Terms which are not defined herein shall be interpreted as defined in the most recent edition of the Glossary – Water and Wastewater Control Engineering, published by the Water Pollution Control Federation (WPCF) [now known as the Water Environment Federation (WEF)], Washington, D.C. Throughout these wastewater regulations, "shall" is mandatory, and "may" is permissive. Unless the content specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in these wastewater regulations shall be as follows:
Any person requesting approval to discharge wastewater into the City's wastewater facilities or a new connection to the City's wastewater facilities.
A set of drawings prepared upon completion of a project or a construction contract that reflect all changes made in the specifications and working drawings during the construction process, and show the exact dimensions, geometry, and location of all elements of the work completed for the project or construction contract.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
The portion of a sewer's capacity that is remaining when the existing peak hourly flow rate that can be conveyed by the sewer is subtracted from the capacity of the sewer as indicated below:
Available Capacity = Capacity - Existing Peak Hourly Flow Rate |
A written statement issued by the DPW to a customer, which includes the actual or estimated amount of sanitary sewage conveyed through the City's wastewater system, all charges due for sanitary sewer service during such period, and additional information as may be required under these wastewater regulations.
Any structure used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other use classification or purpose as defined by 780 CMR.
[Amended 4-5-2024]
Also referred to as a house connection, service or lateral, shall mean the pipe which connects to a building drain conveying wastewater from plumbing fixtures within a building to a public sewer, a private sewer, an MWRA sewer (where allowed by MWRA), or other place of disposal. The building sewer begins 10 feet outside the inner face of the building foundation wall and extends to and includes the connection to the City sewer, MWRA sewer or private sewer.
An intentional or negligent diversion of a waste stream, by direct or indirect means, to the City's wastewater system, from any portion of a pretreatment facility prior to completing pretreatment, or from any industrial process or other source of wastewater prior to pretreatment.
The peak hourly flow rate that can be conveyed by a sewer under full flow gravity conditions as determined by standard hydraulic equations and calculations.
All fees, rates, assessments and other charges for water or other services which are furnished or supplied by the DPW and which the DPW is authorized under these wastewater regulations to charge and collect.
[Amended 4-5-2024]
The City of Framingham, Massachusetts.
The pipes, conduits, pumping stations, and appurtenances involved in the collection and transport of wastewater.
A sewer that serves two or more dwelling units, buildings, or structures and connects to either a public or a private sewer.
An independently owned unit of a residential or commercial building with at least two units separately owned.
Water used in a process for cooling purposes that has come in direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste product, or finished product.
Any physical, chemical, biological, or radiological substance or matter in water.
Own, access, construct, install, repair, test, operate, and/or maintain.
The water discharged from any system of condensation, air conditioning, cooling, refrigeration, or other system of heat transfer.
Any actual or potential connection between a distribution pipe of potable water supplied by the public water system and any waste pipe, soil pipe, sewer, drain or any other unapproved source. Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, the term "cross-connection" shall also include any bypass arrangement, jumper connection, removal section, swivel or changeover connection and any other temporary or permanent connection through which backflow can or may occur.
The person listed on the records of the DPW as the party responsible for payment of bills for charges for sewer and/or water service to a building, whether or not the customer occupies the premises.
The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.
The Executive Director of the Department of Public Works of the City of Framingham. The Director may appoint an authorized representative to act on the Director's behalf.
Flow from a conduit, sewer, drain, outfall, pump, pipe, tank or treatment process, or any emission, intentional or unintentional, including but not limited to flow resulting from spilling, leaking, seeping, pumping, pouring, emitting, emptying, depositing, dumping, releasing, injecting, escaping, leaching or infiltrating, whether direct or indirect.
Any requirement, restriction or standard imposed by the Mayor, MWRA, DEP or Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) on quantities, discharge rates, and concentrations of pollutants which are discharged to the public wastewater system.
The wastewater derived principally from dwellings, business buildings, institutions and the like. It may or may not contain groundwater, surface water, stormwater, or wash water from industrial enterprises.
The Framingham Department of Public Works.
A house, apartment, condominium, 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, whether recorded or by prescription.
Wastewater or other liquid, irrespective of treatment, flowing out of a treatment facility or part thereof.
The Environmental Protection Agency.
A charge established by the City on a fixed or sliding scale basis which an applicant, owner, customer, or user is obligated to remit to the City in accordance with the cost structure and payment schedule established by the City for a granted service, condition, letter, document, or permit.
The continuous movement of liquid in a pipe or conduit as measured in units of volume per a specific time period.
An exterior or interior 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. Also called a "grease interceptor" in the Uniform State Plumbing Code, 248 CMR 10.00.
[Amended 4-5-2024]
A waste, or combination of wastes, that at the time of discharge:
A waste that would be a hazardous waste pursuant to the EPA or DEP criteria but for the fact that it is discharged to the sanitary sewerage system shall be, for purposes of this definition, a hazardous waste unless it is in wastewater which is discharged to the sewer system pursuant to a permit issued under 360 CMR 10.000 and in compliance with the MWRA's discharge limits.
A direct connection of a source of infiltration or inflow to the sanitary sewer system. Examples of such sources include roof downspouts, sump pumps, foundation drains, area drains, etc.
Any solid, liquid or gaseous waste or wastewater, resulting from an industrial or manufacturing process, or from a commercial, governmental, or institutional activity, or from the development, recovery or processing of natural resources. Industrial wastes do not include, and are distinct from, sanitary sewage, uncontaminated cooling water, noncontact cooling water, and noncontact industrial process water.
Groundwater that enters or leaks into a sanitary sewer through such means as a foundation drain, cracked, broken or defective pipe, pipe joint, connection or manhole wall.
Precipitation or surface runoff that enters a sanitary sewer through such means as downspouts and roof leaders, floor drains, yard drains and area drains, sump pumps, catch basins, interconnections between storm drains and sanitary sewers, and defective manhole covers and frames.
A cooperative or contractual arrangement between two or more municipalities made pursuant to MGL c. 40, § 4A.
A person authorized, in writing, by the DPW to install, maintain and repair sanitary sewers and building sewers on public or private property within the City of Framingham.
A water meter used for billing purposes serving a building or group of buildings.
An instrument or device, including any appurtenances thereto for measuring and recording the flow of water and/or sewer usage at a location, installed by, or at the request of the DPW, and used for billing by the DPW.
A dwelling containing more than two dwelling units.
The Massachusetts Water Resources Authority.
The permit required and issued by the MWRA that authorizes certain facilities with low industrial flows and no or low levels of regulated pollutants in their industrial wastewater to discharge industrial wastewater to the MWRA's wastewater system.
The permit required and issued by the MWRA that is applicable to a specific type or types of industrial and commercial processes or discharges.
A sewer owned and maintained by the MWRA.
The requirements under 40 CFR 403.6 and 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N, specifying quantities or concentrations of pollutants or pollutant properties which may be discharged to a publicly owned treatment works by new or existing sewer users in specific industrial categories which are established as separate regulations under the appropriate subpart of 40 CFR Chapter I, Subchapter N.
Any land surface or subsurface, wetland, watercourse, water body, or groundwater.
Water used for cooling that does not come in direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste product, or finished product.
Water used in an industrial or manufacturing process, or in the development, recovery, or processing of natural resources that does not come into direct contact with any raw material, intermediate product, waste product, or finished product.
A receptacle designed to separate petroleum-based oil and grease from water. Also called a "separator" in the Uniform State Plumbing Code, 248 CMR 10.00.
[Amended 4-5-2024]
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.
The largest volume of flow to be received during a one-hour period and expressed as a volume per unit time as noted in Technical Report No. 16, Guides for the Design of Wastewater Treatment Works, 1998 Edition as prepared by the New England Interstate Water Pollution Control Commission. The peak hourly flow rate shall be determined using standard hydraulic equations and calculations.
An authorization issued pursuant to any applicable federal, state, or City regulations with conditions that require conformance by the applicant, owner, customer, or user.
Any agency of the federal government, any agency or political subdivision of the commonwealth, any state, public or private corporation or authority, individual, trust, firm, joint-stock company, partnership, association, or other entity, or any group thereof, and any officer, employee, or agent of such person, and any group of persons.
Any element, constituent, or property of wastewater, or of agricultural, industrial, manufacturing, or commercial process waste, or leachate, or any other substance which causes the alteration of the chemical, physical, biological, or radiological integrity of water through its introduction therein.
A parcel of real estate or portion thereof, including any improvement thereon, which is determined by the City to be either a single user or a multiple 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. Pretreatment shall include the reduction or alteration of pollutants by physical, chemical or biological processes, process changes, or other means, except as prohibited by 40 CFR Part 403. Dilution is not pretreatment.
A sewer which, by determination of a governmental board, body, reviewing agency, or department of the City of Framingham and/or by the MWRA, is not accepted and/or owned by the City or the MWRA. Private sewers include, but are not limited to, building sewers, sewers, pumping systems, and manholes located on private property. It also includes building sewers, pumping systems, and manholes that are located within the City right-of-way that serve an individual user or group of users and are constructed for the sole benefit of those users. The connection from a private sewer to the public sewer system is also owned by the owner of the private sewer.
A sewer which, by determination of a governmental board, body, reviewing agency, or department of the City of Framingham and/or by the MWRA, is accepted and owned by the City or the MWRA. Public sewers include sewer piping, manholes, pump stations and appurtenances installed in an accepted street or through an easement, in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by public authority.
Any pipes, manholes, pump stations, treatment facilities, and other appurtenances used for the conveyance, treatment, or disposal and owned by the public. This shall include public sewers and MWRA-owned facilities. This shall not include building sewers or private sewer systems.
A sewer which conveys sanitary wastewater and industrial wastes, in which and to which stormwater, surface water, or groundwater is not intentionally admitted.
Liquid and water-carried human and domestic wastes from buildings, exclusive of ground-, storm- and surface water, industrial wastes, uncontaminated cooling water, and wastewater discharged from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings, commercial, retail, and office buildings, industrial facilities, or institutions.
The wastes of primarily sanitary sewage origin that are removed from a cesspool, septic tank, portable toilet, or similar receptacle.
A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or waterborne wastes from residences, businesses, and industries to a wastewater treatment facility.
A sewer pipeline and appurtenant works running laterally from a street sewer, an off-street sewer, or a trunk sewer to an individual tract, lot, or parcel of land to serve one or more houses or other buildings, whether or not connected to any house or building.
The addition to a sewer system of a sewer pipe, together with appurtenant works, which when connected to the sewer system becomes the property of, and is operated and maintained by, the person owning the sewer system.
The permit required and issued jointly by the City and the MWRA to a user for the discharge of wastewater to the City's or the MWRA's wastewater system.
A system of sewers.
Waste containing varying amounts of solids that are removed from water and wastewater through treatment by physical, chemical or biological processes.
That portion of a discharge which contains a pollutant that is prohibited by these wastewater regulations or contains a concentration of a pollutant at least five times above the concentration limit for that pollutant provided in these wastewater regulations; or
A discharge from a large vat, vessel, or container into the wastewater system in a manner that:
Harms or threatens to harm the wastewater system, workers, or receiving waters;
Contains a pollutant in excess of the requirements of these wastewater regulations;
Causes a violation of any federal or state permit issued to the City; or
Constitutes a discharge of a pollutant without an appropriate permit.
Conduits or structures that provide for flow regulation and control, storage, and/or treatment of wastewater.
The current edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, as published by the American Public Health Association (APHA), American Water Works Association (AWWA) and the Water Environment Federation (WEF).
A pump and its associated piping used to remove and discharge water that has accumulated in a water collecting sump pit, commonly found in the basement or lower level of homes and buildings.
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.
Any and all devices, equipment, or works used in the pumping, storing, treating, recycling, and reclaiming of sewage or industrial waste.
An exceptional incident in which there is unintentional and temporary noncompliance with the discharge standards of these wastewater regulations, or any permit thereunder, due to factors beyond the reasonable control of the person responsible for the discharge. An upset does not include noncompliance to the extent caused by operational error, an improperly or inadequately designed treatment facility, lack of preventive maintenance, or careless or improper operation.
Any person discharging wastewater directly or indirectly into public or private sewers 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 residences, commercial buildings, industrial facilities, and institutions. Wastewater is also referred to as "sewage."
Structures and conduits for the collection, treatment, neutralization, stabilization, or disposal of domestic and/or industrial wastewater as is disposed of by means of structures including treatment and disposal works, necessary intercepting, outfall, and outlet sewers, and pumping stations integral to such facilities with sewers, equipment, furnishings thereof and other appurtenances connected therewith.
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.
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.