[City Manager, passed 8-22-2022[1]]
Terms which are not defined herein shall be interpreted as defined in the most recent edition of Glossary: Water and Wastewater Control Engineering, published by the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF), Washington, D.C. Throughout these regulations, "shall" is mandatory, and "may" is permissive. Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in these regulations shall be as follows:
Any person or entity applying for sewer service or for a sewer main extension, replacement, alteration, removal or relocation.
Written approval by the Department of Public Works.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, or its duly authorized representatives.
The sewerage works under the control of the Authority, including sewers, pump stations, treatment plants and all other works under the control of the Authority used in collection, storage, transport, treatment, and discharge of waters and wastes and in the operation of the Authority's residuals program.
A public sewer or storm sewer shall be considered available when the property upon which a building is situated abuts a street, alley, easement or right-of-way in which a public sewer is located. If the property line of the subject parcel is more than 100 feet from the nearest public sewer, application may be made in writing to the Department to declare the public sewer "not available."
The quantity of oxygen utilized in five days at 20° C., expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l), in the biochemical oxidation of wastewater as determined by a procedure described in Standard Methods.
Any structure used for human occupancy, employment, recreation other purposes.
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a plumbing system, which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other pipes, inside the walls of the building, and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning 10 feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
Also referred to as "house connections," shall mean the pipe which extends from the building drain to the sewer connection conveying wastewater to a public sewer, a private sewer, an MWRA sewer, or other place of disposal.
The connection of a building sewer to a sanitary sewer owned and operated by the DPW or the MWRA.
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system, which receives the discharge from roof drains, foundation drains, sump pumps, and other surface water and groundwater collection pipes; but not from sewage, soil and other waste pipes; inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building storm sewer, beginning 10 feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
The extension from the building storm drain to the connection to the public storm drain as defined herein, or other permissible place of disposal.
The connection of a building storm sewer to a public storm drain.
An inlet to the storm drain system that typically includes a grate or curb inlet where stormwater enters and a sump to capture sediment, debris and associated pollutants.
The oxygen equivalent of the portion of the organic matter that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant, expressed in milligrams per liter, as determined by a procedure described in Standard Methods.
The City of Watertown, Massachusetts.
The pipes, conduits, pumping stations, and appurtenances involved in the collection and transport of wastewater and stormwater.
The construction of a new building to replace an existing building in its entirety.
A combination of individual samples of wastewater taken at pre-selected intervals to represent the integrated composition of the sample source.
An impairment in the quality of the water by sewage, industrial fluids or waste liquids, compounds or other materials to a degree which creates an actual hazard to the public health through poisoning or though the spread of disease.
The water discharged from any system of condensation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, or other system of heat transfer.
The groundwater or surface water which is removed from a site and discharged beyond the limits of the site by means of gravity or pumping.
The permit required and issued by the DPW for discharges to the public collection system of dewatering drainage resulting from activities associated with construction.
The City of Watertown Department of Public Works. However, the City Manager has all the authority and powers of the Department and its Superintendent.
A person or corporation who has met the qualifications set by the City to install sewer or storm sewer connections.
A house, apartment, mobile home or trailer, group of rooms or single room occupied or intended for occupancy as a separate living quarter.
An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned and maintained by others.
Wastewater or other liquid, partially or completely treated, flowing out of a treatment facility or part thereof.
More than the limits established in these regulations, directly or by reference, or more than limits judged by the DPW or the MWRA to be acceptable.
Fat, oil, or grease (also referred to as "FOG") in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility.
Any building wherein one or more motor vehicles are serviced, kept, or stored, and shall include (without limitation) a public or private garage, carport, motor vehicle repair or paint shop, service station, car wash, or any building used for similar purposes.
The animal and vegetable wastes resulting from the domestic or commercial handling, storage, sale, preparation, cooking, or dispensing of food.
The form completed by the property owner or by the owner's agent prior to construction, reconstruction, repair or modification to the City's sanitary sewers or storm drains. (This application also covers connections for water and fire service.)
A sample of wastewater taken on a one-time basis without consideration of time.
Referred to as a "grease interceptor" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Uniform State Plumbing Code and Massachusetts Fuel Gas Code, shall mean a receptacle designed to collect and retain or remove grease and fatty substances from wastewater normally resulting from the commercial handling, preparation, cooking, or dispensing of food.
A supply of water under the earth's surface contained within or flowing through a geological formation.
A substance that is not amenable to removal by the receiving wastewater treatment plant or which may cause damage to the transmission or treatment facilities or adversely impact overall treatment. Incompatible pollutants include, but are not limited to, heavy metals and persistent organics.
Any user identified in the U.S. Office of Management and Budget's Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, as amended and supplemented, under the following divisions:
A sewer use discharge permit.
The solid, liquid, or gaseous wastes generated by industrial users from, but not limited to, industrial manufacturing processes; trade, business, or service activities; or the development, recovery or processing of natural resources. Industrial wastes do not include, and are distinct from, sanitary sewage, uncontaminated cooling water, and uncontaminated industrial process water.
Water other than wastewater that enters any sanitary sewer (including building sewers) from the ground through means which include, but are not limited to, defective pipes, pipe joints, service connections, or manholes. Infiltration does not include, and is distinguished from, inflow.
The quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow.
Precipitation or surface runoff that enters a sanitary sewer through direct and indirect sources such as downspouts, catch basins, area drains, sump pumps, subsurface drains, interconnections between sanitary sewers and storm drains, etc.
A physical connection between a sanitary sewer and storm drain which allows the two separated flows to inter-mix (prohibited in the City of Watertown).
A vertical access shaft from the ground surface to a sewer or storm drain, usually at a junction, to allow cleaning, inspection, connections, and repairs.
Publicly owned facilities by which stormwater is collected and/or conveyed, including but not limited to any roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, gutters, curbs, inlets, piped storm drains, pumping facilities, retention and detention basins, natural and human-made or altered drainage channels, reservoirs, and other drainage structures that together comprise the storm drainage system owned or operated by the City of Watertown.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
The group of municipalities and other entities, including the City, which are statutorily permitted to deliver wastewater to the MWRA.
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or groundwater.
Referred to as a "separator" by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, Uniform State Plumbing Code and Massachusetts Fuel Gas Code, shall mean a receptacle used for separating materials of different specific gravity, such as oil from water and sand from water that meets MWRA standards.
A person who alone or jointly or severally with others has the legal title to any premises or has care, charge or control of any premises as agent, executor, administrator, trustee, lessee, or guardian of the estate of the holder of legal title.
A receptacle designed and installed to separate sand and grit from water.
Any individual, firm, company, partnership, association, society, corporation, group, or any political subdivision of the commonwealth.
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration, expressed in moles per liter. Neutral water, for examine, has a pH value of 7 and a hydrogen ion concentration of 10. Any method of measurement approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency may be used.
Dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, wastewater, garbage, sewage sludge, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, rock, sand, dirt, and industrial, municipal and agricultural waste.
The presence in the environment of pollutants in quantities or characteristics which are or may be injurious to human, plant, or animal life or to property or which unreasonably interfere with the comfortable enjoyment of life and property throughout such areas as may be affected thereby.
A parcel of real estate or portion thereof, including any improvements thereon, which is determined by the DPW to be a single user for purposes of receiving, using, and paying for service.
The reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater to a less harmful state prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing such pollutants into the wastewater system. Dilution is not pretreatment.
A sewer which is not owned by the City or the MWRA.
A sewer which is owned by the City or the MWRA.
Any watercourse, river, pond, ditch, lake, aquifer, ocean, or other body of surface water or groundwater that receives a discharge of wastewater or effluent.
Liquid- and water-carried human and domestic wastes from buildings, exclusive of ground, storm, and surface water, and industrial wastes and uncontaminated cooling water and uncontaminated industrial process water.
A sewer designed to carry sewage and industrial wastes.
A pipe or conduit that carries either wastewater or storm or surface water.
The addition to a sewer system of a sewer pipe, together with appurtenant works which extend and increase the facilities used for collecting and conveying sewage.
Formerly called "industrial user discharge permit," shall mean the permit required and issued jointly by the DPW and the MWRA to an industrial user for discharging wastewater to the City's or the MWRA's wastewater system.
Waste containing varying amounts of solids that are removed from water and wastewater through treatment by physical, chemical, or biological processes.
The current edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, as published by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and the WPCF.
A sewer, which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than those specifically allowed by the City's general permit for stormwater discharges from small municipal separate storm sewer systems, and subsequent reissuances. The City's ordinance, Prohibition of Illicit Discharges to the Storm Drainage System, regulates discharges to the City's storm drainage system.
Any surface flow, runoff, and drainage consisting entirely of water from any form of natural precipitation, and resulting from such precipitation.
Renovations or improvements to a building totaling 51% or more of the assessed value of the building or any increase in wastewater flow from the property.
A pump used to remove liquid from a sump or pit, especially water that has accumulated in a basement.
All water appearing on the earth's surface exposed to the atmosphere, such as rivers, lakes, streams, and oceans.
Solids that either float on the surface or are in suspension in water, wastewater, or other liquids and are removable by laboratory filtering procedures as described in Standard Methods.
Organics listed as toxic in federal or Massachusetts regulations.
Any pollutant identified as such in federal or Massachusetts regulations.
Water of a quality equal to or better than the applicable effluent criteria or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards.
Any person discharging wastewater or stormwater directly or indirectly into the public sanitary sewers or storm drains or MS4 or MWRA interceptors within the City.
Wastewater and any and all other waste substances, whether liquid, solid, gaseous, or radioactive, associated with human habitation, or of human or animal origin, or from any production, manufacturing or processing operation.
The spent water of a community, which may be a combination of the liquid- and water-carried wastes from buildings. Groundwater and stormwater entering as infiltration and inflow may also be present.
A tank or a chamber for retaining wastewater for a specified period of time prior to discharge to a wastewater system.
The totality of the devices, equipment or works used in transportation, pumping, storage, treatment, recycling, or reclamation of wastewater or in the disposal of the effluent.
An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater and sludge.
The physical, chemical, and biological operations and processes, considered individually or in combination, that are applied at a wastewater treatment plant to remove, reduce, or alter the pollutant loading of wastewater.
[1]
Editor’s Note: This enactment superseded former Ch. 53, Sewers (1982 Code, Ch. VII, §§ 11, 12, and 13).