El Segundo Municipal Code Ch. 1 General Provisions, Policies and Procedures

The purpose of this Title is to protect the public health, safety and welfare by providing for beneficial public use of the City sewer system through regulation of sewer construction, sewer use and industrial wastewater discharges; to prevent any discharge which may reasonably interfere with the operation of the system; to provide for equitable distribution of the sewer system costs; to provide procedures for complying with requirements placed on the City by State and Federal laws; and to provide funds for the operation and maintenance of the City sewer system by imposing a service charge upon the users of these facilities. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

For the purpose of this Title, certain words and phrases shall be construed herein as set forth in this Section, unless it is apparent from the context that a different meaning is intended:

AVERAGE DAILY FLOW: The number of gallons of sewage discharged into the public sewers during a twenty four (24) hour period.

BOD OR BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND: The measure of decomposable organic material in domestic or industrial wastewaters as represented by the oxygen utilized over a period of five (5) days at twenty degrees centigrade (20°C) and as determined by the appropriate procedure in "Standard Methods".

COD OR CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND: The measure of chemically decomposable material in domestic or industrial wastewater as represented by the oxygen utilized as determined by the appropriate procedure described in "Standard Methods".

CESSPOOL: Excavation or underground structure which receives any discharge of a drainage system and is constructed to retain organic matter and solids discharged therein but which permits the liquids to seep through the bottom and sides.

CHIMNEY: A vertical section of a sewer pipe extending either from a tee set ninety degrees (90°) to the main line or from a wye and a one-quarter bend set vertically at the curb or property line, and in either case suitably reinforced with concrete.

CHLORINE DEMAND: The difference between the amount of chlorine added to a wastewater sample and the amount remaining at the end of a thirty (30) minute period as determined by the procedures given in "Standard Methods".

CLARIFICATION: The process of removal and retention of turbidity, settleable solids, deleterious, hazardous, or undesirable matter from wastes by sedimentation or flotation.

CLARIFIER OR INTERCEPTOR: A device or structure which separates and retains suspended solids, settleable solids, deleterious, hazardous, or undesirable matter from wastes prior to discharge into public sewer.

COMMERCIAL USE: Any commercial or business establishment, office, hotel, motel, or hospital.

CONTAMINATION: An impairment of the quality of the underground or surface waters by sewage or industrial waste to a degree which creates a hazard to the public health through poisoning or the spread of disease.

DISCHARGER: Any person who discharges or causes a discharge to a public sewer.

DISSOLVED SOLIDS OR DISSOLVED MATTER: The solid matter in solution in wastewater as obtained by evaporation of a sample from which all suspended matter has been removed by filtration as determined by the procedures in "Standard Methods".

DOMESTIC WASTEWATER: The water-carried wastes not produced from commercial or industrial activity and which result from normal human living processes.

EFFLUENT: The liquid flowing out of any facility operated for treatment of sewage or industrial waste.

FACILITY: A pipe or structure constructed for the purpose of collecting, conveying, pumping, treating and disposing of industrial wastewater and sewage.

GROSS ANNUAL INCOME OF THE HOUSEHOLD: The income of every member of the household received during the year for which the refund is claimed and shall include, but not be limited to, wages, salaries, bonuses, tips, gross amount of pensions and annuities, retirement benefits, social security payments, disability payments, life insurance benefits, interest, capital gains and inheritances.

GROSS FLOOR AREA: The area included within the exterior of the surrounding walls of a building or portions thereof, exclusive of courts.

HOUSE CONNECTION SEWER OR LATERAL: That part of the sewer piping within the street or public right of way which extends from the house sewer to a connection with the public sewer.

HOUSE SEWER: That part of the sewer piping beginning two feet (2') from the exterior wall of a building, structure or foundation and extending to its connection with the house connection sewer.

INDUSTRIAL CONNECTION SEWER: A house connection sewer used primarily for the discharge of industrial waste.

INDUSTRIAL USE: Any manufacturing or processing activity, airport or railroad.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE: Liquid or solid waste, except domestic sewage, including radioactive substances and explosives, and noxious or toxic gas in the sewer system.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE PRETREATMENT OR TREATMENT FACILITY: Any works or device for the treatment of industrial waste, prior to discharge into the public sewer.

INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER: All water-carried wastes and wastewater excluding domestic wastewater and uncontaminated water, and shall include all wastewater from commercial, manufacturing, institutional, agricultural, or other operations where it includes significant quantities of wastes of nonhuman origin.

INSPECTOR: A person authorized by the Public Works Director to inspect wastewater facilities.

LICENSED: Licensed and registered by the State.

LOT: Any parcel of land occupied or to be occupied for use permitted by this Code.

MANHOLE: An access structure to a public sewer or storm drain, usually located in a street right of way, covered by a flat metal hatch.

OTHER USE: Any use not defined, including schools, churches, and the like.

pH: The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ion in grams per liter of solution.

PARKWAY: That portion of a public street which is not improved, designed, and ordinarily used for vehicular travel.

PEAK FLOW OR PEAK FLOW RATE: The maximum thirty (30) minute rate of sewage flow to be generated from the premises as estimated by the Public Works Director.

PERSON: Every owner, tenant, occupant or person having the care or control of any premises in the City and shall include the Federal, State and County Government and all cities and districts except the City of El Segundo.

POLLUTION: An impairment in the quality of the underground or surface water by sewage or industrial waste which adversely affects the use of such waters for domestic, industrial, agricultural, or other beneficial purposes.

PRETREATMENT OR TREATMENT FACILITY: See definition of Industrial Waste Pretreatment or Treatment Facility.

PUBLIC SEWER: A main line sanitary sewer, dedicated to public use and owned by the City.

PUBLIC WORKS DIRECTOR: The Director of Public Works of the City or his duly authorized representative.

RADIOACTIVE MATERIAL: Material containing chemical elements that spontaneously change their atomic structure by emitting any particles, rays or energy forms.

RESIDENTIAL USE: Any single- or multiple-family dwelling.

SEEPAGE PIT: An excavation in the ground which receives the effluent from a septic tank and permits the effluent to seep through the ground.

SEPTIC TANK: A watertight receptacle which receives the discharge from a sewer system, which retains solids, digests organic matter, and permits the liquids to discharge into the soil through a cesspool, leach field or other method.

SEWAGE: The wastewater of the community received by the sewer system consisting of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial and industrial buildings, and institutions, and of such a character as to permit satisfactory disposal without special treatment into the public sewer system.

SEWER: The conduit that carries sewage in the sewer system.

SEWER SYSTEM: All of the property involved in the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage of the community including land, sewers and appurtenances, pumping stations, treatment works and equipment.

SHALL/MAY: "Shall" is mandatory. "May" is permissive.

SOLID WASTES: Wastes that are not water-carried and that are suitable for disposal with refuse at sanitary landfill refuse disposal sites.

STANDARD METHODS: The current edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater", published by the American Public Health Association.

STORM DRAIN: A conduit or channel which carries storm and surface waters and drainage other than polluted wastewaters.

SUSPENDED SOLIDS OR SUSPENDED MATTER: The insoluble solid matter suspended in wastewater that is separable by filtration in accordance with the procedure described in "Standard Methods".

TAPPING: The forming of a connection to a public sewer after the sewer is in place.

TEE SADDLE: A short pipe fitting with a shoulder at one end to allow the application of the fitting to a hole tapped in the public sewer forming a ninety degree (90°) angle to the public sewer pipe.

TOXIC OR POISONOUS SUBSTANCE: Any solid, liquid or gas in sufficient quantity or concentration, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, which tends to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitutes a hazard to humans or animals, creates a public nuisance, or creates any hazard in the receiving waters of a sewage treatment facility.

TRADE SECRETS: Any formulas, plans, processes, tools, mechanisms, procedures, compilations of information, or other materials or methods which are not patented, which are known only to certain individuals within a commercial concern and are used to fabricate, produce or compound an article of trade or a service having commercial value, and which provide an opportunity for a business advantage over competitors.

UNCONTAMINATED WATER: Any water utilized by the community which is not contaminated or polluted with wastewater or sewage and which is suitable or could readily be made suitable for discharge to the storm water drainage system.

WASTEWATER: The water-carried wastes of the community derived from human or industrial sources including domestic and industrial wastewater. Rainwater, ground water, or drainage of uncontaminated water is not wastewater.

WATERCOURSE: A natural or artificial channel for the flow of storm or surface waters.

WYE SADDLE: A short pipe fitting with a shoulder at one end to allow the application of a fitting to a hole tapped in the public sewer forming a forty five degree (45°) angle to the public sewer pipe. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

A. Facilities: This Title shall apply to all sewer facilities in the City, including house connection sewers, house sewers, industrial connection sewers, interceptors, sewage and industrial waste treatment plants, sewage pumping plant, and their appurtenances, except that nonconforming facilities may be continued in use for one year from the effective date of this Title, or until such longer time as may be permitted by the Public Works Director, if they complied with the applicable provisions of law before this Title became effective.

B. Discharges: This Title shall apply to the direct or indirect discharge of all liquid-carried wastes to the sewer system of the City. This Title shall also apply to discharges of all liquid wastes into the City's storm drainage system and all waters of the State. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

This Title provides for the regulation of discharges into the City sewer system through the issuance of permits for industrial wastewater discharge containing specific discharge requirements, as well as other permits, and through enforcement of general discharge prohibitions; imposes regulations for waste pretreatment and for sewer construction within the City; authorizes monitoring and enforcement activities; imposes reporting requirements on specific permits; sets the quantity and quality of discharged wastes; establishes penalties for violation of provisions of this Title; and sets fees for the recovery of program costs. This Title is applicable to all discharges within the City and to all persons outside the City who discharge into the City's sewer system. Except as otherwise provided, the Public Works Director of the City shall administer, implement and enforce the provisions of this Title. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

The provisions of this Title and of all rules, regulations and permits promulgated or issued hereunder shall be strictly construed and applied. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

A. General: Generally, liquid wastes originating within the City will be removed by the City sewer system, unless the wastes cause damage to structures, create nuisances such as odors, menace public health, impose unreasonable collection, treatment or disposal costs on the City, violate quantity and quality requirements prescribed by State and Federal laws, interfere with wastewater treatment processes, violate applicable State and Federal laws, or detrimentally affect the environment.

B. Cesspools And Septic Tanks: The disposal of sewage by means of septic tanks and cesspools or leach fields is a nonconforming sewer facility in the City and their use is to be discontinued pursuant to subsection 12-1-3A of this Chapter. If it can be demonstrated to the Public Works Director that the continued use of such facilities is necessary because of geographical or other conditions, then such use shall be permitted until public sewers are installed making it unnecessary to use cesspools and septic tanks.

C. Highest And Best Use: The highest and best use of the City sewer system is the conveyance, treatment and disposal of domestic wastewater. The use of the City sewer system for the discharge of industrial wastewater is subject to further regulation by the City.

D. Water Reclamation: In compliance with requirements of Federal and State agencies, the City is or may be committed to a policy of wastewater and reuse in order to provide an alternate source of water for nondomestic use and to reduce costs of wastewater treatment and disposal.

E. Industrial Wastewater: In conformance with policies of Federal and State agencies which establish higher standards of treatment plant effluent quality, provisions are made in this Title for the regulation of industrial wastewater discharges. This Title establishes quantity and quality limitations on industrial wastewater discharges which may adversely affect the City sewer system or effluent quality. Fees to recover costs from industrial wastewater dischargers are also established where the dischargers impose inequitable collection, treatment or disposal costs on the City. Optimum use of the City facilities may require the Public Works Director to limit certain industrial wastewater discharges to periods of low flow in the sewer system. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

Sewage and industrial waste treatment plants and facilities shall only discharge effluents to the City sewer system that meet the requirements of the Public Works Director as described in an industrial wastewater discharge permit. If the discharge is to a storm drain system, the requirements of the California Regional Water Quality Control Board must be met. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)

All house connection sewers, house sewers, industrial connection sewers, clarifiers, sewage and industrial waste treatment facilities, private pretreatment plants, sewage pumping plants, and their appurtenances shall be maintained in good operating condition and in conformity with applicable law by the owner of the property which such facilities serve. (Ord. 1093, 1-20-1987)