Gilroy Municipal Code Art. I In General

For the purposes of this chapter, the following words, terms, and phrases shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them by this section:

“Act” or “the Act”

means the Federal Water Pollution Control Act, also known as the Clean Water Act, as amended, 33 U.S.C. 1251, et seq.

“Agricultural processing sewer system”

means all mains, laterals, outfall lines and treatment facilities which discharge agricultural processing wastewater directly onto land without being processed through the municipal treatment plant. The agricultural processing sewer system is separate and distinct from the municipal sewer system, and by definition is not a public sewer.

“Agricultural processing wastewater”

means that wastewater, containing no sanitary sewage, which is generated as a conveyance or washwater by those industries in the business of processing fruits, vegetables, cereals, and other agricultural products (excepting animal or poultry products) and discharged, under special permit issued by the city, into the agricultural processing sewer system.

“BOD”

means the quantity of oxygen expressed in milligrams per liter utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter in five (5) days at twenty (20) degrees centigrade determined in accordance with methods described in the current edition of “Standard Methods for Examination of Water and Wastewater” published by the American Public Health Association, Inc.

“Building drain”

means that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a wastewater drainage system which receives the discharge from soil and waste pipes, inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the sewer lateral, beginning two (2) feet outside the inner face of the building wall.

“Director of public works” or “director”

means the director of public works of the city or his administrative authority.

“Garbage”

means solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.

“Health officer”

means the county health officer, his assistants or authorized deputies acting as health officer of the city.

“Industrial user”

means any contributor of industrial waste or wastewater.

“Industrial waste or wastewater”

means any nondomestic liquid or solid wastes from any commercial, industrial or institutional establishment. Industrial waste is distinct from sanitary or domestic waste.

“Municipal sewer system”

means that sewerage which conveys and treats sanitary sewage and those industrial wastes not discharged into the agricultural processing sewer system. The municipal sewer system is separate and distinct from the agricultural processing sewer system.

“Nuisance”

means damage to the community resulting from prohibited practices in the disposal of sewage or industrial wastes.

“pH”

means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.

“Premises”

means any lot, piece or parcel of land, any building or other structure or any part of any building or structure used for carrying on any industry or business.

“Private sewer”

means a sewer privately owned and not directly controlled by public authority.

“Properly shredded garbage”

means the wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of foods that have been shredded to such degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension.

“Public sewer”

means a sewer which is controlled by public authority.

“Sanitary sewer”

means a sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.

“Sanitary sewage”

means the water-carried wastes discharged from the sanitary conveniences of residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments.

“Sewage treatment plant”

means any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating wastewater.

“Sewerage system”

means all facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of wastewater.

“Sewer”

means a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.

“Sewer lateral”

means the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.

Shall, May.

“Shall” is mandatory. “May” is permissive.

“South County Regional Wastewater Authority” or “the Authority”

shall mean the joint powers agency established under the Joint Exercise of Powers Act of the State of California by and between the Cities of Gilroy and Morgan Hill to construct, operate and maintain facilities for the collection, treatment or disposal of sewage, waste and storm water.

“Storm drain”

means a pipe or conduit which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.

“Suspended solids”

means solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in wastewater, liquids; and which are largely removable by laboratory filtering.

“User”

means any person responsible for payment of sewer service charges for premises served as provided in this chapter.

“Wastewater”

means sanitary sewage and industrial wastes.

“Watercourse”

means a channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.

(Ord. No. 857, § 2, 7-7-1969; Ord. No. 81-28, § 2, 9-8-1981; Ord. No. 85-11, § 1, 7-15-1985; Ord. No. 89-8, § 1, 4-3-1989; Ord. No. 93-21, § II, 10-25-1993)

Editor’s note: Section 19.2 was repealed by Ord. No. 650, § 1.