Porterville Municipal Code Div. 1 Generally

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

CONNECTION CHARGE: A general term referring to one or more of the charges hereinafter established and defined, made at the time of connecting onto the city sewer system.

CONNECTIONS: A privately owned and maintained pipe conveying sewage from a single building or premises into a lateral or other common sewer; and shall also mean the act of installing and connecting the privately owned pipe onto such sewer.

LATERAL: A common sewer into which two (2) or more connections are made and shall normally, but not exclusively, be considered to be any sewer six (6) or eight inches (8") in diameter.

SEWAGE: Sanitary wastewater carrying human excrement and like material derived principally from dwelling, business buildings, institutions and welfare rooms of industrial buildings.

SEWERS: Only those pipes carrying sewage, and shall not include those primarily carrying storm drainage and industrial wastes.

TRUNK: A common sewer larger than a lateral and receiving sewage from several laterals and house connections. (Ord. 680 § 2)

Each parcel of land under separate ownership shall be served through at least one house connection. The owner shall install, or cause to be installed, the house connection at his own expense and under the supervision and inspection of the city. (Ord. 680 § 3; Ord. 1214 § 1, 9-16-1980)

Charges for sewer rentals shall be included with the water bill and if the charge for sewer rental shall remain unpaid at the due date for the payment of water bills, there shall be added to the sewer rental charge the same penalties and interest as are required for delinquencies or nonpayment of water bills. Water services may be discontinued for nonpayment of the charge for sewer rental or sewer rental penalties and interest, and any unpaid charge for sewer rental or sewer rental penalties or interest may be placed as a lien on the real property involved. (Ord. Code § 3635.1)

All money received from the collection of sewer rental charges together with penalties and interest shall be deposited by the city treasurer who shall establish and maintain a "sewer rental fund". This fund shall be used for the payment of bond redemption and interest charges for sanitary sewer and wastewater treatment facilities and for the payment of the cost of land acquisitioned, rights of way, easements, construction, reconstruction, maintenance, management, operations and repair of the sewerage system, sewage treatment works, sewage disposal system of sewage pumping, treatment and disposal works; provided, however, that such fund shall not be used for the acquisition or construction of new location sewers or laterals as designated from interceptor and outfall sewers. (Ord. 1537 § B93, 8-6-1996)