(A) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any substance not requiring treatment or any substance not acceptable for discharge, as determined by the city, State Pollution Control Agency, or Metropolitan Council Environmental Services, into the sanitary sewer system. Only sanitary sewage from approved plumbing fixtures may be discharged into the sanitary sewer system.
(B) 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 into the sanitary sewer system. Any person having a roof drain, sump pump, foundation drain, unauthorized swimming pool discharge, cistern overflow pipe, or surface drain connected and/or discharging into the sanitary sewer system shall disconnect and remove any piping or system conveying the water to the sanitary sewer system.
(C) All construction involving the installation of clear water sump pits shall include a sump pump with minimum size one and one-half inch diameter discharge pipe. The pipe attachment must be a rigid permanent type plumbing such as PVC or ABS plastic pipe with glued fittings, copper, or galvanized pipe. All discharge piping shall be installed in accordance with the Plumbing Code and shall be without valving, or quick connections, or flexible sections which allow redirection of the sump pump discharge into the sanitary sewer system. Discharge piping shall start at the sump pit and extend through the exterior of the building and terminate with not less than six inches of exposed pipe. Sump pump discharge location and flow shall be consistent with the approved development drainage plan for the lot. The discharge may not be pumped directly onto any public right-of-way unless approved by the Public Works Director or designee. Any disconnects or openings in the sanitary sewer shall be closed and repaired in compliance with applicable codes.
(D) Every person owning improved real estate that discharges into the city’s sanitary sewer system shall allow inspection by authorized city employees or the designated representative of the city of all properties or structures connected to the sanitary sewer system to confirm there is no sump pump, foundation drain, or other prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewer system. Any persons refusing to allow their property to be inspected shall immediately become subject to the surcharge provided in division (G) below.
(E) Any owner of any property found to be in violation of this section shall make the necessary changes to comply with this section and the change shall be verified by authorized city employees or its agents. Any property or structure not inspected or not in compliance with this section by June 1, 2007, shall, following notification from the city, comply within 14 calendar days or be subject to the surcharge as provided in division (G) below.
(F) The city reserves the right to periodically reinspect any property or structure to confirm continued compliance with this section. Any property found not to be in compliance upon reinspection or any person refusing to allow their property to be reinspected shall, following notification from the city, comply within 14 calendar days or be subject to the surcharge hereinafter provided for.
(G) A surcharge of $100 per month is hereby imposed and shall be added to every sewer billing for any property found not in compliance with this section. The surcharge shall be added every month until the property is determined by the city to be in compliance with this section. The city shall not issue building, plumbing, electrical, or mechanical permits for any property that is not in compliance with this section until the property is determined by the city to be in compliance with this section.
(H) The City Council, upon recommendation of the Public Works Director, or designee, shall hear and decide requests for temporary waivers from the provisions of this section 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 Public Works Director in writing. Upon approval of a temporary waiver from the provisions of this section, 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 Public Works Director, or designee.
(I) If a property owner demonstrates a financial hardship to pay for the disconnection cost of a noncompliant system, they may petition the City Council to assess the disconnection cost on the property. Under this petition, the property owner must waive his, her, or their right to a public hearing and waive their right to appeal the assessments. Assessments initiated in this manner and associated interest charges must be paid back to the city within five years.
(Prior Code, § 50.16) Penalty, see § 50.99