§ 51.001 DEFINITIONS.
   For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
   BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20ºC, expressed in milligrams per liter.
   BUILDING DRAIN. That 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 sewers, beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
   BUILDING SEWER or HOUSE CONNECTION. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer system or other place of disposal.
   COMMISSION. The Utility Commission created by § 50.01.
   DIRECTOR. The person employed by the Utility Commission as Director of the entire municipal water and sewer systems, or his or her authorized deputy, agent or representative.
   EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
   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.
   INDUSTRIAL WASTES. The wastewater from industrial processes, trade or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
   NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
   OPERATOR. The operator of wastewater treatment works.
   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.
   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 in any dimension.
   PUBLIC SEWER SYSTEM. The common sewers pump stations, grinder pumps, pressure sewers and other appurtenances controlled by the Department.
   SANITARY SEWER. A sewer that carries liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions together with minor quantities of ground, storm and surface waters that are not admitted intentionally.
   SEWAGE. The spent water of a community. (The preferred term is WASTEWATER, defined below.)
   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 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration or flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection system or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
   STORM DRAIN or STORM SEWER. A drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water or unpolluted water from any source.
   SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Total suspended matter than 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 for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and referred to as nonfilterable residue.
   UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water of quality equal to or better than effluent criteria in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefitted by discharge to sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
   WASTEWATER. The spent water of a community. From the standard point 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 stormwater 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.
(Ord. 5-83, passed 3-21-1983; Ord. 4-2000, passed 6-5-2000)