Chapter 13.15
SEWER USE REGULATIONS
Sections:
13.15.010 Use of public sewers required.
13.15.020 Private wastewater disposal.
13.15.030 Sanitary sewers and connections.
13.15.040 Use of the public sewers.
13.15.050 Tampering with wastewater facilities.
13.15.060 Powers and authority of inspectors.
13.15.070 Sewer rates and fees.
13.15.010 Use of public sewers required.
1. It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the City of Francis, or in any area under the jurisdiction of said City, any human or animal excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste.
2. It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the City of Francis, or in any area under the jurisdiction of said City, any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this chapter.
3. Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of wastewater.
4. The owner(s) of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes, situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the City, is hereby required at the owner(s) expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter, within 60 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 600 feet of the property line.
5. Properties within the Francis City limits that have been served by a private wastewater disposal system may continue to use such system, despite the availability of a public sanitary sewer within 300 feet of the property line, for as long as the private wastewater disposal system continues to operate properly, safely and effectively. When such private wastewater disposal system ceases to operate properly, safely or effectively, the property owner shall be required to connect the property to the public sanitary sewer, at the property owner’s expense, including payment of all impact and connection fees, if the public sanitary sewer is within 300 feet of the property line. If the development approval for a particular development conflicts with this section, the development approval shall govern. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. II, 1987.)
13.15.020 Private wastewater disposal.
1. Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of FCC 13.15.010(4), the building sewer shall be connected to a private wastewater disposal system complying with the provisions of this section.
2. A private wastewater disposal system shall be allowed to serve individual properties within the Francis City limits only upon approval by the City Council. Before approving a private wastewater system, the City Council must investigate and make a finding that connection to a public sanitary sewer is not reasonably possible and that use of a private wastewater disposal system to serve the property will not be detrimental to the public interest. Connection to a private wastewater disposal system is not a right of the applicant and is entirely within the discretion of the City Council to approve or deny.
3. If connection to a private wastewater system is approved by the Francis City Council, the design, construction, installation and maintenance of the system shall conform to the standards and specifications of the Summit County Board of Health and state and federal law. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. III, 1987.)
13.15.030 Sanitary sewers and connections.
1. The design, construction, installation and maintenance of all sewer pipes and facilities shall comply with construction standards of Francis City and state and federal building codes, and shall be approved and inspected by the City Engineer or City Building Official.
2. The owner of each property connected to the public sewer system shall have full responsibility and liability for the maintenance and repair of the sewer lateral line that provides connection from the City’s main sewer line to the property. (Ord. 2016-01 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. IV, 1987.)
13.15.040 Use of the public sewers.
1. No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharged any unpolluted waters such as storm water, surface water, ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, or cooling water to any sewer.
2. Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged only to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers.
3. No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described water or wastes to any public sewers:
a. Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
b. Any waters containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the wastewater treatment plant.
c. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the wastewater works.
d. Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the wastewater facilities such as, but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
4. The following described substances, materials, waters, or waste shall be limited in discharges to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. The Public Works Director may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the regulations below if in his opinion such more severe limitations are necessary to meet the above objectives. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability, the Public Works Director will give consideration to such factors as the quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment process employed, capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, degree of treatability of the waste in the wastewater treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharged to the sanitary sewer which shall not be violated without approval of the Public Works Director are as follows:
a. Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65 degrees Celsius).
b. Wastewater containing more than 25 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oils, or product of mineral oil origin.
c. Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat, or grease.
d. Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments, or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation of food in kitchens for the purpose of consumption on the premises or when served by caterers.
e. Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substance to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater of the wastewater treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Public Works Director for such materials.
f. Any waters or wastes containing odor-producing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the Public Works Director.
g. Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Public Works Director in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
h. Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both which constitute a slug.
i. Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed, including land application of the effluent.
j. Any water or wastes which, by interaction with other water or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, form suspended solids which interfere with the collection system, or create a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes.
5. If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in subsection (4) of this section, and which, in the judgment of the Public Works Director, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Public Works Director may:
a. Reject the wastes;
b. Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;
c. Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
d. Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of subsection (10) of this section.
When considering the above alternative the Public Works Director shall give consideration to the economic impact of each alternative on the discharger. If the Public Works Director permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Public Works Director.
6. Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Public Works Director, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts as specified in subsection (4)(c) of this section, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Public Works Director, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors the owner(s) shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates, and means of disposal which are subject to review by the Public Works Director. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by owner(s) personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.
7. Where pretreatment of flow-equalizing facilities is provided or required for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner(s) at his expense.
8. When required by the Public Works Director, the owner(s) of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such structures, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Public Works Director. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
9. The Public Works Director may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this chapter. These requirements may include:
a. Wastewaters discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period.
b. Chemical analyses of wastewaters.
c. Information on raw materials, processes, and products affecting wastewater volume and quality.
d. Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil, solvent, or other materials important to sewer use control.
e. A plot plan of sewers of the user’s property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location.
f. Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities.
g. Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the municipal sewer.
10. 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 Water and Wastewater,” published by the American Public Health Association. Sampling methods, locations, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis subject to approval by the Public Works Director.
11. No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. V, 1987.)
13.15.050 Tampering with wastewater facilities.
No person(s) shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure, appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the wastewater facilities. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. VI, 1987.)
13.15.060 Powers and authority of inspectors.
All duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing pertinent to discharge to the community system in accordance with the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. VII, 1987.)
13.15.070 Sewer rates and fees.
Rates and fees for use of the public sanitary sewer system shall be set from time to time by the City Council by resolution or ordinance. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. VIII, 1987.)
13.15.080 Penalties.
1. Any person found to be violating any provision of this chapter shall be served by the City with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, permanently cease all violations.
2. Any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall become liable to the City for any expense, loss, or damage occasioned the City by reason of such violation.
3. The City shall have authority to terminate water service to any property on which a violation of this chapter is occurring. The City shall deliver 24-hour prior notice of such termination to the property, except in cases of emergency. (Ord. 2016-05 § 1, 2016; Unnumbered 1987 Ord. Art. IX, 1987.)