§ 26-96. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

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 buildings and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.

Building sewer means the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal, also called house connection or service connection.

Combined sewer means a sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.

Customer means every person who is responsible for contracting (expressly or implicitly) with the city in obtaining, having, or using sewer connections with, or sewer tap to, the sewer system of the city and in obtaining, having, or using water and other related services furnished by the city for the purpose of disposing of wastewater and sewage through the system. The term "customer" includes the occupants of each unit of a multiple-family dwelling unit building as a separate and distinct customer.

Easement means an acquired legal right for the specific runoff and sewage.

Flush toilet means the common sanitary flush commode in general use for the disposal of human excrement.

Garbage means the animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and serving of foods.

Health officer means the director of the county board of health or other person designated by the mayor and city council

Industrial wastes means the wastewater from industrial processes as distinct from domestic and sanitary wastes.

Infiltration/inflow means groundwater and surface water which leaks into the sewers through cracked pipes, joints, manholes, or other openings.

Natural outlet means any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface water or groundwater.

pH means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration.

Pit privy means shored, vertical pit in the earth completely covered with a flytight slab on which is securely located a flytight riser covered with hinged flytight seat and lid.

Public sewer means a common sewer controlled by a governmental agency or public utility.

Sanitary sewer means a sewer that carries liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with minor quantities of ground, storm, and surface waters that are not intentionally admitted.

Septic tank means a subsurface impervious tank designed to temporarily retain sewage or similar waterborne wastes together with:

(1)

A sewer line constructed with solid pipe, with the joints sealed, connecting the impervious tank with a plumbing stub out; and

(2)

A subsurface system of trenches, piping, and other materials constructed to drain the clarified discharge from the tank and distribute it underground to be absorbed or filtered.

Sewage means the spent water of a community. See Wastewater.

Sewage works (sewerage) means all facilities for collecting, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.

Sewer means a pipe or conduit that carries wastewater.

Slug means 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 24 hour concentration of flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater facilities.

Storm drain or storm sewer means a drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water, or unpolluted water from any source and excluding sewage and industrial wastes other than unpolluted cooling water.

Superintendent means the city manager or his authorized deputy, agent or representative.

Suspended solids means total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and that is removable by laboratory filtration as approved by the EPA and referred to as nonfilterable residue.

Unpolluted water means 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 and would not be benefitted by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.

Wastewater means the spent water of a community from the standpoint of source. It may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water, and stormwater that may be present.

Wastewater facilities means the structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, carry away, and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent.

Watercourse means a natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.

(Code 2004, § 54.01; Ord. No. 356, 8-26-2002)