Chapter 13.04 DEFINITIONS

Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this title shall be as set out in this chapter. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 (part), 1976)

13.04.020 Accessory building.

“Accessory building” means a subordinate building, the use of which is incidental to the use of the main building on the same lot. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 1, 1976)

13.04.030 Biochemical oxygen demand.

“Biochemical oxygen demand” (BOD) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at twenty degrees Celsius, expressed in milligrams per liter. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 2, 1976)

13.04.040 Building drain.

“Building drain” means that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from wastes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning two feet (0.6 meters) from the outside face of the building wall. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 3, 1976)

13.04.050 Building sewer.

“Building sewer” means the extension from the building drain to the side sewer or other place of disposal. (Also called house connection). (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 4, 1976)

13.04.060 City sewer system.

“City sewer system” means the sewer system owned by or under operational control of the city, within and outside the city limits. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 5, 1976)

13.04.070 Easement.

“Easement” means an acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 6, 1976)

13.04.080 Floatable oil.

“Floatable oil” is oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. Wastewater shall be considered free of floatable fat if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 7, 1976)

13.04.090 Garbage.

“Garbage” means the animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and serving of foods. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 8, 1976)

13.04.095 General facilities charge.

“General facilities charge” means the charge that is assessed against property owners seeking to connect to the sewer system, in order that such property owners shall bear their equitable share of the cost of such system. (Ord. 1266-96 § 3, 1996)

13.04.100 Industrial wastes.

“Industrial wastes” means the wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business, as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 9, 1976)

13.04.110 May.

“May” is permissive. (See “shall,” Section 13.04.200.) (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 11, 1976)

13.04.120 Natural outlet.

“Natural outlet” means any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body or surface or groundwater. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 10, 1976)

13.04.130 Person.

“Person” means any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 12, 1976)

13.04.140 pH.

“pH” means the reciprocal of the logarithm of the hydrogen-ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen-ions, in grams, per liter of solution. Neutral water, for example, has a pH value of 7 and a hydrogen-ion concentration of 10-7. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 13, 1976)

13.04.150 Properly shredded garbage.

“Properly shredded garbage” means the wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have 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 (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 14, 1976)

13.04.160 Public sewer.

“Public sewer” means a common sewer controlled by a governmental agency or public utility. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 15, 1976)

13.04.170 Sanitary sewer.

“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 admitted intentionally. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 16, 1976)

13.04.180 Sewage.

“Sewage” is the spent water of a community. The preferred term is “wastewater.” (See also Section 13.04.270.) (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 17, 1976)

13.04.190 Sewer.

“Sewer” means a pipe or conduit that carries wastewater. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 18, 1976)

13.04.200 Shall.

“Shall” is mandatory. (See “may,” Section 13.04.110.) (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 19, 1976)

13.04.210 Side sewer.

“Side sewer” means the sewer from the main collection public sewer, in either public right-of-way or easement, to the building sewer (usually at the boundary of the property being served.) (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 20, 1976)

13.04.220 Slug.

“Slug” means 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 fifteen minutes more than five times the average twenty-four-hour concentration or flows during normal operation and adversely affects the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 21, 1976)

13.04.230 Storm drain.

“Storm drain” (sometimes referred to as storm sewer) means a drain or sewer for conveying rainwater, groundwater, subsurface water, or unpolluted water from any other source. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 22, 1976)

13.04.240 Superintendent.

“Superintendent” means the city administrator or his authorized deputy, agent, or representative. (Ord. 1990-21 § 1, 2021; Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 23, 1976)

13.04.250 Suspended solids.

“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 filtering as prescribed in “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater” and referred to as nonfilterable residue. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 24, 1976)

13.04.260 Unpolluted water.

“Unpolluted water” is 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 benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 25, 1976)

13.04.270 Wastewater.

“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. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 26, 1976)

13.04.280 Wastewater facilities.

“Wastewater facilities” means the structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, carry away, and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 27, 1976)

13.04.290 Wastewater treatment works.

“Wastewater treatment works” (sometimes used as synonymous with “waste treatment plant” or “wastewater treatment plant” or “water pollution control plant”) means an arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes, and sludge. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 28, 1976)

13.04.300 Watercourse.

“Watercourse” means a natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently. (Ord. 830 Art. 1 § 29, 1976)