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City of Warrenton, MO
Warren County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[R.O. 2006 §705.010; CC 1978 §68.010]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this Chapter shall be as follows:
BOD (Denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at twenty degrees Celsius (20°) expressed in milligrams per liter.
BUILDING DRAIN
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 (5) feet (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD)
Measurement of the oxygen equivalent of the organic matter content of a sample that is susceptible to oxidation by a strong chemical oxidant.
CITY
The City of Warrenton, Missouri.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
CUSTOMER
An individual or business in whose name the utility bill is registered with the City of Warrenton.
EXCESSIVE FLOWS
The total flow rate during storm events which results in chronic operational problems related to hydraulic overloading of the treatment works results in a total flow of more than two hundred seventy-five (275) gallons per capita per day (domestic base flow plus infiltration plus inflow). Chronic operational problems may include surcharging, backups, bypasses, and overflows.
[Ord. No. 2385, 1-16-2018]
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage, and sale of produce.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes, trade, or business as distinct from sanitary sewage.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake, or other body of surface or groundwater.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation, or group.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
The wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half (½) inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights, and is controlled by public authority.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm, surface, and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, and stormwaters as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
SHALL
Is mandatory; MAY: Is permissive.
SLUG
Any discharge of water, sewage, or industrial waste which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty-four (24) hour concentration or flows during normal operation.
STORM DRAIN (sometimes termed storm sewer)
A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than unpolluted cooling water.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
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.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
[R.O. 2006 §705.020; CC 1978 §68.020]
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the City of Warrenton, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City, any human or animal excrement, garbage, or other objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the City of Warrenton, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the City, any sewage or other polluted wastes, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this Chapter.
C. 
Except as hereinafter provided, 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.
D. 
The owner of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way in which there is not located or may in the future be located a public sanitary or combined sewer of the City, is hereby required at his/her expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provision of this Chapter, within ninety (90) days after date of official notice.
[R.O. 2006 §705.030; CC 1978 §68.030; Ord. No. 461 §1, 3-6-1984]
A. 
Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available under the provisions of Section 700.020, Subsection (D), the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this Section.
B. 
Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the Director of Public Works. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the City, which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications, and other information as are deemed necessary by the Director of Public Works. A plan review fee of one hundred dollars ($100.00) shall be paid to the City at the time the application is filed.
C. 
A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the Director of Public Works. He/she shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction and, before any underground portions are covered. The inspection shall be made within eight (8) hours of the receipt of notice by the Director of Public Works.
D. 
The type, capacities, location, and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the Department of Natural Resources of the State of Missouri. 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 ten thousand (10,000) square feet. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any natural outlet.
E. 
At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in Section 700.020 Subsection (D), a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in compliance with this Chapter, and any septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable material.
F. 
The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the City.
G. 
No statement contained in this Section shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the Health Officer.
H. 
When a public water sewer becomes available, the building sewer shall be connected to said sewer within sixty (60) days and the private sewage disposal system shall be cleaned of sludge and filled with clean bank-run gravel or dirt.
[R.O. 2006 §705.040; CC 1978 §68.040; Ord. No. 751 §1, 12-15-1992; Ord. No. 871 §I, 5-7-1996; Ord. No. 945 §I, 7-15-1997; Ord. No. 1197 §§I,IV, 8-7-2001; Ord. 1318 §I, 6-17-03; Ord. No. 1405 §I, 6-15-2004; Ord. No. 1414 §I, 7-6-2004; Ord. No. 1547 §I, 9-6-2005; Ord. No. 1698 §I, 6-19-2007; Ord. No. 1792 §I, 8-5-2008; Ord. No. 1868 §I, 8-4-2009; Ord. No. 1885 §I, 1-19-2010; Ord. No. 2385, 1-16-2018; Ord. No. 2752, 4-18-2023]
A. 
No unauthorized 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 Director of Public Works.
B. 
An applicant for a permit to connect a premises to the City sewer system shall make application on a special form furnished by the City. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Public Works Director. An application fee shall accompany the application based upon the size of the connection in accordance with the following schedule:
RESIDENTIAL
4 inch connection (single-family dwelling)
$2,000.00
6 inch connection (single-family dwelling)
$2,000.00
6 inch connection (all others)
$3,000.00
8 inch connection
$4,000.00
10 inch connection
$5,000.00
12 inch connection
$6,000.00
15 inch connection
$7,000.00
COMMERCIAL
6 inch minimum connection
$2,000.00
6 inch multiple unit connection
$3,000.00
8 inch connection
$4,000.00
10 inch connection
$5,000.00
12 inch connection
$6,000.00
15 inch connection
$7,000.00
BULK SEWER CONNECTION FEE
The connection fee shall be 50% of the current 4" or 6" single residential or commercial sewer connection fee
which sum shall be used to defray the costs to the City of such connection and which sum shall not be returnable to the applicant.
An additional fee for material costs as determined by the Public Works Director to supply sewer service to the property line of the premises shall accompany said application, if any.
Any connections made outside of the City limits shall be double the above scheduled fee.
C. 
All costs and expense 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. 
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building except accessory structures.
E. 
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Director of Public Works, to meet all requirements of this Chapter.
F. 
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 Code 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 most recently published A.S.T.M. and W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice shall apply.
G. 
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.
H. 
No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
I. 
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the most recently published A.S.T.M. and the W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice. All such connections shall be made gas-tight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the Director of Public Works before installation.
J. 
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Director of Public Works when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be inspected by the Director of Public Works or his/her representative.
K. 
All excavations for 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.
L. 
A cleanout shall be installed at the expense of the applicant. Residential customers must install a minimum of four (4) inch piping. Commercial customers must install a minimum of six (6) inch piping.
M. 
Maintenance And Repairs.
1. 
Customer Responsibility — Residential. It shall be the responsibility of the customer to maintain and bear all expense of repairs in the entire lateral line from the building to the sewer main including the connection tap. If excavation will be in a City street, an excavation permit will be required before start of any work pursuant Section 520.050. Any excavation area within a City street must be completely backfilled with rock pursuant to Section 520.100. A deposit/bond will not be required.
2. 
City Sewer System Responsibility — Residential Customer. It shall be the responsibility of the City to maintain and bear all expense of repairs in the sewer main. If excavation is done on a City street, the City will replace concrete or asphalt once repair is complete.
3. 
Customer Responsibility — Commercial Customer. It shall be the responsibility of the commercial customer to maintain and bear all expense of repairs to the lateral line from the building to the sewer main including the cost of backfilling pursuant Section 520.100, excavation permit pursuant Section 520.050, and any other associated costs. A deposit/bond will not be required.
4. 
City Sewer System Responsibility — Commercial Customer. It shall be the responsibility of the City to maintain and bear all expense of repairs in the sewer main. If excavation is done on a City street, the City will replace concrete or asphalt once repair is complete.
N. 
Building Permit — Application And Payment. Before a connection to the City's sewage works is provided, the owner of the premises or his/her duly authorized representative shall submit an application for a building permit to the Building Commissioner of the City. After approval of said application for building permit and receipt of payment in full of all charges associated with said building permit, a premises is eligible to be connected to the City's sewage works, if not otherwise ineligible under any other Chapter or Section of the Municipal Code of the City. The Board of Aldermen may waive the requirements of this Subsection upon good cause.
O. 
Sewer Service — Non-Payment Of Fees And/Or Taxes. Except as otherwise may be required by law or expressly waived by the Board of Aldermen for good cause, the City may decline, fail or cease to furnish sewer services to any person, corporation and/or entity that has not paid any tax or fee due and owing to the City.
[R.O. 2006 §705.050; CC 1978 §68.050]
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, including interior and exterior foundation drains, uncontaminated cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
B. 
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined or storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the Director of Public Works. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, on approval of the Director of Public Works, to a storm sewer, combined sewer, or natural outlet.
C. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:
1. 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid, or gas.
2. 
Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant, including but not limited to cyanides in excess of two (2) mg/l as CN in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer.
3. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5, or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the sewage works.
4. 
Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers, or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works such as but not limited to, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails, and paper dishes, cups, mild containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
5. 
Any waters or wastes having:
a. 
A five (5) day BOD greater than three hundred (300) parts per million by weight; or
b. 
Containing more than three hundred fifty (350) parts per million by weight of suspended solids; or
c. 
Having an average daily flow greater than two percent (2%) of the average sewage flow of the City, shall be subject to the review of the Director of Public Works. Where necessary in the opinion of the Director of Public Works, the owner shall provide, at his/her expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to:
(1) 
Reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to three hundred (300) parts per million by weight; or
(2) 
Reduce the suspended solids to three hundred fifty (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 Director of Public Works and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.
D. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following described substances, materials, waters, or wastes if it appears likely in the opinion of the Director of Public Works 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/her opinion as to the acceptability of these wastes, the Director of Public Works 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:
1. 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150°F) (65°C).
2. 
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease, or oils, whether emulsified or not, in excess of one hundred (100) mg/l or containing substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between thirty-two degrees (32°) and one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit (150°F) (0 and 65°C).
3. 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of three-fourths (¾) horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director of Public Works.
4. 
Any waters or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes, or concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.
5. 
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 Director of Public Works for such materials.
6. 
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor-producing substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established by the Director of Public Works as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage, to meet the requirements of the State, Federal, or other public agencies of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
7. 
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the Director of Public Works in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations.
8. 
Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.
9. 
Materials which exert or cause:
a. 
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 and sodium sulfate).
b. 
Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions).
c. 
Unusual BOD, COD (chemical oxygen demand), or chlorine requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage treatment works.
d. 
Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting "slugs" as defined herein.
10. 
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment process as 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 receding waters.
E. 
Industrial User — Discharge/Waste Flow Pretreatment And Equalization.
[Ord. No. 2357, 7-18-2017; Ord. No. 2574, 1-5-2021]
1. 
If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in Subsection (D) of this Section, and which in the judgment of the Director of Public Works may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Director of Public Works may:
a. 
Reject the wastes.
b. 
Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers.
c. 
Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge.
d. 
Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of Subsection (J) of this Section.
2. 
If the Director of Public Works permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Director of Public Works, and subject to the requirements of all applicable Codes, ordinances, and laws. A completed Industrial User Questionnaire form shall be submitted for use in evaluating the industrial sewer. If outside engineering review is determined to be necessary by the Director of Public Works, a deposit in the amount of five hundred dollars ($500.00) shall be paid to the City prior to the Industrial User Questionnaire form being sent to the outside engineering firm. The cost of the outside engineering firm review will be deducted from the deposit and any excess refunded or any deficit collected from the applicant. Any cost of outside engineering review shall be reimbursed to the City by the industrial user prior to commencement of any sewer treatment.
F. 
Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when in the opinion of the Director of Public Works they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Director of Public Works, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
G. 
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his/her expense.
H. 
When required by the Director of Public Works, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Director of Public Works. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his/her expense, and shall be maintained by him/her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
I. 
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of water and wastes to which reference is made in this Chapter shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb, and property. The particular analyses involved will determine whether a twenty-four (24) hour composite of all outfalls of a premise is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four (24) hour composites of all outfalls whereas pH's are determined from periodic grab samples.
J. 
No statement contained in this Section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the City and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to payment, therefore, by the industrial concern.
[R.O. 2006 §705.060; CC 1978 §68.060]
No unauthorized person shall maliciously, wilfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is a part of the sewage works.
[R.O. 2006 §705.070; CC 1978 §68.070]
A. 
The Director of Public Works and other duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing in accordance with the provisions of this Chapter. The Director of Public Works or his/her representatives shall have no authority to inquire into any processes including metallurgical, chemical, oil, refining, ceramic, paper, or other industries beyond that point having a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the sewers or waterways or facilities for waste treatment.
B. 
While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in Subsection (A) of this Section, the Director of Public Works or duly authorized employees of the City shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the company.
C. 
The Director of Public Works and other duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the City holds a duly negotiated easement for the purpose of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the sewage works lying within said easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any, on said easement, shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private property involved.
[R.O. 2006 §705.080; CC 1978 §68.080]
A. 
Any person found to be violating any provision of this Chapter, except Section 700.060, shall be served by the City with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for cessation of such violation.
B. 
Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Subsection (A) hereof, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, as set out in Sections 100.220 to 100.240 of this Code.
C. 
Any person violating any of the provisions of this Chapter shall become liable to the City for any expense, loss, or damage occasioned to the City by reason of such violation.