(Amended by Ordinance No. 186902, effective December 26, 2014.) As used in this Chapter, the following definitions apply:
A. “Building Sewer” means that portion of the horizontal piping system that receives the discharge of building drains and extends to a public sewer, private sewer, private sewage disposal system, or other approved discharge point; and is located on private property.
B. “Capacity” means the flow volume or rate for which a specific facility is designed to safely contain, receive, convey, infiltrate, or reduce pollutants from sanitary sewage, stormwater, wastewater, or other discharge in order to meet a specific performance standard.
C. “City Storm Sewer and Drainage System” means a City conveyance or system of conveyances, including but not limited to pipes, pumps, drainage ditches, constructed channels, groundwater-related disposal systems, underground injection control devices, stormwater management facilities, and storm drains, that are designed or used to collect and transport stormwater. “City storm sewer and drainage systems” does not include natural streams, creeks, ponds, lakes, a combined sewer, or part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works, as defined in 40 CFR 122.2
D. “Combined Sewer” means a sewer designed to convey both sanitary sewage and stormwater.
E. “Commercial or Industrial Occupancy” means any structure or facility wherein preparation, processing, treating, making, compounding, assembling, mixing, improving, or storing any product or any solid, liquid or gaseous material for commercial or industrial purposes occurs, or wherein cleaning, processing or treating of tanks, vats, drums, cylinders or any other container used in transportation or storage of any solid, liquid or gaseous material for commercial or industrial purpose occurs.
F. “Common Private Sewer System (also called Party Sewer)” means that portion of a building sewer that:
1. Is not owned by the City of Portland;
2. Is used for draining more than one building under different ownership; and
3. Conveys the discharge to a sewer service lateral, public sewer, private sewage disposal system, or other point of disposal.
Common private sewers are found on private property and in private and public rights-of-way, including easements.
G. “Connection” means the connection of all sanitary waste and drainage disposal lines from all development on a property to the public sewer and drainage system.
H. “Conveyance” means the transport of sanitary sewage, stormwater, wastewater or other discharge from one point to another point.
I. “Director” means the Director of the Bureau of Environmental Services or the Director’s designee.
J. “Discharge Point” means the connection point or destination for a discharge leaving a site.
K. “Drainage” means the flow of waters across public and private properties.
L. “Drainage Improvements” means management facilities or modifications to storm sewers, drainage systems or drainage patterns to address safety issues, increase capacity, or improve water flows or quality.
M. “Green Street” means a vegetated stormwater management facility located within a public or private right-of-way.
N. “Groundwater Discharge” means a discharge pumped or directed from the ground. Groundwater-related discharges include but not limited to, subsurface water from site remediation and investigations, well development, Brownfield development, discharges from footing and foundation drains, and subsurface water associated with construction or property management dewatering activities.
O. “Nonconforming Sewer” means a private sanitary sewer that is:
1. Not on the same public or private property as the structure or structures being served by the sewer; and
2. Not located within a recorded sewer easement or subject to a recorded covenant for easement regarding use of the sewer and meeting the standards for easements specified in administrative rules.
P. “Public Right-of-Way” means the area within the confines of a dedicated public street, an easement owned by the City, or other area dedicated for public use for streets or public utility facilities.
Q. “Public Sewer Easement” is a grant of the right by a property owner to the City to use land for placement and maintenance of public sewer facilities.
R. “Route of Conveyance” means the BES-approved path of conveyance from a property or private stormwater system to the approved discharge point.
S. “Route of Service” means the BES-approved path of connection of a building sewer or private stormwater conveyance to a City sewer, storm sewer or drainage system.
T. “Sampling Manhole” means a manhole in a sewer lateral or other monitoring access acceptable to BES, and that allows for observation, sampling or measurement of all discharges to the City’s sewer or drainage system.
U. “Stormwater” means water that originates as precipitation on a particular site, basin, or watershed.
V. “Wye” means a connection joint or pipe between a public sewer and more than one sewer service lateral, building sewer, or common private sewer system.