10-28-2019 Council Work Session Packet

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Exhibit A Sec. 14-189. - Prohibited discharges of groundwater/stormwater into the sanitary sewerage system. (a) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged, directly or indirectly, any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage or cooling water to any sanitary sewer. Any person having a roof drain, sump pump, unauthorized swimming pool discharge, cistern overflow pipe or surface drain connected and/or discharging into the sanitary sewer shall disconnect and remove any piping or system conveying such water to the sanitary sewerage system. (b) Every person owning improved real estate that discharges into the city's sanitary sewerage system shall allow inspection by authorized city employees or its agents of all properties or structures connected to the sanitary sewerage system to confirm there is no sump pump or other prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewerage system. In lieu of authorizing a city inspection of the property, the property owner may furnish a certificate from a licensed plumber, in a form acceptable by the city, certifying that the property has no prohibited discharge in the municipal sanitary sewer system. (c) Any owner of any property found to be in violation of this section shall make the necessary changes to comply with this division, and such change shall be verified by authorized city employees or agents. Any property or structure not inspected or not in compliance shall, following notification from the city, comply within 14 calendar days or be subject to the surcharge as provided in subsection (f) of this section. (d) Existing buildings with sump pumps and all newly constructed buildings with sumps shall have a discharge pipe installed to the outside wall of the building. The pipe attachment must be of rigid permanent -type plumbing, such as PVC, copper or galvanized pipe. The discharge shall extend outside of the foundation and may not be pumped directly onto any public right-of-way unless approved by the public service director or his designee. Any disconnects or openings in the sanitary sewer shall be closed and repaired in compliance with applicable codes. (e) Upon verified compliance with this chapter, the city reserves the right to reinspect such property or structure or require the property owner to provide a certificate of compliance from a licensed plumber in a form acceptable to the city at least annually to confirm continued compliance. Any property found not to be in compliance upon reinspection by the city shall, following notification from the city, comply within 14 calendar days or be subject to the surcharge provided for in subsection (f) of this section. (f) A surcharge set by the annual fee schedule adopted by the city council is imposed and shall be added to every utility billing to properties not in compliance with this chapter. The surcharge shall be added to every quarterly utility billing until the property is in compliance as determined by the city. If the surcharge is not paid in a timely manner, the delinquent payments may be certified for collection with the following years' property taxes. (g) The city council, upon recommendation of the city administrator and the city engineer, shall hear and decide requests for temporary waivers from the provisions of this division where strict enforcement would cause a threat to public safety because of circumstances unique to the individual property under consideration. Any request for a temporary waiver shall be submitted to the city administrator in writing within 14 calendar days of notification of noncompliance. Upon approval of a temporary waiver from the provisions of this division, the property owner shall agree to pay an additional fee for sanitary sewerage services based on the number of gallons discharged into the sanitary sewerage system as estimated by the city engineer. (h) Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such drainage facilities as are specifically designated by the city engineer. (i) The imposition of the surcharge shall not limit the right of the city to seek an injunction in district court ordering the person to disconnect the nonconforming connection to the sanitary sewer or from pursuing any other legal remedies available; or in the alternative, the city may correct the violation and certify the costs of correction as an assessment against the property on which the correction was made. (Ord. No. 129 2nd series, § 2, 10-24-1994; Ord. No. 50 3rd series, § 1, 10-13-2008)