Chapter 15.64 — SURCHARGES AND FINES

A. Any user generating abnormal sewage which exhibits none of the characteristics of waste prohibited in

Section 15.48.020, or in excess of limitations stated in Section 15.48.030, but which has:

 1.  As an average concentration of suspended solids or BOD content in excess of domestic sewage (two

hundred Wfty mg/L) during a twenty-four-hour period;

 2.   Oil and grease content in excess of domestic sewage (one hundred mg/L) during a twenty-four-hour

 period;

 3.   Other constituents as deemed necessary by the director of public works and utilities may be required to

pay a surcharge.

B. Prior to imposition of a surcharge, the user shall be notiWed in writing that the waste discharge exceeds the

abnormal sewage discharge criteria. If after sixty days of the date of notice the abnormal sewage discharge has

not been corrected, the user must enter into a surcharge agreement or be disconnected from the city’s sewer

system. The surcharge will be adjusted on billings for the billing period following submission of new data.

Surcharge values for each industry will be determined by the city using twenty-four-hour composite sampling.

C. Payment of a sewage surcharge in no way relieves the user of the discharge prohibitions set forth in Chapter

15.48.

D. The user may elect to sample the discharge at its own expense. Sampling done by the user shall be under the

direction of a registered professional engineer employed by the user and reports submitted to the city shall

contain a statement that the samples collected and values determined are based on a twenty-four-hour composite

representative of the establishment’s Xow.

E. Computation of each surcharge, as applicable, shall be based on the wastewater user charge in $/HCF for

"Metered Industrial" or "Non-Residential" as speciWed in the most current city of Petaluma waste water service

rate schedule:

     The Petaluma Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 2916 NCS, passed December 1, 2025.

Title 15 Water and Sewage | Petaluma Municipal Code Page 120 of 142

                  S     = V x  8.34 x A  x (BOD – 250)

                  S     = V x  8.34 x B  x  (TSS – 250)

                  S     = V x  8.34 x C  x  (oil and grease – 50)

                  S     = Surcharge in dollars for the billing period.

                V     = Wastewater Xow in millions of gallons during the

                                      billing period.

A. The city shall classify minor user establishments as commercial customers. Commercial customers shall be

assessed a variable user charge in accordance with the wastewater user charge in $/HCF for "Non-Residential" as

speciWed in the most current city of Petaluma wastewater service rate schedule based on the strength of the

wastewater: low, medium, or high.

B. If an establishment contains operations from more than one of the strength groups, and the city determines

that the surcharge rate for a particular strength group would not adequately compensate the city for its cost of

treatment, the city may:

 1.   Assess a surcharge rate based on a proportional average of the strength group rates involved.

     The Petaluma Municipal Code is current through Ordinance 2916 NCS, passed December 1, 2025.

Title 15 Water and Sewage | Petaluma Municipal Code Page 121 of 142

 2.   Require the establishment to be billed for an industrial surcharge computed under Section 15.64.010.

C. The owner or agent of the owner of an establishment classiWed into a strength group may elect to have the

permitted industrial user surcharge billed directly under Section 15.64.010 rather than under this section by

making application to the city, receiving the city’s approval and paying the required sampling costs.

(Ord. 2472 NCS §2, 2013; Ord. 2282 NCS §3, 2007.)