Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of words and terms as used in this article shall be as follows:

(a)   Building Drain shall mean that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.

(b)   Building Sewer shall mean the extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.

(c)   B.O.D. (denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand) shall mean the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20 degrees centigrade, expressed in parts per million by weight.

(d)   pH shall mean the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.

(e)   Individual Domestic means any single-family residence, commercial business, office, institution, school, church or public entity having an individual direct or indirect connection to the wastewater facilities of the city and on individual city or private water service meter, or connection to any such water service.

(f)   Industrial means any industrial business engaged in the manufacturing or processing of one or more products, and in which wastewaters are produced from such manufacturing or processing and said wastewaters are discharged directly or indirectly to the wastewater facilities of the city.

(g)   Multi-domestic means any multi-family residence, apartment or mobile home and any commercial business, office, institution, school, church or public entity having a direct or indirect connection to the wastewater facilities of the city and not having an individual water service meter but is served with city or private metered water by the owner of the property on which it is located.

(h)   Superintendent shall mean the superintendent of the city or his or her authorized deputy, agent or representative.

(i)    Sewage shall mean a combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, and storm waters as may be present.

(j)    Sewer shall mean a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.

(k)   Public Sewer shall mean a sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by public authority.

(l)    Combined Sewers shall mean sewers receiving both surface runoff and sewage, are not permitted.

(m)  Sanitary Sewer shall mean a sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.

(n)   Storm Sewer or Storm Drain shall mean a sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.

(o)   Sewage Treatment Plant shall mean any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.

(p)   Suspended Solids shall mean solids that either float on the surface of, or are in suspension in water, sewage, or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory filtering.

(q)   User means any person as defined in section 1-102, including an institution, governmental agency or political subdivision producing wastewater requiring processing and treatment to remove pollutants and having premises connected to the wastewater facilities.

(r)    Wastewater means sewage, the combination of liquids and water carried wastes from residences, commercial and industrial buildings, institutions, governmental agencies, together with any ground, surface or storm water that may be present.

(s)   Normal wastewater. The strength of normal wastewater shall be considered within the following ranges:

(l)    A five-day biochemical oxygen demand of 300 milligrams per liter or less;

(2)   A suspended solid concentration of 350 milligrams or less;

(3)   Hydrogen ion concentration of 5.0 to 9.0.

(Ord. 1319)

The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the city and abutting on any street, alley, or right- of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the city, is hereby required at his or her expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this article, within 90 days after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 140 feet of the property line.

(Ord. 1319)

(a)   No 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 city.

(b)   There shall be charged a fee of $100.00 payable at the time of making application for the permit.

(Ord. 1319)

Any person desiring to make a connection to the city sewer system shall apply in writing to the city clerk who shall forward the application to the utility superintendent.  The application shall contain:

(a)   The legal description of the property to be connected;

(b)   The name and address of the owner or owners of the property;

(c)   The kind of property to be connected (residential, commercial or industrial);

(d)   The point of proposed connection to the city sewer line

(Ord. 1319)

All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be paid 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.

(Ord. 1319)

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the “Y” branch if such branch is available at a suitable location. Where no properly located “Y” branch is available, the connection shall be made in the manner approved by the utility superintendent and at a location designated by the superintendent.

(Ord. 1319)

A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be feasibly constructed to the rear building.

In such case, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.

(a)   At buildings in which the building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer. The use of any pumping equipment for which cross-connections with a public water supply system are needed, is prohibited. The total costs of pumping equipment and pumping equipment operational costs shall be those of the owner.

(b)   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 currently adopted building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City of Wakefield .

(Ord. 1319)

All excavations for buildings sewers shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, curb and gutters, sidewalks, parkways and other public property removed or damaged during the installation of the building sewer, shall be repaired or replaced in a manner acceptable to the city and at the total expense of the owner.  It is further agreed that any parties involved in any excavating or installation work for sewer installations as above set out, will hold the city harmless from any and all damages to persons or property resulting from or growing out of any opening or excavation or any negligent act or from any operation made within the city.

(Ord. 1319)

(a)   If any person shall fail to connect any dwelling or building with the sewer system after being noticed, the city may cause such buildings to be connected with the sewer system as authorized by K.S.A. 12-631.

(b)   The cost and expense, including inspection fees, shall be assessed against the property. Until such assessments shall have been collected and paid to the city, the cost of making such connection may be paid from the general fund or through the issuance of no fund warrants.

(Ord. 1319)

It shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage except as provided in this article.

(Ord. 1319)

Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of section 12-602 the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of sections 12-610 to 12-616.

(a)   SAME; PERMIT. Before commencing construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the utility superintendent. The application shall be accompanied by any plans, specifications or other information deemed necessary by the utility superintendent.  A permit and inspection fee of $ 25.00 shall be paid to the city at the time the application is filed.

(b)   SAME; INSPECTION.   The utility superintendent or his or her authorized representative shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction and the applicant shall notify the superintendent when the work is ready for final inspection or before any underground portions are covered.  The inspection shall be made within 48 hours of the receipt of notice by the superintendent.

(c)   SAME; DISCHARGE.

(1)   The type, capacities, location, and layout of the private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations and requirements of the Water Pollution Control Section of the Kansas State Department of Health.  No permit shall be issued for any private sewage disposal system employing subsurface soil absorption facilities where the area of the lot is less than one acre.  No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any public sewer or natural outlet.

(2)   At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in section 2, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in compliance with this article, and any septic tank, cesspool, and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable and acceptable materials.

(d)   SAME; ADDITIONAL REQUIREMENTS. No statement contained in this article shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the city or county health officer.

(Ord. 1319)

It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit or discharge from any source whatsoever any sewage or human excrement upon any public or private grounds within the city, or to permit the contents of any privy, vault or septic tank to be deposited or discharged upon the surface of any grounds.  Any unauthorized or unapproved privy vault, septic tank or other means or places for the disposal of sewage, excrement and polluted water may be abated as a public nuisance upon the order of the city or county board of health in accordance with the laws of Kansas.

(Ord. 1319)

It shall be unlawful for any unauthorized person to maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any sewer, structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is part of the municipal sewer system.

(Ord. 1319)

It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the city or in any area under the jurisdiction of the city any sanitary sewage, industrial wastes or other polluted waters except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with the provisions of this article.

(Ord. 1319)

The size, slope, alignment, materials, excavation, placing of pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling shall all conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the city.

(Ord. 1319)

Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the utility superintendent, to meet all requirements of this article.

(Ord. 1319)

All garages, filling stations, milk plants or other commercial or industrial plants connected to the public sewer shall construct and maintain proper and sufficient interceptors or traps to prevent the discharge of any sand, mud, sediment, litter, waste or any substance harmful to the effective operation and maintenance of the city sewer system, into the building sewer.

(Ord. 1319)

(a)   It shall be unlawful to connect downspouts from any roof area, drains from any building foundation, paved areas, yards or open courts, or to discharge liquid wastes from any air conditioning unit or cooling device having a capacity in excess of one ton per hour or one horsepower into any city sanitary sewer.

(b)   All discharges prohibited in subsection (a) may be discharged into the public gutter or storm drains or open drainage ditches provided such discharge does not create a nuisance. No such liquids may be discharged into any unpaved street or alley.

(Ord. 1319)

Discharges from air conditioning units in excess of one ton per hour or one horsepower may be permitted into a building sewer upon approval of the utility superintendent where there is a finding that such cooling water cannot be recirculated and that such waste water does not overload the capacity of the sewer or interfere with the effective operation of the sewage disposal works of the city.

(Ord. 1319)

No permit shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the Superintendent that such wastes can harm either the sewers, sewage treatment process, or equipment, have an adverse effect on the receiving stream, or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the Superintendent will give consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment process, capacity of the sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the sewage treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The substances prohibited are:

(a)   Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty (150°F) (65°C).

(b)   Any water or wastes containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of one hundred (100) mg/1 or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-two (32) and one hundred fifty (150°F) (0 and 65°C).

(c)   Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths (3/4) horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the’ review and approval of the Superintendent.

(d)   Any waters or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.

(e)   Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting an excessive chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material received in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment works exceeds the limits established by the Superintendent for such materials.

(f)   Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor- producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Superintendent as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of State, Federal, or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.

(g)   Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Superintendent in compliance with applicable State and Federal regulations.

(h)   Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of [9.5].

(i)    Materials which exert or cause:

(1)   Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids (such as, but not limited to, Fullers earth, lime slurries, and lime residues) or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride or sodium sulfate).

(2)   Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions).

(3)   Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand, or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works.

(4)   Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting “slugs” as defined herein.

(j)    Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed, or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.

(k)   Any waters or wastes having (1) a 5-day BOD greater than 300 parts per million by weight, or (2) containing more than 350 parts per million by weight of suspended solids, or (3) having an average daily flow greater than 2 percent of the average sewage flow of the City of Wakefield shall be subject to the review of the Superintendent. Where necessary in the opinion of the Superintendent, the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to (1) reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 300 parts per million by weight, or (2) reduce the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight or (3) control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes. Plans, specifications, and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the Superintendent and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.

(Ord. 1319)

Bills shall be rendered monthly as provided in section 12-305 of the Code of the City of Wakefield, Kansas and shall be collected as a combined utility bill.

(Ord. 1319)

(a)   In the event any person, except the United States and the state of Kansas shall fail to pay the user charges when due, water service shall be terminated as provided in sections 12-306 of the Code of the City of Wakefield, Kansas

(b)   All other remedies regarding delinquent accounts, and exceptions thereto, contained in section 12-306 of the Code of the City of Wakefield, Kansas shall apply to sewer service fees, charges and services.

(Ord. 1319)

That the rate to be charged for each user of the City's sewer system shall be raised one dollar ($1) per quarter (Jan, April, July, Oct) for each residence, dwelling unit or apartment, regardless of the number of water service lines or meters, or the number of sewer service lines for 10 quarters (until June 30, 2025);

(1)   Jan. 2023- Thirty-one dollars ($31.00)

(2)   Apr. 2023- Thirty-two dollars ($32.00)

(3)   July 2023- Thirty-three dollars ($33.00)

(4)   Oct. 2023- Thirty-four dollars ($34.00)

(5)   Jan. 2024- Thirty-five dollars ($35.00)

(6)   Apr. 2024- Thirty-six dollars ($36.00)

(7)   July 2024- Thirty-seven dollars ($37.00)

(8)   Oct. 2024- Thirty-eight dollars ($38.00)

(9)   Jan. 2025- Thirty-nine dollars ($39.00)

(10) Apr. 2025- Forty dollars ($40.00)

(Ord. 1045; Ord. 1109; Code 2015; Ord. 1311; Ord. 1319; Ord. 1330; Ord. 1347; Ord. 1349)