CHAPTER 2: SEWER USE REGULATIONS
Section
General Provisions
9-2-1 Definitions
9-2-2 Use of public sewers
9-2-3 RESERVED
9-2-4 Sanitary sewers, building sewers, and connections
9-2-5 Prohibited discharges; public sewer use restrictions
9-2-6 Powers and authority of inspectors
9-2-7 Penalties
Sewer Connections
9-2A-1 Permit required
9-2A-2 Application for permit; issuance
9-2A-3 List of fees
9-2A-4 Cost of material and labor borne by permittee
9-2A-5 Unpaid charges; turnoff fee
9-2A-6 Extension of sewer mains; procedure
9-2A-7 Sewer service outside town limits; permit; charges
Sewer Service Charges
9-2B-1 Purpose
9-2B-2 Total annual cost of operation and maintenance
9-2B-3 User’s wastewater contribution percentage
9-2B-4 Surcharge system for users within nonresidential high strength BOD and SS
9-2B-5 User’s wastewater service charge
9-2B-6 Payment of user’s wastewater service charge and penalties
9-2B-7 Review of each user’s service charge
9-2B-8 Sewer usage fees
9-2B-9 Late payment charges
GENERAL PROVISIONS
For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20°C, expressed in milligrams per liter.
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, beginning 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, also called house connection.
COMBINED SEWER. A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and storm or surface water.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
FLOATABLE OIL. Oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. A wastewater shall be considered free of FLOATABLE FAT if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.
GARBAGE. The animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and serving of foods.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES. The wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
MAY. Is permissive.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or ground water.
PERSON. Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation, or group.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration. The CONCENTRATION is the weight of hydrogen ions, in grams, per liter of solution. Neutral water, for example, has a pH value of 7 and a hydrogen ion concentration of 10.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions prevailing in public sewers, with no particles greater than one-half inch (1.27 cm) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER. A common sewer controlled by a governmental agency or public utility.
SANITARY SEWER. A sewer that carries liquid and water carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions together with minor quantities of ground, storm, and surface waters that are not admitted intentionally.
SEWAGE. The spent water of a community. The preferred term is WASTEWATER. (See definition of WASTEWATER.)
SEWER. A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
SHALL. Is mandatory.
SLUG. Any discharge of water or wastewater which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration of flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STORM DRAIN. A drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water, or unpolluted water from any source. Sometimes termed STORM SEWER.
SUPERINTENDENT. The superintendent of wastewater facilities of the town, or his or her authorized deputy, agent, or representative.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS. Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and that is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and referred to as NONFILTERABLE RESIDUE.
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
WASTEWATER. The spent water of a community. From the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of the liquid and water carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water, and stormwater that may be present.
WASTEWATER FACILITIES. The structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, carry away, and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS. An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes, and sludge. Sometimes used as synonymous with WASTE TREATMENT PLANT or WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT or WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.
(Prior Code, § 9-2-1)
(A) Deposits of garbage, other objectionable waste. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in an unsanitary manner on public or private property within the town, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the town, any human or animal excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste.
(B) Sewage wastes discharged to natural outlet. It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the town, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the town, any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this chapter.
(C) Septic tanks or privy vaults. Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any permanent privy, permanent privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of wastewater.
(D) Connection to public sewer when available. The owners of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, situated within the town and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary or combined sewer of the town within 100 feet of the lot property line, is required at the owner’s expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, within 30 days after date of official notice to do so.
(Prior Code, § 9-2-2) Penalty, see § 9-2-7
(A) Permit required. No authorized persons 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 Council.
(B) Classes of permits; fees.
(1) There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: for residential and commercial service; and for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In either case, the owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the town. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, or other information pertinent in the judgment of the Council.
(2) A fee for a sewer permit for residential, commercial, or industrial building shall be paid to the town at the time the application is filed. Said fees for the tap and inspection shall be set by the Town Council by resolution.
(C) Responsibility for costs; indemnify town against loss or damage. All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owners. The owners shall indemnify the town from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(D) Separate building sewers; exception. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard, or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer, but the town does not and will not assume any obligation or responsibility for damage caused by or resulting from any such single connection aforementioned.
(E) Use of old building sewers. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the superintendent, to meet all requirements of this chapter.
(F) Compliance with building and plumbing codes, other standards. The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of all sanitary sewers, including building sewers, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of pipe, jointing, testing, and backfilling the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the town. In the absence of suitable code provisions or in amplification thereof, the material and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.
(G) Elevation of building drain. 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.
(H) Groundwater or surface water runoff. No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface runoff or ground water to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer unless such connection is approved by the town for purposes of disposal of polluted surface drainage.
(I) Connection of building sewer into public sewer. The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the town, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight and verified by proper testing. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the town before installation.
(J) Notice to town for inspection and connection. The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection and testing shall be made under the supervision of a licensed civil engineer at the expense of the applicant.
(K) Restoration of excavations. 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 town at the applicant’s expense.
(Prior Code, § 9-2-4) (Ord. 2024-01, passed 4-4-2024) Penalty, see § 9-2-7
(A) Unpolluted water; surface drainage. No persons shall discharge or cause to be discharged any unpolluted water such as stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, or cooling water to any sewer, except stormwater runoff from limited areas, which stormwater may be polluted at times, may be discharged to the sanitary sewer by permission of the town.
(B) Discharges to storm sewers. Stormwater other than that excepted under division (A) above and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the town and other regulatory agencies. Unpolluted industrial cooling water or process waters may be discharged, on approval of the town, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
(C) Certain prohibited waters and wastes. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described water or wastes to any public sewers:
(1) Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas;
(2) Any waters containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to contaminate the sludge of any municipal system, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in or have an adverse effect on the waters receiving any discharge from the treatment works;
(3) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the wastewater works; or
(4) Solid or viscous substances in quantities or such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the wastewater facilities such as, but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, and the like, either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
(D) Substances limited in discharges. The following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes shall be limited in discharges to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The Council may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the regulations below if, in its opinion, such more severe limitations are necessary to meet the above objectives. In forming its opinion as to the acceptability, the Council will give consideration to such factors as the quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment process employed, capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, degree of treatability of the waste in the wastewater treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be violated without approval of the town are as follows:
(1) Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150°F (65°C);
(2) Wastewater containing more than 25 mg/l of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils, or product of mineral oil origin;
(3) Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat, or grease;
(4) Any garbage that has not been properly shredded (see definition of
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE in § 9-2-1). Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments, or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers.
(5) Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc, and similar objectionable or toxic substances to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater at the wastewater treatment works exceeds the limits which may be established by the town for such materials;
(6) Any waters or wastes containing odor producing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the town;
(7) Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the town in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations;
(8) Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both which constitute a
SLUG as defined in § 9-2-1;
(9) Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters; or
(10) Any waters or wastes which, by integration with other waters or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, form suspended solids which interfere with the collection system, or create a condition deleterious to structure and treatment processes.
(E) Nuisance conditions; town options.
(1) If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in division (D) above, and which, in the judgment of the town, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the town may:
(a) Reject the wastes;
(b) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
(c) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(d) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of division (J) below.
(2) When considering this alternative, the town shall give consideration to the economic impact of each alternative on the discharges. If the town permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the town.
(F) Grease, oil, and sand interceptors. Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the town, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts as specified in division (D)(3) above, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the town, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors, the owners shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captivated material and shall maintain records of the dates, and means of disposal which are subject to review by the town. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by owner’s personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.
(G) Pretreatment or flow equalizing facilities. Where pretreatment or flow equalizing facilities are provided or required for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owners at their expense.
(H) Industrial wastes, structure to facilitate observation. When required by the town, the owners of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such structures, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the town. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense, and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
(I) Information required to determine compliance. The town may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this chapter. These requirements may include:
(1) Wastewaters discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period;
(2) Chemical analysis of wastewaters;
(3) Information on raw materials, processes, and products affecting wastewater volume and quality;
(4) Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent, or other materials important to sewer use control;
(5) A plot plan of sewers of the user’s property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location;
(6) Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities; and
(7) Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the municipal sewer.
(J) Measurements, tests, and analyses. All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association and shall be paid for by the user under the supervision of the superintendent. Sampling methods, location, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis subject to approval by the town.
(K) Special agreements. No statement contained in this chapter shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the town and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the town for treatment.
(L) Damaging wastewater facilities or equipment. No person shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the wastewater facilities. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of disorderly conduct.
(Prior Code, § 9-2-5) Penalty, see § 9-2-7
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