[1977 Code, § 13-501]
Unless specifically indicated otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in this ordinance shall be as follows:
(1) 
BOD (BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
Shall mean the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at 20E, expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/1).
(2) 
SS (SUSPENDED SOLIDS)
Shall mean 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.
(3) 
COD (CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
Shall mean the chemical oxygen demand exerted by the organics in the wastewater as measured utilizing standard laboratory procedures.
(4) 
NORMAL DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Shall mean wastewater that has a BOD concentration of not more than 300 mg/l, a suspended solids concentration of not more than 400 mg/l, and a COD concentration of not more than 600 mg/l.
(5) 
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE
Shall mean all expenditures during the useful life of the treatment works for materials, labor, utilities, and other items which are necessary for managing and maintaining the sewage works to achieve the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
(6) 
REPLACEMENT
Shall mean expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed. The term "operation and maintenance" includes replacement.
(7) 
SINGLE FAMILY RESIDENTIAL CUSTOMER
Shall mean any contributor to the city's wastewater system from a facility that houses a single family and is used for domestic dwelling purposes only.
(8) 
WASTEWATER SYSTEM
Shall mean any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage, or liquid industrial wastes. These include intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances.
[1977 Code, § 13-502; Ord. 1048, Nov. 2017]
(1) 
The charges promulgated by this ordinance shall defray, in their entirety, the costs associated with the following components:
(a) 
Operation and maintenance costs, including replacement as defined in section 18-301.
(b) 
Bond and/or loan amortization, including principal, interest, and applicable reserve and sinking funds.
(c) 
The rates for sewer usage shall be calculated based on the Chattanooga regional rate plus Collegedale's cost to serve. This method shall be used for water meter customers, bulk users, and regional users. Increases in the Chattanooga regional rate will automatically pass through; increases in Collegedale's cost to serve will require approval by ordinance.
(2) 
In addition to the above cost components, industrial cost recovery payments shall be assessed in accordance with an existing City of Collegedale ordinance.
[1977 Code, § 13-503; Ord. 261, Jan. 1990; Ord. 262, Jan. 1990; Ord. 292, Aug. 1992; Ord. 447, § 1, March 1996; Ord. 1093, June 2021]
(1) 
The cost for wastewater services shall be divided into components and assessed in accordance with the following:
(a) 
That the rates for sewer usage be revised as follows, effective July 1st, 2021:
Water meter billings users: $11.44 per 1,000 gallons (with $23.50 monthly minimum)
Bulk users: $5.2712 per 1,000 gallons
Regional users: As established in interlocal agreement
(b) 
Monthly charge for high strength wastewaters. The following assessments, in addition to user charges, shall be levied for high strength wastewaters:
Parameter
Maximum Limit Without Additional Assessment
Cost per Pound for Pollutants Present Over Prescribed Maximums
BOD
300 mg/l
0.0105124 $/lb.
SS
400 mg/l
0.0143145 $/lb.
COD
600 mg/l
0.0066 $/lb.
The method of determining the concentration of pollutants shall be a composite sample collected over a twenty-four (24) hour interval on a quarterly basis. The city may require additional sampling, up to four (4) samples per month, if the analytical results vary substantially from a weighted average. The entire cost of sampling and analysis shall be borne by the customer.
(c) 
Monthly charge for toxic pollutants. Any customer which discharges toxic pollutants that cause an increase in the cost of disposing of the effluent or the sludge, or any user which discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other substances causes increases in the cost of operation, maintenance, or replacement of the treatment works, shall pay for such increased costs. The charge to each such user shall be as determined by the responsible operating personnel and shall be approved by the city commission.
(d) 
Privilege connection fee.
(1) 
The minimum privilege connection fee shall apply to the following structures: single-family structure or each unit of a duplex, triplex, or any other multi-unit residential structure; a single-unit non residential structure such as a school, church, service station, or other single-unit commercial structure; and each unit of a multi-unit non-residential structure such as a shopping center or other commercial structure shall be determined in accordance with the following schedule based on water meter sizes. The privilege connection fee for a multi-unit structure shall be calculated as if each unit were individually metered.
Water Meter Size
Sewer Tapping Fee
Less than 1"
$450
1"
$450
Between 1" & 2"
$600
2"
$900
3"
$1,400
4"
$3,000
6"
$3,400
8"
$4,500
(2) 
The minimum privilege connection fee does not include the cost of service assembly; i.e., making tap and furnishing and installing service line, pavement, or other repair, or other restorative work, all of which is to be borne by the purchaser.
(3) 
The city must approve the size and location of each private service line.
(4) 
All connections and extensions to the city's system must comply with the specifications of the Tennessee Department of Health & Environment and the City of Collegedale.
(5) 
The above delineated wastewater service charge shall be applied to all customers and there shall be no differentiation between customers located outside the city limits of Collegedale.
[1977 Code, § 13-504]
Each customer shall be billed monthly for wastewater services that are applicable to that particular customer. Notwithstanding any regulations to the contrary, all customers shall be assessed a monthly service charge based on their wastewater discharge.
All monthly charges are due and payable thirty (30) days after receipt, and if paid after said time period, the charges are subject to a late charge not to exceed ten (10) percent of the total charge.
Failure to pay said monthly charges within sixty (60) days of receipt will give the city the right to discontinue service without notice. If service is discontinued because of nonpayment of monthly charges, service will not be reinstated until the customer has paid the total cost of disconnection and reconnection.
[1977 Code, § 13-505; Ord. 291, May 1992]
The funds received from monthly wastewater charges an connection fees shall be distributed on or before the tenth of the month following the months in which they are collected. Said funds shall be distributed in the sequence and manner as follows:
(1) 
The funds due the City of Chattanooga, in accordance with contractual agreements and as approved by the mayor and city commission, shall be paid directly to that city.
(2) 
That portion of the monthly service charge, which is currently 28¢/1000 gallons, designated as funds to be expended only for operation, maintenance, and replacement of the City of Collegedale portion of the wastewater systems, shall be deposited in the "Collegedale Wastewater Operation and Maintenance Fund." Expenditures from both of these established funds shall be in accordance with current E.P.A. regulations. Said regulations currently require the annual surplus in the "Collegedale Operation and Maintenance Fund" remain in said fund and be utilized during the forthcoming year for operation and maintenance purposes only.
(3) 
The funds amounting to one-twelfth (1/12) of the annual requirement for amortization of the bonds issued for sewer improvements to the Farmers Home Administration, plus one-twelfth (1/12) of the amount stipulated in the bond ordinance for the necessary reserve fund or funds, plus one-twelfth (1/12) of the annual amount required for repayment of the loan obtained from the State of Tennessee for construction of a wastewater interceptor system, shall be deposited in the "Collegedale Wastewater Bond and Loan Amortization Fund" and said funds may not be withdrawn from said account except for the specific purpose of satisfying the long term debts enumerated above.
(4) 
The funds remaining after items (1), (2), and (3), have been satisfied, including any deficiencies that may have accrued in any of the said accounts, shall be deposited in the "Collegedale Wastewater Surplus Fund," and said funds may be utilized for any purpose that directly relates to the wastewater system or as directed by the mayor and city commission.
[1977 Code, § 13-506]
The city will review the user charge system every two (2) years and revise user charge rates as necessary to ensure that the system generates adequate revenues to pay the costs of operation and maintenance including replacement and that the system continues to provide for the proportional distribution of operation and maintenance including replacement cost among users and user classes.
The city will notify each user at least annually, in conjunction with a regular bill, of the rate being charged for operation, maintenance including replacement of the treatment works.
[1977 Code, § 13-507]
All existing and/or future industrial developments which contribute "process wastes" to the facilities constructed under the E.P.A. grant program shall be charged a fee in direct proportion to their "process waste" contribution or "reserve capacity" as compared to the design criteria of the wastewater treatment and transportation projects, which fee shall be in addition to the sewer service charges as provided by a separate ordinance.
[1977 Code, § 13-508]
Certain portions of the wastewater interceptor and treatment facilities serving the City of Collegedale are to be owned and operated by the City of Chattanooga. The City of Collegedale shall collect from existing and/or future industrial developments an industrial cost recovery equal to an amount agreed upon by the two cities. Said collections shall be awarded to the City of Chattanooga within thirty (30) days of receipt.
[1977 Code, § 13-509]
The industrial cost recovery amount shall be based on the federal government's share, excluding the cost of detection and repair of infiltration/inflow sources, of the project cost. Industries' payment shall be amortized over a 30 year cost recovery period and shall not include an interest component.
[1977 Code, § 13-510]
The City of Collegedale shall retain 50 percent of the amounts recovered from assessments relating to the Collegedale portion of the interceptor system from the industrial users. After industrial cost recovery administrative costs are defrayed, eighty percent (80%) of the residual shall be deposited annually in the "Collegedale Wastewater Expansion - Reconstruction Fund." The remaining twenty percent (20%) of the residual shall be deposited into the "Wastewater System Revenue Fund."
[1977 Code, § 13-511]
The remaining fifty percent (50%) of the amounts recovered from assessments relating to the Collegedale portion of the interceptor system shall be deposited in the "Collegedale Industrial Cost Recovery Fund." The entire proceeds of this fund, including principal and interest, shall be remitted on an annual basis to the U.S. Treasury, through E.P.A.
[1977 Code, § 13-512]
The eighty percent (80%) portion of the amount retained by the city pursuant to section 18-310, together with interest earned thereon, shall be used solely for the eligible costs of the expansion or reconstruction of wastewater facilities associated with the project. Before said funds are expended from the "Collegedale Wastewater Expansion - Reconstruction Fund" the city shall receive written approval of the proposed expenditures from the E.P.A. Regional Administrator.
The twenty percent (20%) portion of the retainage by the city pursuant to Section 18-310, shall not be utilized for construction of industrial pretreatment facilities or for rebates to industrial users for industrial cost recovery assessments or user charges.
[1977 Code, § 13-513]
Pending use, the funds deposited in the "Collegedale Wastewater Expansion - Reconstruction Fund" and the "Collegedale Industrial Cost Recovery Fund" shall, at the direction of the mayor and city commission, be invested in obligations of the U.S. Government or in obligations guaranteed as to principal and interest by the U.S. Government or any agency thereof.
[1977 Code, § 13-514]
For the purpose of this chapter, an industrial user or development is defined as follows: Any non-governmental, non-residential user of a publicly owned treatment works which discharges more than the equivalent of 25,000 gallons per day (gpd) of sanitary wastes and which is identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemented under one of the following divisions:
Division A.
Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing Division B. Mining
Division D.
Manufacturing
Division E.
Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas, and Sanitary Services
Division I.
Services
Sanitary wastes are to be excluded from assessment relating to industrial cost recovery.
[1977 Code, § 13-515]
The industrial recovery charges shall be based on the average flow, the pounds of BOD and the pounds of suspended solids contained in the waste after an allowance for domestic sewage has been deducted. Charges shall be in accordance with the following:
INDUSTRIAL COST RECOVERY CHARGES
Parameter
Annual Unit Costs
Average Flow (Estimated or Observed)
$26.69 per 1000 gpd
BOD (in excess of 300 mg/1)
$1.30 per lbs. per day
Suspended Solids (in excess of 400 mg/1)
$0.81 per lbs. per day
The above charges shall not be altered unless applicable portions of the system are expanded or upgraded, in which case, the then current E.P.A. regulations shall govern.
In no case shall the industrial cost recovery assessments exceed thirty (30) years.
[1977 Code, § 13-516]
The city shall furnish and install a flow meter to record both the total and peak flows. The initial cost of metering facility shall be borne by the industry. If the city deems that the waste may exceed a BOD concentration of 300 mg/l or a suspended solids concentration of 300 mg/l, the city may install, at the expense of the industry, a sampling device.
[1977 Code, § 13-517]
The city shall, on or before the fifteenth day of October, issue an assessment to the industries covering the annual cost for the preceding year ending on the thirty-first day of August. If the assessment is not paid by the fifteenth day of November, the city will take whatever action is necessary, including but not limited to termination of wastewater service, to obtain full payment.