Chapter 15.60
SEWER SERVICE
Sections:
15.60.010 Mandatory subscription.
15.60.020 Rates, fees and charges.
15.60.030 Rules and regulations.
15.60.040 Additional conditions of service.
15.60.060 Discontinuance of service.
15.60.070 Connection to sanitary sewer system.
15.60.080 Private sewage disposal.
15.60.010 Mandatory subscription.
(a) Every legal owner of record of an occupied or habitable dwelling in the city shall subscribe to piped sewer services as provided by the municipal utility within one year after the piped sewer service is made accessible to the real property.
(b) The person in whose name the real property is listed on the municipal tax roll as owner shall be presumed to be the legal owner of record, and shall be directly responsible for any and all subscription payment obligations for piped sewer service. Only the owner or the owner’s designee in writing shall be permitted to subscribe to piped sewer services. The owner shall remain ultimately responsible to pay all charges for sewage service.
(c) The installation of lateral connections from the real property to the service main shall be in strict compliance with the procedures and specifications set forth in regulations duly promulgated by the Nome joint utilities board.
(d) Piped sewer service is accessible to the real property at that point in time when a main line has been installed on any street in a manner to approximately parallel for a main-line length of ten feet or more along any boundary of the same real property. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.020 Rates, fees and charges.
Sewer service will be provided only at the rates, fees and charges established by the tariff schedules enacted by ordinance, unless another rate, fee or charge is provided by a special contract negotiated by the board and approved by the council by ordinance. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.030 Rules and regulations.
Customers accepting sewer service thereby agree to abide by the rules and regulations established by the board and by the requirements set forth in this chapter, including alterations and amendments which may be made from time to time. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.040 Additional conditions of service.
(a) A properly identified employee of the Nome joint utilities shall have access to the premises of a customer at all reasonable times for the purpose of inspecting the customer’s facilities or equipment or for carrying out any testing or sampling program which may be necessary. In the event that a customer refuses such access to the premises, the utility manager may discontinue sewer service.
(b) No person shall install a sewer extension without a check valve if the lowest outlet in the building to be served is below the elevation of the top of the manhole nearest the service connection. Check valves are required in all existing sewer extensions if the lowest outlet in the building connected to the sewer is below the elevation of the top of the manhole nearest such service connection.
(c) No person shall install a sewer extension without providing a cleanout outside the building to be served, and, if the sewer extension consists of a pipe longer than one hundred feet between the sewer main and the building to be served, without installing additional cleanouts at intervals not exceeding one hundred feet. If the pipe connecting the sewer main to the building to be served changes direction in any manner exceeding forty-five degrees in one bend, or two or more bends placed in an interval of not greater than ten feet, additional cleanouts for each such change of direction shall be installed.
(d) The customer is responsible for all connections and extensions from the sewer main to the premises, unless otherwise provided in the tariff or this chapter.
(e) The Nome joint utilities will be responsible for the cost of rodding and/or thawing to eliminate a sewer blockage, and for the cost of repairs or replacement of lateral lines, only when it is determined that the backup and/or freezing was caused by a main line plug or if, after excavation, it is determined that a line failure in either a sewer connection or the main line created the backup and/or freezing. In such a case, the liability shall be limited to reimbursement for use of a power rodder or for steam thawing performed by a licensed, bonded rodding service or contractor only.
(f) Admission into the sewer system of any waste or wastes in volumes or with constituents such that existing dilution conditions in the sewer or at the treatment plant will be affected to the detriment of the system, shall be reviewed by the utilities manager, who may require the customer discharging such wastes to install pretreatment or equalizing units of adequate design and capacity to bring constituent content or volume of flow within acceptable limits. Where preliminary treatment facilities or equalizing units are provided, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation at the owner’s expense.
(g) When required by the Nome joint utilities, any commercial or industrial user shall install suitable control manholes on his property to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of wastes. Such manholes shall be accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the utilities manager. Installation and maintenance expenses shall be the responsibility of the property owner. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.050 Prohibited acts.
It is unlawful for any person to:
(a) Discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes into any public sanitary sewer.
(1) Any surface runoff;
(2) Any waters or wastes which may contain more than one hundred parts per million by weight of fat, oil or grease; or any waters or wastes containing ashes, cinders, sand, mud, metal, glass, rags, plastics, wood, lime, slurry, lime residues, bulk solids or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operations of the sewage works;
(3) Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, motor oil, mineral spirits, commercial solvent or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;
(4) Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.0 or higher than 8.5 at any time, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewerage works;
(5) Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous substance in concentrations such as to constitute a hazard to humans or animals or to interfere with any sewage treatment process or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant unless such substances have been pretreated prior to discharge to the public sewer, if necessary, in accordance with the provisions of the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the Alaska Department of Environmental Conservation or the city, whichever is more stringent. The maximum concentrations allowed without pretreatment are as follows:
|
Fixed Upper Limits for Constituents (Maximum Concentration mg/l) |
|
|
Arsenic |
0.05 |
|
Barium |
5.0 |
|
Boron |
1.0 |
|
Cadmium |
0.02 |
|
Chromium |
0.05 |
|
Copper |
0.02 |
|
Cyanide |
0.10 |
|
Lead |
0.10 |
|
Manganese |
0.05 |
|
Mercury |
0.002 |
|
Nickel |
0.08 |
|
Selenium |
0.02 |
|
Silver |
0.01 |
|
Zinc |
0.05 |
(6) Any waters containing quantities of radioactive substances in excess of presently existing or subsequently accepted limits for drinking water as established by applicable state or federal regulations;
(7) Any waters or wastes that may create a public nuisance, interference with the operation or maintenance of the sewerage system or interference with normal biological processes in the receiving waters, as may be determined by the utilities manager.
(b) Allow to be admitted into the sewer utility system any waters or wastes having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand in excess of three hundred parts per million by weight on a twenty-four-hour composite basis. In addition to the penalties provided by law, the owner of any premises from which such discharge is found to originate shall provide and operate, at his own expense, such pretreatment facilities as may be required by the utilities manager to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to at least the minimum level required by this subsection.
(c) Cause to be admitted into the sewer utility system any waters or wastes having a suspended solids content in excess of three hundred parts per million by weight on a twenty-four-hour composite basis. In addition to the penalties provided by law, the owner of any premises from which such discharge is found to originate shall provide and operate, at his own expense, such pretreatment facilities as may be required by the utilities manager to reduce the solids content to at least the minimum level required by this subsection.
(d) Interconnect or cause to be interconnected directly or indirectly any part of a sanitary sewer system with any part of a storm sewer system.
(e) Cause to be admitted into a sanitary sewer any waters or wastes whatsoever other than through an approved, permanent sewer extension or at a sewage dump station or other location which has been specifically so designated by the utilities manager. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.060 Discontinuance of service.
In addition to the penalties provided by law, violation of this chapter shall be sufficient cause for the utilities manager to discontinue sewer service to any property on which such a violation has originated. Criminal conviction or other judicial action is not a prerequisite to discontinuance of service. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.070 Connection to sanitary sewer system.
(a) Septic tank-seepage system disposal facilities shall not be used or installed on any parcel where sanitary sewers are available, provided that this section shall not apply to premises having the sewage flow equivalent of a two-family dwelling unit or less where said premises is more than one hundred feet from a right-of-way or easement containing a sewer main from which sanitary sewer service is available.
(b) Sanitary sewers are available to a parcel when that parcel borders a right-of-way or easement containing a municipal sewer main, and the main extends at least ten feet inside a perpendicular line drawn from the sewer main to any corner of the parcel which touches the right-of-way or easement.
(c) All property owners shall comply with the requirements of this section within one year after sanitary sewer service becomes available to the parcel. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.080 Private sewage disposal.
(a) Where a public sanitary sewer is not available to a parcel, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this chapter.
(b) Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a land use permit in accordance with Chapter 11.50 of this code.
(c) The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the city. If an on-site pressure system is required for use of the public sewer facility, the operation and maintenance costs of the pressure system shall be the responsibility of the owner or user. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.090 Permit required.
(a) No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the utility representative.
(b) The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing, backfilling the trench, and connecting to the public sewer shall all conform to the construction specifications of the Nome joint utilities. In the absence of specifications or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the A.S.T.M. and W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.
(c) The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the utility representative when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the utility representative. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.100 Meter required.
Any business or commercial structure shall be metered for water usage by a water meter approved by the utility. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.110 Testing standards.
(a) All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of “Standard Methods for the Examination of Waste and Wastewater,” published by the American Public Health Association and available at the offices of Nome joint utility systems, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
(b) Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)
15.60.120 Definitions.
The meaning of the terms used in this chapter shall be as follows:
“Building sewer” means the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
“Dwelling unit” means one or more rooms and kitchen facilities in a building or portion of a building designed as a unit for occupancy by not more than one family for living and sleeping purposes.
“Metering” means the monitoring of water usage by a water meter.
“pH” means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
“Public sanitary sewer” means a sanitary sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by the Nome joint utility system.
“Sanitary sewer” means a sewer which carries sewage and to which storm waters, surface waters and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.
“Sewage” means a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with such ground waters, surface waters and storm waters as may be present.
“Sewer” means a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
“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.
“Utility representative” means the manager of the Nome joint utility system or his or her designated representative. (Ord. O-93-6-6 § 1 (part), 1994)