Los Angeles County Municipal Code Part 1 Definitions

"Abandoned water well" means a nonoperating well which is not maintained in conformity with Section 11.38.290 of this chapter.

(Ord. 10075 § 1 (part), 1970; Ord. 9375 § 2 (part), 1967; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504.3, 1959.)

"Average annual rainfall" means the average annual amount of precipitation for a location over a year as measured by the nearest National Weather Service station for the preceding three decades. For example, the data set used to make a determination in 2016 would be between 1981 - 2010.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 3, 2018.)

"Cesspool" means an excavation with permeable sides and/or bottom that receives untreated sewage, wastewater, or drainage and is designed to retain organic matter or solids but permits liquids to seep through the bottom or sides.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 4, 2018.)

"Chemical toilet" means a privy structure constructed over a tank into which human fecal matter or urine is to be deposited, the tank designed to contain a disinfecting or bactericidal chemical solution.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 531, 1959.)

"Covenant" means a written agreement between the property owner and the Director that runs with the land for the benefit of the County, which is recorded and filed with the Los Angeles County Registrar-Recorder/County Clerk.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 5, 2018.)

"Cross-connection" means any connection, physical or otherwise, between an approved water supply system and any nonapproved water supply system, or any condition, connection or arrangement between any domestic water supply system and any plumbing fixture, or any tank, receptacle, equipment or device through which it may be possible for nonpotable, used, unclean, polluted or contaminated water or other substance to enter any part of such domestic water system, under any condition.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 501, 1959.)

"Domestic wastewater" means wastewater normally discharged from plumbing fixtures, appliances, and other household devices including toilets, sinks, showers, bathtubs, kitchen sinks, laundry washing machines, dishwashing machines, and garbage disposals. Domestic wastewater includes wastewater normally discharged from commercial buildings such as office buildings, retail stores, and restaurants with a properly sized and functioning grease interceptor where, the wastewater does not exceed nine hundred (900) mg/L Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) or from industrial facilities where domestic wastewater is segregated from industrial wastewater. Domestic wastewater does not include onsite wastewater treatment systems receiving a majority of its wastewater from recreational vehicle (RV) holding tank discharges, such as at RV dump stations.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 6, 2018.)

"Effluent" means sewage or partially treated sewage flowing out of a septic tank, aerobic treatment unit, dispersal system, or other onsite wastewater treatment system component.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 7, 2018.)

"Electrode well" means any artificial excavation in excess of 50 feet deep, constructed by any method for the purpose of installing electrodes or electrical conductors, including, but not limited to, cathodic protection wells and grounding rod wells.

(Ord. 10075 § 1 (part), 1970; Ord. 9375 § 2 (part), 1967; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504.2, 1959.)

"Failing onsite wastewater treatment system" means a conventional or non-conventional onsite wastewater treatment system that is no longer able to safely treat or discharge wastewater, which may present a health risk to humans or adversely impact the environment. Factors that evidence a failing onsite wastewater treatment system include, but are not limited to:

A.

A backup of sewage into a structure which is caused by a septic tank or dispersal system malfunction other than a plumbing line blockage.

B.

A discharge of sewage or effluent to the ground surface.

C.

A septic tank that requires pumping more than two (2) times within a one hundred eighty (180) day period in order to provide adequate dispersal of sewage.

D.

A structural failure that causes effluent to discharge at a location other than where intended or allows groundwater to infiltrate the system.

E.

A system affects or will likely affect groundwater or surface water to a degree that makes the water unfit for drinking or other domestic uses or causes a human health hazard or other public nuisance condition.

F.

Inability to use the onsite wastewater treatment system as intended.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 8, 2018.)

"Feasibility report" means the documents, test results, and geological reports required to be prepared and submitted to the Director in order to demonstrate the feasibility of installing an onsite wastewater treatment system or a non-conventional onsite wastewater treatment system, including the entirety of any future expansion area.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 9, 2018.)

"Future expansion area" means an area designated and tested as the location for an additional dispersal system capable of handling one hundred (100) percent of the wastewater from the onsite wastewater treatment system once the original dispersal system fails.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 10, 2018.)

"Groundwater" means water located below the land surface in the saturated zone of the soil or rock. Groundwater includes perched water tables, shallow water tables, and zones that are seasonally or permanently saturated.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 11, 2018.)

"Health hazard" means any faulty operating condition, water treatment practice or method of distribution which creates, or may create, a danger to the well-being of any consumer.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 502, 1959.)

"Impaired water body" means those surface water bodies or segments thereof that are identified on a list approved first by the State Water Resources Control Board and then approved by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) pursuant to Section 303(d) of the Federal Clean Water Act.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 12, 2018.)

"Non-conventional onsite wastewater treatment system" or (NOWTS) means an onsite wastewater treatment system that utilizes, in addition to the septic tank, one (1) or more supplemental treatment components and may include an alternative dispersal system. Supplemental treatment may include systems to reduce the nitrogen concentration of the effluent, provide disinfection of the effluent, or both.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 13, 2018.)

"Nonactive water well" is one which is not in active use, but which is maintained in conformance with the provisions of Section 11.38.290 of this chapter.

(Ord. 9375 § 2 (part), 1967; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504.4, 1959.)

"Nonconforming electrode well" means one which, as of October 2, 1970, the effective date of the ordinance codified in this section, has not been constructed in conformance with Section 11.38.240, or is not maintained in conformance with Section 11.38.290 of this chapter.

(Ord. 10075 § 2 (part), 1970; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504.5, 1959.)

"Onsite wastewater treatment system" or (OWTS) means a sewage disposal system consisting of a wastewater holding tank and a method to dispose of treated effluent below the ground surface. The term OWTS refers to both conventional and non- conventional onsite wastewater treatment systems.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 14, 2018.)

"OWTS requirements and procedures" means the required standards and procedures promulgated by the Director for the installation, operation, and discharge of effluent by conventional and non-conventional OWTS.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 15, 2018.)

"Privy structure" means a room or compartment constructed over a water tight vault or tank, into which human fecal matter or urine is to be deposited.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 16, 2018; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 530, 1959.)

"Sanitary defect" means any faulty structural condition, whether of location, design or construction of collection facilities, treatment works or distribution works, which may regularly or occasionally prevent satisfactory purification of the water supply, or cause it to be contaminated or polluted.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 503, 1959.)

"Seepage pit" means an excavation at least ten (10) feet deep and three (3) to six (6) feet in diameter, typically cylindrical in shape with six (6) inches of rock between the pit wall and a concrete or brick liner, constructed for the purpose of disposing of sewage effluent from a septic tank or treatment tank.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 17, 2018.)

"Septic tank" means a water tight, compartmentalized, covered receptacle designed for primary treatment of wastewater and constructed to:

A.

Receive wastewater discharged from a building.

B.

Separate settleable solids from liquid.

C.

Digest organic matter by anaerobic bacterial action.

D.

Store digested solids.

E.

Clarify wastewater for further treatment with final subsurface discharge.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 18, 2018.)

"Sewage" means waste substance, liquid or solid, which contains or may contain human or animal excreta or excrement.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 19, 2018.)

"Telemetric monitoring" means the ability to automatically measure and transmit OWTS data by wire, radio, or other means.

(Ord. 2018-0037 § 20, 2018.)

"Toilet room" means a room in which is located at least a water flush toilet. "Toilet facilities" means and includes water flush toilet, chemical toilets, pit privies and any other type of toilet.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 529, 1959.)

"Water supply system" means and includes the works and auxiliaries for collection, storage, treatment and distribution of water from the source to the free-flowing outlet of the ultimate consumer.

(Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504, 1959.)

"Water well" means any drilled, excavated, jetted or otherwise constructed excavation which is used or intended to be used to extract water from or inject water into the underground for any purpose, or to observe or test underground waters. This definition shall not include:

A.

Saltwater wells;

B.

Wells under the jurisdiction of the state of California, Division of Oil and Gas, except those wells converted to use as water wells; or

C.

Wells used for the purpose of dewatering excavation during construction, or stabilizing hillsides or earth embankments.

(Ord. 10075 § 1 (part), 1970; Ord. 9375 § 2 (part), 1967; Ord. 7583 Part 3 Ch. 5 § 504.1, 1959.)