[Adopted 10-18-1999 by Ord. No. 99-03]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
ANNUAL PRODUCTION DAYS
The number of days per year a structure is open for business as documented by verifiable records.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation or organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20° C. expressed in milligrams per liter.
BUILDING INSPECTOR
A person assigned by the City to inspect existing systems and the installation of new systems for the purpose of enforcing this article.
CITY MANAGER
The duly appointed or designated City Manager of the City of Harrington, as well as such other person under his or her supervision who is appointed to enforce the provisions of this chapter.[1]
[Amended 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
CLEAN-OUT
A capped vertical pipe extending from the sewer lateral to the ground surface which allows for access to the sewer lateral in case of stoppage.
EQUIVALENT DWELLING UNIT (EDU)
A term used to express the load produced on a sanitary sewerage system approximately equal to one dwelling place or 250 gallons per day.
[Amended 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
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.
GREASE TRAP
A device designed and installed so as to separate and retain deleterious, hazardous or undesirable matter from normal wastes and permit normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the disposal system.
HOUSE DRAIN
The continuation of the house sewer, extending from a point not less than four feet outside the outer wall of the building through or under the foundation walls and as far as the last soil stack, which receives the discharge from all soil stacks and waste pipes within the building and conveys this discharge to the house sewer.
IMPACT FEE
A one-time fee imposed by the City upon the owner(s) of any new, remodeled, restored or enlarged residential, commercial, institutional or industrial structure or structures or any combination thereof which results in an increased sewer flow to the existing sanitary sewer system.[2]
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
MAY
Permissive (see also definition of "shall" below).
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 seven and a hydrogen-ion concentration of 10.
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 particles greater than 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A common sewer controlled by a governmental agency.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer that carries liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with minor quantities of groundwater not admitted intentionally.
SEWAGE
The spent water of a community. The preferred term is "wastewater," as defined below.
SEWAGE FLOW
Shall be determined by water consumption in accordance with water meter readings, unless a sewer meter is installed by the owner at no expense to the City. Sewer meter installations must be reviewed and approved by the City Engineer.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.
SEWER CONNECTION FEE
The one-time fee, rate, charge, or assessment imposed by the City Council on an owner of a new, remodeled, or restored residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial structure or structures, or any combination thereof, served or to be served by the City to defray the cost of installing sewer service lines and connections to sewer mains. All service taps on existing sewer mains shall be installed by the City of Harrington or its designated representative. New mains installed at the expense of a developer may be tapped by a licensed contractor only upon prior approval by the City of Harrington.
SEWER LATERAL
That part of the house connection from a point not less than four feet outside the outer wall of the building to the point of discharge into public sewer.
SHALL
Mandatory (see definition of "may" above).
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 twenty-four-hour concentration or flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the performance of the wastewater treatment works.
SOIL STACK
Any pipe which receives the discharge from one or more water closets, with or without the discharge from other fixtures, and conveys this discharge to the house drain.
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 a violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefitted by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
VENT PIPE
Any pipe provided to ventilate the plumbing or drainage system, and is the continuation of any soil or waste pipe used to prevent siphonage or back pressure, and does not receive the discharge from any fixtures.
WASTE PIPE
Any pipe which receives the discharge from any fixture except a water closet and conveys this discharge to the soil stack or house drain.
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 extraneous permissible 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 "wastewater treatment plant."
[1]
Editor’s Note: The former definition for "City of Harrington," which immediately followed this definition, was repealed 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06.
[2]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 175, Impact Fees.
A. 
All properties, residential, commercial, industrial and institutional, within the corporate limits of the City of Harrington discharging wastes must be connected to the municipal sanitary sewer system. This also applies to properties to be annexed into the corporate limits. No privately owned sewer transmission and/or treatment and disposal systems will be permitted within the corporate limits. For complete disconnection from system of demolished properties, see § 399-7.
[Amended 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
B. 
The City Council shall appoint a City Manager or designated representative who, as part of his/her responsibilities, shall perform the duties as herein set forth and shall make reports of all inspections to the City Council each month or as requested by the City Council.
C. 
No buildings or premises shall be connected with any sewer without a zoning compliance certificate being first obtained from the City Manager or designated representative. These certificates shall be kept on hand during the progress of the work and exhibited whenever required. Certificates may be withheld at any time from any person, firm, or corporation violating the rules and regulations of the sewer code. Certificates will not be granted to any person who performs unsatisfactory work or refuses to remedy defective work. No such certificate shall be issued by the City Manager or designated representative, except upon the express approval of the City Council of Harrington, for any building or premises unless, at the time the connection is made, all outlets in said building or premises are attached to the connection.
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
D. 
The jurisdiction of the City Manager or designated representative shall cover the construction, reconstruction, altering or repairing of all sewers or sewer connections from the point where connection is to be made with the municipal sewer to the point where the sewer drain is brought above the surface of the ground or to the walls of the building. He/She shall have supervision over the enforcement and carrying out of the provisions and restrictions of this code and be responsible for the enforcement thereof, subject at all times to the instructions and directions of the City Council of Harrington.
E. 
Plans and specifications covering the proposed outside drainage construction and the nature of the existing plumbing and proposed sewer lateral shall be submitted to the City Manager or designated representative for approval. Such plans and specifications shall be approved or rejected by the City Manager or designated representative within five workdays when practical. A certificate of such approval or rejection shall be issued in writing. Refer to § 330-7 for materials and methods of construction.
[Amended 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
F. 
The sewer laterals of lots and buildings of separate ownership must be separate from that of other owners and shall be separately and independently connected with the municipal sewerage system unless otherwise permitted by special action of the City of Harrington.
G. 
The City of Harrington shall have authority to order the City Manager or designated representative to disconnect the sewer service of any person or corporation for failure to comply with the provisions of this article.
H. 
The City Manager or designated representative is authorized to refuse permission to connect any property to the public sewer system or to compel the disconnecting of any property to the public sewer system in order to prevent the discharge into the public sewer system of any substance deemed harmful or to have a deleterious effect upon the public sewer system, including the sewage disposal system of the City of Harrington. Refer to § 330-6 for the definition of allowable waste.
I. 
The City Manager or designated representative is authorized to compel pretreatment of any industrial waste in order to prevent a discharge into the sewer system of any substance or waste deemed harmful or to have a deleterious effect upon the public sewer system of the City of Harrington, including the sewage disposal system. Refer to § 330-8 for industrial user requirements.
J. 
No person(s) 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.
K. 
The City Manager and other duly authorized employees of the City of Harrington bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the Mayor and Council hold a duly negotiated easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the wastewater facilities lying within said easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any, on said easement shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private property involved.
L. 
The City Manager and other duly authorized employees of the City of Harrington bearing the proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all industrial properties for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing pertinent to discharge to the community system in accordance with the provisions of this article.
M. 
Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be deemed guilty of a violation and, upon conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500 and shall pay the costs of prosecution. For the purposes of this article, each day that the violation continues shall be deemed to be a separate offense. For the purpose of the article, each discharge of sanitary sewerage or industrial waste into the public sewer system, which is any of the unauthorized qualities as outlined in § 330-6, shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Amended 6-19-2000 by Ord. No. 00-04]
N. 
Whenever a condition arises where the provisions of this article cannot comply without working unusual hardship to the property owner, the matter of making specific exceptions to said article shall be left to the discretion of the City Council of Harrington.
A. 
There shall be discharged into the sanitary sewer system of the City of Harrington only such waste as is property designated as "wastewater."
B. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any sanitary sewer any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, building foundation drainage, basement drainage, overflow or drainage from cesspools or septic tanks, and uncontaminated cooling water.
C. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to wastewater facilities:
(1) 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel, oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas.
(2) 
Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, 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 the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.
(3) 
Any waters or wastes having corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of wastewater facilities.
(4) 
Any solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow 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, underground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
D. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes if it appears likely, in the opinion of the Mayor and Council, that such wastes can harm either the sewage treatment process or equipment, have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. In forming its opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the Mayor and Council will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment process, capacity of the sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The substances prohibited are:
(1) 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature greater than 150° F. or an average temperature over an eight-hour period greater than 100° F.
(2) 
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease, or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of 100 milligrams per liter or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperature between 32° F. and 150° F. (0° C. and 65° C.).
(3) 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of 3/4 horsepower (0.76 horsepower metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Mayor and Council.
(4) 
Any industrial wastes that will not pass a twenty-mesh screen or equivalent.
(5) 
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.
(6) 
Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc, and similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material received in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Mayor and Council for such materials or which create any hazard in the receiving water of the treatment plant. The following substances are not permitted in concentrations above those listed. By amendment to the regulation, restrictions may also be placed on other substances or the present concentration limits revised, when it is shown that the presence of these substances or concentrations at the treatment plant is sufficient to adversely affect any portion of the treatment process.
Substance
Maximum Allowable Concentration
(mg/l)
Arsenic as AS
0.5
Cadmium as Cd
0.4
Chromium (hexavalent) as Cr
0.2
Cyanide as CN
0.5
Lead as pb
0.5
Copper as Cu
1.0
Mercury as Hg
0.5
Nickel as Ni
2.0
Zinc as Zn
5.0
(7) 
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste- or odor-producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Mayor and Council as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of federal, state, or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
(8) 
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Mayor and Council in compliance with applicable federal or state regulations.
(9) 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or greater than 9.5.
(10) 
Materials which exert or cause:
(a) 
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, lime residues) or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate).
(b) 
Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate).
(c) 
A biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) greater than 300 milligrams per liter as determined from analysis of a twenty-four-hour composite sample.
(d) 
A chemical oxygen demand (COD) greater than 400 milligrams per liter as determined from analysis of a twenty-four-hour composite sample.
(e) 
A total suspended solids (TSS) load greater than 300 milligrams per liter as determined from analysis of a twenty-four-hour composite sample.
(f) 
An average chlorine demand greater than 15 parts per million.
(g) 
Unusual "slug" of flow or concentration of wastes which exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average twenty-four-hour concentration of flows during normal operation.
(11) 
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
E. 
If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the wastewater facilities, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in Subsection D of this section, and which, in the judgment of the Mayor and Council, 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 Mayor and Council may:
(1) 
Require that the waste discharge be stopped or reject the application to discharge proposed waste;
(2) 
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition before discharge to the public sewers;
(3) 
Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(4) 
Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing user charge systems.
F. 
When required by the Mayor and Council, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters, automatic sampling devices and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Mayor and Council. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his/her expense, and shall be maintained by him/her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
A. 
Materials.
(1) 
All sewer laterals shall be made of Class 52 ductile iron or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) plastic gravity sewer pipe . Polyvinyl chloride wye branches, pipe stoppers and other fittings shall be manufactured in accordance with the same specifications and shall have the same thickness, depth of socket, and annular space as the pipe. Tee fittings will not be permitted for use. Wye branches shall be complete pipe sections. Saddles will not be permitted for use.
(2) 
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipe shall equal or exceed the requirements of ASTM D3034 and shall have a maximum standard dimension ratio (SDR) of 35 and the minimum pipe stiffness, as tested in accordance with ASTM D2412, shall be 45 when measured under five-percent deflection at 73° F. PVC pipe shall be manufactured with integral wall bell and spigot joints which utilize an elastomeric O-ring gasketed joint conforming to ASTM D-1860. Pipe ends shall be beveled to accept gasketed fittings.
B. 
In laying drain pipe, special care shall be taken to ensure watertight construction to prevent infiltration. Any indication of leakage or possible infiltration shall be sufficient basis for the City Manager and/or his/her designee disapproving connection and requiring reconstruction.
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
C. 
In laying drain pipe connected to the municipal sewer system, the trench shall be excavated along the line and to the exact depth required. The minimum allowable grade or slope for house drains shall not be less than 1/8 inch per lineal foot of drain. Whenever possible, a greater grade shall be maintained. The trench shall be of sufficient width to provide ample room for proper installation. Bell holes shall be dug beneath each joint and the pipe allowed to rest along its entire length on the bottom of the trench. The trench must be kept dry by pumping, if necessary. No trench shall be backfilled, or the pipe in same covered from view in any manner, until inspected and approved by the City Manager and/or his/her designee.
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
D. 
After the pipe has been laid, the trench shall be backfilled by placing loose, selected fill material, free from large stones, brickbats, debris, etc., under the sides of the pipe around and up to a distance of one foot from the bottom of the trench; thoroughly tamping the same in not less than six-inch layers. From this point to the top of the trench, the fill material shall be placed in maximum eight-inch loose layers and each layer compacted to 95% of ASTM D698.
E. 
The applicant shall determine from the City Manager and/or his/her designee the distances and dimensions for locating the existing house connection. The applicant shall make this connection only at such point unless by special approval of the City Manager and/or his/her designee. Connection to the City system shall be in accordance with the City of Harrington standards and the requirements of the City Manager and/or his/her designee.
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
F. 
Cleanouts along the building sewer lateral shall be placed at the right-of-way line, at each bend in the lateral and at a minimum spacing along the lateral of 100 feet or as required by the local plumbing code.
G. 
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to cut, break into, excavate or open the streets, avenues, or highways of the City of Harrington, or any portion thereof, for the purposes of connecting a house drain to the sewer system without obtaining permits and approval from the City of Harrington.
H. 
Every drainage fixture to be connected to the sewer shall be sealed with a proper trap to prevent the escape of sewer gases into the premises. No connection shall be made to the sewers until the Building Inspector has determined that proper traps are installed. No trap shall be of smaller size than the size required for the fixture to which it is connected. Traps shall not be placed at the foot of any soil or waste stack.
I. 
In every existing building not already supplied and in every building hereinafter erected where interior fixtures are connected directly with the drainage system, there shall be a main vertical soil or vent pipe which shall be not less than four inches in diameter.
J. 
A grease trap shall be installed in the waste line leading from sinks, drains, or other fixtures in restaurants, hotel kitchens or bars, factory cafeterias or restaurants, clubs, or establishments where grease can be introduced into the drainage system in quantities that can affect line stoppage or hinder sewage disposal. The size, type and location of each grease trap shall be approved by the City Manager and/or his/her designee and no wastes, other than those requiring treatment or separation, shall be discharged into any lateral where a grease trap exists. No grease trap shall hereinafter be installed which does not comply in all respects with the type or model of each size thereof approved by the City Manager and/or his/her designee. No grease trap shall be approved until it has successfully passed the testing and rating procedure established by the City Manager and/or his/her designee. Grease traps shall be maintained in efficient operating condition by periodic removal of accumulated grease. (A grease trap shall not be required for individual dwelling units or any private living quarters.)
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
A. 
Prior to connection of any individual industrial user to the City sewer system, the industrial user must agree to the following conditions:
(1) 
Install a pretreatment system to reduce discharge constituents to those outlined in § 330-6.
(2) 
Install and maintain metering equipment as specified by the Mayor and Council.
(3) 
Install and maintain a facility for sampling of discharge and/or effluent from pretreatment facility as specified by the Mayor and Council.
(4) 
Allow for inspection and sampling by the City of Harrington personnel or independent testing laboratory personnel as selected by the Mayor and Council, at a sampling period satisfactory to the Mayor and Council.
(5) 
Pay a surcharge as specified by the Mayor and Council, which shall be established in accordance with the surcharge provisions of the adopted user charge system.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Art. I of this chapter.
B. 
All industrial users will be routinely checked for SS, BOD, DO, and coliform and other constituents as deemed appropriate by the City.
C. 
The metering equipment, facilities and sampling period may vary for each industrial user depending upon the type of waste and type of processing and pretreatment. The unit charges to be established per the surcharge provisions of the adopted user charge system will be established by the Mayor and Council and will apply to all industrial users.
D. 
The City Manager or other duly authorized employees are authorized to obtain information concerning industrial processes which have a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the wastewater collection system. The industry may withhold information considered confidential but must release all information related to the types and quantities of constituents proposed to be discharged. The industry must understand that the revelation to the public of the information in question might result in an advantage to competitors.
A. 
The purpose of this section is to establish appropriate provisions for the equitable distribution of the debt service associated with the sewer system improvements of the City and to be sure that the cost of such debt service is proportionally borne by those who receive the benefits of the sewer system improvements constructed with the associated bond revenues.
B. 
Refer to § 330-4 for definitions of “impact fee,” “sewer connection fee,” “EDU,” “sewage flow” and “annual production days.”
C. 
All developers or owners of newly constructed structures or enlarged/improved existing structures requiring sanitary sewer service shall pay, prior to the issuance of a zoning compliance certificate, a fee per EDU to the City. Council shall set the amount of the fee on an annual basis during the budget process. Neither the City Manager and/or his/her designee nor any other City representative shall issue a certificate of occupancy until such fee is paid. The City reserves the right to withhold sanitary sewer service until such time as the fee is paid in full. Impact fees shall be reviewed every five years by the Mayor and Council and may be adjusted to match changes in debt services.
[Amended 6-21-2004 by Ord. No. 04-07; 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
D. 
Establishment of equivalent dwelling units (EDUs). The rate per equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) shall be established in Chapter 180, Fees, Municipal.
[Amended 8-6-2012 by Ord. No. 12-18; 2-19-2013 by Ord. No. 13-01]
(1) 
Determination for residential dwellings. Whenever by ordinance or by contract the City imposes or assesses wastewater collection and transmission charges or fees on the basis of EDUs, an EDU shall be determined as defined in the most recent impact fee ordinance adopted by the Kent County Levy Court. An EDU for a residential dwelling shall be determined as follows:
(a) 
Houses, dwellings, mobile homes and apartments with one kitchen and one or more baths and bedrooms separate from the kitchen: 1.0 EDU.
(b) 
Efficiency unit or cottage having a living space in one room and having one bath: 1.0 EDU.
(c) 
Dwelling with one kitchen and one or more baths and bedrooms separate from the kitchen and attached to other dwellings or structures: 1.0 EDU.
(2) 
Determination for nonresidential establishments. Whenever the City imposes or assesses wastewater collection and transmission charges or fees on the basis of EDUs, the number of EDUs to be charged shall be determined using the appropriate specific assessment as defined in the most recent impact fee ordinance adopted by the Levy Court of the county. When users propose to discharge wastewater under circumstances other than the specific assessments defined by the county, the City's impact fee shall be calculated by the City Engineer based on flow in gallons per day (GPD). In such cases where the impact fee is calculated by flow, each EDU shall be equal to 250 GPD.
(3) 
Minimum assignment. A minimum of one EDU will be assigned to each establishment connecting to the system. For the purposes of calculating the impact fees, fractional EDUs shall be rounded up to the nearest tenth.
(4) 
No assignment. If an establishment does not have any physical facilities which have a load producing an effect on the City's wastewater collection and transmission system, then the number of EDUs assigned to it shall be zero.
(5) 
Maximum assignment. The City shall in no case charge an impact fee based on more than 100 EDUs per certificate of occupancy.
(6) 
EDU credit. Any connection to the City's wastewater collection and transmission system will be credited with any EDUs existing on the property. As an example, if a house with an EDU is demolished and a structure with 50 EDUs is put in its place, the owner shall pay a water impact fee based on 49 EDUs. No EDUs shall be transferred from one property to another property, whether or not such properties are owned by the same person.
(7) 
Deferred charge. All applicants for service, which have been served by either private individual wastewater disposal systems or private wastewater treatment plants, shall be subject to a deferred impact fee charge. Payment of the deferred impact fee charge shall not be required until such time as connection is made directly to the City's wastewater collection and transmission system. The amount of the charge shall be based on the prevailing impact fee at the time of connection. This fee shall be in addition to any assessment to the tapping fee.
E. 
If a developer proposes new development with an average daily flow of 2,500 gallons per day or more, to connect to the City's sanitary sewer infrastructure, i.e., pump/lift stations, collections lines, transmission lines and/or other related appurtenances, but the infrastructure is not sized to handle both the peak daily flows (average daily flow multiplied by a peaking factor of 2.5 to 3.5, depending on the size of the drainage basin) from the existing users of the drainage basin and the proposed new development, the developer shall perform one of the following in addition to the payment of the impact fees:
(1) 
Construct the necessary improvements to accommodate the existing users and the new proposed development, prior to connecting; or
(2) 
Sign a public works agreement stating that necessary improvements will be constructed when the existing infrastructure reaches 90% of its peak daily flow capacity. The City shall then be provided with an irrevocable letter of credit in the amount of 1.5 times the necessary improvement costs in order to accommodate the new proposed development. The letter of credit must be renewable on an annual basis, at the discretion of the City, until such time that all improvements are implemented and accepted by the City. A technical feasibility study is required in order to determine the necessary improvements and their associated costs. The developer can then connect to the existing infrastructure and use it until such time as it reaches 90% of its peak daily flow capacity. At the ninety-percent capacity threshold, the developer shall construct the necessary improvements to accommodate the additional proposed new development. Furthermore, the developer shall have plans and specifications, prepared by a professional engineer, detailing the necessary improvements, when the infrastructure reaches 80% of its peak daily flow capacity. Once all necessary improvements are in place and accepted by the City Engineer, the irrevocable letter of credit will be returned to the issuer.
(3) 
The above-mentioned capacity thresholds shall be determined based on the number of EDUs (both in the existing drainage basin and proposed developments). When the number of EDUs correlates with the eighty-percent and ninety-percent capacity thresholds, design and construction will be required respectively. Threshold determinations will be made by the City Engineer.
(4) 
In a case where multiple developers propose to utilize the existing infrastructure of an existing sanitary sewer drainage basin, the costs of associated improvements for each developer shall be based on the percentage of flow that each development will contribute to the infrastructure. The associated costs for each developer must be specified in the signed public works agreement.
(5) 
In a case where multiple developers propose to utilize future infrastructure of a proposed sanitary sewer drainage basin at different times, the cost of the associated improvements shall be borne by the developer first to be served. Said developer shall be reimbursed by future developers on a percentage of flow that each development will contribute to the infrastructure up to the percentage of the improvements not utilized by the initial or subsequent developer. The associated cost for the initial developer and the subsequent reimbursement percentages for the future developers must be specified in the signed public works agreement.
F. 
If two or more dwellings, apartments, stores, offices or industrial units are connected through a single lateral, the impact fee payable under the foregoing schedule shall be computed as though each such dwelling, apartment, store, office, or industrial unit was a separate property or user with a separate connection to the sewer.
G. 
In the event that the City of Harrington is not provided, upon request, with accurate information, including supporting documentation, to determine the number of employees or pupils using any property or such other data as may be necessary to determine a user classification or rate, the City of Harrington's estimate or determination thereof shall be conclusive.
H. 
The City of Harrington reserves the right to change commercial user flow data table from time to time, or add or delete user classifications, and, in cases of dispute, to determine the proper classification of a given property.[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: The flow data table is included at the end of this chapter.
I. 
The purpose of the sewer connection fee is to establish a means to recover the City's cost of installing sewer service lines.
J. 
The sewer connection fee shall be assessed in an amount equal to the actual costs of installation in instances where the cost of said installation exceeds the established minimum service connection fee as set forth in Chapter 180, Municipal Fees.
[Amended 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 08-07]
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 330-9, Sewer service charges, as amended, was repealed 6-16-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06. This ordinance also provided for the redesignation of former §§ 330-10 through 330-14 as §§ 330-9 through 330-13, respectively.
[Added 5-20-2002 by Ord. No. 02-01]
A. 
General.
(1) 
As the owner and operator of a wastewater treatment plant, the City of Harrington is aware of the necessity to control wastewater discharges which originate at industrial user locations. The City shall maintain discharge quality standards through monitoring and enforcement of permit limits and/or the City of Harrington Sewer Usage Ordinance.
(2) 
The City of Harrington Industrial Pretreatment Program Enforcement Response Plan (hereinafter sometimes referred to as "the plan") is intended to provide defined and uniform response during the course of enforcement of wastewater discharge compliance with respect to the Sewer Ordinance. The plan applies to all contributors to the City's sanitary conveyance system.
B. 
Legal authority. Legal authority is established by this Article II, as adopted pursuant to the powers conferred upon the City of Harrington in Chapter 215, Volume 64, Laws of Delaware.
C. 
Program administration.
(1) 
The City Manager is directly responsible for staffing and overseeing the industrial pretreatment program. The City Manager assigns responsibilities for program management and approves enforcement actions.
(2) 
The City Manager shall appoint a pretreatment coordinator, who shall be responsible for all routine and nonroutine pretreatment activities involving City compliance with federal and state pretreatment program regulations, program development, industrial user compliance monitoring inspection, draft permits and new user applicant screening. The pretreatment coordinator shall be the primary contract for all pretreatment related issues, comments and questions.
D. 
Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ADMINISTRATIVE FINE
A punitive monetary charge unrelated to actual treatment costs which is assessed by the City rather than a court.
ADMINISTRATIVE ORDER
A document which orders the violator to perform a specific act or refrain from an act. For example, the order may require users to attend a "show cause" meeting, to cease and desist discharging or to undertake activities pursuant to a compliance schedule.
ANALYSIS (or ANALYSES)
A laboratory procedure(s) which determines the concentration of individual elements or compounds (which are regulated within permits and/or this article) which may be present in wastewater discharge to the City's sanitary sewer.
CHRONIC VIOLATIONS (CV)
A violation in which 66% of more of the measurements obtained for a single compound or element exceed the daily or average permit limit. The violation is determined for a revolving six-month monitoring period.
CIVIL ACTION (or CIVIL LITIGATION)
A lawsuit filed in a civil court. If the court rules that the defendant industrial user violated the law, the court may impose civil penalties, injunctions or other equitable remedies and/or cost recovery.
CRIMINAL INVESTIGATION
An investigation requested of appropriate law enforcement authority by the City of Harrington against an accused violator.
INDUSTRIAL USER (IL)
A source of indirect process wastewater discharge in combination with or separate from domestic waste.
INFREQUENT OR ISOLATED VIOLATION
One violation of an industrial wastewater discharge permit and/or the Sanitary Code as reported for the past 10 analyses for a single contaminant compound or element.
NOTICE OF VIOLATION (NOV)
Written notification sent to an industrial user in violation of the City of Harrington ordinance or an industrial wastewater discharge permit.
PERMIT LIMITS
The limits of contaminant concentration that shall not be exceeded by an industrial user. The limits may be different for each industrial user and are found in each industrial users discharge permit.
PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS (POTW)
The City of Harrington owned and operated wastewater treatment plant operated for nonprofit public service.
RECURRING VIOLATION
More than one violation of an industrial wastewater discharge permit and/or this article as reported for the past 10 analyses for a single contaminant compound or element.
REPORT CERTIFICATION
A signed statement required with each monitoring report which certifies accurate and complete data. The statement must replicate 40 CFR 403.6(aa) and must be signed by an authorized representative of the industrial user.
SIGNIFICANT NONCOMPLIANCE
See Subsection E of this section.
SHOW-CAUSE ORDER
A requirement of an administrative order which instructs an industrial user to attend a hearing to show cause as to why a more severe enforcement action should not be placed upon it.
TECHNICAL REVIEW CRITERIA (TRC) VIOLATION
A violation in which 33% or more of the measurements obtained for a single compound or element exceed the daily or average permit limit by more than the product of the limit times the TRC value. The violation is determined for a revolving six-month monitoring period. There are two groups of TRC values:
(1) 
Group I (conventional: BOD, TSS, oil and grease): TRC equals 1.4.
(2) 
Group II (all other pollutants): TRC equals 1.2.
TERMINATION OF SERVICE
Pipe blockage or other disallowance of discharge to the City sewer system.
VIOLATION
Any action or lack of action which in itself or in connection with other actions causes a condition which violates requirements of the Sanitary Code or industrial wastewater discharge permits. Each contaminant which equals or exceeds permit limits is a separate violation.
E. 
Significant noncompliance. Significant noncompliance (SNC) shall be defined as a violation or violations which meet one or more of the following criteria:
(1) 
Violations of wastewater discharge permit or this article.
(a) 
Chronic violations.
(b) 
Technical review criteria (TRC) violations.
(c) 
Any violation(s) of an effluent limit (average or daily maximum) that has caused, alone or in combination with other discharges, interference or pass-through, or has endangered the health of the public or sewage treatment personnel.
(d) 
Any discharge of a pollutant that has caused imminent endangerment to human health and/or welfare or to the environment and has resulted in the POTW's exercise of its emergency authority to halt or prevent such discharges.
(2) 
Violations of compliance schedule milestones contained in a local control mechanism or enforcement order for starting or completing construction and attaining final compliance by 90 days or more after compliance schedule dates.
(3) 
Failure to provide reports for compliance schedules, self-monitoring data or categorical standards (baseline monitoring reports, ninety-day compliance reports, compliance and periodic reports) within 30 days from the due date.
(4) 
Failure to accurately report noncompliance. The City shall annually publish in the Harrington Journal newspaper a list of industrial users which have demonstrated significant noncompliance (SNC) with applicable pretreatment standards or other pretreatment requirements during the 12 previous months as required by 40 CFR 403.8(f)(2)(vii). The notice shall also summarize any enforcement actions taken against the user(s) during the same 12 months.
F. 
Response to violations.
(1) 
Summary of enforcement responses.
(a) 
Upon notification of discharge violations, the pretreatment coordinator shall initiate appropriate responses as required within the Enforcement Response Guide.[1]
(b) 
Depending upon the nature of each violation, the enforcement responses shall be:
Response
Responsible Official
Telephone notification
Pretreatment coordinator (WWS)
Notice of violation
Pretreatment coordinator (WWS)
Administrative order
City Manager
Show-cause hearing
City Manager
Administrative fine
City Manager
Civil action
City Manager
Termination of service
City Manager
Criminal investigation
City Manager
Search warrant
City Manager
(2) 
Initial response actions:
(a) 
The wastewater treatment plant coordinator (WWS) shall immediately determine the magnitude of any violation with respect to dangers to health or environment upon receiving notice of such violation. Responses to violations which are determined to most likely not present immediate hazards shall be managed within time frames specified below.
(b) 
All notifications shall be investigated to determine whether the industrial user has taken appropriate action to minimize the effect of the violation. The investigation shall, in cases of violation of discharge limits, include additional or confirmatory sampling at a frequency which shall best define the extent of the violation. Investigations shall, if necessary, include site visits, records and plan review, interviews with industrial user staff and report generation.
(c) 
As an ongoing and dynamic activity, newly identified users of the sanitary system shall be examined for wastewater discharge quality. Any user determined to be in violation of this article shall be notified of the violations and procedures for application for industrial wastewater discharge shall be followed.
(d) 
In the event that an industrial user is suspected of discharging wastewater in violation of this article or wastewater discharge permits and the industrial user denies such activity, the pretreatment coordinator (WWS) shall utilize alternative methods to obtain representative wastewater samples which originate at the site in question.
(e) 
Whenever necessary, appropriate federal, state and local enforcement agencies shall be notified of the circumstances of unusual violations.
(3) 
Time frames for responses.
(a) 
With the exception of emergencies, all violations shall be identified and documented within five days of receiving compliance information.
(b) 
Initial enforcement responses which involve requesting industrial users to provide information with regard to corrective or preventative actions shall occur within 15 days of receiving compliance information.
(c) 
Follow-up actions for continuing or reoccurring violations shall be conducted within 60 days of initial enforcement responses. Compliance schedules shall be developed as necessary and shall direct further response schedules.
(d) 
Violations which threaten health, property or environmental quality are considered emergencies and shall receive immediate responses as necessary to minimize possible hazards.
(e) 
All violations meeting the minimum criteria for significant noncompliance shall be addressed through the issuance of an administrative order within 30 days of receiving compliance information.
(f) 
Response to uncommon events which occur at frequencies unrelated to permit or enforcement order schedules and are considered significant to the operation of the City pretreatment program shall be conducted within an appropriate time frame to minimize violation magnitude.
G. 
Administrative fines.
(1) 
Fines shall be assessed to industrial users found to be in violation of industrial wastewater discharge permits, this article or pretreatment regulations or an administrative order by the City Manager. The determination of fines for violations shall be approved by the City Manager after consideration of relevant circumstances regarding each violation. The City Manager shall consider the extent of any harm caused by violations, preventative measures or corrective action industrial users may have enacted as well as the compliance history of the industrial user. The following table is intended to guide the most basic application of assessing administrative fines.
Incident
Fine
First
$100
Second
$200
Third
$300
Fourth
$400
Fifth
$500
Sixth
$600
Seventh
$700
Eighth
$800
Ninth
$900
Tenth
$1,000
Additional
$1,000
(2) 
Any fine assessed hereunder may be appealed to the Superior Court of the State of Delaware in and for Kent County, in accordance with the Superior Court Civil Rules.