A. 
"Sewage system"
means all city-owned facilities for collecting, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.
B. 
"Superintendent"
means the employee or representative of the city authorized to perform the duties designated in this chapter.
C. 
"Person"
means any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group.
D. 
"Sewage"
means 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.
E. 
"Industrial wastes"
means the liquid wastes from the industrial processes as distinct from sewage from other sources.
F. 
"Garbage"
means solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
G. 
"Properly shredded garbage"
means the wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of foods that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried away freely under the flow and conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension.
H. 
"Sewage treatment plant"
means any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
I. 
"Sewer"
means a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
J. 
"Public sewer"
means a sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights and is controlled by public authority.
K. 
"Sanitary sewer"
means a sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface and ground water are not intentionally admitted.
L. 
"Storm sewer or storm drain"
means a sewer which carries storm and surface water and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.
M. 
"Combined sewer"
means a sewer receiving surface and runoff sewage.
N. 
"Service connection"
means a public sewer that has been constructed to the property line or right-of-way from a public sewer lateral or main for the sole purpose of providing a connection for the building sewer.
O. 
"Building sewer"
means the extension from the building drain to the property right-of-way line for the connection with the public sewer service connection.
P. 
"Building drain"
means 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 feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
Q. 
"Natural outlet"
means any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or any other body of surface or ground water.
R. 
"Watercourse"
means a channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
S. 
"BOD"
(denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under a standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees Celsius expressed in milligrams per liter.
T. 
"pH"
means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
U. 
"Suspended solids"
means 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.
V. 
ASTM Specification.
All references to the form "ASTM" mean the Standard Specifications or Methods of the American Society for Testing Materials of the serial designation indicated by the number and, unless otherwise stated, refer to the latest adopted revision of said specifications or methods.
W. 
"Customer service line"
means all piping and appurtenances from the city-owned main sewer line to the point of service. The service line is privately owned and maintained by the customer to the property line or public right-of-way. The city is not responsible for contracted lines outside of city limits.
X. 
"Customer distribution service"
means all piping and appurtenances from the city-owned sewer main to the customer at the point of service. The system is privately owned and maintained by the customer to the property line or public right-of-way. The city is not responsible for contracted lines outside of city limits.
(Ord. 829 § 1, 1975; Ord. 1099, 2024)
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner upon public or private property within the city of Rainier or in any area under the jurisdiction of said city, any human excrement, garbage or other objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the city of Rainier, or in any area under the jurisdiction of said city, any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this chapter.
C. 
Except as hereinafter provided, 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.
D. 
The owner of any dwelling used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes situated on property within the city of Rainier within 160 feet of any existing sanitary sewer line or if in the future a sanitary sewer line as provided within 160 feet is hereby required at his expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer, either by gravity or with approved pumping facilities, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so. In the event that, during the said period of 90 days, the said owner files his written objections with the city against so being required to install said facilities, the provisions of this subsection shall not be enforced upon said owner until the city council shall have, at a meeting thereof, hear the said objections of said owner, and rendered its decision thereon. The said meeting shall be held not less than 10 days or more than 45 days after the date of the filing of said objections. Not less than seven days prior to the date set for said meeting, the city council shall give due notice of the date set therefor to said owner. The decision of the city council shall be final and no appeal shall be taken therefrom by said owner except as is provided by law.
(Ord. 829 § 2, 1975)
A. 
Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of RMC § 13.05.020(D) the building sewer shall be connected to an approved private sewage disposal system.
B. 
Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall obtain all necessary permits and approvals according to county and state requirements.
C. 
The type, capacities, location and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations and requirements of the Department of Environmental Quality and the county sanitarian. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any natural outlet.
D. 
At such time as public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in RMC § 13.05.020(D), 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 not utilized as an approved pumping facility shall be abandoned. Septic tanks shall be pumped free of sewage. Septic tanks not constructed of concrete shall be removed or opened and filled with soil or gravel. Cesspools and similar private disposal facilities shall be filled with soil or gravel.
E. 
Where existing buildings are too low to be served by gravity to an available sewer, and when ordered by the city of Rainier to connect to an available sewer as stipulated under RMC § 13.05.020(D), the owner shall install a unit to pump the sewage into available sanitary sewer.
F. 
The owner shall operate and maintain private disposal or pumping facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the city of Rainier.
G. 
No statement contained in this section shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the county or state officials.
(Ord. 829 § 3, 1975)
A. 
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the superintendent.
B. 
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: (1) for residential, single and multifamily service and (2) for nonresidential service. In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the city of Rainier. The permit applications shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the superintendent. The appropriate permit and plant check fee shall be paid to the city at the time the application is filed.
C. 
All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation.
D. 
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings, or new building sewers only when they are found to meet all requirements of this chapter.
E. 
The building sewer shall consist of and conform to the following:
Material
Pipe & Fittings
Joints
Cast Iron
A377 & A126
Push on or Mechanical
Cast Iron Soil Pipe
A74
C564 or leaded
Hubless Cast Iron
A126
C564
Asbestos-Cement
C428
D1869
Clay
C200
C425
Concrete
C14*
C443
Plastic PVC
D272
As per manufacturer's recommendations
ABS
D2751
As per manufacturer's recommendations
Notes:
* Except minimum wall thickness shall be one inch.
The installation of the building sewer shall conform to all city, county and state building codes and with the manufacturers recommended practices.
F. 
Connections between dissimilar pipe materials shall be by adapters approved by the superintendent.
G. 
The first fitting at the connection of the building sewer to the public sewer service connection shall be a tee, furnished by the owner. Immediately after installation of the tee, an expandable water tight plug shall be installed in the tee branch connected to the public sewer. Said plug shall remain on place during construction and testing of the building sewer. After plug has been removed, the tee riser shall be extended vertically to within one foot of finished ground surface and shall be sealed with an approved cap or plug. This riser shall be used as an auxiliary clean out.
H. 
The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the superintendent, but in no event shall the diameter be less than four inches. The slope of said four-inch pipe shall not be less than one-quarter inch per foot, unless approved by the superintendent. In no case shall the slope of four-inch pipe be less than one-eighth inch per foot. A minimum of 18 inches of cover shall be maintained over the top of the service pipe at all times. The above provisions do not apply to pressure sewer piping.
I. 
The building sewer shall be laid at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as is possible. Changes in direction shall be made only with curved pipe no greater than "45 degree bends." All pipe shall be laid on a four-inch granular base of a three-fourths minus, pea gravel, sand or combination thereof.
J. 
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
K. 
No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or ground water to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
L. 
All excavations required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the superintendent. No backfilling of the trench shall be done until receipt of written approval from the appropriate county or state agency.
M. 
All joints and connections shall be made gastight and watertight.
N. 
No plumbing contractors shall be allowed to make connections of private sewers to the sewage works of the city of Rainier on behalf of any owners of property therein without first posting with the city a bond in the sum of $1,000, indemnifying the city and the inhabitants thereof against any loss or damage which the city or the inhabitants thereof might suffer by reason of the actions of said contractors in making said connections.
(Ord. 829 § 4, 1975)
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process water to any sanitary sewer.
B. 
Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the superintendent. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process water may be discharged upon approval of the superintendent, to a storm or natural outlet.
C. 
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:
1. 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Celsius.
2. 
Any gasoline, grease, oils, paint, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
3. 
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags feathers, wax, plastics, wood, paunch manure or any other solid or viscous substances capable of causing obstructions to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewer works.
4. 
Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to incur or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.
5. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any corrosive property capable of causing damage to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
6. 
Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such material at the sewage treatment plant.
7. 
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance, including the contents of septic tanks and cesspools, without written consent of the superintendent.
D. 
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 amount, or any flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the superintendent and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection, and shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.
E. 
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having (a) a "BOD" demand greater than 300 milligrams per liter, or (b) containing more than 300 milligrams per liter of suspended solids, or (c) having an average daily flow greater than two percent of the average daily sewage flow of the city shall be subject to the review and approval of the city council. Where necessary in the opinion of the city council the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to the proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the superintendent and the Department of Environmental Quality, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.
F. 
When required by the superintendent, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control structure in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Said structure shall be accessible and safely locked, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the superintendent. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
G. 
Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation, by the owner at his expense.
H. 
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made above shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Sewage," published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control structure. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control structure shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
(Ord. 829 § 5, 1975)
A. 
No person shall construct, extend or connect to any public sewer without first obtaining a written permit from the city and paying all fees and connection charges and furnishing bonds as required herein. The provisions of this section requiring permit shall not be construed to apply to contractors constructing sewers and appurtenances under contracts awarded and entered into by the city.
B. 
The application for a permit for public sewer construction shall be accompanied by complete plans, profiles and specifications complying with all applicable ordinances, rules and regulations of the city prepared by a registered civil engineer showing all details of the proposed work based on an accurate survey of the ground. The application, together with the plans, profiles and specifications shall be examined by an authorized representative of the city who shall within 30 days approve them as filed or require them to be modified as he may deem necessary.
C. 
All sewer work plans, specifications and construction procedures shall conform to city standards and regulations. These standards will be as contained in the contract documents for the construction of the sewage treatment plant expansion and A Street interceptor for the city of Rainier or any standard and regulation that the city shall subsequently adopt.
D. 
Prior to issuance of a permit for public sewer construction, the applicant shall furnish to the city a performance bond or cash deposit in the amount of the total estimated cost of the work. Such performance bond or cash deposit shall be conditioned upon the performance of the terms and conditions of the permit and shall guarantee the correction of faulty workmanship and replacement of defective materials for a period of one year from and after the date of acceptance of the work by the city.
E. 
Except as provided, the extension of the public sewerage facilities to serve any parcel or tract of land shall be done by and at the expense of the owner. The size of all sewer mains and other sewerage facilities shall be as required by the city. An installer of a sewer line who is required by the city to lay sewer pipe larger than that required for his own purposes, to accommodate other users will be reimbursed by the city for the difference in cost between the size of line installed and that which would be required for his own use.
F. 
Where special conditions exist in the opinion of the city relating to any reimbursement agreement pursuant to the provisions of this article, the city may, either in addition to or in lieu of any of the provisions of this article, authorize a special reimbursement contract between the city and the person or persons constructing public sewerage facilities. Said special reimbursement agreement shall be made and entered into prior to the issuance of a permit for the work by the city.
G. 
The property owner is responsible for the maintenance, repair and replacement of the sanitary sewer lateral, customer service line and customer distribution system from the building up to the property line or public right-of-way. The city is not responsible for contracted lines outside of city limits. Sewer lateral maintenance work, which, as used herein, includes pipe clean-out, clog removal, root removal, foaming and any other work or protocol required to ensure proper flow. Repair and replacement work for the sewer lateral shall be done in accordance with the city's public works standards and the city's right-of-way permit.
(Ord. 829 § 6, 1975; Ord. 1099, 2024)
No person or persons shall unlawfully, maliciously, willfully or, as the result of gross negligence on his or their part, break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, facility, appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the sewage works. This section does not apply, however, to any employee of the city during the time he is engaged in his official employment, nor to any person or persons authorized to work in any manner thereon.
(Ord. 829 § 7, 1975)
A. 
The superintendent and other duly authorized employees or representatives of the city bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter at any reasonable time upon any property for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing, in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. The superintendent, employees, or representatives shall have no authority to inquire into any processes including metallurgical, chemical, oil, refining, ceramic, paper or other industrial process beyond that which has a bearing on the kind and source of discharge to waterways or facilities for waste treatment.
B. 
While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in subsection A of this section, the superintendent or duly authorized employees or representatives of the city shall observe all safety rules applicable.
C. 
The superintendent and other duly authorized employees or representatives of the city bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the city holds a duly negotiated easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair and maintenance of any portion of the sewage works lying within 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.
(Ord. 829 § 8, 1975; Ord. 891, 1986)
A. 
Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of RMC § 13.05.060 shall be guilty of disorderly conduct and, upon conviction thereof, shall be punished by a fine not to exceed $300.00 or by imprisonment in jail for not more than 100 days or both.
B. 
Any person or persons violating any of the provisions of this chapter, except RMC § 13.05.060, shall upon conviction thereof be punished by a fine not to exceed $100.00, or imprisonment in jail to not exceed 10 days, or both.
(Ord. 829 § 9, 1975)
Any person or persons who, as the result of violating any of the provisions of this chapter, cause any expenses, loss or damage to the city of Rainier shall immediately become liable to the city for the full sum of such expense, loss or damage. The city may, at its discretion, instruct the attorney to proceed against any such person or persons, in any court of competent jurisdiction, in a civil action to be brought in the name of the city of Rainier, for the recovery of the full sum of any such expense, loss or damage sustained by the city.
(Ord. 829 § 10, 1975)