[Ord. No. 45-1999, 2-1-2000]
The purpose of this article is to promote the health and general welfare of the citizens of the City by regulating and restricting the construction and use of sewer systems and the accumulation, transportation, treatment and disposal of sewage in such a manner that the creation of any sewer system, whether public, private, or industrial, shall not result in pollution, health hazard, or other nuisance. Any person owning any building or structure within the City which is the source of sewage and/or industrial wastes, or who proposes to erect such building or structure, shall conform to the requirements of this article.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 100.0, 2-1-2000]
The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:
BOD (DENOTING BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in five days at 20° C., expressed in milligrams per liter, as determined by test methods defined in Standard Methods.
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 eight feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
CATEGORICAL USER
Any user of the City's wastewater treatment system whose discharges are regulated under 40 CFR part 403 and 40 CFR parts 405 through 471, or who is otherwise subject to United States Environmental Protection Agency pretreatment requirements as a categorical user.
CHLORINE DEMAND
The amount of chlorine required to destroy all pathogenic organisms present and oxidize all organic, inorganic, and ammonia-based compounds in a sewage stream.
CITY
The City of Belfast acting through its council, manager, superintendent, plant operator, employees, code enforcement officer, plumbing inspector, or other duly authorized agent.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
DEVELOPER
Any person who undertakes to construct simultaneously, or in planned sequence, more than one housing unit on a given tract or land subdivision, or other land development, which is to be connected to the municipal sewer system.
ENGINEER
A professional engineer retained as City engineer or consulting engineer and retained or appointed by the City manager.
EXCESSIVE
Masses or concentrations of a constituent in sanitary or industrial wastewater which, in the judgment of the City:
(1) 
Will cause damage to any facility;
(2) 
Will be harmful to any wastewater treatment process;
(3) 
Cannot be properly removed in the City's treatment facilities;
(4) 
May inhibit the final disposal or reuse of the treatment plant's sludge residuals;
(5) 
Can otherwise endanger life or property; or
(6) 
Can constitute a nuisance.
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 or solid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes, trade, or business, as distinct from sanitary wastewater. Industrial wastes may or may not be discharged separately from sanitary wastewater. For a combined discharge, the City shall determine if the discharge meets the definition of industrial waste.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface water or groundwater.
OBJECTIONABLE WASTE
Waste that has the demonstrated potential to adversely affect public health or pollute groundwater and/or surface water.
OWNER
Both the person who is the vested holder of title for any real estate and all tenants, lessees, or others in control or use of the property in question. Excluded from this definition is a mortgagee of the property in question unless the mortgagee exercises his mortgage rights and becomes an owner.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, partnership, society, corporation, or group.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
PLANT OPERATOR
The superintendent or operator of the City facilities, or his authorized deputy, agent, or representative, all acting for the City council.
PRIVATE SEWER SYSTEM
Any sewer that collects wastewater from two or more building sewers, owned separately, and discharges it to a public sanitary sewer. Private sewer systems are not permitted except by specific agreement with the City.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
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 1/2 inch in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and which is owned by the City.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwater, surface water and groundwater are not intentionally admitted.
SANITARY WASTEWATER
The liquid waste discharged from a building's or structure's sanitary fixtures, such as toilets, washrooms, urinals, sinks, showers, and small laundries, and from kitchens and cafeterias, essentially free of industrial wastes or toxic materials. Sanitary wastewater may or may not be discharged separately from industrial wastewater. For a combined discharge, the City shall determine if a wastewater discharge meets the definition of sanitary wastewater.
SEPTAGE
The mixture of liquids and solid matters removed from septic tanks during normal cleaning.
SEWAGE
Sometimes termed "wastewater" or "waste," means a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water, and stormwater as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT and WATER POLLUTION CONTROL PLANT
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduct for carrying sewage.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USER
A user subject to categorical pretreatment standards, or a user that:
(1) 
Discharges an average of 10,000 gpd or more of process wastewater to the sewage works, excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling, and boiler blowdown wastewater;
(2) 
Contributes a process waste stream which makes up 2% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the sewage works; or
(3) 
Is designated as such by the City on the basis that it has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the sewage.
SLUG
Any discharge of water or wastewater in which the rate of discharge, or the mass or concentration of any given constituent, exceeds, in the opinion of the City, the ability of the sewage works to function efficiently or properly.
STANDARD METHODS
Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, latest edition.
STORM DRAIN
Sometimes termed "storm sewer," means a sewer which carries stormwater and surface water and drainage, and/or noncontaminated cooling water, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes.
SUPERINTENDENT
The superintendent of public works and/or superintendent of the sewage works of the City, or their authorized representative.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS, ALSO CALLED TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in, water, sewage, or other liquids, and which are determined in accordance with Standard Methods.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 1100.0, 2-1-2000]
(a) 
Violations generally. Nuisances and violations of this article shall be deemed to be a nuisance and a land use violation under Rule 80K of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure and 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4452.
(b) 
Notice of violation. If the City shall find that any provision of this article is being violated, notification in writing will be sent to the person responsible for such violation, indicating the nature of the violation and ordering the action necessary to correct it, including discontinuance of illegal use of the municipal sewer system, and abatement of nuisance condition. A copy of such notice shall be maintained as a permanent record.
(c) 
Legal action. When the action described in subsection (b) of this section does not result in the correction or abatement of the violation or nuisance condition, the City council, after notice from the appropriate City official, is hereby authorized to direct the City attorney to institute any and all actions and proceedings, either legal or equitable, including actions seeking injunctions of violations and the imposing of fines, that may be available or necessary to enforce the provisions of this article in the name of the City.
(d) 
Penalty; additional remedies.
(1) 
Any person, including but not limited to a landowner, a landowner's agent or a contractor, who violates any provision of this article shall be penalized in accordance with 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4452.
(2) 
In addition, the City shall be entitled to all of the relief, including its costs and legal fees, as allowed by 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4452. Notwithstanding any provision to the contrary, including the provisions of 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4452, the City shall be entitled to judgment against any violator for its costs, expert witness fees, code enforcement expenses and attorneys' fees incurred in enforcing this article.
(3) 
The City shall also have the right to enforce this article through civil action, either at law or equity. The enforcement provisions contained in this section shall exist in addition to those which may exist under state statutory law or Rule 80K of the Maine Rules of Civil Procedure, or any other court rule or statutory provision.
(4) 
Each and every day of violation shall constitute a new and separate offense for which a minimum penalty of $100 shall be assessed.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 1200.00, 2-1-2000]
Unless specified in this article, this article does not repeal any other law, ordinance, regulation, rule, code or otherwise lawful deed restriction or covenant. Whenever the requirements of this article are at variance with the regulations or restrictions of any other lawfully adopted law, ordinance, rule or regulation imposed by any governmental authority or any deed restriction or covenant, that which is more restrictive or imposes the higher standards or requirements shall govern. Notwithstanding any other provisions of this article, no premises shall be used or maintained in violation of any state or federal pollution control or environmental protection law or regulation.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 1000.0, 2-1-2000]
(a) 
Generally. The City council shall establish sewage charges for the connection to and use of public sewer facilities to be paid by every owner of an establishment whose building sewer connects directly or indirectly into public sewers. Such sewage charges shall be in proportion to the quantity of water supplied to every such premises, subject to just and equitable discounts and abatements in exceptional cases.
(b) 
Interest on unpaid charges. An interest charge at the same rate as established by the City council for uncollected taxes will be made on all bills not paid prior to the due date of the invoice.
(c) 
Industrial users. A special sewage service charge shall be established by the City for any industrial firm or organization which, by virtue of the volume, strength or unusual characteristics of its waste alone, would overload or upset the capacity or efficiency of the sewage works or any part thereof if such waste entered the public sewer, or whose waste disposal situation is such that it would be in the public interest to waive the basic requirements. The City council, after appropriate study, may from time to time establish a special sewer service charge to such industrial firm by separate agreement with such firm. The applicable portions of this article, as well as the equitable rights of the public, shall be the basis for such an arrangement. No such special sewer charge shall extend for more than two years and such charges may be modified due to material charges of law, changes of operating costs, or other reasonable circumstances which make the initial sewer charge unfair or inequitable in the view of the City council.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 200.0, 2-1-2000]
(a) 
Unsanitary deposits. 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 jurisdiction of the City, any human or animal excrement, gray water, garbage, sewage or other objectionable waste. For purposes of this section, the term "unsanitary manner" shall not include reasonable spreading of animal excrement or other fertilizer in farming or animal husbandry operations or septage disposed of at a septage site licensed by the state department of environmental protection and operated in compliance with all state department of environmental protection site regulations.
(b) 
Discharge of sewage to natural outlet. It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the City, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City, any sewage or other polluted water, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with the provisions of this article and the requirements of the state.
(c) 
Privies, septic tanks and cesspools. 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, except where no public sewage facilities are available. Such systems shall be in compliance with the state subsurface wastewater disposal rules.
(d) 
Connection to public sewer. Except as provided in this article, the owners of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes requiring the disposal of sewage situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is located a public sanitary sewer of the City are hereby required at their expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this article, provided that the public sewer is within 200 feet of the structure containing internal plumbing.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 900.1, 2-1-2000]
No 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 section shall be subject to prosecution criminally or civilly or both.
[Ord. No. 45-1999, § 900.2, 2-1-2000]
Before a permit will be issued for construction of building sewers, or sewers, or sewer extensions, pump stations and/or treatment structures, except on private property, the construction contractor must present a certificate of insurance showing minimum liability coverage of $1,000,000/$2,000,000 for bodily injury and a $100,000 limit for property damage including collapse and underground coverage.