Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of words and terms as used in this article shall be as follows:

(a)   Building Drain shall mean that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning five feet outside the innerface of the building wall.

(b)   Building Sewer shall mean the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.

(c)   B.O.D. (denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand) shall mean the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees centigrade, expressed in parts per million by weight.

(d)   PH shall mean the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.

(e)   Individual Domestic means any single family residence, commercial business, office, institution, school, church or public entity having an individual direct or indirect connection to the wastewater facilities of the city and on individual city or private water service meter, or connection to any such water service.

(f)   Industrial means any industrial business engaged in the manufacturing or processing of one or more products, and in which wastewaters are produced from such manufacturing or processing and said wastewaters are discharged directly or indirectly to the wastewater facilities of the city.

(g)   Multi-domestic means any multi-family residence, apartment or mobile home and any commercial business, office, institution, school, church or public entity having a direct or indirect connection to the wastewater facilities of the city and not having an individual water service meter but is served with city or private metered water by the owner of the property on which it is located.

(h)   Superintendent shall mean the person placed in charge of the city’s sewer system or his or her authorized deputy, agent or representative.

(i)    Sewage shall mean a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, and storm waters as may be present.

(j)    Sewer shall mean a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.

(k)   Public Sewer shall mean a sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by public authority.

(l)    Combined Sewers shall mean sewers receiving both surface runoff and sewage, which sewers are not permitted in the city.

(m)  Sanitary Sewer shall mean a sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.

(n)   Storm Sewer or Storm Drain shall mean a sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.

(o)   Sewage Treatment Plant shall mean any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.

(p)   Suspended Solids shall mean 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.

(q)   User means any person as defined in section 1-102, including an institution, governmental agency or political subdivision producing waste­water requiring processing and treatment to remove pollutants and having premises connected to the wastewater facilities.

(r)    Wastewater means sewage, the combination of liquids and water carried wastes from residences, commercial and industrial buildings, institu­tions, governmental agencies, together with any ground, surface or storm water that may be present.

(s)   Normal wastewater. The strength of normal wastewater shall be considered within the following ranges:

(1)   A five day biochemical oxygen demand of 300 milligrams per liter or less;

(2)   A suspended solid concentration of 350 milligrams or less;

(3)   Hydrogen ion concentration of 5.0 to 9.0.

(Code 2009)

The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, 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 his or her 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 article, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 140 feet of the property line.

(Code 1998)

(a)   No 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 city.

(b)   All connections to the public sewer system require a permit issued by the city. A public sewer permit and inspection fee is due at the time the permit is issued and will be established pursuant to the City’s annual Fee Resolution

 

(Ord. 841, Secs. 1:2; Ord. 1046, Sec. 1; Code 2009)

Any person desiring to make a connection to the city sewer system shall apply in writing to the city clerk who shall forward the application to the utility superintendent. The application shall contain:

(a)   The legal description of the property to be connected;

(b)   The name and address of the owner or owners of the property;

(c)   The kind of property to be connected (residential, commercial or industrial);

(d)   The point of proposed connection to the city sewer line.

(Code 1998)

All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be paid by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

(Code 1998)

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the “Y” branch if such branch is available at a suitable location. Where no properly located “Y” branch is available, the connection shall be made in the manner approved by the superintendent and building inspector.

(Code 2009)

(a)   A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building.

(b)   The building sewer shall be constructed in accordance with the currently adopted Uniform Plumbing Code. No building sewer shall be installed within three feet of existing gas lines.

(c)   The size and slope of the building sewer to be installed shall be subject to the approval of the city inspector, but in no event shall the diameter of the pipe be less than four inches. The slope at which a six inch pipe is to be laid shall be not less than 1/8 inch per foot and, for four inch pipe, not less than 1/4 inch per foot. Any grades for the pipe, which are proposed for installation at grades less than these specified, shall be approved by the city inspector prior to placement.

(d)   Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to or within three feet of any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from frost. The building sewer shall be laid at a uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. Changes in direction shall be made only with approved curved pipe and fittings, including cleanout fittings.

(e)   At buildings in which the building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer. The use of any pumping equipment for which cross-connections with a public water supply system are needed, is prohibited. The total costs of pumping equipment and pumping equipment operational costs shall be those of the owner.

(f)   No building sewer shall be laid across a cesspool, septic tank or vault until the cesspool, septic tank or vault has been well cleaned and filled with an approved earth or sand fill, then thoroughly tamped and water settled. Cast iron pipe may be used across cesspools or septic tanks, if proper bedding and support for the sewer pipe is acquired.

(g)   All excavation required for the installation of the building sewer shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the city. Pipe laying and backfill shall be performed in accordance with city standards, except that no backfill shall be placed until the work has been inspected and approved.

(Code 1998)

All excavations for building sewers shall be in accordance with a permit obtained pursuant to Article 4 of Chapter 12 of this Code and shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, curb and gutters, sidewalks, parkways and other public property removed or damaged during the installation of the building sewer, shall be repaired or replaced in a manner acceptable to the city and at the total expense of the owner. It is further agreed that any parties involved in any excavating or installation work for sewer installations as above set out, will hold the city harmless from any and all damages to persons or property resulting from or growing out of any opening or excavation or any negligent act or from any operation made within the city.

(Code 2009)

(a)   If any person as defined in section 1-102 shall fail to connect any dwelling or building with the sewer system after being noticed, the city may cause such buildings to be connected with the sewer system as authorized by K.S.A. 12-631.

(b)   The cost and expense, including inspection fees, shall be assessed against the property. Until such assessments shall have been collected and paid to the city, the cost of making such connection may be paid from the general fund or through the issuance of no fund warrants.

(Code 1998)

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 sewage except as provided in article 8.

(Code 1998)

It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit or discharge from any source whatsoever any sewage or human excrement upon any public or private grounds within the city, or to permit the contents of any privy, vault or septic tank to be deposited or discharged upon the surface of any grounds. Any unauthorized or unapproved privy vault, septic tank or other means or places for the disposal of sewage, excrement and polluted water may be abated as a public nuisance upon the order of the city or county board of health in accordance with the laws of Kansas.

(K.S.A. 12-1617e; 12-1617g; Code 1998)

It shall be unlawful for any unauthorized person to maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any sewer, structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is part of the municipal sewer system.

(Code 1998)

It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the city or in any area under the jurisdiction of the city any sanitary sewage, industrial wastes or other polluted waters except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(Code 1998)

The size, slope, alignment, materials, excavation, placing of pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the city.

(Code 1998)

Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and testing by the city, to meet all requirements of this article.

(Code 2009)

All garages, filling stations, milk plants, convenience store, restaurants, or other commercial or industrial plants connected to the public sewer shall construct and maintain proper and sufficient interceptors or traps to prevent the discharge of any sand, mud, sediment, litter, waste, grease or any substance harmful to the effective operation and maintenance of the city sewer system, into the building sewer.

(Code 2009)

(a)   It shall be unlawful to connect downspouts from any roof area, drains from any building foundation, paved areas, yards or open courts, or to discharge liquid wastes from any air conditioning unit or cooling device having a capacity in excess of one ton per hour or one horsepower into any city sanitary sewer.

(b)   All discharges prohibited in subsection (a) may be discharged into the public gutter or storm drains or open drainage ditches provided such discharge does not create a nuisance. No such liquids may be discharged into any unpaved street or alley.

(Code 1998)

Discharges from air conditioning units in excess of one ton per hour or one horsepower may be permitted into a building sewer upon approval of the superintendent where there is a finding that such cooling water cannot be recirculated and that such waste water does not overload the capacity of the sewer or interfere with the effective operation of the sewage disposal works of the city.

(Code 1998)

No person shall discharge any of the following waters or wastes to any public sewer:

(a)   Liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150 degrees Fahrenheit;

(b)   Water or waste which may contain more than 100 parts per million, by weight, of fat, oil or grease;

(c)   Gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;

(d)   Garbage that has not been properly shredded;

(e)   Ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works;

(f)   Waters or wastes having a ph lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works;

(g)   Waters or wastes containing a toxic poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant;

(h)   Water or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant;

(i)    Noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance.

(Code 1998)

(a)   The monthly charge for sewer service shall be in accordance with the City’s annual Fee Resolution.

(b)   Special Agreements. No statement contained herein shall be construed to prevent 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, subject to payment by the industrial concern.

(Ord. 1000, Sec. 1; Ord. 1046, Sec. 1; Code 2009)