Lancaster Municipal Code Art. 1 Definitions

The definitions in this chapter shall govern the construction of Chapters 13.07, 13.08 and 13.09, and any permits issued thereunder unless otherwise apparent from the context.

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

"Cesspool" means and is a lined excavation in the ground which receives the discharge of a drainage system, or part thereof, so designed as to retain the organic matter and solids discharging therein, but permitting the liquids to seep through the bottom and sides, and constructed pursuant to the provisions of the Plumbing Ordinance set out at Chapter 15.20 of this code.

"Chimney" means a vertical section of a sewer pipe extending either from a vertical tee set ninety (90) degrees to the main line or from a long-radius one-quarter bend set vertically at the curb of property line, and in either case suitably reinforced with concrete.

"City" means city of Lancaster

"Council" means the city council of the city of Lancaster

"City engineer" means the city engineer of the city of Lancaster or his/her designated representative.

"County engineer" means the director of public works of the county of Los Angeles, or his authorized deputy, agent, representative or inspector.

"County health officer" means the county health officer of the county of Los Angeles, or his duly authorized representative.

"Director" means the director of public works of the city of Lancaster, or his authorized deputy, agent, representative or inspector.

"Domestic sewage" means the waterborne wastes derived from ordinary living processes, and of such character as to permit satisfactory disposal, without special treatment, into the public sewer or by means of a private sewage disposal system.

"Effluent" means the liquid flowing out of any treatment plant or facility constructed and operated for the partial or complete treatment of sewage or industrial waste.

"Septic tank effluent" is effluent from private septic tanks and shall be considered, for the purposes of this chapter involving the discharge of septic tank effluent to a septic tank effluent pumping pressure sewer system (STEP), the same as industrial waste. Whenever this chapter refers to industrial waste, the reference shall include septic tank effluent.

"EPA" means the United States Environmental Protection Agency

"Frontage" means the length or width in feet applied to a lot based on the benefit received from the abutting sewer, as determined by the director.

"House lateral" means that part of the sewer piping within the street or right-of-way which extends from the property or sewer right-of-way line to a connection with the main-line sewer.

"Indirect discharge" or "discharge" into a sewer means the introduction of pollutants into a POTW from any nondomestic source regulated under Chapter 307(b), (c) or (d) of the Act.

"Industrial building" means any building, structure or works which is, or which is designed to be used for the manufacture, processing or distribution of materials, equipment, supplies, food or commodities of any description; or which is used or designed to be used as a school, sanitarium, hospital, penal institution or charitable institution, together with all appurtenances thereto and the surrounding premises under the same ownership or control.

"Industrial connection sewer" means that part of the sewer piping within the street or right-of-way which extends from the property or sewer right-of-way line to a connection with the main-line sewer through which is discharged industrial waste.

"Industrial user" or "user" means a source of indirect discharge.

"Industrial waste" means any and all waste substances, liquid or solid, except domestic sewage, and includes among other things radioactive wastes and explosive, noxious or toxic gas when present in the sewage system.

"Industrial waste treatment facility" means any works or device for the treatment, storage or control of industrial waste within a site prior to disposal.

"Inspector" means the authorized inspector, deputy, agent or representative of the director.

"Interceptor" means and is a device designed and installed so as to separate and retain deleterious, hazardous or undesirable matter from wastes.

"Interference" means a discharge which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources:

1. Inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment processes or operations, or its sludge processes, use or disposal; and

2. Is therefore a cause of a violation of any requirement of the POTW's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation) or of the prevention of sewage sludge use or disposal in compliance with the following statutory provisions and regulations or permits issued thereunder (or more stringent state or local regulations): Chapter 405 of the Clean Water Act, the Solid Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) (including Chapter II, more commonly referred to as the Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (RCRA), and including the state regulations contained in any sludge management plan prepared pursuant to Subtitle D of the SWDA), the Clean Air Act, and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.

"Licensed contractor" means a contractor having a valid license issued pursuant to Chapter 9, Division 3, of the Business and Professions Code, state of California, which license includes the activities listed on the permit applied for.

"Lot" means any piece or parcel of land bounded, defined or shown upon a map or deed recorded or filed in the office of the county recorder of Los Angeles County located within the corporate boundaries of the city of Lancaster; provided, however, that in the event any building or structure covers more area than a lot as defined above, the term "lot" shall include all such pieces or parcels of land upon which said building or structure is wholly or partly located together with the yards, courts and other unoccupied spaces legally required for the building or structure.

"Main-line sewer" means any public sewer in a dedicated right-of-way in which changes in alignment and grade occur only at manholes, or where angle points or curves between manholes have been approved by the director. Such sewers are generally eight inches or more in diameter.

"National Categorical Pretreatment Standard," "NCPS," "National Pretreatment Standard," "Pretreatment Standard," or "Standard" means any regulation containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated by the EPA in accordance with Chapter 307(b) and (c) of the Act which applies to industrial users. This term includes prohibitive discharge limits established pursuant to Chapter 403.5 of Chapter 40 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

"New source" means any building, structure, facility or installation from which there is or may be a discharge of pollutants, the construction of which commenced after the publication of proposed pretreatment standards under Chapter 307(c) of the Act applicable to such source.

"NPDES permit" means a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit issued pursuant to Chapter 402 of the Act.

"Off-site disposal" means the disposal or removal of industrial wastes or other materials regulated by this chapter to a site other than the premises where the wastes were generated, whether or not such site is under the control of the industrial waste disposal permittee.

"On-site disposal" means the management, treatment, control or disposal, other than to the public sewer system, of industrial wastes or other materials within the premises named in an industrial waste disposal permit, whether or not the wastes were generated at the permitted site or by the permittee.

"Ordinance" means an ordinance of the city of Lancaster.

"Pass through" means a discharge which exits the POTW into the waters of the United States in quantities or concentrations which, alone or in conjunction with a discharge or discharges from other sources, is a cause of a violation of any requirement of the POTW's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude or duration of a violation.)

"Permittee" means the person to whom a permit has been issued pursuant to the provisions of this chapter.

"Person" means an individual human being, a firm, partnership or corporation, his or their heirs, executors, administrators, assigns, officers or agents, the city of Lancaster, the county of Los Angeles, and any municipal, quasi-municipal or government agency, or district or officers thereof.

"Pollution of underground or surface waters" means affecting the chemical, physical, biological and radiological integrity of such waters by man-made or man-induced activities.

"Publicly owned treatment works" or "POTW" means a treatment works as defined by Title 212 of the Act, which is owned by a state or municipality (as defined by Title 502(4) of the Act). This definition includes any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature. It also includes sewers, pipes and other conveyances only if they convey wastewater to a POTW treatment plant. For the purpose of this title, "POTW" shall also include any sewers that convey wastewaters to the POTW from outside the municipality by contract.

"Pretreatment" or "treatment" means the reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination of pollutants, or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties in wastewater to a less harmful state prior to or in lieu of discharging or otherwise introducing such pollutants into a POTW or other disposal facility. The reduction or alteration can be obtained by physical, chemical or biological processes or process changes by use of an industrial waste treatment facility or other means, except as prohibited by 40 CFR Title 403.6(d).

"Public sewer" means a main-line sanitary sewer, dedicated to public use.

"Radioactive material" is defined to be any material composed of or containing chemical elements which spontaneously change their atomic structure by the emission of alpha or beta particles or gamma rays or any other particles or rays or forms of energy.

"Rainwater diversion system" means any device designated to prevent the entry of storm waters into the public sewer system or other waste disposal or treatment systems, and to redirect storm flows to appropriate areas.

"Saddle" shall mean:

1. "Wye saddle" means a short pipe-fitting with a shoulder at one end to allow the application of the fitting to a hole tapped in the main-line sewer such that the short pipe shall form a forty-five (45)-degree angle from the main-line sewer pipe.

Or

2. "Tee saddle" means a short pipe-fitting with a shoulder at one end to allow the application of the fitting to a hole tapped in the main-line sewer such that the short pipe shall form a ninety (90)-degree angle from the main-line sewer pipe.

"Seepage pit" means a line-excavation in the ground which receives the discharge of a septic tank, so designed as to permit the effluent from the septic tank to seep through its bottom and sides.

"Septic tank" means a watertight receptacle which receives the discharge from a sewerage system, designed and constructed so as to retain solids, digest organic matter through a period of detention, and allow the liquids to discharge either into the soil outside of the tank through a drain field system or one or more seepage pits, or into a STEP system.

"Sewage" means any waterborne or liquid wastes, including domestic sewage and industrial waste, but does not include or mean stormwater, groundwater, and roof or yard drainage.

"Sewer disposal" means the disposal of industrial wastes or other materials into the public sewer system by means of a direct connection to the public sewer system from the premises named in an industrial waste disposal permit.

"Sewage pumping plant" means any works or device used to raise sewage from a lower to a higher level or to overcome friction in a pipeline.

"Shall" is mandatory and "may" is permissive.

"STEP system" means a septic tank effluent pumping system which is a public sewer system, operating under pressure and especially designed to receive effluent from private septic tanks.

"Standard industrial classification" or "SIC" means a classification pursuant to the standard industrial classification manual issued by the executive office of the president, office of management and budget, 1972, as amended or the new replacement classification system promulgated as the North American Industry Classification System (NAICS).

"Tapping" means the forming of a tee or wye branch connection to a main-line sewer by installing a tee or wye saddle after the sewer is in place.

"Tee" or "T" means a fitting for a branch on which the spur joins the barrel of the pipe at an angle of approximately ninety (90) degrees.

"Trunk sewer" means a sewer under the jurisdiction of the county sanitation districts of Los Angeles.

"Uncontrolled discharge" means any discharge, intentional or accidental, occurring in such a manner that the discharger is unable to determine or regulate the quantity, quality or effects of the discharge.

"Water pollution control plant" means any works or device for treating sewage except any industrial waste treatment facility, and except any private sewage disposal system covered by the Plumbing Code.

"Wye" or "Y" means a fitting for a branch on which the spur joins the barrel of the pipe at an angle of approximately forty-five (45) degrees.

(Ord. No. 910, § 1 (Exh. A), 1-13-09)