[R.O. 2009 §28-84; Code 1975 §560.020; Ord. No. 1534 §1, 11-12-1980]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this Article shall be as follows:
BOD (DENOTING BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at twenty degrees Celsius (20°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, beginning five (5) feet (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING OFFICIAL
The Building Official of the City or his/her authorized deputy, agent or representative.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking and dispensing of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes, trade or business as distinct from sanitary sewage.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or ground water.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
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 (½) inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights and is controlled by public authority.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface and storm waters as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for collection, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
SHALL
Is mandatory; MAY: Is permissive.
SLUG
Any discharge of water, sewage or industrial waste which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty-four (24) hour concentration or flows during normal operation.
STORM DRAIN (SOMETIMES TERMED "STORM SEWER")
A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than unpolluted cooling water.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory filtering.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
[1]
Cross Reference — As to definitions and rules of construction generally, §100.020.
[R.O. 2009 §28-85; Code 1975 §560.030]
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the City, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City, any human or animal excrement, garbage or other objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the City, or in any area under jurisdiction of the City, any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this Article.
C. 
Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.
D. 
The owners of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment or recreation or other purposes, situated within the City 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 sewer of the City, are hereby required at his/her expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with provisions of this Article within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so, provided that the public sewer is within one hundred (100) feet (30.5 meters) of the property line.
[R.O. 2009 §28-86; Code 1975 §560.910]
The City may allow, permit or furnish sewer service to any person outside the City limits.
[R.O. 2009 §28-87; Code 1975 §560.040; Ord. No. 1534 §1, 11-12-1980]
A. 
Generally. Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of Section 715.020, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this Section.
B. 
Permit. Before commencement of construction of a private disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the Building Official. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the City, which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications and other information as are deemed necessary by the Building Official. A permit and inspection fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) shall be paid to the City at the time the application is filed.
C. 
Inspection. A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the Building Official. He/she shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction and, in any event, the applicant for the permit shall notify the Building Official when the work is ready for final inspection and before any underground portions are covered. The inspection shall be made within eight (8) hours of the receipt of notice by the Building Official.
D. 
Jefferson County Recommendations. The type, capacities, location and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of Jefferson County. No permit shall be issued for any private sewage disposal system employing subsurface soil absorption facilities where the area of the lot is less than that set by State requirements. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any natural outlet.
E. 
Sanitation. The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times at no expense to the City.
F. 
Additional Health Requirements. No statement contained in this Article shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the Health Officer.
G. 
Availability Of Public Sewer. At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system as provided in Section 715.020(D), a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer within sixty (60) days in compliance with this Article, and any septic tanks, cesspools and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned, cleaned of sludge and filled with suitable material.
[R.O. 2009 §28-89; Code 1975 §560.060; Ord. No. 1534 §1, 11-12-1980]
A. 
Sanitary Sewers. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
B. 
Combined Sewers. Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the Building Official. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval of the Building Official, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet.
C. 
Materials Prohibited. No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:
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, including, but not limited to, cyanides in excess of two (2) mg/l as C N in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer;
3. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than five and one-half (5.5) or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works;
4. 
Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstructions to the flow in sewers or other interferences with the proper operation of the sewage works 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, etc.
D. 
Materials Discharged Subject To Opinion Of Building Official. 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 Building Official that such wastes can harm either the sewers, 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 his/her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the Building Official will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation of 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 higher than one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150°F) (sixty-five degrees Celsius (65°C));
2. 
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of one hundred (100) mg/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-two degrees Fahrenheit (32°F) and one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150°F) (zero degrees (0°) and sixty-five degrees Celsius (65°C));
3. 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths (¾) horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent;
4. 
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid from pickling wastes or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not;
5. 
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 Building Official for such materials;
6. 
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste- or odor-producing substances in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Building Official as necessary, after treatment of the composition sewage, to meet the requirement of the State, Federal or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters;
7. 
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Building Official in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations;
8. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of nine and one-half (9.5);
9. 
Material which exert or cause:
a. 
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fuller's earth, lime slurries and 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, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions);
c. 
Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works;
d. 
Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting "slugs" as defined herein.
10. 
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amendable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed or are amendable 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. 
Options Of The Superintendent. 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 Subsection (D) and which in the judgment of the Building Official may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Building Official may:
1. 
Reject the wastes;
2. 
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for 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 taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of Subsection (J) following hereto.
If the Building Official permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plant and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Building Official and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
F. 
Grease, Oil And Sand Interceptors. Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Building Official, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts 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 not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Building Official and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
G. 
Preliminary Treatment Requirements. Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his/her expense.
H. 
Control Manholes. When required by the Building Official, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurements of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Building Official. 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.
I. 
Measurement Standards. All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this Section 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 determined at the control manhole provided or upon suitable samples taken at the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. (The particular analyses involved will determine whether a twenty-four (24) hour composite of all outfalls of a premise is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four (24) hour composites of all outfalls whereas pHs are determined from periodic grab samples.)
J. 
Contractual Arrangements On Unusual Wastes. No statement contained in this Section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to payment therefore, by the industrial concern.
[R.O. 2009 §28-90; Code 1975 §560.070]
No unauthorized 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 sewage works. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of disorderly conduct.
[R.O. 2009 §28-91; Code 1975 §560.080]
A. 
The Building Official and other duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions of the Article. The Building Official or his/her representatives shall have no authority to inquire into any processes including metallurgical, chemical, oil, refining, ceramic, paper or other industries beyond that point of having a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the sewers or waterways or facilities for waste treatment.
B. 
While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in Subsection (A) above, the Building Official or duly authorized employees of the City shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the company and the company shall be held harmless for injury or death of the City employees, and the City shall indemnify the company against loss or damage to its property by City employees and against liability claims and demands for personal injury or property damage asserted against the company and growing out of the gauging and sampling operation, except as such may be caused by negligence or failure of the company to maintain safe conditions as required in Section 715.050(H).
C. 
The Building Official and other duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the City holds a duly negotiated easement for the purposes of, but limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair and maintenance of any portion of the sewage works 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.
[R.O. 2009 §28-92; Code 1975 §560.090]
A. 
Any person found to be violating any provision of this Article except Section 715.060 shall be served by the City with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, permanently cease all violations.
B. 
Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided in Subsection (A) shall be guilty of an ordinance violation and on conviction thereof shall be punished as provided in Section 100.120.
C. 
Any person violating any of the provisions of this Article shall become liable to the City for any expense, loss or damage occasioned by the City by reason of such violations.