City Code Section
- The following definitions apply to this Chapter:
- 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 any part of a Publicly Owned Treatment Works, as defined in 40 CFR 403.3.
- 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. 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.
- G. Conveyance means the transport of sanitary sewage, stormwater, wastewater or other discharge from one point to another point.
- H. Director means the Director of the Bureau of Environmental Services or the Director’s designee.
- I. Discharge point means the connection point or destination for a discharge leaving a site.
- J. Drainage means the flow of waters across public and private properties.
- K. 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.
- L. Green street means a vegetated stormwater management facility located within a public or private right-of-way.
- M. Groundwater discharge means a discharge pumped or directed from the ground. Groundwater-related discharges include but are 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.
- N. Nonconforming sewer means a private sewer system that accesses the public sewer by any of the following:
- 1. A sewer lateral draining more than one property that conveys the discharge to the public sewer in the public right-of-way (ROW) or in a public sewer easement, also known as a “party” sewer. Exception: This does not apply to Middle Housing Land Division (MHLD) shared sewers that meet all City requirements and standards.
- 2. A sewer lateral crossing one or more properties without the benefit of a recorded easement that meets City standards.
- 3. A nonconforming private sewer line.
- 4. A sewer lateral in the public ROW or in a public sewer easement with an alignment or other physical characteristic contrary to the approved standards of the Sewer and Drainage Facilities Design Manual (SDFDM).
- O. 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 facilities.
- P. 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.
- Q. Responsible party means, except as separately defined by applicable administrative rule, any person who, regardless of knowledge or intent, causes or contributes to a violation of this Chapter or associated rules.
- 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 that is 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.