[Amended by Ord. No. 05-17-99B; Ord. No. 07-03-00; Ord. No. 12-15-03B; Ord. No. 02-02-09; Ord. No. 10-01-07]
The user charge system as hereinafter set forth has been developed as required by the City Council of the City of Mendota. Wastewater expense requirements shall constitute the basis for determining industrial and domestic user charges.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
The wastewater service charge for the use of and for the service supplied by the wastewater facilities of the City of Mendota shall consist of 1) a monthly customer charge to pay a portion of all general, billing and administrative costs of the system; 2) a wastewater use rate to pay all other general, debt service, maintenance, billing and administrative costs as related to the wastewater system; and 3) a surcharge, if applicable.
(1) 
The monthly customer charge shall be computed by allocating a portion of the total of general and administrative expense (as audit report) equally among all users by dividing the sum of such general and administrative expense by the number of users served.
(2) 
The wastewater use rate shall be based on water usage as recorded by water meters and/or sewage meters for the purpose of paying the remaining or variable cost associated with general, debt service, maintenance, billing and administrative costs of the system.
(a) 
The wastewater use rate will be applicable for wastes having the following average strength waste characteristics:
[1] 
A five-day, 20° C. biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) of 200 mg/l.
[2] 
A suspended solids (SS) content of 200 mg/l.
[3] 
An ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) content of 15 mg/l based on a 100 gpcpd.
(b) 
It shall consist of operation, maintenance, replacement and debt service expense and shall be computed as follows:
[1] 
Estimate the projected annual revenue required to operate and maintain the wastewater facilities, including equipment replacement and debt service.
[2] 
Estimate the billable wastewater volume.
[3] 
Compute cost per hundred cubic feet of billable volume.
(3) 
A surcharge, in addition to the above-mentioned charges, shall be paid by all users whose discharge exceeds the average concentrations for BOD (200 mg/l), SS (200 mg/l) and ammonia nitrogen (15 mg/l). The unit rate for BOD5, SS and NH3-N for the purpose of determining the basic rate and the surcharge rate shall be based on the total of operation, maintenance, replacement and debt service expense and shall be computed as follows:
(a) 
Proportion the estimated annual revenue required to operate and maintain the wastewater facilities, including the equipment replacement fund, to the major plant categories.
(b) 
Proportion the cost of the major plant categories to volume, BOD5, SS and NH3-N.
(c) 
Estimate wastewater volume, pounds of BOD5, pounds of SS and pounds of NH3-N to be treated.
(d) 
Compute the unit cost per 1,000 gallons and per pound of BOD5, SS and NH3-N based on average strength waste.
B. 
The adequacy of the wastewater service charge shall be reviewed annually by certified public accountants to the City of Mendota in their annual audit report. The wastewater service charge shall be revised periodically to reflect a change in debt service or a change in the number of users and in operation and maintenance costs, including equipment replacement costs. The purpose of annual review is to assure that each user, through the wastewater service charge, pays a proportionate share of operation and maintenance, including debt service, and to maintain proportionality of the user charge system.
The volume of flow used for computing basic user charges and surcharges shall be the metered water consumption read to the lowest even increment of 100 cubic feet.
A. 
If the persons or other dischargers (industrial, commercial, etc.) discharging wastes into the public sewers procure any part or all of their water from sources other than the public waterworks system, all or part of which is discharged into the public sewers, the person or discharger shall, if directed by the City of Mendota, install and maintain, at his or its expense, a water meter(s) of a type approved by the Superintendent for the purpose of determining the volume of water obtained from these other sources.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Devices for measuring the volume of waste discharged may be required by the Superintendent if these volumes cannot otherwise be determined from the metered water consumption records.
C. 
Metering devices for determining the volume of waste shall be installed, owned and maintained by the person or discharger. Following approval and installation, such meters may not be removed without the consent of the Superintendent.
There shall be and are hereby established wastewater service charges for the use of and for the service supplied by the wastewater facilities of the City of Mendota to be paid by each user of the service as stated and defined below. Charges shall be set from time to time by the City Council.
A. 
Residential, commercial, industrial and municipal.
(1) 
Monthly customer charge. A portion of all general, billing and administrative costs of the wastewater system is to be paid monthly. This cost reflects the minimum charge for all customers.
(2) 
Wastewater use rate: all the general, debt service, maintenance, billing and administrative costs as related to the wastewater system; a cost per 100 cubic feet of use as recorded by the water meter.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
Any resident who has a water leak from broken or damaged pipes from which water leakage does not pass through the sewer system, and whose water billing for said month is more than twice the normal water usage, may request a refund of the excess sewer portion of said bill for said month. All requests for refunds shall be brought before a meeting of the Committee on Public Works. The Committee on Public Work's decision to grant the requested refund, or any portion thereof, or to deny the request for a refund shall be forwarded to the City Council. The City Council shall accept or reject the Committee's recommendation at the next regularly scheduled meeting following receipt of the recommendation. Any decision by the City Council is final. This amendment is being made to alleviate extraordinarily high sewer billings in cases where the owner was not at fault and the water did not pass through the sewer system.
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
In the event use of wastewater facilities by nonresidential users is determined by the Superintendent to include wastes in addition to average strength domestic waste, the user shall pay a surcharge cost in addition to the debt service charge, the basic user charge and the basic user rate. The rates of surcharge for BOD5, SS and NH3-N shall be set from time to time by the City Council.
A. 
For biochemical-oxygen demand (BOD5) ("A" in the computation formula).
B. 
For suspended solids (SS) ("B" in the computation formula).
C. 
For ammonia-nitrogen (NH3-N) ("C" in the computation formula).
[1]
Editor's Note: Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
The surcharge per user shall be computed by the following formula:
A. 
BOD surcharge computation formula.
(1) 
If the daily concentration is greater than 200 ml/l, then:
S = V/1,000,000 * [A(BOD5 - 200) * 8.34]
(2) 
If the total number of pounds of BOD sent to the wastewater treatment facility is greater than 1,500 pounds, then the BOD surcharge shall be computed by the following formula:
S = Total # pounds 1,500 * $0.0867 + (1,500 - allowable #pounds * $0.039)
B. 
TSS surcharge computation formula.
S = V/1,000,000 * [B(TSS - 200) * 8.34]
C. 
NH3-N surcharge computation formula.
S = V/1,000,000 * [C(NH3-N - 15) * 8.34]
D. 
Where:
S = Amount of surcharge in dollars.
V = Wastewater volume in gallons per day.
A = Unit charge for BOD5 per pound.
BOD5 = 5-day biochemical oxygen demand, mg/l.
B = Unit charge for TSS per pound.
TSS = Total suspended solids, mg/l.
C = Unit charge for NH3-N per pound.
NH3-N = Total ammonia as nitrogen, mg/l.