§ 36-72. Definitions.

The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this division, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning:

BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days of 20 degrees Celsius, expressed in milligrams per liter.

Building drain means 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 inner face of the building wall.

Building sewer means the extension from the building drains to the public sewer of other place of disposal.

Combined sewer means a sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.

Garbage solid means waste from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage, and sale of produce.

Industrial wastes means the liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes, trade, or business as distinct from sanitary sewage.

Natural outlet means any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or groundwater.

pH means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.

Properly-shredded garbage means the wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension.

Public sewer means a sewer controlled by public authority.

Public water main means a water main controlled by public authority.

Sanitary sewer means a sewer which carries sewage and in which storm, surface, and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.

Service, water service, sewer service or served by the water/sewer system means any residence, commercial establishment, industry or other structure or dwelling which consumes water or discharges sewage into the city system. Said structure or dwelling will be assessed the basic charge provided the property line in within 100 feet of water main with respect to water service and 200 feet of a sewer line with respect to sewer service. Said basic charge shall be assessed regardless of actual connection to the city system.

Sewage means a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water, and stormwater as may be present.

Sewage treatment plant means any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.

Sewage works means all facilities for collecting, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.

Sewer means a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.

Slug means any discharge of water, sewage, or industrial waste which in concentration of any given component or in quantity of flow excess for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average 24-hour concentration or flows during normal operations.

Storm drain (sometimes termed storm sewer) means a sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than unpolluted cooling water.

Suspended solid means solids that either float on the surface of, or are suspended in water, sewage, or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory filtering.

Watercourse means a defined channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.

(Code 1985, § 7-101)