Article I — GENERAL PROVISIONS AND DEFINITIONS

This article shall be known as the "Sanitary Sewer Ordinance" and may be cited as such.

The definitions in this article shall govern the construction of this article unless otherwise apparent from the context.

(a)

Director shall mean the Director of the Department of Sanitation and Flood Control of the County of San Diego or his authorized agent.

(b)

Permittee shall mean any person who has obtained a permit from the Director under the provisions of this article.

(c)

Sanitary sewage (also known as Domestic Sewage) shall mean sewage which originates in the sanitary conveniences of a residential dwelling, business building, factory, or institution.

(d)

Effluent shall mean partially or completely treated sewage flowing out of any sewage treatment device.

(e)

Building Sewer shall mean that part of the private sewer system which receives discharge from soil and waste pipes in a building and extends from the building to the sewer service lateral or public sewer.

(f)

Industrial connection sewer shall mean a building sewer through which is discharged industrial waste, or industrial sewage as herein defined.

(g)

Sewer service lateral shall mean that portion of a sewerage system in Public property which connects any property, Public or private, to a Public sewer. For practical purposes, a sewer service lateral shall be considered to terminate at the property line of the property being served.

(h)

Industrial Liquid Waste shall mean any waterborne waste from industrial or manufacturing processes, labs, institutions, commercial or business buildings as distinct from sanitary sewage.

(i)

Industrial liquid waste pretreatment plant means any works or device for pretreatment of industrial liquid wastes prior to discharge into the public sewer.

(j)

Industrial sewage is sewage in which industrial wastes predominate.

(k)

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

(l)

Lot means any piece or parcel of land bounded, defined, or shown upon a plat or described in a deed recorded in the Office of the County Recorder which conforms to the boundaries of such lot as shown upon such recorded plat or described in such recorded deed; provided, however, that in the event any building or structure covers more area than a lot as herein defined, the term "Lot" shall include all such places or parcels of land upon which said building or structure is wholly or partly located.

(m)

Main line sewer means any sewer or pressure main which is used to convey the common sewage of any community.

(n)

Public Sewer means the main line sewer constructed in a street, highway, alley, place, right-of-way or sewer easement dedicated for public use. "Public Sewer" does not include building sewer.

(o)

Sewage (also known as Waste water) means the waterborne wastes from dwellings, kitchens, restaurants, institutions, stables, dairies, business buildings, and other similar structures; but excluding any storm water, rainwater, surface water, ground water, roof or yard drainage.

(p)

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.

(q)

Sewage Treatment Plant means any works or device for treatment sewage except any septic tank or cesspool designed to dispose of domestic sewage from one lot.

(r)

Soil Pipe means any pipe receiving the sewage from one or more water closets or clinic sinks, with or without connection to any other plumbing fixture, but does not include building sewers as herein defined.

(s)

Waste Pipe means any pipe receiving the discharge of any plumbing fixture, except a water closet and clinic sink, but not including building sewers as herein defined.

(t)

Wye or Y means a fitting for a branch, on which the spur joins the barrel of the pipe at an angle of approximately 45 degrees.

Whenever the Director is permitted by this article to grant an exception to any requirement of this article he shall do so only if he finds that literal compliance with such provision is impossible or impractical because of peculiar conditions in no way the fault of the person requesting such exception, and that the purposes of this article may be accomplished and public safety secured by an alternative construction or procedure, in which case he may permit such alternative construction or procedure.