§ 30-56. Definitions.

Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in this article shall be as follows:

(1)

Approving authority means the city manager or his duly authorized representative.

(2)

BOD (biochemical oxygen demand) means the quantity of oxygen by weight, expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l), utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory conditions for five (5) days at a temperature of twenty (20) degrees centigrade.

(3)

Building sewer means the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal (also called the house lateral and house connection).

(4)

City means the City of Pearland, Texas, or any authorized person acting in its behalf.

(5)

COD (chemical oxygen demand) means measure of the oxygen-consuming capacity of inorganic and organic matter present in the water or wastewater expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l) as the amount of oxygen consumed from a chemical oxidant in a specific test, but not differentiating between stable and unstable organic matter and thus not necessarily correlating with biochemical oxygen demand.

(6)

Control manhole means a manhole giving access to a building sewer at some point before the building sewer discharge mixes with other discharges in the public sewer.

(7)

Control point means point of access to a course of discharge before the discharge mixes with other discharges in the public sewer.

(8)

Garbage means animal and vegetable wastes and residue from preparation, cooking and dispensing of food; and from the handling, processing, storage and sale of food products and produce.

(9)

Industrial waste means waste resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing, trade, or business or from any development of any natural resource, or any mixture of the waste with water or normal wastewater, or distinct from normal wastewater.

(10)

Industrial waste charge means the charge made on those persons who discharge industrial wastes into the city's sewerage system.

(11)

Milligrams per liter (mg/l) means the same as parts per million and is a weight-to-volume ratio; the milligram-per-liter value multiplied by the factor 8.34 shall be equivalent to pounds per million gallons of water;

(12)

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

(13)

Normal domestic wastewater means wastewater excluding industrial wastewater discharged by a person into sanitary sewers and in which the average concentration of total suspended solids is not more than two hundred (200) milligrams per liter and BOD is not more than two hundred (200) milligrams per liter.

(14)

Overload means the imposition of organic or hydraulic loading on a treatment facility in excess of its engineered design capacity.

(15)

Person means any individual and includes any corporation, organization, government or governmental subdivision or agency, business trust, estate, trust, partnership association, or other legal entity.

(16)

pH means the logarithm (base 10) of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration.

(17)

Public sewer means pipe or conduit carrying wastewater or unpolluted drainage in which owners of abutting properties shall have the use, subject to control by the City of Pearland, Texas.

(18)

Sanitary sewer means a public sewer that conveys domestic wastewater or industrial wastes or a combination of both, and into which storm water, surface water, groundwater, and other unpolluted wastes are not intentionally passed.

(19)

Slug means any discharge of water, wastewater or industrial waste which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow, exceeds for any period of duration longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty-four-hour concentration or flows during normal operation.

(20)

"Standard Methods" means the examination and analytical procedures set forth in the latest edition, at the time of analysis, of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," as prepared, approved, and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and Water Pollution Control Federation.

(21)

Storm sewer means a public sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage and into which domestic wastewater or industrial wastes are not intentionally passed.

(22)

Storm water means rainfall or any other forms of precipitation.

(23)

Superintendent means the Water and Wastewater Superintendent of the City of Pearland, Texas, or his duly authorized deputy, agent or representative.

(24)

Suspended solids (SS) means solids measured in milligrams per liter that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in water, wastewater, or other liquids, and which are largely removable by a laboratory filtration device.

(25)

To discharge includes to deposit, conduct, drain, emit, throw, run, allow to seep, or otherwise release or dispose of, or to allow, permit, or suffer any of these acts or omissions.

(26)

Trap means a device designed to skim, settle, or otherwise remove grease, oil, sand, flammable wastes or other harmful substances.

(27)

Unpolluted wastewater means water containing

(a)

No free or emulsified grease or oil;

(b)

No acids or alkalis;

(c)

No phenols or other substances producing taste or odor in receiving water;

(d)

No toxic or poisonous substances in suspension, colloidal state, or solution;

(e)

No noxious or otherwise obnoxious or odorous gases;

(f)

Not more than an insignificant amount in milligrams per liter each of suspended solids and BOD, as determined by the Texas Department of Water Resources; and

(g)

Color not exceeding fifty (50) units as measured by the platinum-cobalt method of determination as specified in "Standard Methods."

(28)

Waste means rejected, unutilized or superfluous substances in liquid, gaseous, or solid form resulting from domestic, agricultural, or industrial activities.

(29)

Wastewater means a combination of the water-carried waste from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with any groundwater, surface, and storm water that may be present.

(30)

Wastewater facilities includes all facilities for collection, pumping, treating, and disposing of wastewater and industrial wastes.

(31)

Wastewater treatment plant means any city-owned facilities, devices, and structures used for receiving, processing and treating wastewater, industrial waste, and sludges from the sanitary sewers.

(32)

Wastewater service charge means the charge on all users of the public sewer system whose wastes do not exceed in strength the concentration values established as representative of normal wastewater.

(33)

Watercourse means a natural or man-made channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.

(Ord. No. 443, § 1, 8-23-82)