Chapter 07 – Sanitary Sewer Service

7.01-Sanitary Sewer Connections

7.02-Director of Public Works

7.03-Definitions

7.04-Use of Public Sewers Required

7.05-Building Sewers and Connections

7.06-Use of Public Sewers

7.07-Protection of Sewage Works from Damage

7.08-Powers and Authority of Inspectors

7.09-Basis for Wastewater Service Charges

7.10-General Provisions

7.11-Maintenance Obligations


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7.01 SANITARY SEWER CONNECTIONS

The City may discontinue sanitary sewer and water service to any property which contains an illegal source of storm water into the sanitary sewer system or which violates Section 7.05(j) or 7.06(a).


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7.02 DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS

The Director of Public Works of the Department of Public Works shall have supervision over all material and equipment used in the operation and maintenance of the sewerage system. For this purpose it shall be the duty of the Director of Public Works and all of the officers, employees and servants of the department to enforce all the provisions this chapter and observe, obey and carry out the orders and directions of the City Council. He shall prepare and keep in his office a complete atlas of the sewerage system.


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7.03 DEFINITIONS

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

(a) Administrator. The Administrator of the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

(b) Approving Authority. The City of Hickory Hills.

(c) Basic User Charge. The basic assessment levied on all users of the Wastewater Collection System for the cost of operation and maintenance plus replacement.

(d) Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD). The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standards laboratory procedure in five (5) days at 20 degrees C, expressed in milligrams per liter.

(e) Building Drain. That part of the lowest 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 or other approved point of discharge, beginning five (5) feet (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building wall.

(f) Building Sewer. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.

(g) City. The City of Hickory Hills or its authorized agents and employees.

(h) Combined Sewer. A sewer which is designed and intended to receive wastewater, storm, surface, and groundwater drainage.

(i) Commercial User. A user of the wastewater collection system including transit lodging, retail and wholesale establishments or places engaged in selling merchandise, or rendering services.

(j) Control Manhole. A structure located on a site from which industrial wastes are discharged. Where feasible, the manhole shall have an interior drop. The purpose of a control manhole is to provide access in order to meanure and/or sample discharge.

(k) Debt Service Charge. The amount to be paid each billing period for payment of interest, principal and indebtedness of loans, bonds and installment contracts which are applicable to the sanitary sewer system. This charge shall be computed by dividing the annual debt service by the number of users connected to the wastewater collection system.

(l) Director. The Director of the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency.

(m) Easement. An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.

(n) Effluent Criteria. Defined in applicable NPDES Permit

(o) Federal Act. The Federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.) as amended by the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (Pub. L. 92-500) and (Pub. L. 93-243).

(p) Federal Grant. The U.S. Government participation in the financing of the construction of treatment works as provided for by Title II – Grants for Construction of Treatment Works of the Act and Implementing Regulations.

(q) Floatable Oil. Oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. A wastewater shall be considered free of floatable fat if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.

(r) Garbage. Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.

(s) Industrial User. A user of the wastewater collection system including establishments engaged in manufacturing activities involving the mechanical or chemical transformation of materials of substance into products.

(t) Industrial Waste. Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance discharged, permitted to flow or escaping from any industrial, manufacturing, commercial or business establishment or process or from the development, recovery or processing of any natural resource as distinct from sanitary sewerage.

(u) Institutional/Governmental User. A user of the wastewater collection system including schools, churches penal institutions and users associated with Federal, State and local governments.

(v) May. Permissible.

(w) MWRD. Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

(x) Milligrams per Liter. A unit of the concentration of water or wastewater constituent. It is 0.001 g of the constituent in 1,000 ml of water. It has replaced the unit formerly used commonly, parts per million, to which it is approximately equivalent, in reporting the results of water and wastewater analysis.

(y) Natural Outlet. Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or groundwater.

(z) NPDES Permit. Any permit or equivalent document or requirements issued by the Administrator, or, where appropriated by the Director, after enactment of the Federal Water Pollution Control Amendments of 1972, to regulate the discharge of pollutants pursuant to Section 402 of the Federal Act.

(aa) Person. Any and all persons, natural or artificial including any individual, firm, company, municipal, or private corporation, association, society, institution, enterprise, governmental agency or other entity.

(bb) pH. The logarithm (Base 10) of the reciprocal of the hydrogen-ion concentration expressed by one of the procedures outlined in "Standard Methods".

(cc) Population Equivalent. A term used to evaluate the impact of industrial or other waste on a treatment works or stream.

(dd) ppm. Parts per million by weight.

(ee) Pretreatment. The treatment of wastewaters from sources before introduction into the wastewater treatment works.

(ff) Public Sewer. A sewer provided by or subject to the jurisdiction of the city. It shall also include sewers within or outside the city boundaries that service one or more persons and ultimately discharge into the city sanitary sewer system, even though those sewers may not have been constructed with city funds.

(gg) Replacement. Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories or appurtenances which are necessary during the service life of the wastewater collection system to maintain the capacity and performance for which the system was designed and constructed.

(hh) Residential User. A user of the wastewater collection system including all dwellings such as houses, mobile homes, apartment units, condominiums and multi-family dwelling units.

(ii) Sanitary Sewer. A sewer that conveys sewage or industrial wastes or a combination of both, and into which storm, surface and groundwaters or unpolluted industrial wastes are not intentionally admitted.

(jj) Sewage. Used interchangeably with "wastewater".

(kk) Sewer. A pipe or conduct for conveying sewage or any other waste liquids, including storm, surface and groundwater drainage.

(ll) Sewerage. The system of sewers and appurtenances for the collection, transportation and pumping of sewage.

(mm) Sewerage Fund. The principal accounting designation for all revenues received in the operation of the wastewater collection system.

(nn) Shall. Mandatory.

(oo) Slug. Any discharge of water, sewage 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 (24) hour concentration for flows during normal operation..

(pp) Standard Methods. The examination and analytical procedures set forth in the most recent addition of "Standard Methos for Examination of Water and Wastewater" published jointly by the American Public Health Association, the American Waterworks Association, and the Water Pollution Control Federation.

(qq) State Act. The Illinois Anti-Pollution Bond Act of 1970.

(rr) State Grant. The State of Illinois participation in the financing of the construction of treatment works as provided for by the Illinois Anti-Pollution Bond Act and for making such grants as filed with the Secretary of State of the State of Illinois.

(ss) Storm Sewer. A sewer that carries storm, surface and groundwater drainage but excludes sewage and industrial wastes other than unpolluted cooling water.

(tt) Stormwater Runoff. That portion of the precipitation that is drained into the sewers.

(uu) Surcharge. An assessment in addition to the basic user charge and debt service charge which is levied on those persons whose wastes are greater in strength than normal concentration values.

(vv) Suspended Solids. Solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in water, sewage or industrial waste, and which are removable by a laboratory filtration device. Quantitative determination of suspended solids shall be made in accordance with procedures set forth in "Standard Methods".

(ww) Unpolluted Water. Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect, or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities.

(xx) User Class. The type of user of the wastewater collection system; "Residential", "Commercial", "Industrial" or "Institutional/Governmental".

(yy) Useful Life. TThe period during which the wastewater collection system will be operated.

(zz) Wastewater. The spent water of a community. It may be a combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water and storm water that may be present.

(aaa) Wastewater Collection System. The structures, equipment and processes required to collect and transport wastes to the interceptor sewers of the Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago.

(bbb) Wastewater Service Charge. The charge per billing period levied on all users of the wastewater collection system and also known as the sewer bill or charge.

(ccc) Wastewater Treatment Works. An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes and sludge.

(ddd) Water Quality Standards. Defined in the Water Pollution Regulations of Illinois.

(eee) Watercourse. A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.


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7.04 USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS REQUIRED

(a) It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited on public or private property any human or animal excrement, garbage or other waste or refuse.

(b) It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet any sewage or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided.

(c) 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.

(d) The owner of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes situated within the city and abutting on any street, alley or right-off-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located any public sanitary sewer of the city, is hereby required at his expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 300 feet of the property line.


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7.05 BUILDING SEWERS AND CONNECTIONS

(a) No person shall uncover, make any connections with, or into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the city.

(b) All disposal by any person into the sewer system is unlawful except those discharges in compliance with Federal Standards promulgated pursuant to the Federal Act and more stringent state and local standards.

(c) There shall be 2 classes of building sewer permits: (1) for residential and commercial service, and (2) for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a form furnished by the city. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the city. The fees to be charged for a permit to tap or otherwise make a connection to any sanitary sewer shall be $350 plus $50 for each dwelling unit or for each store or office unit occupied by a separate owner or lessee. Where a subdivider installs a main or lateral connecting to a city line, the connection fee shall be as set forth above for each separate building. No allowance shall be given any subdivider for extension of any city sanitary sewer except as provided by the City Council. For subdividers installing their own sanitary sewer system within a subdivision which connects with the sanitary sewer system of the City of Hickory Hills, the fee shall be $100 per home. Each industry, as a condition of permit authorization, must provide information describing its wastewater constituents, characteristics and type of activity.

(d) A building sewer permit will only be issued and a sewer connection shall only be allowed if it can be demonstrated that the downstream sewerage facilities, including sewers, pump stations and wastewater treatment facilities have sufficient reserve capacity to adequately and efficiently handle the additional anticipated waste load.

(e) All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the buildings sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall pay for any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

(f) A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, except that where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be 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.

(g) Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found to meet all requirements of this chapter. This determination will be made upon examination and test by the city at the expense of the applicant.

(h) The size, slope, alignment, connection, 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 city. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society of Testing Materials, Water Pollution Control Federation Manual of Practice No. 9, and Standard Specifications for Water and Sewer Main Construction in Illinois shall apply.

(i) The building sewer shall be brought to the building in accordance with the provisions of this chapter and other city ordinances.

(j) No person shall make connection 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 a public sanitary sewer.

(k) All connections shall be made gastight and watertight.

(l) The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the city when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the city.

(m) All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways, and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner to at least their prior condition to the satisfaction of the city.


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7.06 USE OF THE PUBLIC SEWERS

(a) No person shall discharge, or cause to be discharged, any stormwater, surface water, groundwater roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.

(b) Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the city. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged on approval of the city to a storm sewer or natural outlet.

(c) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters to any public sewers:

1. Any gasoline benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.

2. Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.

3. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage orhazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.

4. Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works such as, but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

(d) No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the city or MWRD that such waters can harm either the sewers, sewage treatment process, or equipment; have an adverse effect on the receiving stream; or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property or constitute a nuisance. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the city and MWRD representatives 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 maximum limits established by regulatory agencies. The substances prohibited are:

1. Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150 degreees F), (65 degrees C).

2. Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous materials; or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of one hundred (100) mg/1 or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-ttwo (32) and one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150 degrees F), (0 degrees and 65 degrees C).

3. Any garbage that has not been property shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths (3/4) horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the city.

4. Any waters or wastes containing strong acid, iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.

5. Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc or similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material received in the composite sewage treatment works exceeds the limits established by the city for such materials.

6. Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor-producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the city as necessary after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.

7. Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the city in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.

8. Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.

9. Any mercury or any of its compounds in excess of 0.05 mg/1 as Hg at any time except as permitted by the city in compliance wittth applicable state and federal regulations.

10. Any cyanide in excess of 0.025 mg/1 at any time except as permitted by the city in compliance with applicable state and federal regulations.

11. Materials which exert or cause:

A. unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, lime slurries, and lime residues) or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride and sodium sulfate);

B. excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited too, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions);

C. unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works;

D. unusual volume of flow or concentrations of wastes constituting "slugs" as defined herein.

12. Water or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of agencies having jurisdictions over discharge to the receiving waters.

(e) 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 paragraph (d) or which are in violation of the Standards for pretreatment provided in Chapter 1, EPA Rules and Regulations, Subchapter D, Water Programs Part 128 – Pretreatment Standards, Federal Register Volume 38, No. 215, Thursday, November 8, 1973 and any amendments thereto, and which in the judgment of the city or MWRD may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the city or MWRD may:

1. reject the wastes;

2. require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;

3. require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; or

4. require payment to cover the added costs of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges, under the provisions of paragraph (k).

If the City and MWRD permit the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the city, and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.

(f) Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the city r MWRD 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 that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the city and MWRD and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.

(g) Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.

(h) Each industry shall be required to install a control manhole and, when required by the city or MWRD, 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 city and MWRD. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

(i) The owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall provide laboratory measurements, tests, and analyses of waters and wastes to illustrate compliance with this ordinance and any special conditions for discharge established by the city of MWRD.

The number, type and frequency of laboratory analyses to be performed by the owner shall be as stipulated by the city or MWRD but no less than once per year the industry must supply a complete analysis of the constituents of the wastewater discharge to assure that compliance with the federal, state and local standards are being met. The owner shall report the results of measurements and laboratory analyses to the city and MWRD at such times and in such manner as prescribed by the city. The owner shall bear the expense of all measurements, analyses and reporting required by the city or MWRD. At such times as deemed necessary, the city or MWRD reserve the right to take meanurements and samples for analysis by an outside laboratory service.

(j) All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Waste and Wastewater", published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said 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 twenty-four (24) hour composite of all outfalls of a premise is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from 24-hour composites of all outfalls, whereas pH’s are determined from periodic grab samples.)

(k) No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city, MWRD and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for transmission, and MWRD for treatment, subject to payment, therefore, in accordance with Section 7.09 hereof, by the industrial concern, provided such payments are in accordance with federal and state guidelines for User Charge System.


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7.07 PROTECTION OF SEWAGE WORKS FROM DAMAGE

No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is part of the sewage works. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under sharge of disorderly conduct.


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7.08 POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS

(a) The City, or authorized employees of other governmental bodies may enter upon private property for the purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing provided that permission to enter has been given by the property owner or occupant. The City, or authorized employees of other governmental bodies may enter upon private property upon which there is an easement for the purposes of constructing, maintaining, inspecting, and repairing the public sewer.

(b) Where no consent has been given to enter or inspect upon private property, no entry or inspection shall be made without the procurement of a warrant from the Circuit Court of Cook County. That Court may consider any of the following factors, along with such other matters as it deems pertinent, in its decision as to whether a warrant shall issue:

1. Eyewitness account of violations.
2. Citizen complaints.
3. Tenant complaints.
4. Plain view violations.
5. Violations apparent from City records.
6. Age and nature of property.
7. Similar properties in the area.
8. Documented violations of similar properties.
9. Previous violations.
10. Tests.
11. Passage of time.

(c) Cause for issuance of a warrant shall be deemed to exist in light of reasonable legislative and administrative standards which show that there is reason to believe that a condition of non-conformity exists with respect to a particular property in violation of any provisions of this chapter.


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7.09 BASIS FOR WASTEWATER SERVICE CHARGES

(a) The wastewater service charge shall consist of a basic user charge for operation and maintenance of the system (including replacement, capital improvement, and equipment replacement) plus a debt service charge. The debt service charge shall be computed by dividing the annual debt service by the number of billable customers and dividing by 12 for a monthly charge. The basic user charge shall be computed so that there shall be sufficient annual revenue for the operation and maintenance of the system (including replacement, capital improvement, and equipment replacement). The wastewater service charge shall be revised periodically by the City Council to reflect cost changes.

(b) The volume of flow used for computing basic user charges shall be the water consumptions taken from metered readings.

1. If the person discharging wastes into the public sewers procures any part, or all, of his water from sources other than the City water system, all or a part of which is discharged into the public sewers, the person shall install and maintain, at his expense, water change, volume or reading device of a type approved by the City for the purpose of determining the volume of water obtained from these other sources.

2. Devices for measuring the vollume of waste discharged may be required by the City if these volumes cannot otherwise be determined from the metered water consumption records.

3. Metering devices for determining the volume of waste shall be installed, owned, and maintained by the person. Following approval and installation, such meters may not be removed, unless service is cancelled, without the consent of the City.

4. If the user can prove through metering devices, installed at his expense and approved by the City, that a portion of the water he uses is not entering the sanitary sewer system, the City may make adjustments for future billing.

(c) A debt service charge of $0 per month is hereby established.

(d) A basic user charge of $2.50 per month plus $0.48 per thousand gallons or fraction thereof is hereby established.


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7.10 GENERAL PROVISIONS

(a) Bills. The wastewater service charge shall be payable by the owner of the premises, the occupant thereof and the user of the service who shall be jointly and severally liable. Service is furnished toower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the city.

All sewer bills are due and payable 20 days after being sent out. Bills shall be sent out in conjunction with water bills for the same billing periods as water bills.

(b) Delinquent bills. Whenever any such charges shall remain delinquent for a period of more than 30 days, the City Clerk shall cause a notice of delinquency to be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested to the party responsible for payment of the sewer bill at the address shown for said party on the records of the city, with a copy of said notice being sent to or posted upon the premises being served with water. Said notice shall state in substance that if the delinquent sewer bill is not paid within 10 days from the date of the notice, the water and sewer services to the supplied premises will be turned off. Upon the expirations of the aforesaid 10 day period and in the event that the delinquent sewer bill has not been paid, water and sewer service to the supplied premises of the delinquent consumer shall be turned off and said water and sewer services shall not be resumed until all sewer bills including delinquencies have been paid. In addition thereto, a charge of $25 shall be made by the city for turning on and restoring the water services to the premises. However, whenever the water service temporarily turned off at the request of any consumer and the meter is not removed and there is no delinquency in payment of water and sewer charges, the consumer shall pay the regular minimum rate per billing period, but shall not be required to pay the aforesaid charge of $25 for turning on the water when requested.

No person owing water and sewer charges and removing to other premises where there are water and sewer connections or where connections shall afterwards be made, shall be supplied with water until such charges in arrears are paid in full.

(c) Lien. Whenever a bill for sewer service remains unpaid, the city may file with the County Recorder of Deeds a lien.

(d) Revenues. All revenues and moneys derived from the operation of the wastewater collection system shall be credited to the sewerage account of the sewerage fund.

(e) Accounts. The city shall establish a system of accounts and shall keep books and records in which complete entries shall be made of all transactions relative to the sewerage system, which shall be audited as all city records.

In addition to the customary operating statements, the annual audit report or other report shall also reflect the revenues and operating expenses of the wastewaating expenses of the wastewater collection system, including a replacement cost, to indicate that sewer service charges under the waste cost recovery system do in fact meet these regulations. In this regard, the financial information to be shown in the report shall also include the following:

1. Billing data to show total number of gallons billed.

2. Debt service for the next succeeding fiscal year.

3. Number of users connected to the system.

4. Number of non-metered users.

(f) Notice of rates. Each user shall be notified, at least annually of the rate and the wastewater service charge.

(g) Access to records. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or authorized representative shall have access to any books, doccess to records. The Illinois Environmental Protection Agency or authorized representative shall have access to any books, documents, papers and records of the city which are applicable to the city system of user charges for the purpose of making audit, examination, excerpts and transcriptions thereof to insure compliance with the terms of the Special and General conditions to any State Grant.


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7.11 MAINTENANCE OBLIGATIONS

The proper maintenance and operation of a building service sewer, house connection or sanitary sewer line to the point of the public right of way shall be the responsibility of the owner of the premises served by the same except where the problem is caused by the owner (or occupant) of the premises. The owner shall be responsible for all costs of maintenance and repair of that portion because his premises have the exclusive use thereof. Before the city shall examine or repair any building service sewer, house connection or sanitary sewer line under public right of way, the owner of the premises shall rod the same out to the connection to the main sewer line and present evidence thereof to the city. If the blockage and repair the same out to the connection to the main sewer line and present evidence thereof to the city. If the blockage and repair needed is under the public right of way, and has not been caused by the property owner (or occupant) the city shall repair the same. The city shall assume all costs of maintenance and repair of the main sewer lines and manholes. The owner of any premises whose discharge causes a blockage or necessitates a repair to the main sewer line shall be responsible for all such costs.

Maintenance means keeping the sanitary sewer connection, sewer lines or other sewer facilities or structures in satisfactory working condition and good state of repair (including but not limited to preventing any obstruction or extraneous materials of flows from entering the facilities, protecting the facilities from any damage and keeping same free from defects or malfunctions), and making necessary provisions and taking necessary precautions to assure that the sewer facilities are at all times capable of satisfactorily performing the services and adequately discharging the functions and producing the final results and purposes said facilities are intended to perform, discharge or produce.

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