Chapter 14.04
SANITATION DEPARTMENT
Sections:
14.04.010 Sanitation department established.
14.04.040 Application for service.
14.04.090 Authority to inspect premises.
14.04.100 Inspection and work on properties subject to easements.
14.04.110 Discontinuance of service.
14.04.010 Sanitation department established.
The Sanitation Department is established as part of the City of Galt and its functions shall be providing wastewater services through the construction, operations, and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant(s) and the sanitary sewer system. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.020 Service area.
The area in which the services of section 14.04.010 are or will be furnished by the Sanitation Department is that area lying within the city limits as the limits now prevail or may from time to time exist, and those areas outside the city limits which have been approved for such service by the city council. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.030 Definitions.
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used throughout Title 14 shall be as follows:
A. Applicant: means the owner, or the agent of the owner, of property for which service or a specific permit is requested.
B. BOD: (Denoting biochemical oxygen demand) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at twenty degrees centigrade, expressed in parts per million by weight.
C. Cesspool: means an underground pit into which raw household sewage or other untreated liquid waste is discharged and from which the liquid seeps into the surrounding soil or is otherwise removed.
D. Commercial service: means provision of service to premises where the customer primarily is engaged in a business, industry, trade, or profession and includes all services, not defined as domestic services. the term shall be used interchangeably with “Industrial service.”
E. Customer: means the owner, or agent of the owner, of the property receiving service.
F. Director: means the Director of Public Works for the City of Galt, or his/her authorized representative.
G. Domestic service: means provision of service to household residential purposes to single-family and multiple-family dwelling units.
H. Finance Director: means the director of the Finance Department for the City of Galt or his/her representative.
I. Flat-rate service: means provision of services in unmeasured quantities for a fixed periodic charge.
J. Garbage: means solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
K. Indirect Discharge: means the introduction of pollutants into a POTW from any non-domestic source.
L. Industrial service: means provision of service to premises where the customer primarily is engaged in a business, industry, trade, or profession and includes all services, not defined as domestic services. The term shall be used interchangeably with “commercial service.”
M. Industrial User: means a source of indirect discharge.
N. Interference: means a discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations, or its sludge processes, use or disposal;
O. Mains: means distribution pipelines located in streets, highways, public ways, or private rights-of-way which are used to serve the public.
P. Metered service: means provision of water in measured quantities for a periodic charge based upon the quantity delivered.
Q. National Pollution Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Permit: means permit issued to a POTW by the Regional Water Quality Control Board.
R. Natural outlet: means any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or ground water.
S. Pass Through: means a discharge which exits the POTW into waters of the United States in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the POTW’s NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation).
T. Person: means any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation, or group.
U. PH: means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
V. Pollutant: means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt and industrial, municipal and agricultural waste discharged into water. (g)
W. Premises: means the integral property or area, including improvements thereon, to which service is or will be provided.
X. Pretreatment: means the reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing such pollutants into a POTW. The reduction or alteration may be obtained by physical, chemical or biological processes, process changes or by other means permitted by law.
Y. Privy: means an excavation in the ground over which is placed a privy house containing seats.
Z. Properly shredded garbage: means garbage that has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any one dimension.
AA. Public sewer: means a sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by the city.
BB. Publicly Owned Treatment Works (POTW): means the wastewater treatment works owned and operated by the City of Galt. This definition includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also includes sewers, pipes and other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to the city wastewater treatment plant.
CC. Sanitary sewage: means a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments.
DD. Sanitary sewer: means a sewer which carries sanitary sewage.
EE. Septic tank: means a tank in which the settled sewage sludge is in immediate contact with the sewage flowing through the tank, while the organic solids are decomposed by anaerobic bacterial action.
FF. Service connection: means the pipe, valves and other facilities by means of which service is conducted to or from the premises and the city’s distribution system.
GG. Significant Industrial User: (1) Except as provided in 40 CFR 403.3 (t)(2), the term Significant Industrial User means: All industrial users subject to Categorical Pretreatment Standards under 40 CFR 403.6 and 40 CFR chapter I, subchapter N; and any other industrial user that: discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process wastewater to the POTW (excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and boiler blowdown wastewater); contributes a process wastestream which makes up 5 percent or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or organic capacity of the POTW treatment plant; or is designated as such by the Control Authority as defined in 40 CFR 403.12(a) on the basis that the industrial user has a reasonable potential for adversely affecting the POTW’s operation or for violating any pretreatment standard or requirement (in accordance with 40 CFR 403.8(f)(6)).
HH. Storm sewer or storm drain: means a sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sanitary sewage.
II. 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.
JJ. Watercourse: means a channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.040 Application for service.
All applications for the beginning, changing or discontinuing of sewer service shall be made to employees of the Finance Department on forms provided by the department and new subscribers may be required to pay a deposit in an amount not to exceed three times the monthly service charge as a deposit in advance of the start of service. The deposit requirement may be waived or reduced upon a finding of good credit or extreme financial hardship by the Finance Department. For purposes of this section, new subscribers shall include commercial, industrial, and residential subscribers, excluding tenants of master-metered multi-unit residential buildings, whose service has been discontinued due to nonpayment. (Ord. 2009-10, Amended, 07/07/2009; Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.050 Charges.
There is levied and assessed upon each premises having any sewer connection with the sewerage system of the city or otherwise discharging sewage which ultimately passes through the city sewerage system, a service charge payable as provided in this chapter, an amount determined as set forth in this section. Fees will also be charged for services rendered in accordance with Title 14 for sanitary sewer discharge permits.
Rates and charges for sewer service shall be fixed, from time to time, by resolution of the city council.
Outside the city limits each person, firm, individual business or corporation using the city sewer system shall pay for the use of such facilities, a sewer charge in accordance with this section.
When service is rendered for a period of less than one month due to registering or terminating service, the charge shall be prorated for the time the service was rendered. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.060 Metered flows.
The Director of Public Works shall determine, for accounts and special uses not susceptible of classification under the resolutions adopted pursuant to this Chapter, whether sewerage flow shall be metered. The rates for metered flow shall be fixed, per section 14.04.050. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.070 Billing.
A. The billing period will cover one month in arrears and one month in advance. Bills are due on receipt. Payment of bills shall be in cash where payment is made by check, acceptance of the check does not constitute payment until honored by the bank drawn upon. If the check is dishonored, it will be considered as if no payment has been made.
B. If the bill is not paid when due, or by the fifth day of each calendar month following the billing period for which the bill is rendered, a penalty of ten percent of the delinquent amount shall be added. However, only one penalty of ten percent of delinquent amount per billing period will apply.
C. Upon application to the Finance Director by any person to whom a penalty is assessed, the Finance Director may waive or refund a penalty or service charge upon showing of excusable neglect, error by parties other than the person to whom the penalty is assessed, or extreme hardship. Such application must be made within thirty (30) days of notification of the assessment of the service charge or penalty. A refusal to waive or refund a service charge or penalty, after application is made, may be appealed by submission of a written appeal hearing request to the City Clerk within thirty (30) days of the date of notification of the Director’s decision. Such hearing shall be set and conducted pursuant to section 21.03.060.
D. Commercial and Industrial property owners and owners of all master-metered multi-unit residential buildings shall be responsible for all bills for sewer used on their premises and any and all unpaid bills for sewer service shall become a lien on the real property and may be collectible by legal action or by refusal of service to the premises until the account is paid in full, or by application of all or a portion of the deposit amount set forth in this Chapter to the unpaid bill, or by combination of these methods.
E. The applicant for sewer service for residential property, excluding master-metered multi-unit residential buildings, who may be either the property owner or tenant, shall be responsible for all bills for sewer service to their premises and any and all unpaid bills for sewer service. Unpaid bills may be collected by the finance department by refusing service to the premises until the account is paid in full. In addition, in the event of tenant nonpayment of all or a portion of the bill, the deposit provided for in this chapter shall be applied to the final bill issued when service is terminated.
F. When service has been discontinued for nonpayment, a charge as established by resolution of the City Council as adopted from time to time must be paid in addition to the bill before service will be restored. In addition, in the event the Finance Department has applied any portion of the deposit to unpaid bills, prior to the restoration of service the applicant may be required to replenish the deposit up to the maximum amount provided in this Chapter. The deposit requirement may be waived or reduced upon a finding of good credit or extreme financial hardship by the Finance Department.
(Ord. 2009-10, Amended, 07/07/2009; Ord. 2006-07, Amended, 06/06/2006; Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.080 Revenue use.
The revenues generated thereof from the Sanitary Sewer Fund may be used only for providing wastewater services through the construction, operations, and maintenance of the wastewater treatment plant(s) and the sanitary sewer system. The revenues may also be used for the construction, operations, and maintenance of the storm sewer system until the city council determines and separates that portion of the fees and revenues attributable to each sewer system. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.090 Authority to inspect premises.
The Director shall have the right at all times to inspect the operation of any sewer connection. The Director and other duly authorized employees of the city bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties with the occupant’s consent for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing in accordance with the provisions of this Title. If consent is not obtained, inspection may be accomplished as provided for by law. The Director or the Director’s representatives shall have no authority to inquire into any processes including metallurgical, chemical, oil, refining, ceramic paper, or other industries beyond that point having a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the sewers or waterways or facilities for waste treatment. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.100 Inspection and work on properties subject to easements.
The Director and other duly authorized employees of the city bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the city holds a easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the sewage works lying within such easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any on such easement, shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private property involved. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.110 Discontinuance of service.
The city reserves the right to discontinue wastewater services consistent with applicable law to any customer who does not observe the rules or regulations set forth in this Title. (Ord. 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)
14.04.120 Violation.
The Director or designee shall enforce the provisions of this Chapter. Violation of any of the provisions of this Chapter is unlawful and an offense. Each day during which any violation of the provisions of this Chapter exists shall be deemed a separate and distinct violation. Such violations shall be punishable as provided by Chapter 21.01 of Title 21. (Ord. 2006-07, Amended, 06/06/2006; 2002-13, Added, 11/19/2002)