Woodside Municipal Code § 51.003 Tampering with wastewater facilities

(A) The General Plan of the Town of Woodside has provided, since incorporation of the Town, that individual on-site disposal systems are the primary means of treatment and disposal of sanitary wastewater in the Town. The Town has, for explicit, specific reasons of health, safety and welfare of the people of the Town, extended public sanitary sewerage facilities to certain areas of the Town. Portions of those areas are, by agreement with the County of San Mateo, annexed into the Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District, and are subject to the regulations of that District as well as any Town ordinances and policies.

(B) The purpose of this chapter is to establish standards and conditions relating to the use of sanitary wastewater facilities of the Town. It is further the purpose of this chapter to: establish uniform requirements for the installation and connection of building sewers; establish uniform requirements for discharge into the Town's wastewater collection system and the treatment system used jointly with other public entities; to enable the Town to comply with and meet applicable laws, regulations, standards and conditions established by the federal and state government, or by agencies thereof, in implementation of such laws. It is hereby found that the health, safety and welfare of the people of the Town require the enactment of the provisions of this chapter.

(Ord. 1994-476, effective 7-12-94)

(A) For the purpose of this chapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.

(B) Words, phrases or terms not specifically defined herein, and having a technical or specialized meaning shall be defined as set forth in the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Health Association, The American Water Works Association, and the Water Pollution Control Federation.

(C) References to waste constituents and characteristics shall have the meaning ascribed thereto in the aforesaid Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, and measurements thereof shall be as set forth in said publication, or as established by federal or state regulatory agencies.

(D) Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meanings of terms used in this chapter are applicable to this chapter only and do not necessarily correspond to definitions that may be used by other public agencies.

Building sewer or side sewer. The extension from the building drain to the public sewer.

Charge or fee. Any pecuniary assessment established pursuant to this Code for services and/or facilities furnished by the Town to any premises in connection with the operation of the wastewater facilities.

Code. The Woodside Municipal Code, with such amendments as may be adopted.

Contamination. An impairment of the background natural quality of the wastes of the state by waste to a degree which creates a hazard to the public health.

County. The County of San Mateo, California.

Customer. Owner or owners of any real property for which the Town is providing sewer service; also any person who discharges, causes or permits the discharge of wastewater into the wastewater facilities.

Emergency. A condition which creates imminent danger to the public health, safety or welfare.

Garbage. Any kitchen, table, counter, fountain, or bar refuse including offal, vegetable or animal matter, dead animals not more than ten pounds each, or other matters pertaining to the preparation, consumption, decay, or storage of meats, fish, fowl, birds, fruits, vegetables and other matters for human food consumption. Garbage shall not include any toxic or hazardous materials or substances.

Governmental or public premises. Any premises owned, controlled or used by:

(a) The United States Government or any department or agency thereof,

(b) The State of California or any department or agency thereof,

(c) Any city, county, town, or any of their departments or agencies,

(d) Any school district and

(e) Any other governmental or public entity.

Hazardous and/or toxic materials and substances. Any material or substance which is determined by laws, regulations or rules of any government agency having jurisdiction over such matters to be toxic, hazardous, poisonous, corrosive or otherwise inimical to public health, safety and welfare.

Natural outlet. Any form of discharge, as it occurs in nature, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body or surface or ground water.

Nonresidential customer. Any commercial, industrial, institutional, governmental, or miscellaneous customer not classified as a residential customer.

Parcel. A parcel of real property as described in the records of the San Mateo County Assessor by an assessor's parcel number. It includes both improved and unimproved real property.

Person. Any individual, property owner, firm, company, partnership, association, private corporation, public corporation, or governmental entity, authority or agency, and the officers, agents or employees of such organizations.

pH. A measure of acidity or alkalinity.

Pollution. An alteration of the quality of the waters of the Town or state by waste to a degree which unreasonably affects such waters for any beneficial use or affects facilities serving such beneficial use. Pollution may also include contamination.

Premises. A parcel of land, or portion thereof, including any improvements thereon, which is directly or indirectly connected to the wastewater facilities for purposes of receiving, using, and paying for service, or other purposes relating to the wastewater facilities, by an individual customer. Each dwelling unit, such as the primary home or second unit, may in the discretion of the Town be deemed a separate premises.

Public sewer. A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights and which is controlled by public authority.

Refuse. All types of waste materials as defined under the headings of "garbage," "rubbish," and "waste matter."

Requirements of law. A pertinent provision of the Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendments of 1972 (Public Law 92-500, 33 U.S.C. Section 1151 et seq.), or of any statute, ordinance, code, rule, regulation, order, directive, or of any applicable National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) permit, or of any amendments thereto, or other federal, state, regional or local law.

Residential customer. Any single or multiple family dwelling customer, including premises defined as homes, second units, or similar structures.

Rubbish. Any pasteboard boxes, rags, paper, straw, sawdust, packing material, shavings, boxes, trimmings from lawns, trees and flower gardens and similar noncombustible materials. The term shall not include any toxic or hazardous materials or substances.

Sanitary sewer. A pipe or conduit which carries wastewater and to which storm, surface, or ground waters are not intentionally admitted.

Sewer. A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.

Single-family dwelling. Premises designed, improved or used as a residence for one family only and for no other purpose.

Storm sewer or storm drain. A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes wastewater and polluted industrial wastes.

Suspended solids (SS). The total non-filterable residue as defined in Standard Methods for Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastewater.

Town. The Town of Woodside, located in San Mateo County, California.

Town representative. Any person authorized by the Town Council to act on its behalf in carrying out the administrative functions of the Town.

Type of use. The purpose of the premises, such as commercial or single-family dwelling.

Unpolluted water. Water to which no constituent has been added, either intentionally or accidentally, which would render such water unacceptable to the Town for disposal to storm or natural drainage, or directly to surface waters.

Waste matter. Wastewater and any and all waste substances, whether liquid, solid, gaseous, or radioactive including, but not limited to, crockery, bottles, tin cans, metal vessels, ashes, shells, plaster, and all other similar non-combustible materials. Waste matter shall not include any toxic or hazardous materials or substances.

Wastewater. Waste and water, whether treated or untreated, discharged into, or permitted to enter into the wastewater facilities. wastewater shall mean a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, and institution, together with such ground, surface, and storm waters as may be present.

Wastewater constituents and characteristics. The individual chemical, physical, bacteriological and radiological parameters, including volume and flow rate and such other parameters that service to define, classify or measure the contents, quality, quantity, or strength of wastewater.

Wastewater facilities. All components of the physical system for collecting, transmitting, pumping, treating, and disposing of wastewater.

(Ord. 1994-476, effective 7-12-94)

No unauthorized person shall break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is part of the Town's wastewater facilities.

(Ord. 1994-476, effective 7-12-94)

Cross reference— Penalty, see § 10.99.