§ 78-131. Building sewers and connections.

(a)

No authorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the assistant to the city manager for public services or code enforcement official.

(b)

There shall be two classes of building sewer permits as follows:

(1)

Residential service; and

(2)

Nonresidential service.

(c)

All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the city from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

(d)

Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the assistant to the city manager for public services, to meet all requirements of this article.

(e)

The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the city. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials and in the Manual of Practice No. 9 published by the Water Environment Federation shall apply.

(f)

Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.

(g)

No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface water runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.

(h)

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer or private sewage collection system shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the city or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing Materials and in the Water Environment Federation Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the assistant to the city manager for public services or the building inspector before installation.

(i)

The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the assistant to the city manager for public services or building inspector when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the building inspector.

(j)

All excavations for the building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the city.

(k)

The customer shall be responsible for the maintenance of the building sewer: specifically all plumbing from the public sewer into and including the house plumbing. The city shall have the right to inspect the building sewer and to cause discontinuance of sewer service to any property where the plumbing is not maintained in a sanitary and effective operating condition or if the public sewer facilities may be harmed thereby.

(l)

Garages and other establishments where gasoline is used or where wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or where any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients can be discharged and which are connected with municipal sewers shall be provided with a suitable trap or separator. All traps or separators shall be of a type and capacity approved by the assistant to the city manager for public services and shall be located so as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.

(m)

Where pretreatment or flow-equalizing facilities or traps or separators are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously and in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner or the user, and at his sole expense.

(n)

The city shall be responsible for the maintenance of the public sewer and for providing service to receive the approved sewage discharge from the building sewers.

(o)

No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the public sewer system.

(Ord. No. 11-38, § I(Exh. A), 12-8-11)