The purpose of this article is to provide for
the use of the publicly owned sewerage facilities located within the
area served by the City of Rice Lake, Barron County, Wisconsin, without
damage to the physical facilities and without impairment of their
normal function of collecting, transporting, treating and discharging
wastewaters from the area served by the City. This article is intended
to prevent the introduction of pollutants into the system which do
not receive adequate treatment and which will pass through the system
into receiving waters or otherwise be incompatible with the system
and to provide for the proper development and use of the user charge
system for the City and treatment facilities.
The City shall control the sewerage system and
shall administer and enforce this article. This article shall apply
to all dischargers to the City sewerage system.
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise,
the meaning of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
ACT
The Clean Water Act (33 U.S.C. § 1251 et seq.),
as amended.
APPROVING AUTHORITY or AUTHORITY
The City Council or its authorized deputy, agent, representative
or consulting engineer. "Approving authority" and "City" are used
interchangeably.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days
at 20° C. and expressed in milligrams per liter.
CITY SEWERAGE SYSTEM
The wastewater collection system of the City of Rice Lake,
including lift stations and force mains.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and stormwater
or surface water.
COMPATIBLE POLLUTANTS
Those pollutants generally characterized as BOD, suspended
solids, pH and fecal coliform, together with any additional pollutants
defined in the WPDES permit issued for the treatment facilities, unless
the concentrations of any of these pollutants are such that they interfere
with the operation of the treatment works or exceed the limits established
under this article.
DEBT SERVICE CHARGE
That charge to the users in the City service area which shall
defray the costs of retiring the debts incurred by the City in construction
of the sewage treatment facilities plus the existing debts on the
City sewerage facilities.
DOMESTIC WASTEWATER
Waterborne wastes normally discharged from the sanitary conveniences
of dwellings, apartment houses, hotels, office buildings, factories
and institutions, free of industrial wastes, and in which the average
concentration of suspended solids is established at or below 290 milligrams
per liter and the BOD is established at or below 250 milligrams per
liter.
FLAT CHARGE
The charge made to unmetered users for use of the treatment
works.
INDUSTRIAL USER
Industrial user, as defined for industrial user class, means
any user of the publicly owned treatment works that engages in the
processing, blending, assembling or in some way transforming of materials
or substances into new products and:
A.
Discharges a wastewater having BOD concentration
in excess of 290 milligrams per liter and/or suspended solids concentration
in excess of 250 milligrams per liter or flows in excess of 25,000
gallons per day or has in its waste a toxic pollutant in toxic amounts
as defined in § 307 of the Act.
B.
Is found by the City, state or the United States
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to have significant impact,
either singly or in combination with other contributing industries,
on the wastewater treatment system, the quality of sludge, the system's
effluent quality or air emissions generated by the system.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
Solid, liquid or gaseous waste resulting from any industrial,
manufacturing, trade or business process or from the development,
recovery or processing of natural resources.
MINIMUM CHARGE
The amount charged to each user in the City, regardless of
use. This charge does not provide the user a minimum amount of use.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
The treatment plant operation and maintenance costs plus
the operation and maintenance cost of the City sewerage system. These
costs shall include labor, energy, chemicals and equipment replacement
costs but do not include debt retirement.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation
or group.
PH
The logarithm (base 10) of the reciprocal of the hydrogen
ion concentration in gram moles per liter of solution as determined
by acceptable laboratory procedures.
REPLACEMENT COSTS
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories
or appurtenances which are necessary to maintain the capacity and
performance during the service life of the treatment works and City
sewerage system. The term "operation and maintenance" includes replacement.
The yearly replacement cost shall be calculated as follows:
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Present Replacement Cost
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a =
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Projected Service Life
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RESIDENTIAL USER
A user of the City-owned sewerage system that would occupy
an establishment considered a house or apartment and other facilities
in which people live.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer that conveys domestic wastewater or industrial waste,
or a combination of both, and into which stormwater, surface water
and groundwater or unpolluted industrial wastewater is not intentionally
passed.
SEWER SERVICE CHARGE
The sum of the minimum charge, user charge, debt service
charge and any applicable surcharge.
SLUG
Any discharge of water or wastewater which, in concentration
of any given constituent or in quantity of flow, exceeds, for any
period of duration longer than 15 minutes, more than five times the
average twenty-four-hour concentration or flow during normal operation
and which adversely affects the collection system and/or performance
of the wastewater treatment plant.
STANDARD METHODS
The examination and analytical procedures set forth in the
most recent edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water,
Sewage and Industrial Wastes, published jointly by the American Public
Health Association, the American Waterworks Association and the Federation
of Sewage and Industrial Wastes Association.
STORM SEWER
A sewer which carries stormwater and surface drainage but
excludes domestic wastewater and industrial wastes.
SURCHARGE
An additional charge related to industrial wastes being discharged
by any user having unusual characteristics, such as excessive BOD,
excessive suspended solids or other pollutants.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS)
Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface
of or is in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids and which
is removable by a laboratory filtration device. Quantitative determination
of SS shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in Standard
Methods.
UNPOLLUTED WATER
Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria
in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water
quality standards.
USER
Any person discharging domestic wastewater or industrial
wastes into the collection system.
USER CHARGE
That charge to users of the City sewerage system which adequately
provides for proportionate recovery of the operation and maintenance
costs.
USER CLASS
A group of users having similar wastewater flows and characteristics,
levels of BOD, suspended solids, etc.
UTILITIES COMMISSION
The Commission appointed by the City of Rice Lake to supervise
the operation of the treatment facility. Commission duties shall include
supervision and control of plant operation and maintenance, determination
of plant expenses and revenue requirements and assessment of proportionate
share and expenses to the communities.
WASTEWATER
A combination of the water-carried waste discharged into
the collection system from residences, commercial buildings, institutions
and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface
water and stormwater as may be present.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITIES
The complete facilities for treating and disposing of the
domestic wastewater and industrial wastes from the City of Rice Lake.
WPDES PERMIT
The Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System permit
issued for the Rice Lake wastewater treatment facilities.
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural
outlet within the City, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the
City, any wastewater or other polluted waters, except where suitable
treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions
of this article.
Except as provided in this article, 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 wastewater.
[Amended 1-25-2000 by Ord. No. 00-3]
The owner of any house, building or property
used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes
situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way
in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public
sanitary sewer of the City is hereby required, at the owner's expense,
to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such
facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with
the provisions of this article within 30 days after date of official
notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 100 feet
(30.5 meters) of the property line. Where a public sanitary sewer
is not available under the provisions of this section, the building
sewer shall be connected to a private wastewater disposal system complying
with the provisions of this article.
No statement contained in this article shall
be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may
be imposed by the Health Officer.
A wastewater discharge permit shall be required
of any person desiring to discharge wastewater to the City sewerage
system and shall be of two classes:
A. A domestic wastewater discharge permit shall be required
of any person desiring to discharge domestic waste and shall be considered
as part of the building permit required and issued by the City.
B. An industrial wastewater discharge permit shall be required of any person desiring to discharge an industrial waste and shall be completely separate from any other permits issued by the City. Further requirements for this class of permit can be found in §
239-27 of this article.
All costs and expenses incidental to the installation
and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner.
The size, slope, alignment and materials of construction of a building
sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe,
jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to
the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City
or state.
The City shall be permitted to have an authorized
representative inspect any new or old installations for compliance
with the regulations of this article.
New connections to the system shall not be allowed
unless all downstream components have a reserve capable of accepting
them.
The City reserves the right to require any user
of the system with flows in excess of 5,000 gallons per day to install
and maintain, at the user's expense, a control or monitoring manhole
on the user's discharge pipeline. The user shall provide the City
free and unobstructed access to the installed manhole.
All new sewers shall be designed by a professional
engineer. Sanitary sewer designs shall be approved by the Wisconsin
Department of Natural Resources. All sewers shall be constructed in
accordance with the approved plans and specifications.
All industrial users with flows in excess of
25,000 gallons per day shall install and maintain, at the user's expense,
a monitoring facility. This monitoring facility will be capable of
continuous flow measurement and composite sampling for all discharges
and accessible to City utility personnel at all times.
The City may inspect the monitoring facilities
of any discharger to determine compliance with the requirements of
this article. The discharger shall allow the City or its representatives
to enter upon the premises of the discharger at all reasonable hours
for the purposes of inspection, sampling or records examination. The
City shall have the right to set up on the discharger's property such
devices as are necessary to conduct sampling, inspection, compliance
monitoring and/or metering operations.
The following described substances, materials,
waters or wastes shall be limited in discharges to the City sewer
system to concentrations or quantities which will not harm the sewers,
lift stations or the wastewater treatment facilities, will not have
an adverse effect on the receiving stream or will not otherwise endanger
life, limb or public property or constitute a nuisance. The approving
authority may set limitations lower than the limitations established
in the regulations below, if such limitations are necessary to meet
the above objectives. In forming an opinion as to acceptability, the
approving authority will give consideration to such factors as the
quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the
sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment
process employed, the capacity of the wastewater treatment plant and
other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials
or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary
sewer, which shall not be violated without approval of the approving
authority, are as follows:
A. Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150°
F. (65° C.).
B. Wastewater containing more than 25 milligrams per
liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils or products
of mineral oil origin.
C. Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable
oils, fats or grease.
D. Garbage that has not been properly shredded. Garbage
grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions,
restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments or similar places
where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens
for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers.
E. Water or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper,
zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances to such degree
that any such material at the point of discharge exceeds the limits
established by the approving authority in compliance with state and
federal regulations.
F. Water or wastes containing odor-producing substances
exceeding limits which may be established by the approving authority
in compliance with state regulations.
G. Radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or
concentrations as may exceed limits established by the approving authority
in compliance with state regulations.
H. Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both, which
constitute a slug.
I. Water or wastes containing substances which are not
amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes
employed or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the
wastewater treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of
the WPDES permit.
J. Water or wastes which, by interaction with other water
or wastes in the City sewerage system, release obnoxious gases, form
suspended solids which interfere with the collection system or create
a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes.
K. Materials which exert or cause:
(1) Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine requirements
in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the wastewater
treatment plant.
(2) Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes
constituting slugs.
(3) Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids,
such as fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues, or of dissolved
solids, such as sodium sulfate.
(4) Excessive discoloration, such as dye wastes and vegetable
tanning solutions.
Each discharger shall provide protection from
accidental discharge of prohibited or regulated materials or substances
established by this article. Dischargers shall notify the authority
immediately upon occurrence of a slug load or accidental discharge
of substances prohibited by this article and shall follow up within
48 hours with a written report. The notification shall include location
of discharge, date and time thereof, type of waste, concentration
and volume and corrective actions. Any discharger which discharges
a slug load of prohibited materials shall be liable for any expense,
loss or damage to the publicly owned treatment works, in addition
to the amount of fines imposed on the authority on account thereof
under state or federal law. Signs shall be permanently posted in conspicuous
places on the discharger's premises advising employees whom to call
in the event of a slug or accidental discharge. Employers shall instruct
all employees who may cause or discover such a discharge with respect
to the emergency notification procedure.
No statement contained in this article shall
be construed as prohibiting any special agreement between the City
and any person whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or
character may be admitted to the City sewerage system, either before
or after pretreatment, provided that there is no impairment of the
functioning of the wastewater treatment facilities by reason of the
admission of such wastes or impairment of the quality of the sludge
in reuse or disposal and no extra costs are incurred by the City without
recompense by the person.
The Common Council shall have the authority
to establish and collect a sewer service charge for the use of the
City sewerage system and the wastewater treatment facility.
The total sewer service charge shall be the
sum of the minimum charge, the debt service charge, the user charge,
any applicable surcharges and industrial cost recovery charges. For
those unmetered services, the total sewer charge shall consist of
the minimum charge plus the flat charge.
Charges levied in accordance with this article
shall be a debt due to the City and shall be a lien upon the property.
If this debt is not paid within 20 days after it is due and payable,
it shall be deemed delinquent, and a penalty charge of 1 1/2%
monthly added. This debt may then be recovered by civil action in
the name of the City against the property owner, the person, or both.
If delinquent payments are not received by November 1 of the calendar
year, a ten-percent charge shall be added to delinquent bills. Thereafter,
if payment is not received prior to November 15, the delinquent bill
will be forwarded to the county for placement on the succeeding tax
roll.
The City shall conduct an annual audit, the
purpose of which shall be to maintain the proportionality and adequacy
of the sewer service charge relative to changing system operation,
maintenance and debt service costs. Any excess revenues collected
from a user class shall be attributed to that class when determining
the next year's charge system.
The authority may revoke the permit of any discharger
which:
A. Fails to factually report the wastewater constituents
and characteristics of its discharge;
B. Fails to report significant changes in wastewater
constituents or characteristics;
C. Refuses reasonable access to the discharger's premises
by representatives of the authority for the purpose of inspection
or monitoring; or
D. Violates the conditions of its permit or this article
or any final judicial order entered with respect thereto.
Whenever the authority finds that any discharger has engaged in conduct which justifies revocation of a wastewater discharge permit, pursuant to §
239-37 hereof, the authority shall serve or cause to be served upon such discharger a written notice either personally or by certified or registered mail, return receipt requested, stating the nature of the alleged violation. Within 30 days of the date of receipt of the notice, the discharger shall respond personally or in writing to the authority, advising of its position with respect to the allegations. Thereafter, the parties shall meet to ascertain the veracity of the allegations and, where necessary, establish a plan for the satisfactory correction thereof.
Following the entry of any order by the authority with respect to the conduct of a discharger contrary to the provisions of §
239-37 hereof, the attorney for the authority may, following the authorization of such action, apply for appropriate legal and/or equitable relief in the appropriate court.
A list of all significant dischargers which
were the subject of enforcement proceedings pursuant to this article
during the 12 previous months shall be annually published by the authority
in the official newspaper, summarizing the enforcement actions taken
against the dischargers during the same 12 months whose violations
remained uncorrected 45 or more days after notification of noncompliance
or which have exhibited a pattern of noncompliance over that twelve-month
period or which involve failure to accurately report noncompliance.
Any discharger or any interested party shall
have the right to request, in writing, an interpretation or ruling
by the authority on any matter covered by this article and shall be
entitled to a prompt written reply. In the event that such inquiry
is by a discharger and deals with matters of performance or compliance
with this article or deals with a wastewater discharge permit issued
pursuant hereto for which enforcement activity relating to an alleged
violation is the subject, receipt of a discharger's request shall
stay all enforcement proceedings pending receipt of the aforesaid
written reply. Appeal of any final judicial order entered pursuant
to this article may be taken in accordance with local and state law.
Any discharger which is found to have violated
an order of the authority or which has failed to comply with any provision
of this article and the regulations or rules of the authority or orders
of any court of competent jurisdiction or permits issued hereunder
may be subjected to the imposition of a forfeiture of not more than
$500 or to imprisonment of not more than 30 days, or both. Each day
in which any violation is continued beyond the notice time limit shall
be deemed a separate offense.
Any discharger violating any of the provisions
of this article or which discharges or causes a discharge producing
a deposit or obstruction or causes damage to or impairs the authority's
wastewater disposal system shall be liable to the authority for any
expense, loss or damage caused by such violation or discharge. The
authority shall bill the discharger for the costs incurred by the
authority for any cleaning, repair or replacement work caused by the
violation or discharge. Refusal to pay the assessed costs shall constitute
a violation of this article enforceable under the provisions of this
article.
[Amended 1-25-2000 by Ord. No. 00-3]
Any person who knowingly makes any false statement, representation or certification in any application, record, report, plan or other document filed or required to be maintained pursuant to this article or a wastewater discharge permit or who falsifies, tampers with or knowingly renders inaccurate any monitoring device or method required under this article shall, upon conviction, be punished by the imposition of a civil penalty as set forth in §
239-44.
Any person violating any provisions of this
article shall become liable to the City for any expense, loss or damage
occasioned by reason of such violation which the City may suffer as
a result thereof.
When adopted by the Common Council of the City
of Rice Lake, this article and the user charge system shall take precedence
over any preexisting agreements, ordinances and charge systems which
are inconsistent with this article and/or the Federal Law PL 92-500
and subsequent amendments thereto.