For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
APPROVING AUTHORITY. The Director of Public Works or his or her duly authorized deputy, agent or representative.
BEDROCK. Solid rock underlying soil and loose rock fragments or locally exposed at the surface.
BOD (BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20º C. expressed in milligrams per liter.
BUILDING DRAIN. That 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.
BUILDING SEWER (HOUSE CONNECTION or SERVICE SEWER). The extensions from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
CLEAN WATER ACT. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act, Public Law 92-500, also known as the Clean Water Act, including all amendments thereto.
COMBINED SEWER. A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and storm or surface water.
DIRECTOR. The Director of Public Works of the city, or his or her authorized deputy, agent or representative.
DOMESTIC SEPTAGE. Septage generated from domestic wastewaters.
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER. Water-carried wastes from dwellings or wastewaters which are similar in physical, biological and chemical characteristics.
EASEMENT. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
EPA. The United States Environmental Protection Agency.
FLOATING OIL. Oil, fat or grease in a physical state such that it can be separated by gravity from wastewater in an approved pretreatment facility.
GARBAGE. The animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and serving of foods.
GROUNDWATER. The water below the earth surface which occupies the pore spaces in the saturated zone of a geologic stratum.
HAZARDOUS WASTES. Liquid wastes from generators containing materials or exhibiting specific properties identified in 40 C.F.R. part 261.
HOLDING TANK. A watertight, covered receptacle which is designed to receive and store wastewater and is accessible for periodic removal of its contents.
INDUSTRIAL USER. Any commercial, institutional or industrial operation that introduces industrial wastewaters into the city’s wastewater facilities.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. The wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
INTERFERENCE. Such disruption of the collection, treatment or sludge disposal processes or causes the city to violate its national pollutant discharge elimination system permit or which causes the accumulation of toxic metals or other substances in the sludge disposal areas.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM PERMIT. The permit issued by EPA to the city which establishes water quality standards for the effluent of the city’s treatment facilities as authorized by the Clean Water Act.
NATURAL OUTLET. Any outlet including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
OWNER. The person owning the lot, parcel of land, building or premises connected to and discharging wastewater into the wastewater system of the city, and who is legally responsible for the payment of sewer service charges made against the lot, parcel of land, building or premises.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams contained in one liter of solution.
PREMISES. All the parcels of land included in the city in a single assessor’s parcel number.
PROJECT TYPES.
(1) EXPANSION/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT. A project which extends sewer infrastructure to provide service for new developments.
(2) IMPROVEMENT. A project which provides for increased capacity, or improved efficiency to existing systems. This type of project is located within the existing city service area or corporate limits.
(3) REPLACEMENT. A project which replaces or repairs existing infrastructure with similar components having more or less the same capacity as the original.
(4) SERVICE AREA. The geographic area in which the city currently provides an actual service. This contrasts with a planning service area in which the city may provide service in the future.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER. A sewer located in publicly-owned land or easements and controlled by the city.
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.
SEPTAGE. A mixture of liquids and solid materials removed from a septic tank, portable toilet, recreational vehicle holding tank, Type III marine sanitation device, or similar system. The contents of vault privies and substances such as grease trap residues, interceptor residues, and grit and screenings are not included in this definition of septage.
SEPTIC TANK. A watertight, accessible, covered receptacle which receives wastewater from a building or facility sewer that allows solids to settle from the liquid, provides digestion for organic solids, stores digested solids through a period of retention, and allows a clarified liquid to discharge to additional treatment works for final treatment and dispersal.
SEWER. A pipe or conduit for carrying wastewater.
SLUG. Any discharge of water, wastewater or industrial waste in which the concentration of any given constituent or in which quality of flows exceed for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration or flow from the source during normal operation.
STORM DRAIN (STORM SEWER). A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but which excludes wastewater and industrial wastes other than uncontaminated cooling water.
SURFACE WATER. Water on the surface of the earth, as distinguished from groundwater. Some examples are lakes, ponds, rivers and streams.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS). 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 using methods prescribed by EPA.
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water of quality equal to or better than effluent criteria in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefited by discharging to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
VAULT PRIVY. A structure which allows for disposal of human excreta into a watertight vault, provides privacy and shelter, and prevents access to the excreta by flies, rodents and other animals.
WASTEWATER. The spent water of the community. From the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried chemical or solid wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions together with any groundwater, surface water and storm water that may be present.
WASTEWATER FACILITIES (WASTEWATER SYSTEM). All facilities for collecting, pumping, transporting, treating and disposing of wastewater arid wastewater sludge.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS. The facilities provided by the city to treat wastewaters as necessary to meet national pollutant discharge elimination system permit conditions and to comply with other environmental laws, rules and regulations.
WATERCOURSE. A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.
(Ord. 30, passed 8-21-2008)