(A) Any new connection(s) to the sanitary sewer system shall be prohibited unless sufficient capacity is available in all downstream facilities, including, but not limited to, capacity for flow, BOD5, and suspended solids, as determined by the Utilities Superintendent or his or her representative.
(B) No unauthorized person(s) shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city.
(C) Applications for permits shall be made by the master plumber employed to do the work and shall state the location, name of owner, street number of the building to be connected, and how occupied. No person shall extend any private building drain beyond the limits of the building or property for which the service connection permit has been given.
(D) There shall be 2 classes of building sewer permits: for residential and commercial service; and for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In either case, the application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or any other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the city. The industry, as a condition of permit authorization, must provide information describing its wastewater constituents, characteristics, and type of activity.
(E) All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner(s). The owner(s) shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may be directly or indirectly occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(F) For every new attached or detached residential dwelling unit constructed, an individual sewer service shall be installed for each dwelling unit. Multi-family rental apartment buildings are not subject to this provision.
(G) Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and tests by the Utilities Superintendent or his or her representative, to meet all requirements of this section.
(H) The size, slopes, alignment, materials or construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing, and backfilling of the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the State of Minnesota Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city. In the absence of code provisions or in the application thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.
(I) Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
(J) (1) It is unlawful to discharge storm water or other unpolluted drainage anywhere other than a specifically designed storm sewer or a natural outlet approved by the city and other regulatory agencies. No person(s) shall make connection of roof down spouts, foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface runoff or ground water to a building sewer or indirectly to the waste water disposal system.
(2) Any property owner in violation of this section and upon receiving notice of said violation shall disconnect the conductor from the sanitary sewer system by September 1, 1998.
(3) Any property owner in violation of this section after September 1, 1998, shall be assessed a monthly surcharge, the amount of which will be established by resolution of the City Council, for each month that the conductor is not permanently disconnected. Failure to permanently disconnect the conductor or reconnection of a disconnected conductor may result in the suspension of water and sanitary sewer service.
(4) Prior to the change in ownership of any building within the city, the seller shall disclose to the buyer, in writing, whether or not the property is in compliance with the provisions of this chapter. The seller shall also provide a copy of said disclosure to the city within 5 days of the date of sale of the property.
(5) Any property found where a reconnection of a disconnected conductor has occurred shall be assessed a surcharge of $100 per month. The surcharge shall be calculated from the date of inspection until disconnection has been reestablished. Failure to permanently disconnect the conductor shall result in the suspension of water and sanitary sewer service.
(K) The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the State of Minnesota Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and the WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight and verified by proper testing to prevent the inclusion of infiltration/inflow. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the city prior to installation.
(L) The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the city when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection and inspection shall be made under the supervision of the Utilities Superintendent or his or her representative.
(M) All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways, and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(N) No person shall make a service connection to any public sewer unless that person is a licensed master plumber in accordance with the State of Minnesota Plumbing Code or a plumber under the direct supervision of a master plumber. A plumbing permit shall be obtained from the city for all service connections.
(O) A tracer wire shall be installed on all non-conductive sewer lines when installing a new sewer service or modifying an existing sewer line. Tracer wires shall conform to the following requirements:
(1) Twelve gauge minimum solid copper wire coated for underground use. The coating shall be green in color.
(2) The tracer wire shall be laid in the trench alongside the sewer line. If splicing is necessary, a direct bury connection is required.
(3) The tracer wire shall daylight at the point of entry at the foundation of the building through PVC conduit and a blank box as a future contact point to locate the service line.
(4) Tracer wire shall be installed on new sewer main installations in a manner approved by the city.
(5) Tracer wire shall be tested for continuity. If the tracer wire is found to be not continuous, it must be repaired or replaced.
(Ord. 72, passed 3-3-1986) (Am. Ord. 159, passed 3-17-1997; Am. Ord. 63, 4th series, passed 1-5-2015; Am. Ord. 125, 4th series, passed 2-18-2020)