Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this chapter shall be as set forth in this section:
1. "BOD"
(denoting biochemical oxygen demand) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees centigrade, expressed in parts per million by weight or expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L).
2. "Brewery dischargers"
means those discharging wastewater from businesses that are engaged in the brewing or fermenting of beer, ale, malt liquors and nonalcoholic beer.
3. "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 side sewer.
5. "Commercial user"
means business and industrial users, and all structures other than residential.
6. "Downspout"
means the leader or pipe above the ground which is installed to conduct storm water from the roof gutter of any structure.
7. "Director"
means the director of parks and public works, or his or her designee.
8. "Duplex"
means a residential structure containing two individual dwelling units, designed or used to house not more than two families living independently of each other.
9. "Equivalent service unit" or "ESU"
means a configuration of impervious surface estimated to contribute an amount of runoff to the city's storm water management system which is approximately equal to that created by the average single-family residential developed parcel in the city.
10. "Equivalent residential unit" or "ERU"
means a unit of measure used to define the projected sewer flows generated by a single-family detached residential unit as defined in the city's most current sewer comprehensive plan. Ratios of sewer flows generated for nonresidential development and multifamily units to the projected sewer flows of a single-family detached residence shall be used to convert these land uses to an ERU.
11. "Garbage"
means solid waste from the preparation, processing, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storing and sale of produce.
12. "General facilities charge"
means a one-time charge imposed on new development or expanded connection to system as a condition of service.
13. "High commercial"
means a BOD and/or TSS concentration of 251 milligrams per liter (mg/L) or greater.
14. "Impervious surface"
means hard surfaced area that prevents or hinders the entry of water into the soil mantle and/or causes water to run off the surface in greater quantities or at an increased rate of flow than under natural conditions. Common impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to, rooftops, concrete or asphalt roads, sidewalks and paving, walkways, patio areas, driveways, parking lots or storage areas and gravel, hard-packed dirt, oiled or other surfaces which similarly impede the natural infiltration of storm water or runoff patterns existent prior to development.
15. "Industrial waste"
means any liquid, solid or gaseous substance, or combination thereof, resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing, business, trade or research, including development, recovering or processing of natural resources.
16. "Inspector"
means the utilities director or his designee.
17. "Latecomer agreement"
means a contract that provides for the reimbursement of costs to developers who construct facilities that directly benefit other properties.
18. "Lateral"
means a sewer which will receive the flow from one or more side sewers and discharge into a trunk or interceptor.
19. "Licensed side sewer contractor"
means any contractor who is duly licensed under this chapter to construct, install, repair, reconstruct, excavate, or connect any side sewer to the public sewers of the city.
20. "Low commercial"
means a BOD and/or TSS concentration of zero to 250 milligrams per liter (mg/L).
21. "Multiple dwelling"
means a residential structure containing two or more dwelling units designed or used to house more than two families living independently of each other, and also includes mobile home parks, in which each space or stall shall be deemed a dwelling unit.
22. "Natural outlet"
means any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
23. "Occupant"
means any person or owner in physical possession of a structure to which sewer service is available.
24. "Person or owner"
means any individual or firm, company, association, society, corporation or group, and the singular shall include the plural.
25. "Private sewer"
means a sewer, exclusive of side sewers, which is neither owned nor operated by the city or other public authority.
26. "pH"
means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
27. "Properly shredded garbage"
means garbage which has 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 inch in diameter.
28. "Public sewer"
means a sewer which is owned or operated by the city or other public authority.
29. "Residential"
means a single-family, duplex or multiple-family dwelling structure, and includes mobile homes, motels and hotels.
30. "Sanitary sewer"
means a sewer which carries sewage into which storm water, surface water and groundwater are not intentionally admitted.
31. "Sewage"
means water-carried wastes discharged from the sanitary facilities of structures occupied or used by human beings.
32. "Sewage treatment plant"
means any arrangement of devices, lagoons, or structures used for treating sewage.
33. "Sewage works"
means all facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage.
35. "Sewer superintendent"
means the sewer department crew chief.
36. "Side sewer"
(or building sewer) means the extension from the building drain to its connection with the public sewer, sewer main, manhole or other place of disposal, beginning two and one-half feet outside the foundation wall.
37. "Sewer standard participation contract agreement"
means a form of contract required by this chapter to be entered into before properties which have not been assessed for sewers, or otherwise qualified, may use the public sewers of the city.
38. "Storm drain"
means a conduit designed to or used to transport storm water.
39. "Storm water"
means waters on the surface of the ground or underground resulting from rainfall or other natural precipitation.
40. "Structure"
means anything constructed or erected, the use of which requires location or attachment to something having location on the ground, including mobile homes and trailers, but not including fences.
41. "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.
42. "TSS"
(denoting total suspended solids) means all particles suspended in water which will not pass through a filter expressed in parts per million by weight or expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/L).
43. "Utilities director"
means the director of public utilities, or his designee.
44. "Waste water"
means water containing either or both of sewage or industrial wastes.
45. "Watercourse"
means a channel in which a flow of water occurs, whether continuous or intermittent.
46. "Winery dischargers"
means those discharging wastewater from businesses that are engaged in the manufacturing, crushing, or blending of spirits or wine or brandies from grapes or other fruits, grains or other produce whether grown on the property or elsewhere.
(Ord. 627 § 1, 1989; Ord. 1187 § 3, 2017)