(A) General.
(1) This treatment work is primarily dependent and will use the equivalent user concept. The equivalent user system has been set up based on flow.
(2) A sewer user charge shall be levied on all users of the sewage collection and treatment facilities, to cover the actual or estimated cost of operation, maintenance, replacement and financing of this facility. The user charge system shall distribute these costs to each user or user class in approximate portion to such user’s contribution to the total wastewater load of such facilities.
(B) Basis for rates. The sewer user rates for each user (or user class) shall be based on the user’s contribution to the total wastewater loading of the treatment facilities in comparison to a standard equivalent user as defined below. Each user (or user class) shall be assigned an equivalent user number to be multiplied by a constant monthly factor to determine the basic user monthly rate. Special users contributing sewage of excessive flow and/or strength, for which the tabulated equivalent users below do not apply, shall be individually calculated as provided below. The constant monthly cost factor shall be set by resolution of the city.
(C) Equivalent user. One equivalent user shall be defined as contributing 210 gallons per day of wastewater containing not more than seven-tenths pounds of five-day BOD and five-tenths pounds of suspended solids. The equivalent user flow has been developed from population and sewage usage records which indicate an average single dwelling unit has three and five-tenths people contributing 70 gallons per day per person. Standard engineering data indicates two-tenths pounds of five-day BOD and 14 one-hundredths pounds of suspended solids respectively per person per day. The basic equivalent user shall be subject to revision if population, water usage, sewage volume and/or other information indicates flow and/or strength significantly different from that defined herein. Revisions of the basic equivalent user criteria shall normally only be made upon the recommendation of a registered professional engineer.
(D) Equivalent user schedule. The number of equivalent users to be assigned each user and/or user class shall be in accordance with the following equivalent user schedule. Assignment of equivalent users shall apply for one year until the next annual user charge review. Users so indicated or not included in this schedule shall be considered special users and shall be evaluated separately as sewage contributed by any of the following users is in excess in provided below. If the information indicates that the strength of comparison with the allowable limits listed above, then a surcharge shall be levied against such users as provided below. Any of the users in the following schedule may be classified as special users if information on their contribution flow and/or strength indicates a need to do so. A single user having more than one classification of use shall be the sum of the fees. The minimum monthly sewer user charge shall be one equivalent user.
Equivalent User Schedule (1.0 Minimum) | |
Classification | Equivalent Users |
Equivalent User Schedule (1.0 Minimum) | |
Classification | Equivalent Users |
Beauty shop/barber shop | 1.0 per business |
Bowling alley | 0.5 per alley |
Car washes | 1.0 per bay |
Churches | 1.0 church & parish |
plus | 1.0 gym |
Daycare/kindergarten | 0.0278 per student |
Duplex | 1.0 per unit |
Grade school | 0.034 per student |
Laundromats | 0.5 per machine |
Lodges and halls | 1.0 per 300 seats |
Lounges | 0.056 per seat |
Motel/hotel | 0.23 per room |
Multi-family with washer facilities | 1.0 per unit |
Multi-family without washer facilities | 0.67 per unit |
Permanent mobile home | 1.0 per unit |
Professional offices | 1.0 1-13 employees |
1.5 14-20 employees | |
2.0 21-26 employees | |
Recreational vehicle park | 0.13 per RV space |
Restaurants | |
3 meal/day | 0.17 per seat |
2 meal/day | 0.11 per seat |
1 meal/day | 0.056 per seat |
Retail-commercial | 1.0 1-15 employees |
1.5 16-22 employees | |
2.0 23-30 employees | |
Secondary school | 0.053 per student |
Single-family | 1.0 per house |
Theater | 0.02 per seats |
(1) Residential users. Single-family homes, duplexes, multi-family units, apartments, mobile home parks;
(2) Business and professional offices. Retail commercial, professional retail service;
(3) Commercial. Laundromats, service stations, restaurants, daycare, mortuary, hotels, motels and the like;
(4) Institutional. Churches, lodges, schools; and
(5) Industrial. Those producing a finished product which involves the disposing of a waste material to the sewage system.
(E) Surcharge for excessive strength. When any user contributes wastewater having an average BOD and/or suspended loading in excess of the designated allowable limits hereinafter designated, a surcharge shall be levied against such user. This surcharge shall be based on the average degree of excessive loading, and applied as a percentage of the basic user charge as provided in the above schedule, or otherwise for special users. The BOD and suspended solids loading shall be determined from estimates or tests made by city officials or its Public Works Superintendent. A copy of the list of users surcharged, the characteristics of their sewage and the surcharge for each shall be kept on file at all times in the office of the Clerk. The user’s monthly surcharge shall be computed by use of the following equation.
US = [(b/B)-1 + (s/S)-11 x(UMC)]
(1) US represents the user’s monthly surcharge to be added to the basic user’s monthly charge;
(2) UMC represents the basic user’s monthly charge (for treatment only) and shall not be less than one;
(3) b represents the average BOD loading above which is a user’s wastewater contribution, expressed in parts per million;
(4) B represents the allowable limit of BOD loading above which a user’s surcharge shall be levied, hereby designated as being 200 parts per million;
(5) s represents the average suspended solids loading of the user’s wastewater contribution, expressed in parts per million; and
(6) S represents the allowable limit of suspended solids loading above which a user’s surcharge shall be levied, hereby designated as being 140 parts per million.
(F) Special users. If, in addition to excessive strength, a user is determined to add flow to the wastewater treatment facilities in excess of 6,500 gallons per month, the above formula shall be increased by a factor of total flow divided by 6,500 gallons per month multiplied by one equivalent user. In order to determine the flow of this special user, the city may monitor sewage and water flow in order to determine total flow. The value of UMC used in the formula above will be the same value as assigned single dwelling units. A copy of the list of special users, the characteristics of their sewage and the special user’s monthly charge shall be kept on file at all times in the office of the Clerk.
(G) Review and revisions of rates. The sewer user charges shall, at a minimum, be reviewed annually and updated by resolution of the city to reflect actual costs of operation, maintenance, replacement and financing of the sewage collection and treatment facilities. Any revisions of the user charges shall be based on actual operation, maintenance, replacement and financing expenses, and/or on significant changes in the total number of equivalent users, the total daily flow, the total daily BOD, and/or the total suspended solids. The city may install flow measuring devices and/or collect wastewater samples at any time in any user’s service line to determine actual usage as a basis for revisions of the user’s charge. Revisions due only to changes in expenses and user class shall be made by the city. Revisions involving user’s flow, BOD and/or suspended solids shall normally only be made upon the recommendation of a registered professional engineer. All changes in user charges applicable to this chapter shall be computed by the methods outlined herein.
(H) User request for rate change. Any sewer user, who feels his or her user charge is unjust and inequitable as applied to his or her premises within the spirit and intent of the foregoing provisions, may make written application to the city requesting a review of the user charge. This written request shall, where necessary, show the actual or estimated average flow and strength of his or her wastewater in comparison with the values upon which the change is based, including how the measurements or estimates were made. Any flow measurements and/or testing of wastewater shall be approved in detail by the city and/or its Public Works Superintendent. Review of the request by the city shall determine if it is substantiated or not, including recommended further study of the matter for the city and/or user by a registered professional engineer.
(Prior Code, § 8-4-25) (Ord. 92-554, passed 10-21-1992)