
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM OR NPDES PERMIT. A document issued by the state which establishes effluent limitations and monitoring requirements for the municipal wastewater treatment facility.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface water or ground water.
NITROGEN. Kjeldahl nitrogen, which is the sum of organic nitrogen and ammonia nitrogen.
NORMAL DOMESTIC STRENGTH WASTEWATER. Wastewater with concentrations of BOD no greater than 200 mg/l, suspended solids no greater than 300 mg/l and nitrogen no greater than 45 mg/l.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS. Includes all costs required to provide for the dependable and economical functioning of the treatment facilities throughout the design or useful life, whichever is longer, of the treatment facilities, and at the level or performance for which the treatment facilities were designed and constructed. OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE includes replacement. These costs shall be determined from time to time by the city.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal 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.
PHOSPHORUS. Total phosphorus, expressed in mg/l of P (phosphorus).
PUBLIC SEWER. Any publicly owned sewer, storm drain, sanitary sewer or combined sewer.
REPLACEMENT COSTS. Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the design or useful life (whichever is longer) of the wastewater treatment facility to maintain the capacity and performance for which those facilities were designed and constructed. Operation and maintenance costs include REPLACEMENT COSTS.
RESIDENTIAL USER. A user of the treatment facilities whose premises or building is used primarily as a residence for one or more persons, including dwelling units such as detached and semi-detached housing, apartments and mobile homes; and which discharges primarily normal domestic strength sanitary wastes.
SANITARY SEWAGE. A combination of liquid and water-carried wastes discharged from toilets and/or sanitary plumbing facilities.
SANITARY SEWER. A sewer that carries sewage or wastewater.
SEWAGE. The spent water of a person or community. The preferred term is WASTEWATER.
SEWER. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. A charge levied on users of the wastewater treatment facilities for payment of operation and maintenance expenses, debt service costs and other expenses or obligations of those facilities.
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 15 minutes, more than five times the average 24-hour concentration of flows during normal operation or adversely affects the collection system or performance of the wastewater treatment facility.
STANDARD METHODS. The examination and analytical procedures set forth in the most recent edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation.
STORM SEWER OR DRAIN. A drain or sewer for conveying water, ground water, subsurface water or unpolluted water from any source.
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 filtering as prescribed in Standard Methods, and referred to as NON-FILTERABLE RESIDUE.
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water quality equal to or better than the effluent of the wastewater treatment facilities 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.
USER CHARGE. A charge levied on users of a treatment works for the user’s proportionate share of the cost of operation and maintenance, including replacement.
WASTEWATER. The spent water of a community or person. 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 ground water, surface water and storm water that may be present.
WASTEWATER COLLECTION FACILITIES or WASTEWATER COLLECTION SYSTEM. The structures and equipment required to collect and carry wastewater.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY. An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater and sludge. Also referred to as WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.
(2004 Code, § 53.001) (Ord. 781, passed 7-19-1988)