City Code Section
- The following definitions apply to this Chapter:
- A. “Billing Error” means an instance in which a calculation or method used by the City for billing is not consistent, in the determination of the City, with adopted City Code or administrative rule provisions for billing sewer volume and stormwater management charges.
- B. “Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD)” means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter per 40 CFR 136, “Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants.”
- C. “Connection Charge” is a general term used to describe any charge assessed by the city for providing public sewer and stormwater management services to a property. Connection charges include, but are not limited to, System Development Charges (SDCs).
- D. “Director” means the Director of BES or the Director’s designee.
- E. “Equivalent Dwelling Unit (EDU)” means the estimated monthly equivalent impact on the public sewer and drainage system of an average residential single-dwelling development.
- F. “Equivalent Service Unit (ESU)” means a measure of a property’s impact on the City’s stormwater management services. For residential uses, it is based on the estimated average occupancy of a dwelling. For commercial ratepayers, it is based on an estimated class average stormwater billable area.
- G. “Extra-Strength Charge” means the additional charge to wastewater dischargers who have constituent discharges at concentrations above levels normally expected in domestic wastewater, as determined by this Chapter, administrative rule, and annual rate ordinance.
- H. “High-Strength Wastewater” means wastewater that has a BOD concentration in excess of 300 mg/L or a TSS concentration in excess of 350 mg/L.
- I. “Impervious Area” means the measured or estimated area of impervious surfaces on a site.
- J. “Impervious Surface” means any surface exposed to rainwater off of which most water runs. Impervious surfaces include, but are not limited to, rooftops, walkways, patios, driveways, vegetated or pervious areas over pavement or structures, parking lots or storage areas, concrete or asphalt paving, and compacted gravel or compacted soil.
- K. “Net New Stormwater Billable Area” means the difference between existing stormwater billable area on a property and any increase in stormwater billable area that results from a proposed use of the property.
- L. “Rate” means the multiplication factor used to generate a service charge based on cost-per-unit proxies including, but not limited to, gallons of discharge, drainage fixture units, or square feet. Rates can be multiplied by other factors.
- M. “Ratepayer” means a person who:
- 1. Has the right to possession of a property;
- 2. Causes or permits the discharge of sanitary sewage into the public sewer and drainage system; or
- 3. Benefits directly or indirectly from sewer or stormwater management services provided to the property by the City.
- N. “Rolling Average” means the average of the 10 most recent monthly averages of representative City- and/or self-monitoring events for the purpose of calculating an extra-strength sewage charge rate, unless another period is approved by the Director.
- O. “Sanitary Sewage” means wastewater discharged to the public sewer and drainage system by permit or other approval of the Director and includes, but is not limited to, domestic wastewater, industrial and commercial process wastewater, and contaminated stormwater.
- P. “Stormwater Billable Area” means the sum of a property’s impervious area and area of pervious pavement, excluding areas covered by compacted soils and compacted gravels.
- Q. “Stormwater Management Services” means services and actions that collect, convey, detain, retain, treat, or dispose of stormwater. These services include managing stormwater runoff from public streets, mitigating flooding, preventing erosion, improving water quality of stormwater runoff, collecting and conveying stormwater runoff from private properties when runoff exceeds the capacity of private facilities to manage stormwater onsite, mitigating impacts to natural habitats caused by stormwater runoff, and protecting properties and natural habitats from hazardous soils and materials that are discharged from private properties and public rights-of-way.
- R. “System Development Charge” means a charge imposed on development that creates new or increased demand of the public sewer and drainage system.
- S. “Temporary Connection” means a connection to the public sewer and drainage system where the duration of the connection is less than three years and connection and disconnection each occur only once. A connection made to the public sewer and drainage system made for the purpose of environmental remediation will not be considered a temporary connection unless approved by the Director.
- T. “Temporary Structure” means a structure, including associated surface impervious areas, that is separate and distinct from all other structures and is created and removed in its entirety within three years.
- U. “Total Suspended Solids (TSS)” means the total suspended matter that either floats on the surface or is suspended in water or wastewater and that is removable by laboratory filtering in accordance with 40 CFR 136 Table B.
- V. “User Charge” means a charge for the use or benefit of public sanitary or stormwater management services.