[Ord. No. 297A §§I — VII, 8-15-1988; Ord. No. 338 §9, 8-12-1991; Ord. No. 390 §715.025, 3-7-1994]
The City hereby adopts an "Emergency Operating Plan" for the St. Robert Water Department which is on file in the City Clerk's office as past ordinances 297 and 297A except that the Director of Public Works (under the coordination of the City Administrator as per Section 105.110, et seq. of this Code) is charged with the implementation of the plan, notification of public ( §297 p.6), and rendering a finding that a water shortage problem exists (§297 p. 1 "Water Conservation Plan").
[Ord. No. 22 §§1 — 2, 9-4-1956; Ord. No. 357 §2, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.030, 3-7-1994]
A. 
It is hereby found, determined and declared to be necessary for the public health, safety, welfare and benefit of the City of St. Robert and its inhabitants that the waterworks of said City and the sewerage system and all future improvements and extensions thereto, be combined, and that they shall thenceforth be operated and maintained as a combined waterworks and sewerage system.
B. 
Thenceforth, from and after the final passage of this Chapter, the waterworks of the City of St. Robert and the sewerage system and all future improvements and extensions thereto, whether to the waterworks or to the sewerage system or to both, shall be and the same are combined and it is hereby declared that said waterworks and said sewerage system, and all future improvements and extensions thereto as aforesaid, thenceforth be operated and maintained as a combined waterworks and sewerage system.
[Ord. No. 2289 §1, 6-7-2010; Ord. No. 2832 §2, 10-6-2015]
A. 
A customer who has experienced a water leak due to unusual or unexpected circumstances, beyond the reasonable control of the customer, may request a modification to the water billed to the City Administrator, in writing. The request shall include the following:
1. 
Proof of repair of the leak.
2. 
The previous month's water bill.
B. 
The request shall be made within seven (7) days of the customer receiving the disputed bill.
C. 
An adjustment shall be made for a customer only once during any 12-month period.
D. 
In the event that the City discovers the leak and notifies the owner, the customer shall have forty-eight (48) hours to correct the leak or they will be ineligible for an adjustment under this Section.
E. 
It shall be the decision of the City Administrator to grant the adjustment. If an adjustment is granted, then the bill shall be an average of the last twelve (12) months bills. The decision of the City Administrator is appealable, in writing, to the Board of Aldermen.
F. 
The City may, at its choosing, send City employees to the customer's property to verify the leak and/or repairs.
G. 
This Section shall not apply to any customers whose bill is large, due to irrigation of yard or garden, filling of swimming pools, car wash activities or other purposes in which excessive water usage is the result of the acts on part of the customer or any of the customer's agent, assignees or representatives.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 1, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 357 §3, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.040, 3-7-1994]
It is determined and declared to be necessary and conducive to the protection of the public health, safety, welfare, and convenience of the City to collect charges from all users who contribute wastewater to the City's sewerage system. The proceeds of such charges so derived will be used for the purpose of operating, maintaining, and retiring the debt for such public wastewater sewerage works.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 1, 7-21-1980; Ord. No. 208 Art. 2, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 357 §4, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.050, 3-7-1994]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this Chapter 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 20°C, expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l).
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 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 WASTES
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes, trade, or business as distinct from sanitary sewage.
MAY
Is permissive.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or groundwater.
NORMAL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Wastewater that has a BOD concentration of not more than 210 mg/l and a suspended solids concentration of not more than 200 mg/l.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
All expenditures during the useful life of the sewerage system for materials, labor, utilities, and other items which are necessary for managing and maintaining the sewerage system and to achieve the capacity and performance for which such system is designed and constructed.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation, or group.
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.
REPLACEMENT
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the sewerage system to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed. The term "operation and maintenance" includes replacement.
RESIDENTIAL CONTRIBUTOR
Any contributor to the City's sewerage system whose lot, parcel of real estate, or building is used for domestic dwelling purposes only.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwaters 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 collecting, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
SEWERAGE SYSTEM
Any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage, or liquid industrial wastes. These include intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, individual systems, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions improvement, remodeling, additions and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including site acquisition of the land that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment; or any other method or system for preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating, or disposing of municipal waste or industrial waste, including waste in combined storm water and sanitary sewer systems.
SHALL
Is mandatory.
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.
SS (Denoting 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.
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.
SUPERINTENDENT
The Superintendent of Sewage Works and/or of Water Pollution Control of the City of St. Robert, or his/her authorized deputy, agent, or representative.
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.
USEFUL LIFE
The estimated period during which a sewerage system will be operated.
USER CHARGE
That portion of the total wastewater service charge which is levied in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation, maintenance, delinquent account, or replacement of the wastewater sewerage system.
With reference to water and sewer rates and usage and particularly in connection with mobile home parks and multi-family units where there may be more than one (1) unit on a particular water meter, it is important that the City know how many of those units have been occupied during the billing period (which in the City's case is from the fifteenth (15th) of one (1) month to the fifteenth (15th) of the next month unless the fifteenth (15th) falls on a weekend or holiday then it will be the next working day). In order to make this determination, it shall be presumed that each unit will have been occupied during a particular billing period and each owner will be billed accordingly. In the event that any owner of property claims that a particular unit was not occupied for the entire period of the billing cycle, it will be the duty and responsibility of that owner to provide the City Administrator with satisfactory proof that any particular unit for which the owner is being billed, was not occupied during the entire billing cycle (see above) and should therefore not be billed for that particular month. Failure of the owner to provide such proof to the City will result in the owner being charged for each unit during the billing period whether that unit was, in fact occupied or not.
If the units are serviced by one (1) of the City's other utilities (water-electric) then the occupant of the property can be billed independently.
WATER METER
A water volume measuring and recording device, furnished and/or installed by the City of St. Robert or furnished and/or installed by a user and approved by the City of St. Robert.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 3, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 357 §5, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.060, 3-7-1994]
The user charge system shall generate adequate annual revenues to pay costs of annual operation and maintenance including replacement and costs associated with debt retirement of bonded capital associated with financing the sewerage system which the City may by ordinance designate to be paid by the user charge system. That portion of the total user charge which is designated for operation and maintenance including replacement of the sewerage system shall be established by this Chapter.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 3, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 357 §§5 — 6, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.070, 3-7-1994]
A. 
That portion of the total user charge collected which is designated for operation and maintenance including replacement purposes as established in Section 725.140, shall be deposited in a separate non-lapsing fund known as the Operation, Maintenance and Replacement Fund and will be kept in two (2) primary accounts as follows:
1. 
An account designated for the specific purpose of defraying operation and maintenance costs (excluding replacement) of the sewerage system (Operation and Maintenance Account).
2. 
An account designated for the specific purpose of ensuring replacement needs over the useful life of the St. Robert Sewerage System (Replacement Account). Deposits in the Replacement Account shall be made from the operation, maintenance and replacement revenue in the amount of not less than twelve thousand dollars ($12,000.00) annually.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 3, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 357 §7, 5-4-1992; Ord. No. 390 §715.080, 3-7-1994]
Fiscal year-end balances in the operation and maintenance account and the replacement account shall be carried over to the same accounts in the subsequent fiscal year, and shall be used for no other purposes than those designated for these accounts. Monies which have been transferred from other sources to meet temporary shortages in the Operation, Maintenance, and Replacement Fund shall be returned to their respective accounts upon appropriate adjustment of the user charge rates for operation, maintenance, and replacement.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 6, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 390 §715.150, 3-7-1994]
The City will review the user charge system at least every two (2) years and revise user charge rates as necessary, to ensure that the system generates adequate revenues to pay the costs of operation and maintenance including replacement, and that the system continues to provide for the proportional distribution of operation and maintenance, including replacement costs among users.
[Ord. No. 208 Art. 6, 11-20-1980; Ord. No. 390 §715.160, 3-7-1994]
The City will notify each user at least annually, in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate being charged for operation, maintenance, including replacement, of the treatment works.
[Ord. No. 322 §5, 3-19-1990; Ord. No. 390 §715.200, 3-7-1994]
It shall be a misdemeanor for any person or persons to tamper with any water or sewer main, or change any water meter, or make any connection to the waterworks or sewerage system without written permission from the City, or to re-connect services when it has been disconnected for nonpayment of a bill for service, until such bill has been paid in full, including the cut-off and reconnection fee. Upon conviction, there shall be a fine imposed of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 2, 7-21-1980]
The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, situated within the City of St. Robert 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 or combined sewer of the City of St. Robert, is 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 the provisions of this Chapter, within ninety (90) days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within one hundred (100) feet (30.5 meters) of the property line.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 3, 7-21-1980]
A. 
When Necessary. Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available under the provisions of Section 715.110, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this Section.
B. 
Permit Required.
1. 
Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the Superintendent. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the City of St. Robert, which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications, and other information as are deemed necessary by the Superintendent. A permit and inspection fee of ten ($10.00) dollars shall be paid to the City at the time the application is filed.
2. 
A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the Superintendent. 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 Superintendent when the work is ready for final inspection, and before any underground portions are covered. The inspection shall be made within forty-eight (48) hours of the receipt of notice by the Superintendent.
3. 
The type, capacities, locations, and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the Department of Public Health of the State of Missouri. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any natural outlet.
C. 
When Public Sewer Becomes Available.
1. 
At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in Section 715.110, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in compliance with this Chapter, and any septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable material.
2. 
The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the City of St. Robert.
3. 
No statement contained in this Section shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the Health Officer.
4. 
When a public sewer becomes available, the building sewer shall be connected to said sewer within sixty (60) days and the private sewage disposal system shall be cleaned of sludge and filled with clean bank-run gravel or dirt.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 5 §§3, 4, 7-21-1980; Ord. No. 338 §3, 8-12-1991]
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:
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 CN in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer.
3. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 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 obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works such as, but no 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., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
B. 
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 Superintendent 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 Superintendent 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 higher than one hundred fifty degrees (150°) F. (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 (32) and one hundred fifty (150°) F (0 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 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 iron 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 Superintendent 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 Superintendent as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements 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 Superintendent in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations.
8. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.
9. 
Materials which exert or cause:
a. 
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers 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. 
BOD, biochemical oxygen demand, in excess of 300 ppm (parts per million); SS, suspended solids, in excess of 350 ppm; 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 "sludge" as defined herein.
10. 
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.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 5 §5, 7-21-1980]
A. 
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 (B), Section 715.130, and which in the judgement of the Superintendent 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 Superintendent 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 Section 715.170 of this Chapter.
B. 
If the Superintendent permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent, and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 5 §§6, 7, 7-21-1980]
A. 
Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when in the opinion of the Superintendent 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 be of a type and capacity approved by the Superintendent, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
B. 
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.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 5 §9, 7-21-1980]
A. 
When required by the Superintendent, 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 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 Superintendent. 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.
B. 
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in this Chapter 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 said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to 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 analysis are obtained from twenty-four (24) composites of all outfalls whereas pH's are determined from periodic grab samples).
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 5 §10, 7-21-1980]
No statement contained in Section 715.160 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 of treatment, subject to payment, therefore, by the industrial concern.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 6, 7-21-1980]
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 Section shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of disorderly conduct.
[Ord. No. 204 Art. 7, 7-21-1980]
A. 
The Superintendent and other duly authorized employees of the City of St. Robert bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. The Superintendent 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 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 Section 715.190, Subsection (A), the Superintendent or duly authorized employees of the City of St. Robert shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the company and the company shall be held harmless for injury or death to the City of St. Robert employees and the City of St. Robert shall indemnify the company against loss or damage to its property by City of St. Robert 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 715.160, Subsection (A).
C. 
The Superintendent and other duly authorized employees of the City of St. Robert bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the City of St. Robert holds a duly negotiated easement for the purpose of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repairs, and maintenance of any portion of the sewage works lying with 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.