§ 42-244. Definitions.

Unless a provision explicitly states otherwise, the following terms and phrases, as used in this division, shall have the meanings hereinafter designated:

Best management practices or BMPs means schedules of activities, prohibitions of practices, maintenance procedures, and other management practices to implement the prohibitions listed in 40 CFR 403.5(a)(1) and (b). BMPs include treatment requirements, operating procedures, and practices to control plant runoff, spillage or leaks, sludge or waste disposal, or drainage from raw materials storage.

Biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures for five days at 20 degrees Celsius, usually expressed as a concentration (e.g., mg/L).

Bypass means the intentional diversion of a waste stream that contains prohibited waste from any portion of a wastewater treatment facility.

City means the City of Elgin.

Chemical oxygen demand (COD) means a measure of the oxygen required to oxidize all compounds, both organic and inorganic, in water.

Composite sample means a sample that results from a combination of individual wastewater samples taken at selected intervals based on an increment of either flow or time.

Control authority means the City of Elgin.

Director means the person designated by the city to supervise the operation of the POTW, and who is charged with certain duties and responsibilities by this division. The term also means a duly authorized representative of the director.

Drainage water means stormwater; roof runoff water; subsurface and subsoil uncontaminated drainage water; drainage from downspouts; water from yard drains; water from fountains, ponds and swimming pools; water from lawn sprays, rainwater leaders, and areaways, and overflows from cisterns and water tanks.

Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) means the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency or, where appropriate, the regional water management division director, the regional water management division director, the regional administrator, or other duly authorized official of said agency.

Excessive strength wastewater means any industrial waste having a TSS, COD, or BOD content in excess of that found in normal waste, but which is otherwise acceptable into a sanitary sewer under the terms of this division. Refer to section 42-160 for surcharges for excessive strength wastewater.

Garbage means solid waste from domestic or commercial preparation, cooking, dispensing or manufacturing of food or from the handling, storage and sale of produce. Garbage must be properly comminuted as described in section 42-245(4).

Grab sample means a sample that is taken from a waste-stream without regard to the flow in the waste-stream and over a period of time not to exceed 15 minutes.

Grease trap means a receptacle, structure, or a mechanical device used by a generator to intercept, collect, separate, and restrict the passage of free and emulsified fat, oil, grease, organic, inorganic, greasy or fatty liquid, semi-liquid, or solid waste from wastewater prior to discharge to the POTW.

Hazardous waste means those substances that, if otherwise disposed of, would be hazardous waste as set forth in 40 CFR 261.

Haul hold tank means a storage tank installed by the user to hold industrial waste which is prohibited from being discharged to the POTW and from which the contents must be hauled to a disposal site.

Indirect discharge or discharge means the introduction of pollutants into the POTW from any nondomestic source.

Interference means a discharge that, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations or its sludge processes, use or disposal; and therefore is a cause of a violation of the city's NPDES permit.

Medical waste means isolation wastes, infectious agents, human blood and blood products, pathological wastes, sharps, body parts, contaminated bedding, surgical wastes, potentially contaminated laboratory wastes, and dialysis wastes.

Normal domestic waste means sewage with characteristics of that produced from residences and having a daily average five-day BOD or TSS concentration not greater than 250 mg/L.

Owner or occupant means the person who pays or is legally responsible for a payment of water and/or wastewater charges made against a plot, parcel of land or building premises, if connected to the water distribution system and/or wastewater collection system maintained by the city, or who should pay or be legally responsible for payment if so connected or who is in control of or having responsibility for the daily operation of the facility or activity occupying the property.

Pass-through means a discharge which exits the POTW into waters of the United States in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the city's NPDES permit, including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation.

pH means a measurement of the acidity or alkalinity of a solution, expressed in standard units.

Pollutant means dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, filter backwash, sewage, garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, medical wastes, chemical wastes, biological wastes, radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discarded equipment, rock, sand, cellar dirt, municipal, agricultural wastes, and certain characteristics of wastewater (e.g., pH, temperature, TSS, turbidity, color, BOD, COD, toxicity, or odor.).

Pretreatment means the reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater prior to, or in lieu of, introducing such pollutants into the POTW. This reduction or alteration can be obtained by physical, chemical, or biological processes; by process changes; or by other means, except by diluting the concentration of the pollutants unless allowed by an applicable pretreatment standard.

Prohibited discharge standards or standards means absolute prohibitions against the discharge of certain substances; these prohibitions appear in section 42-245 of this division.

Publicly owned treatment works (POTW) means a treatment works, as defined by section 212 of the Act (33 U.S.C., Section 1292), which is owned by the city. This definition includes any devices or systems used in the collection, storage, pumping, treatment, recycling, and reclamation of wastewater, sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature and any conveyances, which convey wastewater to a treatment plant.

Sanitary convenience means any plumbing fixture, except for a food waste disposal unit, not required to have a sand and/or grease trap (interceptor) according to provisions of the plumbing code.

Sanitary sewer means a pipe or conduit owned, controlled, or subject to the jurisdiction of the city, designed to collect and transport sewage and industrial waste.

Septic tank waste means any sewage from holding tanks such as vessels, chemical toilets, campers, trailers, and septic tanks.

Sewage means human excrement and gray water (household showers, dishwashing operations, etc.).

Sewer system means all of the property involved in the operation of a sanitary sewer utility. It includes land, wastewater lines and appurtenances, pumping stations, treatment works, wastewater treatment plants and general property.

Slug load or slug discharge means any discharge of a non-routine, episodic nature, including but not limited to an accidental spill or a non-customary batch discharge, which has a reasonable potential to cause interference or pass through, or in any other way violate the POTW's regulations, local limits or permit conditions.

Storm sewer means any sewer or open drainage channel designed to carry stormwater and surface water, street wash and drainage water.

Stormwater means any flow occurring during or following any form of natural precipitation, and resulting from such precipitation, including snowmelt.

TPDES means the Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System program that is the approved state implementation program with authority to implement the NPDES, which has been approved or authorized by EPA under 40 CFR Part 123.

Total suspended solids (TSS) means the total suspended matter that floats on the surface of, or is suspended in, water, wastewater, or other liquid, and that is removable by filtration.

User means a source of wastewater discharge.

Wastewater means liquid and water-carried industrial wastes and sewage from residential dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and institutions, whether treated or untreated, which are contributed to the POTW.

Wastewater treatment plant or facility means that portion of the POTW which is designed to provide treatment of municipal sewage and industrial waste.

( Ord. No. 2016-06-07-14 , § I, 6-7-2016)