A. Purpose: For the purpose of defraying the cost of construction, reconstruction, maintenance and operation of the city sewer system, there are hereby imposed the charges shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule upon all persons and premises receiving sewer collection and treatment services.
B. Definitions:
CUSTOMER CLASS: The classification or classifications applicable to each customer of the sewer system for purposes of calculating such customer's service charge under this chapter, based on the applicable range of the strength of such customer's waste discharge, as measured by BOD and TSS, as follows:
Customer Class | BOD (mg/l) | TSS (mg/l) |
Customer Class | BOD (mg/l) | TSS (mg/l) |
1 | <300 | <300 |
2 | 300 – 600 | 300 – 600 |
3 | 601 – 900 | 601 – 900 |
4 | 901 – 1,200 | 901 – 1,200 |
5 | 1,201 – 1,500 | 1,201 – 1,500 |
6 | 1,501 – 1,800 | 1,501 – 1,800 |
7 | >1,800 | >1,800 |
More than one class may apply to a customer at the same time. For example, a customer may be in class 2 for BOD, and in class 4 for TSS. The director shall assign class designations to customers based upon the nature of the facility owned or operated by the customer, and estimates based on sample measurements taken from similar facilities. Any customer may, at its expense, demonstrate that actual BOD or TSS discharges differ from the director's estimates, and the director shall assign such customer to a different class or classes, accordingly. Such actual measurements shall be conducted in accordance with procedures established by the director.
DUPLEX: A single building containing two (2) independent dwelling units.
DWELLING UNIT: A building or other structure or portion thereof, in which: 1) an individual resides as a separate housekeeping unit, or 2) a collective body of persons (doing their own cooking) resides as a separate housekeeping unit in a domestic bond based upon birth, marriage, domestic employment or other family relationship, as distinguished from a boarding house, lodging house, club, fraternity, motel or hotel.
MULTIPLE DWELLING: Any building or other structure, having four (4) or more dwelling units therein, including a mobile home park.
SERVICE CHARGE: The charge for sewer collection and treatment services levied on all users of the public sewer system, as calculated pursuant to this chapter.
SERVICE TO MULTIPLE BUILDINGS: Sewer service to multiple buildings shall be governed the same as section 17.16.200 of this title.
SINGLE DWELLING UNIT: A building containing one dwelling unit.
TRIPLEX: A single building containing three (3) independent dwelling units.
C. Sewer Charges:
1. a. Each sewer customer in classes 1 to 6 shall be charged a monthly service charge equal to the greater of: 1) the cumulative flow rate, BOD rate and TSS rate per one hundred (100) cubic feet of metered water usage during the winter period, as shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule, or 2) a minimum charge shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule. The average monthly water meter readings during the consecutive months of November, December, January, February and March (hereinafter "winter months"), shall be the basis for sewer billings for the twelve (12) month period beginning July 1 and ending June 30, immediately following such winter months.
b. Each customer in class 7 and all other classes that are monitored separately shall be charged a monthly service charge based on actual discharge strength. The flow component will be charged at a rate shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule per one hundred (100) cubic feet of metered water used during the billing period. The charges for COD, BOD and TSS will be billed on actual pounds of discharge as shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule.
Either a BOD or COD charge will be assessed, but not both. When there is an unexplained difference between the two (2) test results of COD and BOD the higher of the two will be used. Nothing in this section shall authorize discharges in excess of the maximum local limit concentrations established by the director pursuant to section 17.36.090 of this title.
c. In cases where little or no water is used during one or more of the winter months, such that the average metered usage during such winter months cannot be reasonably assumed to reflect typical monthly usage for an account, the director may use other consumptive information specific to such account to determine average monthly minimum usage for sewer billing purposes.
d. Meter readings for sewer billing purposes shall only include meters which measure water entering the sewer system.
e. In the case of sewer users whose water usage is based in whole or in part on water sources other than the city, the city may require installation of a city approved meter, at the sewer user's expense, on the well(s) or other sources of water supply, for measurement by the city during the winter months to determine the sewer user's water use during the winter months.
f. For each single-family dwelling sewer user using water other than city water and desiring not to install a water meter as provided above, the director may waive the meter requirement, in which event the user will be charged for sewer service as provided in subsection E of this section.
D. Metering Of Sewage Flows:
1. Meters will be allowed in sewer lines when the user is permitted or required by the director to have the sewage flow subject to the following requirements:
a. The charges for sewer service will be based upon the actual sewer meter readings rather than upon the average of said winter readings.
b. The user will furnish, install and maintain at user's expense a meter pursuant to the city's standards and specifications.
E. New Sewer Accounts:
1. For new sewer accounts, until the data required by subsection C1a of this section is available the monthly sewer rates shall be as shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule.
a. For class 7 customers, new accounts shall be treated in the same manner as established accounts under subsection C1b of this section.
F. Service Charge Adjustment:
1. The director may provide for adjustments as needed to ensure equitable service charges. Such adjustments may be made where excessive quantities of culinary water pass through the water meter, but are consumed on the premises and do not enter the sewer system. In each such instance, the user will have the burden of providing evidence of such inequities by showing that the quantity of water not entering the sewer, but passing through the meter, exceeds twenty percent (20%) of the total flow in order to merit such consideration by the director. Each such adjustment proposed to be made by the director shall first be presented to the public utilities advisory committee for review and recommendation, following which review and recommendation the director shall make a final determination.
2. Additionally, the director may make adjustments under the following conditions due to faulty inside plumbing. All adjustments will be determined by prior usage. When the charge is not based on preceding usage and has not been established on winter average the charge will be determined as outlined in this section or its successor.
a. When defective plumbing has caused the average winter water consumption to exceed the previous year's average by twenty five percent (25%) or more, there may be an adjustment made based on prior usage. The customer must provide to the director evidence that plumbing repairs were made within thirty (30) days of notification from the city. Such evidence may be in the form of a statement detailing the repairs made and the date of completion. The adjustment shall be made following the determination by the director that the repairs have resulted in decreased water consumption.
b. In the event of a customer's unexplainable large increase in water consumption during the months of November through March of any year, the director may make adjustments to any account when there has been a twenty five percent (25%) increase or more in usage during the winter months. Any adjustment may be made only after an in depth review of the account has been completed, and based solely on the merits of each individual request, and the circumstances surrounding the request.
c. The director may make adjustments to the account of a single- family residence, if the user or a user's tenant who has also signed the agreement for water service has temporary additional (2 or more) people living at the residence during all or part of the "winter meter readings" period and it has caused the average winter water consumption to exceed the previous year's average by twenty five percent (25%) or more. Such adjustment may be made by using the following guidelines:
(1) For one month or less, no adjustment will be allowed;
(2) For more than one month to twelve (12) months, the charge will be based on the new average winter water use for the number of months said additional people were in the residence;
(3) For all months following the period when said additional people are not in the residence, the charge will be based upon the previous year's established average use, or the fee shall be as outlined in subsection F2d of this section, or its successor subsection.
d. All adjustments will be determined by the sewer charge of the preceding year. When the charge for the preceding year is not established on winter average, the charge will be determined as outlined in subsection F2c of this section, or its successor subsection.
G. Sewer Service Fees: The director shall charge and the city shall collect the fees shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule.
1. Special industrial and commercial uses, including car washes, laundromats, etc., as determined by the city's public utilities director, shall be charged the fee shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule per equivalent fixture unit, as specified in the uniform plumbing code.
2. Connection fees on property with prior development:
a. When a residential building is demolished and the existing lateral is used for the same property, there is no new sewer connection fee for the property when residential use or building type is same as prior to demolition. After five (5) years from date of demolition no credit will be given for prior sewer connection fees. After five (5) years from demolition the property owner will be required to pay all connection fees.
b. When a commercial building such as a hotel, motel, industrial building, etc., is demolished the sewer fee shall be based and charged on new additional use pursuant to the applicable fee shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule. After five (5) years from date of demolition no credit will be given for prior sewer connection fees. After five (5) years from demolition the property owner will be required to pay all connection fees required by the city.
3. Temporary sewer connections may only be made by approval of the director. Temporary connections cannot exceed twenty four (24) months. The fee for each temporary connection shall be shown on the Salt Lake City consolidated fee schedule. All other applicable fees will be effective for temporary connections. (Ord. 24-11, 2011)