§ 19-146. Definitions.

Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this division shall be as follows:

Base rate means that portion of the total wastewater service charge consisting of fixed expenses incurred by the city to make sewer facilities available. The base rate shall be charged equally to all categories of users without regard to water consumption or whether or not a building or structure is occupied.

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 20 degrees Celsius expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l).

Commercial user means all retail stores, restaurants, office buildings, laundries, and other private businesses and service establishments.

Governmental user includes legislative, judicial, administrative, and regulatory activities of federal, state and local governments.

Industrial user includes any nongovernmental, nonresidential user of public owned treatment works which is identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemented, under the following divisions: Division A—Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing; division B—Mining; division D—Manufacturing; division E—Transportation, Communication, Electric, Gas and Sanitary; and division I—Services.

Institutional user includes social, charitable, religious, and educational activities such as schools, churches, hospitals, nursing homes, penal institutions and similar institutional users.

Normal domestic wastewater means wastewater that has BOD concentration of not more than 250 mg/l and a suspended solids concentration of not more than 250 mg/l.

Operation and maintenance means those functions that result in expenditures during the useful life of the treatment works for materials, labor, utilities and other items which are necessary for managing and for which such works were designed and constructed. The term "operation and maintenance" includes "replacement" as defined in this section.

Replacement means expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories and appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.

Residential user shall mean any parcel of real estate or building or portion thereof which is used for domestic dwelling purposes only.

SS (denoting 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.

Treatment works means any devices and systems for the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage, domestic sewage or liquid industrial wastes. These include intercepting sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, pumping, power, and other equipment and their appurtenances; extensions improvement, remodeling, additions and alterations thereof; elements essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment units and clear well facilities; and any works, including site acquisition of the land that will be an integral part of the treatment process or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment (including land for composting sludge, temporary storage of such compost and land used for the storage of treated wastewater in land treatment systems before land application); or any other method or system for preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating, or disposing of municipal waste or industrial waste, including waste in combined stormwater and sanitary sewer systems.

Useful life means the estimated period during which a treatment works will be operated.

User charge shall mean that portion of the total wastewater service charge which is levied in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation, maintenance and replacement of the wastewater treatment works.

Water meter means a water volume measuring and recording device approved and installed by the city.

(Ord. No. 204, art. II, §§ 1—10, 12—15, 17, 8-14-89)

Cross reference

Definitions and rules of construction generally, § 1-2.