(a) No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the office of the City Manager.
(b) There shall be a building sewer permit required for service connections made to the public sewer system. The owner or his or her agent shall make application on the special forms furnished by the city. The permit applications shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Public Utilities Director. A permit and inspection fee shall be as established and set forth in the fee schedule in Part One - Title Eleven, Chapter 205 of these codified ordinances. The amount of the fee shall be as set by ordinance from time to time. The building sewer permit shall be paid to the Finance Director at the time the application is filed.
(c) All costs and expense incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner or the person installing the building sewer for the owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation.
(Ord. 90-61, passed 5-14-1990)
(d) The drainage and plumbing system of each building and each dwelling unit shall have a separate and independent connection with the public sewer wherever possible. Where one building stands in the rear of another or an interior lot and no connection to a sewer is available or can be made through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building drain from the building on the front of the lot may be extended to the building on the rear of the lot. This may be considered as one building drain for permit and inspection purposes but for sewer service charge purposes the number of connections shall be based upon the number of dwelling units being operated.
(Ord. 90-85, passed 8-13-1990)
(e) Old building sewers may be used with new buildings only when they are found on examination and test by the Public Utilities Director to meet all requirements and specifications of this chapter.
(f) The building sewer shall be constructed of PVC, SDR 35, or other sewer pipe approved by the Public Utilities Director. If the building sewer is installed in filled or unstable soil it shall be laid on a suitable concrete bed or cradle as recommended by the Director.
(g) The size and slope of the building sewer from the building drain to the main public sewer shall be subject to the approval of the Public Utilities Director. In no case shall the diameter of the building sewer be less than four inches between the building drain and a point no further than three to five feet beyond the building foundation, and no less than six inches between that point and the main public sewer. The slope of the pipe shall not be less than one-fourth inch per foot unless otherwise approved by the Director. Proper reducer or increaser fitting shall be used between all changes of pipe sizes and materials so as to make a water and gas-tight joint in accordance with division (k) hereof.
(h) Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to or within three feet of any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from frost. The building sewer shall be laid at a uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. Changes in direction shall be made only with properly curved pipes and fittings.
(i) In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sewage carried by the drains shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer at the owner’s expense. The size and type of pumping application and force main shall be approved by the Public Utilities Director. No water-operated sewage ejector shall be used.
(j) All excavations required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the Public Utilities Director. Pipe laying and backfill shall be performed in accordance with ASTM C 12-58T specifications except as modified in these rules and regulations. No backfill shall be placed until the work has been inspected by the Director or his or her representative. Building sewers and water service branches or connections shall not be laid in the same trench.
(k) All joints and connections shall be made gas and water-tight. Joints shall be made with approved materials in accordance with ASTM recommendations and approved by the Public Utilities Director.
(l) (1) The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall use the six-inch wye branch as installed in the public sewer if the wye branch is available at a suitable location. If no wye branch is available or is not at a suitable location on the public sewer then the owner shall install, at his or her own expense, a six-inch wye branch in the public sewer at the location specified by the Public Utilities Director. In either case the cost of installation of the building sewer shall be at the sole expense of the owner.
(2) As an alternative, special fittings such as saddle hub tees may be used for the connection when approved by the Public Utilities Director. In this case, a neat hole may be cut in the public sewer to receive the saddle hub tee. The invert of the building sewer at the point of connection shall be at the same or at a higher elevation than the invert of the public sewer. A smooth neat joint shall be made between the saddle hub tee and the main public sewer and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete.
(m) The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Inspector when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Inspector or his or her representative.
(n) All excavations for building sewer installation 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 the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(Ord. 90-61, passed 5-14-1990)
Cross-reference:
Fee schedule, see § 205.01