Article 4. Sewers
15-401 Definitions.
Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of words and terms as used in this article shall be as follows:
(Code 1990)
15-402 Disposal of sewage.
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the city, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the city, any human or animal excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste.
(Ord. 543, Art. II, Sec. 1; Code 1990)
15-403 Natural outlet.
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the city, any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article.
(Ord. 543, Art. II, Sec. 2; Code 1990)
15-404 Privy unlawful.
Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.
(Ord. 543, Art. II, Sec. 3; Code 1990)
15-405 Sewer connection required.
The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the city on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which areas are now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the city, is hereby required at his or her expense to install a suitable toilet facility therein, and to connect such facility directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this article, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided such public sewer is within 100 feet of the property line.
(Ord. 543, Art. II, Sec. 4; Code 1990)
15-406 Private sewer system.
Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available under the provisions of section 15-405, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this article.
(Ord. 543, Art. Ill, Sec. 1; Code 1990)
15-407 Same; permit.
Before commencement of construction of private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permission signed by the superintendent. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the city which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications and other information as deemed necessary by the superintendent. A permit and inspection fee of $50 shall be paid to the city treasurer at the time the application is filed.
(Ord. 543, Art. 111, Sec. 2; Code 1990)
15-408 Same; inspector.
A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction o the superintendent. He or she shall be allowed to inspect the work in any state of construction. In any event, the applicant for the permit shall notify the superintendent when the work is ready for final inspection, and before any underground portions are covered. Inspection shall be made within 48 hours of the receipt of notice by the superintendent.
(Ord. 543, Art. Ill, Sec. 3; Code 1990)
15-409 Same; connection to city system; when.
At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in section 15-405, a direct connection shall be made within 60 days to the public sewer in compliance with this article, and any septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable material.
(Ord. 543, Art. Ill, Sec. 5; Code 1990)
15-410 Permit; connection fee.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the superintendent.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 1; Code 1990)
15-411 Classes of permits.
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits:
In either case, the owner or his or her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the city. Permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the superintendent. A permit inspection fee of $50 for residential and commercial building sewer permit and $100 for industrial building sewer permit. It shall be paid to the city treasurer at the time application is filed.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 2; Code 1990)
15-412 Costs.
All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be paid by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 3; Code 1990)
15-413 Sewer for each building.
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be feasibly constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court yard, or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 4; Code 1990)
15-414 Same; old building sewers.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the superintendent, to meet all requirements of this article.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 5; Code 1990)
15-415 Same; specifications.
The size, slope, alignment, materials, of construction of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specification of the A.S.T.M. and W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 6; Code 1990)
15-416 Same specifications.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. IN all gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 7; Code 1990)
15-417 Same; specifications.
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the city or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the A.S.T.M. and the W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gas tight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the superintendent before installation.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 9; Code 1990)
15-418 Same; specifications.
In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged into the building sewer. The use of any pumping equipment, for which cross connections of a public water supply system are needed, is prohibited.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 9; Code 1990)
15-419 Same; specifications.
All excavation required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the superintendent. Pipe laying and backfill shall be performed in accordance with ASTM specifications (c12-19) except that no backfill shall be placed until the work has been inspected.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 10; Code 1990)
15-420 Sewer connections.
The connection of a building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the “Y” branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If the public sewer is 12 inches in diameter or less, and no properly located “Y” branch is available, the owner shall at his or her expense install a “Y” branch in the public sewer location specified by the superintendent. When the public sewer is greater than 12 inches in diameter and no properly located “Y” branch is available, a neat hole may be cut in the public sewer to receive the building sewer with entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about 45 degrees. A 45 degree elbow may be used to make such connections with the spigot end cut so as not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer. The invert of the building sewer at the point of the connection shall be at the same or a higher elevation as the invert of the public sewer. The smooth, neat joints shall be made, and the connection be made secure and water tight by encasement in concrete. Special fittings may be used for the connection only when approved by the superintendent.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 11; Code 1990)
15-421 Same; notification for inspection.
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the superintendent or his or her representative.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 10; Code 1990)
15-422 Same; excavations.
All excavations for public sewer installations hall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights as to protect the public from hazards. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 11; Code 1990)
15-423 Roof, foundation drains.
No person shall make connections of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to public sanitary sewer.
(Ord. 543, Art. IV, Sec. 8; Code 1990)
15-424 Stormwater; etc. discharge.
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Secs. 1:2; Code 1990)
15-425 Prohibited discharges.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 3; Code 1990)
15-426 Same; determination by superintendent.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following desired substances, material, waters, or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the superintendent that such wastes can harm either the sewers, sewage treatment process, or equipment, have an adverse effect on the receiving street, or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. In forming his or her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the superintendent will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment process, capacity of the sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The substances prohibited are:
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 4; Code 1990)
15-427 Same; superintendent options.
If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in section 15-426 of this article, and which in the judgement of the superintendent may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life to constitute a public nuisance, the superintendent may:
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 5; Code 1990)
15-428 Grease, oil and sand interceptors.
Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the superintendent, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except hat such interceptors shall to be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the superintendent, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 6; Code 1990)
15-429 Treatment and flow facilities.
Where preliminary treatment or flow equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his or her expense.
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 7; Code 1990)
15-430 Control manhole.
When required by the superintendent, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the superintendent. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his or her expense, and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 8; Code 1990)
15-431 Measurements and tests.
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this article shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater,” published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at the control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb, and property. (The particular analyses involved will determine whether a 24 hour composite of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids and analyses are obtained from 24 hour composites of all outfalls whereas ‘H’s are determined from periodic grab samples.)
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 9; Code 1990)
15-432 Special agreements.
No statement contained in this article shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for treatment, subject to payment therefore, by the industrial concern.
(Ord. 543, Art. V, Sec. 10; Code 1990)
15-433 Damage to sewers.
No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently break damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the sewage works. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediately arrest under charge of disorderly conduct.
(Ord. 543, Art. VI, Sec. 1; Code 1990)
15-434 Entrance for inspections allowed.
(Ord. 543, Art. VII, Secs. 1:3; Code 1990)
15-435 Violations; penalties.
(Ord. 543, Art. VIII, Secs. 1:3; Code 1990)
15-436 Private sewer systems; type, capacities, locations, etc.
The type, capacities, location, and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the Department of Public Health of the State of Kansas. No permit shall be issued for any private sewage disposal system employing subsurface soil absorption facilities where the area of the lot is less than 20,000 sq. ft. (1857.88 square meters). No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any nature outlet.
(Ord. 543, Art. Ill, Sec. 4; Code 1990)
15-437 Same; operate, additional requirements, connection to city system.
The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the city. No statement contained in this article shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the health officer. When a public sewer becomes available, the building sewer shall be connected to the sewer within 60 days and the private sewage disposal system shall be cleaned of sludge and filled with clean bankrun gravel or dirt.
(Ord. 543, Art. Ill, Secs. 6:8; Code 1990)
15-438 Rates.
Class I Residential Users: Single contributors shall pay $22.00 per month.
Class II Commercial: Any commercial establishment which contributes less than 15,000 gallons per month and residential users outside the Potwin city limits shall pay $27.00 per month.
Class III Heavy Commercial & Schools: Commercial establishments which contribute more than 15,000 gallons per month and schools shall pay $87.00 per month.
(Ord. 577; Code 1990; Ord. 694; Ord. 721)