This article shall be known as, referred to, or cited as the
"User Charge and Sewer Use Ordinance for the City of Oconto Falls,
State of Wisconsin" and hereinafter referred to as "this article."
This article sets uniform requirements for discharging waters
and wastes into the public sewerage system within the City. This section
enables the City to protect public health in conformity with administrative
provisions, water quality requirements and other discharge criteria,
which are required or authorized by local, state and federal law.
The objectives of this section are as follows:
A. To regulate the construction and use of public and private sewers
and drains.
B. To provide for annexations and connections to the public sewerage
system.
C. To provide a means of determining wastewater volumes, constituents
and characteristics, and to issue permits to certain users.
D. To set limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics
of waste or wastewaters discharged to the system to prevent the introduction
of pollutants into the wastewater treatment facilities which will
interfere with the normal adequate treatment in the wastewater facilities,
pass through the system into the receiving waters, or contaminate
the resulting municipal sludge.
E. To recover from users of the wastewater treatment facilities, on
an equitable basis, the share of the wastewater treatment facilities
costs attributable to such users and to provide funds for the operation
and maintenance, debt retirement and replacement of the wastewater
facilities.
F. To set penalties for violations of the requirements of this article,
and to set forth collection of nonpayment of bills.
It is not intended by this article to repeal, abrogate, annul,
impair, or interfere with any existing easements, covenants, deed
restrictions, agreements, rules, regulations, ordinances or permits
previously adopted or issued pursuant to law. However, wherever this
article imposes greater restrictions, the provisions of this article
shall govern.
In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this
article shall be held to be minimum requirements and shall be liberally
construed in favor of the utility and shall not be deemed a limitation
or repeal of any other power granted by the statutes of the State
of Wisconsin.
Users of the Oconto Falls wastewater treatment system shall
be charged a rate which will recover all costs of operation and maintenance,
replacement fund deposits, and debt retirement costs. The rate shall
be determined on a cost of service basis and shall be reviewed annually
to determine if the total revenue is sufficient to cover all of the
aforesaid costs. The rate shall be such that a proportionate distribution
of all costs is charged to each user class.
A. User volume charge. It is assumed that biochemical oxygen demand
(BOD), suspended solids, phosphorous and other pollutant concentrations
discharged to the sewer system from all user classifications are approximately
equal and proportional to volume. Therefore, the user charges will
be developed on a volume basis in accordance with the following formula:
user's volume charge per 1,000 cubic feet (Cu) for operation
and maintenance and replacement costs is equal to the total annual
cost (Ct) of operation and maintenance and replacement costs divided
by the total volume contribution (Vt) in thousands of cubic feet from
all users annually, thus: Cu = Ct/Vt (Ct and Vt shall not include
the I/I component). The user volume charge shall be paid monthly.
B. Fixed user charge. The fixed user charge includes debt retirement
costs. The fixed user charge is allocated to each sewer user according
to a fixed charge for each water meter size. The fixed user charge
is divided by the total number of user charge meter equivalents (UCME)
in the sewer service area. The fixed user charge shall be paid monthly.
C. Surcharge rate. A surcharge shall be added to the volume charge to
any users whose wastewater pollutant concentrations exceed those of
normal domestic sewage as determined by a calculation using the WWTP
influent loadings and water use discharged to the sewer system. The
following unit surcharge costs are hereby established:
(1) Suspended solids greater than 367 parts per million (ppm): $0.86
per pound.
(2) BOD greater than 396 ppm: $0.88 per pound.
(3) Phosphorus (P) greater than 7.5 ppm: $6.46 per pound.
D. Total user charge.
(1) The wastewater user charge shall be billed monthly and shall be the
sum of the:
(c)
A surcharge as applicable.
(2) To allow for typical domestic summer water consumption which does
not reach the disposal system (lawn and garden watering, etc.) the
utility will use second quarter meter readings for computing third
quarter bills whenever third quarter volumes exceed second quarter
volumes.
E. Annual review. The revenue generated by the user charge system will
be reviewed annually for adequacy, and the rates will be adjusted
when required.
F. Accounting.
(1) All user charge moneys shall be placed in the sewage disposal account
to cover the costs of operation and maintenance, replacement, fund
deposits, and debt retirement payments.
(2) Expenditures shall be made from the account by the City Administrator
- Clerk/Treasurer in accordance with the detailed annual budget prepared
by the Sewage Disposal Commission.
(3) A replacement reserve account shall be established and expenditures
from it shall be only for making renewals to accommodate wear of physical
elements and/or movable property that would result in an extended
useful life or meet the anticipated useful life.
[Added 6-14-2016 by Ord.
No. 16-007]
A. Installation of sand and grease traps. Grease, oil and sand interceptors
shall be provided at restaurants, repair garages, gasoline stations,
car washes and other industrial or commercial establishments for the
proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts,
oil, flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients. All interceptors
shall be constructed in accordance with the Wisconsin Plumbing Code
and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for easy
cleaning and inspection. All grease, oil and sand interceptors shall
be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuous, efficient
operation at all times.
B. Installation of sampling manholes.
(1)
All new construction and new or existing businesses that require
grease traps shall install a sampling manhole (such as restaurants,
schools, supermarkets with deli areas, and similar type businesses)
also referred to as an "inspection manhole," on said businesses'
sanitary lead at a location prior to the lead reaching the City sewer
main. The size and location of the sampling manhole shall be at the
discretion of the Utility Manager. The sampling manhole shall be installed
on the property of the owner of the real estate to which the service
is provided. Said business shall also be informed that they will be
required to install an external grease trap if grease in excessive
amounts is later found in their sewage. Installation and maintenance
of any manhole and/or sampling station shall be at the owner's
expense.
(2)
Existing businesses that have had a grease problem causing a sanitary sewer lead or main blockage may be required to install a sampling manhole on said businesses sanitary lead located on the property of the owner of the real estate to which the service is provided. Said installation shall be completed within 90 days of being notified by Utility Manager to install the sampling manhole. Said businesses shall also install an external grease trap if requested to do so by the Utility Manager in accordance with §
455-18.1A of the Municipal Code and with authority of the Bureau of Plumbing of the State of Wisconsin. Installation and maintenance of any manhole and/or sampling station shall be at the owner's expense.
(3)
The authority for requiring the installation of the sampling
manholes is § ILHR 82.35(3)(l), Wis. Adm. Code.
C. Oconto Falls Municipal Utilities will require a full operational
inspection of the grease trap be performed by a certified plumber
at the owner's expense once per year. Also Oconto Falls Municipal
Utilities reserves the right to inspect any and all grease traps upon
reasonable suspicion.
No person in the business of gathering and disposing of septic
tank sludge or holding tank sewage shall transfer such material into
any portion of the City wastewater collection system or treatment
facilities.
The City, by proper resolution of its Common Council, shall
have the right, at its discretion, upon payments, terms, and conditions
as may be mutually agreed upon, to contract in writing for the use
of the City sewer system and disposal plant by entities outside the
corporate limits of the City.
Delinquent charges shall be collected in accordance with Article
III of this chapter.