For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ACT. The Clean Water Act, being U.S.C. §§ 1251 et seq.
APPLICABLE PRETREATMENT STANDARD. Any pretreatment limit or prohibitive standard (federal and/or local) contained in this chapter deemed to be the most restrictive.
APPROVAL AUTHORITY. The City Manager in a NPDES state with an approved state pretreatment program and the administrator of the EPA in a non-NPDES state or NPDES state without an approved state pretreatment program.
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE OF INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGER. An authorized representative of an industrial discharger and may be a:
(1) Principal executive officer of at least the level of vice-president, if the industrial discharger is a corporation;
(2) General partner or proprietor if the industrial discharger is a partnership or proprietorship, respectively; or
(3) Duly authorized representative of the individual designated above if such representative is responsible for the overall operation of the facilities from which the indirect discharge originates.
AVERAGE MONTHLY DISCHARGE LIMITATION. The highest allowable average of daily discharges over a calendar month, calculated as the sum of all daily discharges measured during a calendar month divided by the number of daily discharges measured during that month.
AVERAGE WEEKLY DISCHARGE LIMITATION. The highest allowable average of daily discharges over a calendar week, calculated as the sum of all daily discharges, measured during a calendar week divided by the number of daily discharges measured during that week.
BENEFICIAL USES. Includes, but are not limited to, domestic, municipal, agricultural and industrial use; power generation; recreation; aesthetic enjoyment; navigation; and the preservation and enhancement of fish, wildlife and other aquatic resources or reserves, and other uses, either tangible or intangible, as specified by state or federal law.
BOD. Biochemical oxygen demand. See division (1) under the definition for POLLUTANT PARAMETERS.
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 which shall begin three feet 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.
CAPITAL REPLACEMENT. The expenditure of funds specifically to replace deteriorated infrastructure, buildings, pumping stations, vehicles and the like to assure continued efficient operation of the wastewater collection, conveyance and treatment system.
CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS. National pretreatment standards specifying quantities or concentrations of pollutants or pollutant properties which may be discharged or introduced into a sewer system by specific industrial dischargers.
CITY MANAGER. The City Manager of the city, or his or her authorized deputy, agent or representative. The terms DIRECTOR or MANAGER shall mean CITY MANAGER.
COMBINED SEWER. A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
COMMERCIAL USER. Retail or wholesale business establishments which discharge waste into the sewage system.
COMPOSITE SAMPLE. Should contain a minimum of eight discrete samples taken at equal time intervals over the compositing period or proportional to the flow rate over the compositing period. More than the minimum number of discrete samples will be required where the wastewater loading is highly variable.
COOLING WATER. The water discharged from any system of condensation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration or other such system, but which shall be free from odor and oil. It shall contain no polluting substances which produce BOD or suspended solids each in excess of ten part per million by weight.
DAILY DISCHARGE. Discharge of a pollutant measured during a calendar day or any 24-hour period that reasonably represents the calendar for purposes of sampling.
DEBT SERVICE. The portion of the billing directly attributed to the payment of principle and interest on accumulated debt.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right of the specific use of land owned by others.
EPA or U.S. EPA. The United States Environmental Protection Agency, or, where appropriate, the term may also be used as a designation for the administrator or other duly authorized official of said agency.
GARBAGE. Any solid wastes from the preparation, cooking or dispensing of food and from handling, storage or sale of produce.
GROUND (SHREDDED) GARBAGE. Garbage that is shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely in suspension under the conditions normally prevailing in the sewerage system, with no particle being greater than one-half inch in dimension.
GOVERNMENTAL. All users that are under the direct control of city, township, county or state agencies.
GRAB SAMPLE. A sample which is taken from a waste stream on a one-time basis with no regard to the flow in the waste stream and without consideration of time.
INDIRECT DISCHARGE. The discharge or the introduction of non-domestic pollutants from a source regulated under § 307(b) or (c) of the Act, being 33 U.S.C. §§ 1317(b) or (c), into a treatment works.
INDUSTRIAL DISCHARGER. Any nonresidential user who discharges an industrial waste into a treatment works by means of pipes, conduits, pumping stations, force mains, constructed drainage ditches, surface water intercepting ditches and all constructed devices and appliances appurtenant thereto.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. Solid, liquid or gaseous waste resulting from any industrial, manufacturing, trade or business process or from the development recovery or processing of natural resources.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE PERMIT. A permit to deposit or discharge industrial waste into any sanitary sewer as issued by the treatment works.
INFLUENT. The water, together with any waste that maybe present, flowing into a drain, sewer, receptacle or outlet.
INSTITUTIONAL. The user class defined as schools, hospitals, churches, nursing home and the like.
INTERFERENCE. The inhibition or disruption of a treatment work’s sewer system, treatment processes or operations which may contribute to a violation of any requirement of its NPDES permit.
MAJOR CONTRIBUTOR. A contributor that:
(1) Has a flow of more than 25,000 gallons per average workday;
(2) Has in its waste a toxic pollutant in toxic amounts, as defined in § 307 of the federal Act, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317;
(3) Has a flow greater than 5% of the flow carried by the municipal system receiving the waste;
(4) Has in its waste toxic pollutants, as defined pursuant to § 307 of the Act or state statutes and rules; or
(5) Is found by the city, state or the U.S. EPA to have significant impact, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, on the wastewater treatment system, the quality of sludge, the system’s effluent quality or air emissions generated by the system.
MAXIMUM DAILY DISCHARGE LIMITATIONS. The highest allowable daily discharge.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
NEW SOURCE. Any source, the construction of which is commenced after the publication of proposed regulations prescribing a § 307(c) (33 U.S.C. § 1317) categorical pretreatment standard, which will be applicable to such source, if such standard is thereafter promulgated within 120 days of proposal in the federal register. Where the standard is promulgated later than 120 days after proposal, a NEW SOURCE means any source, the construction of which is commenced after the date of promulgation of the standard.
NORMAL DOMESTIC SEWAGE. Wastewater of strength and characteristics as that discharged by average residential users of the system, and determined to be not higher than 200 mg/l (milligrams per liter) for biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) and 250 mg/l (milligrams per liter) for suspended solids (SS).
NPDES. National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit program, as administered by the U.S. EPA or state.
O&M. Operation and maintenance.
OM&R. Operation, maintenance and replacement
OM&R COSTS. Those costs directly related to the operation, maintenance and replacement of the treatment plant, collection system and conveyance of wastewater. Includes those items such as utilities, equipment repair and component replacement, personnel costs and laboratory expenses.
OTHER WASTES. Decayed wood, sawdust, shavings, bark, lime, refuse, ashes, garbage, offal, tar, chemicals and all other substances except sewage and industrial wastes.
PERSON. Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group.
pH. See division (8) under the definition for POLLUTANT PARAMETERS.
POLLUTANT. Any substance discharged into a treatment works or its collection system or any substance which, upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism, will cause adverse effects such as cancer, genetic mutations or physiological manifestations, as defined in standards issued pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(a).
POLLUTANT PARAMETERS. Includes the following:
(1) BOD (BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND). The quantity of dissolved oxygen in milligrams per liter required during stabilization of the decomposable organic matter by aerobic biochemical action under standard laboratory procedures for five days at 20°C. The laboratory determinations shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in Standard Methods;
(2) COD (CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND). A measure of the oxygen equivalent of that portion of the organic matter in a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant. The laboratory determination shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in Standard Methods;
(3) FECAL COLIFORM. Any of a number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of humans and animals, whose presence in sanitary sewage is an indicator of pollution;
(4) FLOATABLE OIL. Oil, fat or grease in a physical state, such that will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility;
(5) GREASE AND OIL. A group of substances including hydrocarbons, fatty acids, soaps, fats, waxes, oils or any other material that is extracted by a solvent from an acidified sample and that is not volatilized during the laboratory test procedures. GREASES AND OILS are defined by the method of their determination in accordance with Standard Methods;
(6) GREASE AND OIL OF ANIMAL AND VEGETABLE ORIGIN. Substances that are of less readily biodegradable nature such as are discharged by meat packing, vegetable oil and fat industries, food processors, canneries and restaurants;
(7) GREASE AND OIL OF MINERAL ORIGIN. Substances that are less readily degradable than grease and oil of animal or vegetable origin; and are derived from a petroleum source. Such substances include machinery lubricating oils, gasoline station waste, petroleum refinery wastes and storage depot wastes;
(8) pH. The logarithm (to the base 10) of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration of a solution expressed in gram atoms per liter of solution;
(9) SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Solids which either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquid and which are removable by laboratory filtration. Their concentration shall be expressed in milligrams per liter. Quantitative determination shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in Standard Methods;
(10) TOTAL SOLIDS. The sum of suspended and dissolved solids;
(11) VOLATILE ORGANIC MATTER. The material in the sewage solids transformed to gases or vapors when heated at 550°C for 15 to 20 minutes; and
(12) Any other pollutant parameter deemed appropriate.
POLLUTION. An alteration of the quality of the waters of the state by waste to a degree which unreasonably affects such waters for beneficial uses or facilities which serve such beneficial uses. The human-made or human-induced alteration of the chemical, physical, biological and radiological integrity of water.
PRETREATMENT. 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 such pollutants into a sewer system.
PRETREATMENT REQUIREMENTS. Any substantive or procedural requirement related to pretreatment, other than a national pretreatment standard imposed on an industrial discharger.
PRETREATMENT STANDARD or NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARD. Any regulation containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated by the EPA in accordance with § 307 (b) and (c) of the Act (being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(b) and (c)) which applies to a specific category of industrial dischargers.
PUBLIC SEWER. A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights and which is controlled by public authority.
RECEIVING STREAM. The watercourse, stream or body of water receiving the waters finally discharged from the wastewater treatment plant.
REPLACEMENT. The installation of a component of the treatment, collection or conveyance system which had been previously installed and which has fulfilled its useful life expectancy.
RESIDENTIAL USER. A principal family residence or habitation identified as a single-family, multi-family, apartment or mobile home that discharges no greater than normal domestic strength waste into the sewerage system.
SANITARY SEWAGE. A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface and storm waters as may be present.
SANITARY SEWER. A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE. Water-carried wastes or a combination of water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, storm or other waters as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT. Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS. All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage.
SEWER. Any pipe, conduit, ditch or other device used to collect and transport sewage or storm water from the generating source.
SEWER SERVICE CHARGE. The total amount billed to users for wastewater treatment service. It consists of a user charge (for operation, maintenance and replacement, (OM&R)), debt service/capital improvements charge, surcharges for extra strength wastes (greater than normal domestic strength) and any other miscellaneous charges.
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN. A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.
SLUDGE. Any solid, semi-solid or liquid waste generated from a municipal, commercial or industrial wastewater treatment plant, water supply treatment plant or air pollution control facility or any other waste having similar characteristics and effects, as defined in standards issued under §§ 402 and 405 of the federal Act, being 33 U.S.C. §§ 1342 and 1345, and in the applicable requirements under §§ 3001, 3004 and 4004 of the Solid Waste Disposal Act, being 42 U.S.C. §§ 1342 and 1345.
SLUGLOAD. Any substance released in a discharge at a rate and/or concentration which causes interference to a POTW.
STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION (SIC). A classification pursuant to the Standard Industrial Classification Manual issued by the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, 1972.
STANDARD METHODS. The laboratory procedures set forth in the latest edition, at the time of analysis, of “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater”, prepared and published jointly by the American Public Heath Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Pollution Control Federation.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS. See division (9) under the definition for POLLUTANT PARAMETERS.
TREATMENT WORKS. Any sewage treatment works and the sewers and conveyance appurtenances discharging thereto, owned and operated by the city.
TOXIC AMOUNT. Concentrations of any pollutant or combination of pollutants which upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism will cause adverse effects such as cancer, genetic mutations and physiological manifestations, as defined in standards issued pursuant to § 307(a) of the Act, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(a).
TOXIC POLLUTANT. Those substances referred to in § 307(a) of the Act, being 33 U.S.C. § 1317(a), as well as any other known potential substances capable of producing toxic effects.
UNPOLLUTED WATER OR WASTE. Any water or waste containing none of the following: free or emulsified grease or oil; acid or alkali, phenols or other substance imparting tastes and odors in receiving waters; toxic or poisonous substances in suspension, colloidal state or solution; and noxious odors or gases. It shall not contain more than 10,000 parts per million by weight of dissolved solids, of which not more than 2,500 parts per million shall be as chloride, with permissible volume subject to review by the city and not more than ten parts per million each of suspended solids and BOD. Color shall not exceed 50 parts per million.
UPSET. An exceptional incident in which an industrial discharger unintentionally and temporarily is in a state of noncompliance with the standards set forth due to factors beyond the reasonable control of the industrial discharger, and excluding noncompliance to the extent caused by operational error, improperly designed treatment facilities, inadequate treatment facilities, lack of preventive maintenance or careless or improper operation thereof.
U.S.C. United States Code.
USER. Any person that discharges, causes or permits the discharge of wastewater into the sewerage system.
USER CHARGES. The proportionate share, paid by the individual user, of all costs associated with operation, maintenance and replacement of the wastewater system.
WASTEWATER. Industrial waste or sewage, or any other waste including that which may be combined with any groundwater, surface water or storm water, that may be discharged to the sewer system.
WASTEWATER CONSTITUENTS AND CHARACTERISTICS. The individual chemical, physical, bacteriological and radiological parameters, including volume, flow rate and such other parameters that serve to define, classify or measure the contents, quality, quantity and strength of wastewater.
WATERCOURSE. A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
(Prior Code, § 5.04.41)