The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this chapter, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
ACT or CLEAN WATER ACT. The 1972 Federal Water Pollution Control Act, the 1977 Clean Water Act and the 1987 Water Quality Act, as amended.
APPROVAL AUTHORITY. The State Department of Natural Resources.
AUTHORIZED REPRESENTATIVE.
(1) An executive officer of a corporation;
(2) A general partner of a partnership;
(3) The proprietor of a proprietorship;
(4) The conservator, trustee, attorney in fact, receiver or other person or agent authorized in law and in fact to act on behalf of users which are not corporations, partnerships or proprietorships or on behalf of other entities which must legally act through an agent;
(5) Any other authorized representative of a person or entity identified in divisions (1), (2), (3) or (4) above of this definition, if the authorization specifies either an individual or a position having responsibility for the overall operation of the facility from which the discharge originates, such as the position of plant manager or a position of equivalent responsibility, or having overall responsibility for environmental matters for the company and the written authorization is submitted to the Director; or
(6) Any other person authorized by law to act on behalf of any entity.
BASELINE MONITORING REPORT. The report required by 40 C.F.R. § 403.12(b)(1) through (7).
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD). The analysis of BOD as described in Environmental Protection Agency methods.
BUILDING DRAIN. The part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system, which receives the discharge from waste and other drainage pipes inside the wall of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning three feet outside the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER or LATERAL SEWER. The sewer extending from the building drain to the connection with the POTW.
BYPASS. The intentional diversion of waste streams from any portion of an industrial user's pretreatment facility.
CARBONACEOUS BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (CBOD). The analysis of BOD as described in Environmental Protection Agency methods while inhibiting the nitrogenous oxygen demand.
CATEGORICAL USER. A user subject to national categorical pretreatment standards.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD). The measurement of the susceptibility of a sample to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant expressed in mg/l and using Environmental Protection Agency methods.
CITY. The political subchapter known as the City Urbandale, Iowa, and also means the territory within the corporate boundaries of the City of Urbandale.
CITY SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM or SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM. The local outfall sewers, trunk sewers, pumping stations, force mains and wastewater equalization basins, and all other structures, devices and appliances appurtenant thereto, which are used for collecting, conveying or storing wastewater and which serve and are owned, operated and maintained by the city or by a sanitary district serving the city.
COMBINED WASTE STREAM FORMULA. The formula as found in 40 C.F.R. § 403.6(e).
COMPOSITE SAMPLE. A representative sample using a minimum of three grab sample aliquots obtained over a period of time and mixed using either a flow proportional or time proportional method.
CONVENTIONAL POLLUTANT. BOD, COD, O&G, suspended solids, pH, ammonia nitrogen, total Kjeldahl nitrogen and fecal coliform bacteria.
COUNTY. The political subdivisions known as Dallas County or Polk County, and also means the territory within the corporate boundaries of Dallas County or Polk County.
DISCHARGE or INDIRECT DISCHARGE. The introduction of treated or untreated wastewater into the POTW.
DISSOLVED SOLIDS. The concentration of residue left in an evaporating dish after evaporation and drying at defined temperatures using Environmental Protection Agency methods or standard methods.
DOMESTIC USER. A person discharging only domestic wastewater to the POTW, which wastewater is discharged from any building or parts of a building designed for or occupied by one or more persons as a single housekeeping unit, including those units within multi-family dwellings and apartment buildings, which building or premises is a source of wastewater discharge into a POTW.
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER. All household-type waste discharged from places of human habitation, including toilet, bath, kitchen and laundry wastewater. DOMESTIC WASTEWATER is further defined as waste which does not exceed daily maximum limits of 300 mg/l COD, 200 mg/l BOD, 250 mg/l suspended solids, 100 mg/l oil and grease, 30 mg/l TKN and 15 mg/l NH3-N at a discharge rate of 100 gallons per capita per day. This loading is equal to 0.25 pound of COD, 0.17 pound of BOD, 0.20 pound of suspended solids, 0.083 pound of oil and grease, 0.025 pound of TKN and 0.013 pound of NH3-N per capita per day.
E. COLI or ESCHERICHIA COLI. Bacteria that are a member of the fecal coli form group and whose presence indicates fecal contamination in water.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY METHODS. Standard procedures for wastewater analysis approved by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and prescribed in 40 C.F.R. part 136, and includes alternate methods approved by the approval authority.
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY or EPA. The United States Environmental Protection Agency.
FAT, OIL AND GREASE or OIL AND GREASE or FOG. Those substances which are detectable and measurable using analytical test procedures established in 40 C.F.R. part 136, as may be amended from time to time. All are sometimes referred to herein as GREASE or GREASES.
FECAL COLI FORM. Bacteria common to the intestinal tracts of humans and animals whose presence in water is an indication of pollution.
GARBAGE. Solid waste from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the commercial handling, storage and sale of produce.
GRAB SAMPLE. A single aliquot sample collected either directly or by means of a mechanical device.
HEADWORKS. The main wet well at the WRF prior to any treatment process.
INDUSTRIAL USER. A person whose property, building or premises is a source of wastewater discharge into the POTW, other than a domestic user.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. The liquid waste from industrial users as distinct from domestic sewage.
INTERFERENCE. A discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, which both:
(1) Inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations, or its sludge processes, use or disposal; and
(2) Causes a violation of any requirement of the WRA's national pollutant discharge elimination system permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation) or prevents sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with any federal, state or local regulations or permits.
LIMIT. The maximum allowable discharge of a given pollutant as in the following definitions.
(1) DAILY MAXIMUM LIMIT or DAILY INSTANTANEOUS MAXIMUM LIMIT. The maximum allowable discharge of pollutant as measured at any time during a calendar day, expressed as either a concentration limit or a daily mass limit. It is a violation if the concentration limit on any single sample taken exceeds that discharge limits in the discharge permit for the user, or the discharge limits set forth in § 52.011.
(2) MONTHLY AVERAGE LIMIT. The maximum allowable value for the average of all measurements of a pollutant obtained during one calendar month.
NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS (NCPS) or CATEGORICAL STANDARDS. Any limitations on pollutant discharges to POTW promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency that apply to specified process wastewater of particular industrial categories.
NATIONAL POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION SYSTEM (NPDES) PERMIT. A permit issued pursuant to the Act.
NEW SOURCE. A source as defined by 40 C.F.R. § 403.3(k).
NH3-N. The ammonia nitrogen concentration in mg/l as determined using Environmental Protection Agency methods.
NONCONVENTIONAL POLLUTANTS. All pollutants which are not included in the definition of conventional pollutants.
O&M. Operation and maintenance.
NON-SIGNIFICANT CATEGORICAL INDUSTRIAL USER (NSCIU). Categorical user which never discharges more than 100 gallons per day of total categorical wastewater, as defined in 40 C.F.R. § 403.3(v)(2).
PASS THROUGH. A discharge which exits the POTW into water of the state in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge from other sources, is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the WRA's national pollutant discharge elimination system permit, including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation, or other permit issued to the WRA by the Department of Natural Resources or the United States Environmental Protection Agency.
PERSON. Any individual, partnership, co-partnership, firm, company, association, joint stock company, society, corporation trust, estate, municipality, governmental entity, group or any other legal entity, or their legal representatives, agents or assigns.
pH. The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
POLLUTION. The alteration of chemical, physical, biological or radiological integrity of water as a result of human activity or enterprise.
POTW TREATMENT PLANT. The portion of the publicly-owned treatment works, which is designed to provide treatment, including recycling and reclamation, of municipal sewage and industrial waste.
PRETREATMENT. The reduction, elimination or alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing those pollutants into the POTW.
PRETREATMENT FACILITY. The equipment used to accomplish pretreatment.
PRETREATMENT REQUIREMENTS. Any substantive or procedural requirement related to pretreatment standards, imposed on an industrial user.
PRETREATMENT STANDARDS. For any specified pollutant, the prohibitive discharge standards as set forth in § 52.010, the specific limitations on discharge as set forth in § 52.011, the state pretreatment standards or the national categorical pretreatment standards, whichever standard is most stringent.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE. The waste from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food that has been shredded to a degree that all particles are carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in the POTW, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension.
PUBLICLY-OWNED TREATMENT WORKS or POTW. Includes "POTW" treatment works as defined by § 212 of the Clean Water Act, and which is owned by the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority or any of participating communities that make up the WRA. This definition includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also includes sewers, pipes and other conveyances if they convey wastewater to a POTW treatment plant.
SAMPLING CHAMBER or SAMPLING MAINTENANCE HOLE. A device or structure suitable and appropriate to permit sampling and flow measurement of a wastewater stream to determine compliance with this chapter.
SANITARY DISTRICT. The Urbandale Sanitary Sewer District and the Urbandale/Windsor Heights Sanitary District incorporated pursuant to Iowa Code Chapter 358 and serving the cities of Urbandale and Windsor Heights.
SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE. Substantial physical damage to property, damage to a pretreatment facility causing it to become inoperable, or substantial and permanent loss of natural resources, which can reasonably be expected to occur in the absence of a bypass. SEVERE PROPERTY DAMAGE does not mean economic loss caused by delays in production.
SEWAGE. Wastewater as defined below.
SEWAGE SYSTEM. Sewers, intercepting sewers, pipes or conduits, pumping stations, force mains and all other constructions, devices and appliances appurtenant thereto used for collecting or conducting sewage to a point of treatment or ultimate disposal.
SIGNIFICANT USER.
(1) All categorical users; and
(2) All industrial users that:
(a) Discharge 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater (excludes sanitary, non-contact cooling and boiler blowdown wastewater);
(b) Contribute a process waste stream which makes up 5% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the WRF; or
(c) Contribute a discharge that has a reasonable potential, in the opinion of the Director, to adversely affect the POTW treatment plant by causing interference or pass through.
SLUDGE. The solids separated from the liquids during the wastewater treatment process.
SLUG or SLUG LOAD. Any discharge of water or wastewater which, in concentration of any pollutant, measured using a grab or composite sample, is more than five times the allowable concentration as set forth in §§ 52.010 and 52.011 of this chapter or in a user's most recent wastewater discharge permit or which exceeds a slug concentration level specified in a wastewater discharge permit. A discharge with pH outside the allowable range by more than one standard unit (S.U.) shall also be considered a slug.
STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION (SIC). A classification pursuant to the Standard Industrial Classification Manual issued by the Executive Office of the President, Office of Management and Budget, most recent edition.
STANDARD METHODS. The laboratory procedures set forth in the latest United States EPA approved edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Wastewater prepared and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association and the Water Environment Federation.
STORM SEWER. A sewer, which carries stormwater, surface water and drainage but excludes sewage and industrial waste other than unpolluted cooling water.
T. When used as a portion of a chemical name, shall designate total such as in cyanide-T where T means "total" cyanide.
TKN. The total Kjeldahl nitrogen concentration expressed in mg/l as determined using Environmental Protection Agency methods or Standard Methods.
TOTAL METAL. The sum total of the suspended and dissolved concentrations of a metal specified in a wastewater discharge permit or as specified in § 52.011.
TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS). The portion of total solids retained by a filter using Environmental Protection Agency methods or Standard Methods.
TOTAL TOXIC ORGANICS (TTO). The summation of all quantified values greater than 0.01 milligram per liter for the toxic organics as specified in the applicable regulation.
TOXIC POLLUTANT. Any pollutant or combination of pollutants listed in 40 C.F.R. part 403, Appendix B.
UNPOLLUTED WATER. Water containing none of the following: free or emulsified oil and grease; substances that may impart taste, odor or color characteristics; volatile, explosive, toxic or poisonous substances in suspension or solution; explosive, odorous or otherwise obnoxious gases. This water shall not contain more than 25 mg/l of suspended solids and not more than 25 mg/l of BOD.
UPSET. An exceptional incident in which there is unintentional and temporary noncompliance with pretreatment standards because of factors beyond the reasonable control of the user. An UPSET does not include noncompliance to the extent caused by operational error, improperly designed pretreatment facilities, inadequate pretreatment facilities, lack of preventive maintenance or careless or improper operation.
USER. A person discharging anything other than domestic wastewater into the POTW, and includes categorical users as herein defined.
WASTE GENERATOR. Any person which hauls or has hauled on its behalf wastewater it generates to the WRF.
WASTE HAULER. A private contractor licensed by the WRA to deliver wastewater to the WRT or other locations approved by the WRA Director, and includes all persons required to have a license under § 52.091.
WASTEWATER. Includes sewage as defined in federal law and regulation, or a combination of the liquid and water-carried waste from residences, commercial buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water, and stormwater as may be present, whether treated or untreated, which is contributed into or permitted to enter the POTW.
WASTEWATER DISCHARGE PERMIT. The document issued to a user by the WRA in accordance with the terms of this subchapter which permits the user to discharge wastewater to the POTW.
WATER OF THE STATE. All streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, watercourses, waterways, wells, springs, reservoirs, aquifers, irrigation systems, drainage systems and all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface or underground, natural or artificial, public or private, which are contained within, flow through or border upon the state or any portion thereof.
WRA or WASTEWATER RECLAMATION AUTHORITY. The Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority, an entity organized and existing under Iowa Code Chapters 28E and 28F, and established pursuant to the WRA agreement. The term WRA means and includes the representatives of the participating communities on the WRA Board, and the officers and employees of the WRA.
WRA AGREEMENT. The amended and restated agreement for the Des Moines Metropolitan Wastewater Reclamation Authority, approved and executed by the WRA and its participating communities and effective as of July 1, 2004.
WRA DIRECTOR or DIRECTOR. The person appointed by the WRA Board, or by the WRA operating contractor upon consultation with the Board, as provided in § 2.63 of the WRA operating contract, who is charged with the administration and management of the WRA system and of the provision of all services outlined in the operating contract. Unless otherwise indicated in the text, the DIRECTOR shall mean and include the person acting as the Director's authorized designee in the Director's absence in carrying out the Director's duties under this subchapter.
WRA OPERATING CONTRACTOR or OPERATING CONTRACTOR. The City of Des Moines, pursuant to the initial operating contractor executed by the City of Des Moines and the WRA Board on and as of July 1, 2004, or any successor operating contractor as the WRA shall contract with to provide operation and management services to the WRA.
WRA PARTICIPATING COMMUNITY or WRA PARTICIPATING COMMUNITIES. Individually or collectively, depending on context, the cities of Altoona, Ankeny, Bondurant, Clive, Cumming, Des Moines, Grimes, Johnston, Norwalk, Pleasant Hill, Polk City, Waukee, and West Des Moines, and Polk County, Warren County, the Urbandale Sanitary Sewer District, the Urbandale-Windsor Heights Sanitary District and the Greenfield Plaza/Hills of Coventry Sanitary District, together with any other cities, counties, or sanitary districts that become participating communities under the provisions of the WRA agreement.
WRA SYSTEM. Includes the WRF, the WCCS, satellite wastewater and CSO treatment facilities hereafter constructed, all real and personal property of every nature hereinafter owned by the WRA and comprising part of or used as a part of the WRA system, and all appurtenances, contracts, leases, franchises and other intangibles of the WRA.
WRA WASTEWATER COLLECTION AND CONVEYANCE SYSTEM or WCCS. The WRA sanitary sewer interceptors and extensions to same, detention basins, equalization basins, storage facilities, pumping stations, force mains and all related property and improvements.
WRA WASTEWATER RECLAMATION FACILITY or WRF. The wastewater treatment plant located generally at 3000 Vandalia Road, Des Moines, Iowa, as the same may be expanded or improved in the future, and any other wastewater treatment plants hereafter acquired or constructed and operated by the WRA.
(Ord. 2010-09, passed 7-13-2010; Am. Ord. 2019-03, passed 2-26-2019; Am. Ord. 2022-09, passed 8-23-2022)