(a) The town's overall operating philosophy for its sewer system starts with the uniqueness of the collection system itself. The system was installed prior to the flooding of the lake, and is located on the lakebed, with perimeter manholes on the lake shore to provide access for sewer customers. Therefore, the town's basic philosophy is that the town owns, operates and maintains this underwater sewer system up to and ending at the lake perimeter manholes. The town does own, operate and maintain some isolated sewer lines outside the lake, but these are very limited.
(b) In all cases, the town does not own, operate or maintain any sewer laterals or service lines beyond town- owned manholes. Laterals and service lines that serve one, two or several customers are the full responsibility of the customers being served. Costs for operation and maintenance of these laterals and service lines are the shared responsibility of the customers receiving sewer service. The town may get involved only as a facilitator between the regulatory authority and customer should a lateral or service line break or leak results in environmental damage or contamination to the lake.
(c) This article is adopted by the town in compliance with the terms and provisions of public funds used in the construction, installation, operation, maintenance and capital improvements of the town sewer system, and is intended to ensure beneficial service to users of such system, the prevention of abuse thereof, and a manner of equitably distributing the costs of services among the users thereof, recognizing that the physical facilities of the sewer system, including the trunk sewers, pump stations and force mains, the treatment plant and other support appurtenances are intended to transport, convey and treat domestic sanitary wastewater and compatible industrial wastewater to produce a treated wastewater and byproduct residuals which may be released into the environment without adverse environmental impact, all within the regulatory requirements of permits issued by the state for operation of the sewer system and WWTP.
(d) The objectives of this article and its elements are as follows:
(1) Elimination of uncontaminated water, groundwater and stormwater which do not require extensive treatment from the system.
(2) Elimination of waste which will damage the system, or cause excessive wear, rapid deterioration or depreciation or excessive maintenance thereof, or which will endanger the safety of maintenance workers or the general public by its presence, or which cannot be economically treated, and/or which will cause a malfunction or breakdown of the treatment process and result in the water effluent and byproduct sludge being an environmental hazard from the system.
(3) To ensure a fair allocation of the cost among the users of the system based upon voluntary contributions of wastewater of equal strength, recovery of capital cost contributions of public monies from industrial and commercial users of the system, and the imposition of a surcharge for loads of industrial or commercial wastewater which are higher in concentration than sanitary wastewater.
No statement contained in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between the town and other persons whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be admitted into the system.
(Code 1989, § 51.02)