Subd. 1. Prohibited connections. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, directly or indirectly, any storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage or cooling water to any sanitary sewer. Any person having a roof drain, sump pump, unauthorized swimming pool discharge, cistern overflow pipe or surface drain connected and/or discharging into the sanitary sewer shall disconnect and remove any piping or system conveying the water to the sanitary sewer system.
Subd. 2. Authority to inspect. Every person owning improved real estate that discharges into the city's sanitary sewer system shall either consent to inspection by authorized city employees or its agents, as deemed appropriate and authorized by the City Council, or by a plumber licensed by the state of all properties or structures connected to the sanitary sewer system to confirm there is no sump pump or other prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewer system. In the absence of consent for city inspection or of an inspection by a licensed plumber selected by the property owner, the city shall have authority to secure an administrative search warrant for inspection. The authority to conduct further inspections on a property under this section shall lapse upon a determination that the property is in compliance with the requirements of this section.
Subd. 3. Correction of violations. Any owner of any property found to be in violation of this section shall make the necessary changes to comply, following notification from the city, within 14 calendar days or be subject to the surcharge as provided in Subdivision 5 below.
Subd. 4. Discharge. Existing buildings with sump pumps and all newly constructed buildings with sumps shall have a discharge pipe installed to the outside wall of the building. The pipe attachment must be a rigid permanent-type plumbing such as PVC, copper or galvanized pipe. The discharge shall extend outside of the foundation and may not be pumped directly onto any public right-of-way unless approved by the Public Works Director or their designee. Any disconnects or openings in the sanitary sewer shall be closed and repaired in compliance with applicable codes.
Subd. 5. Surcharge. A surcharge set by an ordinance passed by the City Council is hereby imposed and shall be added to every utility billing to properties not in compliance with this chapter. The surcharge shall be added to every quarterly utility billing until the property is in compliance.
Subd. 6. Temporary waiver. The City Council, upon recommendation of the City Administrator/Clerk and City Engineer, shall hear and decide requests for temporary waivers from the provisions of this chapter where strict enforcement would cause a threat to public safety because of circumstances unique to the individual property under consideration. Any request for a temporary waiver shall be submitted to the City Administrator/Clerk in writing. Upon approval of a temporary waiver from the provisions of this chapter, the property owner shall agree to pay an additional fee for sanitary sewer services based on the number of gallons discharged into the sanitary sewer system as estimated by the City Engineer.
Subd. 7. Drainage. Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to the drainage facilities as are specifically designated by the City Engineer.
Subd. 8. Remedies. The imposition of the surcharge shall not limit the right of the city to seek an injunction in District Court ordering the person to disconnect the nonconforming connection to the sanitary sewer or from pursuing any other legal remedies available, or in the alternative, the city may correct the violation and certify the costs of correction as an assessment against the property on which the correction was made.
(1987 Code, § 904.09) (Ord. 277, passed 8-23-1993; Am. Ord. 347, passed 11-23-1998; Am. Ord. 447, passed 1-28-2008)