[Adopted 12-15-2009 by Ord. No. 1054 as Title 4, Ch. 7, of the 2009 Code of Ordinances]
This article is adopted under the authority granted by §§ 62.18, 62.185 and 62.19 of the Wisconsin Statutes.
This article shall be known as, referred to and cited as the "User Charge and Sewer Use Ordinance for the City of Lake Mills, State of Wisconsin," and hereinafter referred to as "this article."
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The City Council hereby finds that the requirement for the issuance of state loans and the acceptance of such loans by the City under the Wisconsin Clean Water Fund Program and Environmental Improvement Fund, §§ 281.57 and 281.59, Wis. Stats., respectively, and other state and federal financial aid, and the regulations of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources as set forth in Chapters NR 110, 162, and NR 210, Wisconsin Administrative Code, for the construction and operation of waste treatment works to improve the quality of effluent discharges from the City establish:
A. 
The necessity of adopting a user charge system that would be proportionate to all classes of users and produce the revenue required to sustain the sewage collection and waste treatment system;
B. 
The necessity of enacting regulations that control the use and inflow into wastewater treatment works.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The purpose of this article is to promote the public health, safety, prosperity, aesthetics, and general welfare of the citizens of the City, and is designed to provide the legislative enactments required under applicable state and federal regulations for the acceptance of financial assistance to improve the quality of effluent discharges from the wastewater treatment works. It is further intended to provide for administration and enforcement of this article and to provide penalties for its violations. It is further intended to implement provisions of agreements by and among the City, the Town of Lake Mills and the former Rock Lake Sanitary District No. 1 relating to the dissolution of the sanitary district and the transfer of assets and liabilities thereof to the City.
It is not intended by this article to repeal, abrogate, annul, impair or interfere with any existing easements, covenants, deed restrictions, agreements, rules, regulations, ordinances or permits previously adopted or issued pursuant to law. However, wherever this article imposes greater restrictions, the provisions of this article shall govern.
In their interpretation and application, the provisions of this article shall be held to be minimum requirements and shall be liberally construed in favor of the City and shall not be deemed a limitation or repeal of any other power granted by the Statutes of the State of Wisconsin.
For the purpose of this article, the following definitions shall be used. Words used in the present tense include the future; the singular number includes the plural number; and the plural number includes the singular number. The word "shall" is mandatory and not directory, while the word "may" is permissive.
ACCRUED RESERVES
A method of keeping accounts of the segregated resources over several years to determine the funds available to offset capital expenditures to maintain an ongoing, online waste treatment facility.
AUDIT
An audit as a separate report from other funds and shall cover the following:
A. 
To determine that financial operations are properly conducted;
B. 
Financial reports are presented fairly;
C. 
Applicable laws and regulations have been complied with;
D. 
Resources are managed and used in an economical and efficient manner; and
E. 
Desired results and objectives are being achieved in a financially effective manner.
AUTHORIZED EXPENDITURES
Those expenditures authorized by the City Council of the City and made payable from the accounts kept for the expenditures of the user charge. Expenditures from the reserve funds shall be limited to those for which the fund was created.
BILLABLE BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
A user's loading in pounds of BOD calculated using the billable flow and concentration of BOD in the waste as determined by the City Engineer. Minimum waste strength of BOD shall be the domestic waste concentration of 200 milligrams per liter for the purpose of billing for user charges.
BILLABLE FLOW
A user's recorded quarterly water usage as metered by the appropriate water utility, plus metered water from wells and other sources, and less any sewer-exempt metered data. Residential users on unmetered wells and users with no history of billable flow shall have their billable flow estimated by averaging the billable flow of other residential users of the same class.
BILLABLE TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLID (TSS)
A user's loading in pounds of TSS calculated using the billable flow and concentration of TSS in the waste as determined by the City Engineer. Minimum waste strength of TSS shall be the domestic waste concentration of 250 milligrams per liter for the purpose of billing for user charges.
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
The quantity of oxygen, expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l), utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures in five days at 20° C.
BUILDING DRAIN, SANITARY
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives sanitary or industrial sewage only and is located inside the walls of a building and conveys the sewage to the building sewer, which begins three feet outside the building wall.
BUILDING DRAIN, STORM
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives stormwater or other clear water discharge, but receives no wastewater from sewage or other drainage pipes, and is located inside the walls of a building and conveys the sewage to the building sewer, which begins three feet outside the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER, SANITARY
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal and conveys only sanitary or industrial sewage. This is also known as a "house connection."
BUILDING SEWER, STORM
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal and conveys stormwater or other clear water drainage, but no sanitary or industrial sewage. This is also known as a house connection.
CHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (COD)
The equivalent quantity of oxygen, expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l), utilized in the chemical oxidation of organic and inorganic matter under standard laboratory procedures.
CITY
The City of Lake Mills.
CITY COUNCIL
The governing body of the City.
CITY ENGINEER
The City Engineer of the City of Lake Mills, Wisconsin, or its designated engineer.
CLASS OF USERS
The division of wastewater treatment customers by waste characteristics and process discharge similarities or function, such as residential, commercial, institutional, industrial or governmental.
COLLECTION SEWER
A sewer whose primary purpose is to collect wastewater from individual point source discharges.
COMBINED SEWAGE
A combination of both wastewater and storm or surface water.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and storm or surface water.
COMMERCIAL USER
For the purpose of the user charge system, a user engaged in the purchase or sale of goods, or in a transaction or business, or who otherwise renders a service.
COMPATIBLE POLLUTANT
BOD, suspended solids (SS), pH, and fecal coliform bacteria, plus additional pollutants identified in the NPDES permit, if the publicly owned treatment works was designed to treat such pollutants and, in fact, does remove them to a substantial degree.
DEPOSITED
Placing funds in control of the City and, if said deposit is in the form of a bank check, deposit shall not be deemed collected within this definition until the applicable rules of the bank's collection procedures are fulfilled.
DEPRECIATION
An annual operating cost reflecting capital consumption and obsolescence (reduction of future service potential) of real and personal properties.
DISSOLVED SOLIDS
That concentration of matter in the sewage consisting of colloidal particulate matter one micron in diameter or less, and both organic and inorganic molecules and ions present in solution.
DOMESTIC LEVEL USER or RESIDENTIAL USER
For the purpose of the user charge system, a user whose premises or building is used primarily as a domicile for one or more persons and whose wastes originate from the normal living activities of its inhabitants.
EASEMENT
An acquired legal right, less than fee simple, for the specific use of land owned by others.
FECAL COLIFORM
Any number of organisms common to the intestinal tract of man and animals whose presence in sanitary sewage is an indicator of pollution.
FLOATABLE OIL
Oil, fat or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in a pretreatment facility approved by the City.
FORCE MAIN
A pipe in which wastewater is carried under pressure.
FUNCTIONAL BETTERMENT
A process improvement in the increased size facilities or a process improvement in existing facilities that is directly anticipated to preclude physical betterment or is an indirect improvement to the process as a result of renewal on a cost-effective basis.
FUNCTIONAL OBSOLESCENCE
The process deficiency of a functional element of a plant beyond the capacity of a preventive maintenance program to such extent that a new process device or piece of equipment would be more cost-effective.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation, cooking and dispensing of food, and from the commercial handling, storage, and sale of produce.
HOLDING TANK
An approved watertight receptacle for the collection and holding of sewage.
INCOMPATIBLE POLLUTANT
Any nontreatable waste product including nonbiodegradable dissolved solids.
INDUSTRIAL USER
A. 
Any nongovernmental, nonresidential user of a publicly owned treatment works that discharges more than the equivalent of 25,000 gallons per day (gpd) of sanitary waste and that is identified in the 2012 North American Industry Classification System (NAICS), as amended and supplemented under one of the following sectors: Sector 11, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing, and Hunting; Sector 21, Mining, Quarrying, Oil & Gas Extraction; Sector 31-37, Manufacturing; Sector 48-49, Transportation and Warehousing; Sector 56, Administrative and Support and Waste Management and Remediation Services.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(1) 
In determining the amount of a user's discharge, the City Council will exclude domestic waste or discharge from sanitary conveniences.
(2) 
After applying the sanitary waste exclusion in the above subsection of this definition, discharges in the above divisions that have a volume exceeding 25,000 gpd or the weight of biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) or suspended solids (SS) equivalent to that weight found in 25,000 gpd of sanitary waste are considered industrial users. Sanitary waste, for purposes of this calculation of equivalency, shall be wastes of normal concentration as defined in this article.
B. 
Any nongovernmental user who discharges wastewater to the City's sewers, which wastewater contains toxic pollutants or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity either singly or by interaction with other waste, to contaminate the sludge of the municipal sewer systems, or to injure or to interfere with any sewage treatment process, or which constitute a hazard to humans or animals, creates a public nuisance, or creates any hazard in or has an adverse effect on the waters receiving any discharge from the treatment works.
INFILTRATION
The water unintentionally entering the public sewer system, including sanitary building drains and sewers, from the ground through such means as, but not limited to, defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manhole walls. Infiltration does not include, and is distinguished from, inflow.
INFILTRATION/INFLOW
The total quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow without distinguishing the source.
INFLOW
The water discharge into a sanitary sewer system, including building drains and sewers, from such sources as, but not limited to: roof leaders, cellar, yard and area drains; foundation drains; unpolluted cooling water discharges; drains from springs and swampy areas; manhole covers; cross-connections from storm sewers and/or combined sewers; catch basins; stormwaters; surface runoff; street wash waters, or drainage. Inflow does not include, and is distinguishable from, infiltration.
INTERCEPTOR SEWER
A sewer whose primary purpose is to transport wastewater from collection sewers to a treatment facility.
LATERAL
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal and conveys only sanitary or industrial sewage. Also known as the house connection or building sewer drain.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or groundwater.
NORMAL CONCENTRATION
A. 
Five-day 20° C., BOD of not more than 200 mg/l.
B. 
A suspended solids content of not more than 250 mg/l.
C. 
A phosphorus content of not more than six mg/l.
NORMAL WASTEWATER
Wastewater in which BOD, suspended solids or phosphorus concentrations do not exceed normal concentrations.
OPERATION AND MAINTENANCE COSTS
Includes all costs, direct and indirect, not including debt service or equipment replacement, but inclusive of expenditures attributable to administration and treatment and collection and pumping of wastewaters, necessary to insure adequate wastewater collection and treatment on a continuing basis which conforms to applicable regulations and assures optimal long-term facility management.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group, discharging any wastewater to the wastewater treatment facility.
PERSONAL PROPERTY
For the purpose of the user charge system, all equipment owned by the City, and used in the transport and treatment of sewage. Such equipment must be mechanical, electronic, or electrical or have movable parts.
pH
Used to express the intensity of the acid or base condition of a solution, calculated by taking the logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
PHOSPHORUS
The total phosphorus concentration as determined by a test conducted in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater as published by the American Public Health Association, the American Water Works Association, and the Water Environment Federation.
PHYSICAL BETTERMENT
The expansion of a physical facility to increase capacity of the treatment works.
PHYSICAL OBSOLESCENCE
The material deficiency of a functional element of a treatment plant to a point that repair as normal or preventive maintenance is not cost-benefit effective.
PRETREATMENT
The treatment of industrial sewage from privately owned industrial sources by the generator of that source prior to introduction of waste effluent into a publicly owned treatment works.
PRIVATE SEWER
A sewer that is not owned by the City.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer which is owned and controlled by the City and is separate from and does not include sewers owned by other governmental units.
PUMPING STATION
A station positioned in the public sewer system at which wastewater is pumped to a higher level.
REAL PROPERTY
For the purpose of the user charge, all fixed physical facilities owned by the City and used in the transport and treatment of sewage which do not have movable parts, such as buildings, tanks, sewers, structures and the like.
RENEWAL COSTS
The expenditures from reserve funds or other funds to overcome physical and/or functional consumption of plant capacity or function or obsolescence of same, in order that the equivalent in function of plant is present at the end of the anticipated useful life.
REPLACEMENT COSTS
The expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories, or appurtenances necessary during the service life of the treatment works to maintain the capacity and performance for which such works were designed and constructed.
REPLACEMENT RESERVE
An account for the segregation of resources to meet capital consumption of personal or real property.
SANITARY DISTRICT
Rock Lake Sanitary District No. 1 with boundaries existing in 1972.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer that carries only sanitary or sanitary and industrial wastewaters from residences, commercial building, industrial plants, and institutions and to which storm, surface and groundwater are not intentionally admitted.
SEPTAGE
Wastewater or contents of septic or holding tanks, dosing chambers, grease interceptors, seepage beds, seepage pits, seepage trenches, privies or portable rest rooms.
SEWAGE
The combination of the liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions, including polluted cooling water and unintentionally admitted infiltration/inflow.
A. 
Sanitary sewage shall mean the combination of liquid and water-carried wastes discharged from toilet and other sanitary plumbing facilities.
B. 
Industrial sewage shall mean a combination of liquid and water-carried wastes discharged from any industrial establishment and resulting from any trade or process carried on in that establishment and shall include the wastes from pretreatment facilities and polluted cooling water.
C. 
Combined sewage shall mean wastes, including sanitary sewage, industrial sewage, stormwater, infiltration, and inflow carried to the wastewater treatment facilities by a combined sewer.
SHREDDED GARBAGE
Garbage that has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the low conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than 1/2 inch [1.25 centimeters] in any dimension.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRY
Any industry that will contribute greater than 10% of the design flow and/or design pollutant loading of the treatment works.
SLUG
Any discharge of water or wastewater in concentration of any given constituent or in any quantity of flow which exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times and allowable concentration of flows during a normal working day (i.e., 1, 2 or 3 shift operation) and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STANDARD METHODS
The laboratory procedures set forth in the following sources: most recent edition of "Standard Method for the Elimination of Water and Wastewater," prepared and published jointly by the American Public Health Association, American Water Works Association, and Water Pollution Control Federation; "Methods for Chemical Analysis of Water and Wastes," 1971, prepared and published by the Analytical Quality Control Laboratory, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency; "Guidelines Establishing Test Procedures for the Analysis of Pollutants," enumerated in 40 CFR 136.1 et seq. (1975), as amended; and/or any other procedures recognized by the United States Environmental Protection Agency and the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
STORM SEWER
A sewer that carries only stormwaters, surface runoff, street wash, and drainage and to which sanitary and/or industrial wastes are not intentionally admitted.
SUMMER QUARTER
The user's quarter starting in June, July or August and ending accordingly in August, September or October.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS (SS) or TOTAL SUSPENDED SOLIDS (TSS)
Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in or water, wastewater, or other liquids and is removable by laboratory filtration as prescribed in the "Standard Methods" enumerated and defined in this section.
TOTAL SOLIDS
The sum of suspended and dissolved solids.
TOWN
Town of Lake Mills, Wisconsin.
TOXIC AMOUNT
Concentration of any pollutant or combination of pollutants which, upon exposure to or assimilation into any organism, will cause adverse effects, such as cancer, genetic mutations, and physiological manifestations, as defined in standards issued pursuant to Section 307(a) of Public Law 92-500, as amended.[1]
UNPOLLUTED WATER
Water of a quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect, or water that is of sufficient quality that it would not be in violation of federal or state water quality standards if such water were discharged into navigable waters of the State. Unpolluted water would not be benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
USEFUL LIFE
The anticipated term in years of physical and/or functional productivity of elements and/or the whole of the wastewater treatment system which can be reevaluated as a result of preventive maintenance, renewal which offsets physical and/or functional obsolescence, renewal of capital elements due to consumption, and physical and/or functional betterment, direct or indirect.
USER CHARGE SYSTEM
The system of charges levied on users for the cost of operation and maintenance, including replacement reserve requirements on new and old wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
VOLATILE ORGANIC MATTER
The material in the sewage solids transformed to gases or vapors when heated at 500° C. for 15 minutes.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS
The structures, equipment and processes required to collect, transport and treat domestic and industrial wastes and to dispose of the effluent and accumulated residual solids.
WATERCOURSE
A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water, either continuously or intermittently.
WATERWORKS
All facilities for water supply, treatment, storage reservoirs, water lines, and services and booster stations for obtaining, treating and distributing potable water.
WISCONSIN POLLUTANT DISCHARGE ELIMINATION PERMIT
A permit issued under the Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) for discharge of wastewater to the navigable waters of Wisconsin pursuant to § 283.31, Wisconsin Statutes.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Federal Water Pollution Control Act.
A. 
Establishment of revenue system. A user charge shall be assessed to all users by the City in accordance with the provisions of this article.
B. 
User charge system.
(1) 
Budget and appropriation.
(a) 
The City shall annually prepare an estimate of the anticipated cost of service associated with treatment costs, collection system costs, lift station costs, and administrative costs. Costs for each of these four functional areas shall be further defined by revenue requirements in these four areas: operation and maintenance, replacement fund, debt service, and capital additions. Finally, the four revenue requirements in each of the four functional areas of the utility shall be allocated to the parameters of demand, volume, BOD, total suspended solids (TSS), phosphorus, and customer costs. These estimates shall be in the form of a rate ordinance and shall be proposed to the City Council for enactment prior to the enactment of the budget of the ensuing year.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(b) 
Fixed or minimum charges are determined by summing the revenue requirements of the four functional areas allocated to the parameters of demand and customer cost, and dividing by the number of equivalent meters or the number of actual customers respectively.
(c) 
The volume charge is determined by summing the revenue requirements of the four functional areas allocated to the parameters of volume (or flow), BOD, TSS, and phosphorus, and dividing by the total billable flow in 1,000 gallons, billable pounds of BOD, and billable pounds of TSS, and phosphorus, respectively.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(2) 
Operation and maintenance expenses. Operation and maintenance expenses are allocated to the parameters of demand, volume, BOD, suspended solids, phosphorus, and customer costs on the following basis:
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(a) 
Labor, by treatment category, is allocated to parameters based on the specific wastewater parameters being treated in that treatment category.
(b) 
Electricity cost is allocated to wastewater parameters based on estimates of use to parameter.
(c) 
The cost for repairs and replacement for that part of the sewer lateral that extends from the building or facility to the property line shall be paid in full by the property owner. The cost of repairs and replacement for that part of the sewer lateral which extends from the private property line under a public right-of-way to a connection with the public sewer main, to include the connection itself, shall be the responsibility of and be paid by the City of Lake Mills Sewer Utility. The cost of routine cleaning of the entire lateral from the building or facility to the junction with the sewer main is the sole responsibility of the property owner.
(3) 
Replacement expense.
(a) 
The replacement expense shall be sufficient to replace any equipment in the sewers or sewage works owned by the City as required, in order to assure the continued peak performance of the equipment and to maintain the capacity for which the sewers and sewage works were designed and constructed. The service life for real and personal property shall be established by the City Engineer in cooperation with the City auditors, in accordance with experience of the City, state and federal guidelines and accepted accounting procedures. Each piece of equipment shall be evaluated biannually to determine if its useful life has been extended as a result of preventative maintenance programs or repairs.
(b) 
Yearly replacement costs for each piece of equipment shall be allocated in accordance with their applicability to the parameters. This breakdown shall be reviewed annually by the City Engineer and approved by the City.
(4) 
Debt service expense, and capital additions expense. Allocations of debt service expense and routine plant additions expense are distributed using percentages derived from the allocation of the cost of the treatment plant, collection system and lift stations to the parameters.
(5) 
Additional charges. Additional charges shall be billed, as required, for the following:
(a) 
Actual costs incurred for commercial and industrial as well as for user-requested sampling and analyses.
(b) 
Actual costs incurred for water meter inspection requested by the user or as required because of improper maintenance.
(c) 
Actual costs incurred for special handling not provided for elsewhere in this article.
(d) 
Actual costs incurred for handling a user's check returned because of insufficient funds.
(e) 
Costs for revenue bond amortization per Ordinance No. 349.
(f) 
Each user which discharges toxic pollutants which cause an increase in the cost of managing the effluent or the sludge of the treatment works shall pay for such increased costs and toxic monitoring.
(g) 
Surcharge for other than normal wastewater.
[1] 
Such surcharge shall be based on flow, BOD, Suspended solids, phosphorus, and such other constituents that affect the cost of collection and treatment. Charges shall be made in accordance with rates established in a separate rate ordinance.
[2] 
All users discharging wastes into the public sewers are subject to a surcharge, in addition to any other wastewater service charge, if their wastewater has a concentration greater than "normal concentrations" (see definition). The volume of flow used for computing waste surcharges shall be metered water consumption, subject to adjustments as otherwise herein provided, or the actual volume of waste as determined by an industrial waste metering installation. The amount of surcharge shall reflect the cost incurred by the City in removing BOD, suspended solids, phosphorus, and other pertinent constituents.
(h) 
An impact fee as set forth by a rate ordinance enacted by the City Council.
(i) 
Septage or holding tank waste disposal fee.
C. 
Wastewater user charges.
(1) 
All users. The wastewater user bill to be paid by all users shall consist of the fixed or minimum charge and the volume charge plus any additional charges as may be appropriate, including those identified in Subsection B(5) above.
(2) 
Industrial and commercial users.
(a) 
In addition to the basic wastewater user bill described in subsection A of this section for the user charge system, wastewater user bills for industrial and commercial users shall consist of industrial waste monitoring charges as described in § 623-18B(5)(a) of this article.
(b) 
Industries with wastes classified by the City Engineer as having special problems shall, if directed by the City Engineer, install at the industry's own cost and in a structure located on the building service line, whatever sampling devices are required by the City Engineer to obtain exact information about the waste.
(3) 
Additional charges. Additional charges as described in § 623-18B(5) of this article shall, if required, be listed on the wastewater user bill.
(4) 
The rates of surcharge for concentrations greater than "normal concentration" of BOD, suspended solids, phosphorus and other pertinent constituents shall be at the prevailing rate at the time of discharge to the sanitary sewer. Said prevailing rates may be amended from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
(5) 
All other rates, to include any applicable impact fees, shall be as established from time to time by resolution of the City Council.
D. 
Wastewater user bill.
(1) 
Bill period. A bill shall be prepared and submitted to each user once every month.
(2) 
Delinquent bills.
(a) 
Any bill not paid 20 days after date of billing shall be declared delinquent and a past due notice issued to the billed party. The past due notice shall contain an additional handling charge to offset all costs incurred for generating and issuing the past due notice.
(b) 
On or before October 15 of each year, the sanitary sewer utility shall give notice to the owner or occupant of any lot or parcel of real estate to which sanitary sewer service has been provided, and for which there is owing at the giving of the notice, sewer user charges established in accordance with this article. The form and content of the notice, as well as the procedural requirements established in § 66.0809, Wis. Stats., shall apply.
(c) 
Nonreceipt of any bill described in this section shall not release the user of liability for any of those charges. In any case where the user is responsible for the nonreceipt of the bill, the conditions herein described for late payment and penalties shall apply. In those instances where the City is responsible for the nonreceipt of the bill, the City may, at its discretion, grant the user an extension of the discount period and late payment conditions described herein.
(3) 
Forms. Forms for bills and delinquent payment shall be as determined by the City.
E. 
Debt service. Revenues to pay for debt service shall be collected as provided for in the Revenue Bond Ordinance No. 349.
A. 
Money. All user charge payments and all funds received from the Sanitary District shall be placed in segregated accounts as detailed in Ordinance No. 349. Such money shall be used only to cover the costs of operation and maintenance, replacement, debt service and other costs as outlined in § 623-18B of this article.
B. 
Expenditures. Expenditures shall be made from the user charge moneys by the City in accordance with the detailed annual budget and ordinances authorized by the City Council.
C. 
Replacement reserve expenditures. Expenditures from the accrued replacement reserve on facilities shall be for making renewals to accommodate wear of physical elements and/or movable property that would result in an extended useful life or meet the anticipated useful life of the present plant and not for plant expansion or additions. Replacement revenues as defined herein shall be segregated in a separate account under the depreciation fund provided for in Ordinance No. 349.
D. 
Renewals. Renewals to accommodate wear of physical elements and/or movable property shall be capital expenditures that cause the annual estimate for accrued reserves from replacement to be evaluated in terms of extended useful life as a result of preventive maintenance programs or of such renewal. The expenditures to overcome physical and/or functional obsolescence shall be capitalized against the element of the facility and charged to the fixed assets groups of accounts as an improvement to such element. Future estimates of accrued reserve requirements shall be evaluated and reflected in the replacement reserve requirements.
E. 
Audit. An audit shall be performed annually at the same time that the other books of account of the City are audited and in the same manner.
F. 
Excess revenues. Excess revenues collected within a segregated account or user class shall be applied to that account or user class for the next year and the rate adjusted accordingly.
A. 
Conditions for discharge into treatment system.
(1) 
Public wastewater collection facilities are required to be used for the deposit of human wastes, garbage and other liquid wastes that cannot be discharged into a receiving stream or disposed of in any other manner in accordance with federal and state statutes and state administrative regulations and approved by the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
(2) 
No building or facility shall be connected to any sewer unless the portion of the property on which the building or facility is situated is located within the corporate limits of the City of Lake Mills or within the area designated as Rock Lake Sanitary District #1, except as provided in § 623-20Eof this article.
(3) 
No person shall place, deposit or discharge, or cause to be placed, deposited or discharged, upon public or privately owned property any wastewater within the corporate limits of the City unless done so within adequately sized holding facilities approved by all applicable federal, state and local agencies.
(4) 
No person shall deposit or discharge, or cause to be deposited or discharged, to any wastewater collection facilities, any solid, liquid or gaseous waste unless through a connection approved under the terms of this article.
(5) 
No person shall discharge any sewage, waste or material, industrial waste, or any polluted water into a stream or in the air or onto the land, except where the person has made and provided for treatment of such wastes which will render the content of such wastes' discharge in accordance with applicable City, state and federal laws, ordinances and regulations.
(6) 
In case of natural outlet discharges, at the time construction of the waste treatment works is commenced, each owner or operator shall furnish the City an Approved Wisconsin Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (WPDES) permit setting forth the effluent limits to be achieved for compliance with such limits by the required date. The WPDES permit shall be kept on file with the City Engineer and updated by such information as periodically required by the City, state and/or federal agencies.
(7) 
Any person who owns property within the corporate limits of the City, which property is improved with one or more residences, houses, buildings or structures for or intended for human use, occupancy, employment, or any other similar purpose whatever, and which property abuts on any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is located a sewer within 100 feet from the nearest property line shall, within 10 days after notice that such sewer is in service, at his expense, install suitable toilet and waste disposal facilities in the residences, houses, buildings or structures and connect the facilities with the sewer in accordance with the terms and provisions of this article; provided, however, that in the event compliance with this section causes economic hardship to the person, he may apply to the City for exemption. An application for exemption shall state in detail the circumstances that are claimed to cause the economic hardship. Exemptions shall only be granted to residential users and shall not apply to commercial and industrial users. Any connection to the sewer under this article shall be made only if the City determines that there is capacity, including BOD and TSS capacity, available in all downstream sewer lift stations and sewer lines and in the treatment plant. The provisions of this subsection shall apply to any person who owns property within the unincorporated area to which service is provided under the terms of this article, except that the obligation to connect the facilities with the sewer shall apply only to buildings used for human habitation and located within real estate adjacent to a sanitary sewer main or lateral and within 200 feet of the sanitary sewer main or lateral.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(8) 
Persons described in Subsection A(5) through (7) of this section shall not avoid connection to the sewer by reason of the actual distance between the building or structure and the connecting point of the sewer line.
(9) 
Every person desiring to connect to the sewer system shall file an application in writing to the City Engineer on such form as is prescribed for that purpose. Blanks for such applications will be furnished at the Office of the City Clerk. The application must state fully and truthfully all the wastes that will be discharged. If the applicant is not the owner of the premises, the written consent of the owner must accompany the application. Persons connected to the sewer system of the City are referred to herein as "users." If it appears that the service applied for will not provide adequate service for the contemplated use, the City Engineer may reject the application. If the City approves the application, it shall issue a permit for services as shown on the application.
B. 
Limitations on discharge.
(1) 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, groundwater, surface drainage, basement drainage or unpolluted industrial cooling waters to any sewer connected to the City's waste treatment plant.
(a) 
No connections of building downspouts from residential, commercial, institutional, or industrial sewer users or properties to any sewer connected to the City's waste treatment plant may be made or continued. No basement sump pumps or building foundation drains may discharge to any sewer connected to the City's waste treatment plant. Any existing connections of downspouts, sump pumps, or building foundation drains to any sewer connected to the City's waste treatment plant shall be removed within 30 days of receipt of a written order from the City.
(b) 
All private, interceptor sanitary sewers and laterals, or any other private sanitary sewer connection, shall be constructed and maintained by the property owner or sewer user in such a manner that the sewers or laterals are reasonably impervious to infiltration and inflow. If the City determines that private, interceptor sewers or laterals or any other private sanitary sewer connection contributes inflow or infiltration unreasonably or in an excessive amount to the City's waste treatment plant, the property owner or sewer user may be ordered to repair or replace the private, interceptor sewer or laterals or other private sanitary sewer connection within 30 days of receipt of such written order.
(c) 
Failure to comply with the written order received under either Subsection B(1)(a) or (b) may result in the issuance of a citation under this article for each day of noncompliance with said order, and such noncompliance and the conditions ordered to be disconnected, repaired or replaced may also be considered a public nuisance which may be remedied by whatever lawful means is available to the City. If the property subject to such written order is located in the Town of Lake Mills, the Town shall, through mutual aid agreements, or any other written agreement, such as the boundary and revenue sharing agreement with the City, cooperate with the issuance of any required citations.
(d) 
In addition to all other remedies, the City may discontinue sanitary sewer service to the user or property owner until the user or property owner complies with any written order required by either Subsection B(1)(a) or (b). Prior to discontinuation of sewer service, the property owner or sewer user shall be given a ten-day written notice of the action to discontinue service sent by certified mail. The property owner or sewer user shall be informed in said notice of a right to appeal such determination to discontinue service to the public works board. If notice of such appeal is made in writing to the City Clerk within seven days of receipt of such notification, no discontinuation of service may be exercised under this section unless the Public Works Board has provided a hearing and unless the decision to discontinue service has been confirmed by the Public Works Board.
(e) 
If the property subject to a notice of discontinuation of service under Subsection B(1)(d) is located in the Town of Lake Mills, the Town Clerk shall also be sent a copy of the notice. Failure to comply with the notice requirement to the Town, if such failure is inadvertent or unintentional, shall not void any proceedings under this section to enforce the orders of the City to discontinue sewer service to a property located in the Town of Lake Mills.
(2) 
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following materials to any sewer connected to the City's treatment plant:
(a) 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F.
(b) 
Any water or wastes which may contain more than 100 milligrams per liter of malt, oil, grease or hexane extractable material, or substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between 32° and 150° F.
(c) 
Gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other combustible, flammable, or explosive liquid, solid or gas of whatsoever kind or nature.
(d) 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded.
(e) 
Any gases, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works.
(f) 
Any water or wastes having a pH lower than six or higher than nine or having any other corrosive properties capable of causing damage or hazard to sewers, structures, equipment or personnel of the waste treatment works.
(g) 
Any waters or wastes containing any toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process or that would constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or that could create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.
(h) 
Any waters or wastes containing BOD, suspended solids, or phosphorus of such character or quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant, except as may be permitted by specific, written agreement with the City, which agreement may provide for special charges, payments or provisions for treating the testing equipment.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(i) 
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance.
(j) 
Any amount of the following constituents exceeding that listed below:
mg/l
Aluminum
800.0
Arsenic
0.25
Barium
2.0
Boron
1.0
Cadmium
0.2
Chlorides
700.0
Chromium total
10.0
Chromium (Hexavalent)
0.6
Copper
2.5
Cyanide
0.9
Fluorides
1.2
Iron, total
56.0
Lead
1.5
Manganese
1.0
Mercury
0.0001
Nickel
1.5
Phenols
0.3
Selenium
1.0
Silver
0.1
Total Dissolved Solids
1,500.0
Zinc
5.0
(k) 
Ammonia nitrogen in such an amount as would cause the City to be in noncompliance with regulations of the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
(l) 
Any septage or holding tank wastes.
(m) 
No provision of this section shall be construed to provide lesser discharge standards than are presently or may hereafter be imposed or required by the United State Environmental Protection Agency or the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
C. 
Pretreatment.
(1) 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be installed by the industrial or commercial or institutional user at its own expense when, in the opinion of the City Engineer, such interceptors are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease, oils, or sand in excessive amounts, or any inflammable wastes, or such other harmful ingredients. Such opinion may be formed in whole or in part by taking into account § 623-20B(2), Limitations on Discharge. The requirement to install interceptors under this subsection shall not include individual residential users within the meaning established under Subsection C(1)(g)below. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the City Engineer, and shall be located such that they are easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. All interceptors shall be constructed and maintained by the user in accordance with the state plumbing codes and Subsection C(1)(a) through (f) and (2)of this section.
(a) 
General. All plumbing installations for users, other than individual dwelling units, where grease, fats, oil or similar waste products of cooking or food are introduced into the drain system shall be provided with grease or oil interceptors in accordance with this subsection. All drains and drain piping carrying oil, grease or fats shall be directed through one or more interceptors as specified in Subsection C(1)(b), (c) or (d) of this section.
(b) 
New plumbing systems. Notwithstanding the state plumbing codes, and unless otherwise exempted in this section, all new plumbing systems that discharge to the sewers shall be provided with one or more exterior grease interceptors.
(c) 
Altered or remodeled plumbing systems. Notwithstanding the state plumbing codes, all existing plumbing systems serving users other than individual residential users that are altered or remodeled as to that part of the plumbing system, and which discharges from kitchens or food processing areas shall be provided with one or more exterior grease interceptors.
(d) 
Existing installations. The City may require the installation of exterior or interior grease interceptors for existing plumbing installations where the capacity of the sewer system is reduced due to congealed grease, or where congealed grease downstream from the industrial, commercial or institutional user otherwise impairs the proper functioning of the sewer system.
(e) 
Exterior or interior grease interceptors shall receive the entire waste discharge from kitchens or food processing areas of commercial, industrial or institutional users required to install or maintain exterior or interior grease interceptors. All grease interceptors shall be designed, constructed, installed and maintained in accordance with the standards contained in the state plumbing code and any additional requirements from the City Engineer.
(f) 
The user required to install or maintain an interior or exterior grease interceptor shall maintain written records of all inspections and maintenance of each interceptor and all such records shall be maintained for a minimum of seven years. All such records shall be made available for on-site inspection by representatives of the City during all operating hours of the commercial, industrial or institutional user.
(g) 
For purposes of this section, a commercial user is a nonindustrial user that is also not an individual residential user or an institutional user. A multiple-family residential structure may constitute a commercial user if eight or more dwelling units are in the structure and if individual laterals are not provided for individual dwelling units, or if all laterals discharge to a private interceptor sewer. An industrial user is as defined in this article, but for purposes of this section, an industrial user may also be a noncommercial, noninstitutional, nonresidential user, provided the industrial user discharges wastewater of a character that reasonably allows the City Engineer to determine that the discharges from the user contain sufficient concentrations of grease or oil or sand to require that a grease or sand interceptor be installed. An institutional user is defined in this section as a user that is a governmental facility that discharges grease or oil from food service activities or other activities that reasonably allows the City Engineer to determine that the discharges are likely to contain sufficient concentrations of grease or oil or sand to require that a grease or sand interceptor be installed. In addition, the institutional user may also be defined as a school that serves food that is prepared or processed on site, or a similar facility that has wastewater characteristics which may, in the opinion of the City Engineer, warrant the installation of a grease or sand interceptor.
(2) 
Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the user, at his own expense, and shall be kept in continuous and efficient operation at all times.
(3) 
In the event City approves the admission of any materials into its sewers as set forth in § 623-20B(2) of this article, the City shall direct the user causing admission of any such materials to, at his own expense, construct, install and operate such preliminary treatment plants and facilities as may be required in order to:
(a) 
Reduce the BOD to 300 parts per million and the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight.
(b) 
Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in § 623-20B(2) of this article.
(c) 
Control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes.
(4) 
No preliminary treatment plant and facility shall be constructed or operated unless all plans, specifications, technical operating data, and other information pertinent to its proposed operating and maintenance shall conform to all City, State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and any other local, state or federal agency regulations, and unless written approval of the plans, specifications, technical operating data, and sludge disposal has been obtained from the State of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and any other local state or federal agency having regulatory authority with respect thereto.
(5) 
All such preliminary treatment facilities as required by this article shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operating condition by the user or person operating and maintaining the facility served thereby, and at the user's expense.
(6) 
No provision contained in this article shall be construed to prevent or prohibit a separate or special contract or agreement between the City and any industrial user whereby industrial waste and material of unusual strength, character, or composition may be accepted by the City for treatment, subject to additional payment therefore by the industrial user; provided, however, that such contract or agreement shall have the prior approval of the City.
(7) 
The City reserves the right to reject admission to the system of any waste harmful to the treatment or collection facilities or to the receiving stream.
D. 
Further limitations on wastewater strength.
(1) 
National categorical pretreatment standards as promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency shall be met by all users of the regulated industrial categories.
(2) 
State requirements and limitations on discharges to the treatment facility shall be met by all users that are subject to such standards in any instance in which they are more stringent than federal requirements and limitations or those in this or any other applicable ordinance.
(3) 
The City reserves the right to amend this article to provide for more stringent limitations or requirements on discharges to the treatment facility where deemed necessary to comply with the objectives set forth in this article.
(4) 
No user shall increase the use of potable or process water in any way, nor mix separate waste streams for the purpose of diluting a discharge as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with the standards set forth in this article.
(5) 
The City may impose mass limitations on users that are using dilution to meet the pretreatment standards or requirements of this article, or in other cases where the imposition of mass limitations is deemed appropriate by the City.
(6) 
Each user shall provide protection from accidental discharge of prohibited or regulated materials or substances established by this article. Where necessary, facilities to prevent accidental discharge of prohibited materials shall be provided and maintained at the user's cost and expense. Detailed plans showing facilities and operating procedures to provide this protection shall be submitted to the City for review, and shall be approved by the City before construction of the facility. Review and approval of such plans and operating procedures by the City shall not relieve the user from the responsibility to modify its facility as necessary to meet the requirements of this article.
(a) 
Users shall notify the City immediately upon the occurrence of a "slugload," or accidental discharge of substances prohibited by this article. The notification shall include location of discharge, date and time thereof, type of waste, concentration and volume, and corrective actions. Any user who discharges a slugload of prohibited materials shall be liable for any expense, loss or damage to the City wastewater facilities or wastewater treatment works, in addition to the amount of any fines imposed on the City on account thereof under state or federal law.
(b) 
Signs shall be permanently posted in conspicuous places on user's premises, advising employees who to call in the event of a slug or accidental discharge. Employers shall instruct all employees who may cause or discover such a discharge with respect to emergency notification procedure.
E. 
Private sewage treatment and disposal.
(1) 
Where a public sewer is not available, as set forth in § 623-20Aof this article, the building or structure shall be connected to a private sewer, and a disposal or treatment system shall be constructed in compliance with the terms and provisions of all applicable City, county, state and federal laws and regulations.
(2) 
Within 90 days after a property served by a private sewer or disposal system as described in this section shall become subject to the terms and provisions of § 623-20A(7) of this article, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer according to the terms and provisions of this article, and all private sewers, disposal systems, septic tanks, cesspools, and other appurtenances of such private sewer and disposal system shall be disconnected and abandoned and all openings, tanks, or other containers of human wastes, garbage and other wastes shall be permanently filled with granular material.
(3) 
The City shall not be responsible in any way for the operation and maintenance of a private sewer or disposal system or facility.
(4) 
No provision of this article shall be construed to provide lesser requirements for private sewers and disposal systems than are presently or may hereafter be imposed and required by any other local governmental body or the state or federal government.
F. 
Service of outlying territory. In accordance with § 66.0813, Wis. Stats., the City shall provide service to unincorporated lands located in the Town of Lake Mills, which lands were formerly located in the Rock Lake Sanitary District and are delineated on a map which is being approved contemporaneously with the adoption of this article, which shall be maintained at the office of the City Clerk and which is attached hereto as an exhibit. The extension of sanitary sewer service within the area described shall be conditioned upon an agreement between the City and the property owner requesting such service whereby the property owner agrees to reimburse the City, either directly or by special assessment, for the cost of extending sanitary sewer service to the property. The terms of the agreement shall be determined on the same considerations as if the property serviced were located in the City. The City shall have no obligation to provide service beyond the area delineated on the map that is made a part of this article.
G. 
Discharge permits.
(1) 
The City reserves the right to require a discharge permit from commercial or industrial users of the sewer, and, if the City does exercise the option, commercial or industrial users shall not discharge to a sewer without having first applied for and obtained a permit from the City. Upon official notification from the City, each commercial or industrial user presently discharging material to the sewer shall apply for and obtain such a discharge permit within 90 days from the date of such notification.
(2) 
The application for a discharge permit shall be made on a form provided for that purpose by the City, and shall be fully completed under oath by the property owner, user, or a duly authorized and knowledgeable officer, agent, or representative thereof, and acknowledged. If requested, the person making application shall also submit such scientific or testing data, or other information as may be required by the City. The City Engineer shall also have, at his discretion, the right to personally inspect the premises, equipment and material, and laboratory testing facilities of the applicant.
(3) 
A fee as set by City Council shall be charged for a discharge application or permit.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(4) 
No discharge permit shall be issued by the City to any person whose discharge of material to sewers, whether shown upon the application or determined after inspection and testing conducted by the City Engineer, is not in conformance with federal, state or city statutes, ordinances, rules and regulations, unless a waiver or variance of such standards and requirements is granted by the City in the manner hereinafter set forth. The City shall state in writing the reason or reasons for denial or requirement for waiver-variance and said written communication shall be mailed or personally delivered to the applicant within five days after denial.
(5) 
In the event the type of volume of material from property for which a discharge permit was previously granted shall materially and substantially change, the person granted such permit previously shall make a new application to the City, in the same manner and form as originally made.
(6) 
If the application for a new permit or for one because of change in the type or volume of material discharge is denied by the City, or if the discharge indicated from the permit application or inspection is not in accordance with the requirements of Subsection G(5) of this section, and a waiver or variance is required, the user may have the entire City Council review the denial or may request waiver-variance, provided the user shall give written notice of his request within 30 days after receiving the denial. The entire City Council shall review the permit application, the written denial, and such other evidence and matters as the applicant and City Engineer shall present at its next regular meeting following receipt of request for its review, and the decision of the entire City Council rendered publicly at said meeting shall be final.
(7) 
Should any discharge of material to a sewer materially and substantially differ in type and volume than shown in the application and permit, the person and user shall immediately, under order of the City Engineer, cease and desist from such discharge and shall also be subject to disconnection, fine and other penalties provided by this article.
(8) 
A grant of waiver or variance by the City Council may set forth such conditions, exceptions, time limitations, durations, and expirations as the Council deems necessary and proper.
H. 
Construction of sewers and connections for buildings.
(1) 
The construction of sewers and connections for buildings shall be made as required by the applicable ordinances of the City and by regulations of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources. Building drains-sanitary and buildings sewers-sanitary, together with all connections thereto, shall be constructed water tight to exclude all infiltration and inflow.
(2) 
A construction permit shall first be applied for and obtained from the City before a person, after the effective date of this article, can connect to any sewer located on properties within the corporate limits of the City or on properties outside the City where services have been contracted for with the City.
(3) 
Construction permits shall not be issued unless it has been determined by the City that there is capacity available in all downstream sewerage facilities.
(4) 
No plumber, pipe fitter, or other person will be permitted to do any plumbing or pipe fitting work in connection with the sewer system without first receiving a license from the State of Wisconsin and obtaining permission from the City Engineer or Building Inspector. All service connections to the sewer main shall comply with state plumbing code.
(5) 
Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided by the industrial user and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors, the user shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates and means of disposal that are subject to review by the City Engineer. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the user(s) personnel must be performed by currently licensed disposal firms.
I. 
Reporting criteria for nonresidential users.
(1) 
The City reserves the right to require any nonresidential user to submit quarterly to the City on forms provided by the City, a certified statement of the characteristics of its industrial wastes discharged in the sewers and treatment works of the City or to any sewers connected to its treatment works. This statement shall be filed with the City Engineer no later than the 10th day of the month following the quarter for which the report is required. The City Engineer may require additional certified statements at any time if, in his judgment, the same shall be necessary to determine the source of materials which have been found in the City sewer.
(2) 
The waste characteristics to be measured and certified by the user shall be:
(a) 
BOD in milligrams per liter.
(b) 
Suspended solids in milligrams per liter.
(c) 
Such other constituents of wastewater as directed by the City Engineer.
(3) 
Should there be a difference in understanding between the City and user as to the characteristics in this section, the City reserves the right to use the City results from analyses for purposes of billing. Should submission not be made during the ten-day period, the City shall use its results from analyses for purposes of billing.
(4) 
Whenever required by the City, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer that carries nonresidential wastewater or material shall install a large manhole or sampling chamber in the building sewer in accordance with plans and specifications which have been submitted to and approved by the City Engineer. Such device shall be installed and maintained at all times at the user's expense. Such device shall have ample room in each sampling chamber to accurately sample the wastewater effluent entering the sewer, and shall collect composite samples for analyses. The chamber shall be safely, easily and independently, of other premises and buildings of the user, accessible to authorized representatives of the City at all times. The City shall have exclusive access to such device, and no keys shall be in the possession of any user or any agent of the user. Where construction of such a device is not economically or otherwise feasible, the City Engineer may approve alternate arrangements for sampling.
(5) 
Each sampling chamber shall contain a Parshall flume, weir, or similar device with a recording and totalizing register for measuring liquid quantity; or the metered water supply to the industrial plant may be used as measure of liquid quantity where it is substantiated by the City Engineer that the metered water supply and waste quantities are approximately the same or where a measurable adjustment agreed to by the City Engineer is made in the metered water supply to determine the liquid waste quantity.
(6) 
Samples shall be taken periodically with such degree of frequency as the City Engineer shall, in his discretion, determine. They shall be properly refrigerated and composited in proportion to the flow so as to present a representative twenty-four-hour sample. Such sampling shall be done as prescribed by the City Engineer to insure representative quantities for the entire reporting period. Minimum requirements for determination of representative quantities or characteristics shall include reevaluation during each twelve-month period. The determination of representative quantities and characteristics shall include not less than seven consecutive calendar days of twenty-four-hour composite sampling taken during periods of normal operation, together with acceptable flow measurements.
(7) 
The sampling frequency, sampling chamber, metering device, sampling methods, and analyses of samples shall be subject, at any time, to inspection and verification by the City Engineer.
(8) 
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this section shall be determined in accordance with the Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater (latest edition) or with any other method approved by the City.
(9) 
The City may elect, at its option, to have the metering and sample collection done by the industrial plant personnel and have composite samples delivered to the City Engineer for analysis. This procedure can also be terminated at any time by the City upon reasonable notice.
J. 
Septic haulers.
(1) 
Nonindustrial users hauling liquid wastes to the treatment plant shall be assessed user charge unit charges for billable flow, billable BOD, billable TSS; and billable phosphorous; the volume of which is determined for each by the City Engineer.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(2) 
Liquid wastes hauled to the treatment plant containing concentrations of constituents in excess of the limits set forth in Subsections B(2) and D of this section shall not be accepted.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(3) 
Application for septage disposal. Between August 1 and September 1 of each year every licensed disposer wishing to discharge septage to the City sewerage system shall file a nonrefundable filing fee and an application in writing to the City Engineer on such a form as is prescribed for that purpose. During the months of July and August, forms for such application will be furnished at the office of the City Clerk. The application must state fully and truly the type, frequency, quantity, quality and location of generated septage to be disposed in the City sewerage system.
(a) 
During the month of September, the City Engineer will evaluate the applications and make a determination as to the amount and conditions of septage disposal in the City sewerage system. The City shall approve or reject all applications by October 1 of each year. If the City cannot accept all the proposed septage disposal then consideration shall be given first to those generators of septage that are within the City's sewer service area [see § NR 205.07(2)(f)].
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
(b) 
All City approvals for septage disposal shall have the conditions that any time the sewerage system has operational problems, maintenance problems, or threat of WPDES permit violations that are indirectly or directly related to septage disposal, the City may immediately restrict septage disposal until such time as corrective action or mitigative measures have been taken.
(4) 
Septage acceptance location.
(a) 
Septage shall only be discharged to the City's sewerage system by City-approved and State of Wisconsin licensed disposers and at locations, times, and conditions as specified by this article.
(b) 
Septage and holding tank waste shall be discharged to the septage receiving facility at the wastewater treatment facility and shall be limited to the posted normal working hours of the facility. Documentation of the discharge shall be submitted to the City Engineer within one working day of the discharge to the septage receiving facility.
(c) 
Forms as prescribed for the purpose of documentation of the discharge will be furnished at the City Hall and will include the following information:
[1] 
Name, address and telephone number of the hauler;
[2] 
License number;
[3] 
Type of septage;
[4] 
Quantity of septage;
[5] 
Estimated quality of septage;
[6] 
Location, date, time and feed rate of discharge to the sewer-age system;
[7] 
Source of septage;
[8] 
Name and address of septage generator;
[9] 
Other information as required by the City Engineer.
A. 
Inspection rights. The Director of Public Works, or authorized designee of the Director, bearing proper credentials and identification, shall have the right to enter the premises of any user within the corporate limits of the City, or outside the City if served by the sanitary sewer of the City of Lake Mills, to determine whether the user is complying with all requirements of this article or any wastewater discharge permit or order issued hereunder. Users shall allow the Director or authorized designee ready access to all parts of the premises for the purposes of inspection, observing, measuring, sampling, and testing, as may be required, in pursuance of the implementation and enforcement of the terms and provisions of this article.
B. 
Liability during inspections. While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in Subsection A of this section, the duly authorized employees of the City shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the commercial or industrial user, and the user shall be held harmless for injury or death to the City employees, and the City shall indemnify the user against loss or damage to its property by City employees and against liability claims and demands for personal injury or property damage asserted against the user and growing out of the gauging and sampling operation, except as such may be caused by negligence or failure of the user to maintain safe conditions.
C. 
Notwithstanding Subsection A, and as a standard to be used in evaluating requests for warrants under Subsection E, any inspections of private residences or those areas of commercial or industrial properties not open to the public shall be made only upon a showing of reasonable suspicion that the premises to be inspected is violating a provision of the sewer user ordinance.
(1) 
Such inspections shall be confined to only those areas where violations of the types that are suspected are likely to be found, unless a relevant violation of the sewer user ordinance is in plain sight during any such inspection.
(2) 
Reasonable suspicion to inspect a particular, individual property may be found under the totality of the circumstances, provided a reasonable articulation of the facts and circumstances surrounding the decision to inspect is articulated by the Director or authorized designee of the Director to the owner or legal occupant of the property at the time of the inspection, and at the time of making application for an inspection warrant if consent is not given for the inspection by the owner or legal occupant of the property.
D. 
In the case of inspections solely for the purpose of confirming that no sump pumps are unlawfully connected to the sanitary sewer, reasonable suspicion to inspect a particular property may be found if the inspector can articulate all of the following as the reasons for the inspection:
(1) 
The home or other building connected to sanitary sewer has not been inspected for the presence of sump pump connections to the sanitary sewer for a period of at least three years.
(2) 
The home or other building is located in a area that has been specifically designated by the sewer utility supervisor as an area where it is probable that adverse events, such as sewer backups into basements or an overflow of sewerage, may occur during periods of high flows if unlawful discharges from sump pumps to the sanitary sewer line or lines in the designated area are allowed to occur.
(3) 
The City Council of the City of Lake Mills has authorized inspections for unlawful sump pump connections to the sanitary sewer in the specifically designated area, and this authorization has been granted because the Council found that the designated area has a characteristic, such as lift stations or pumps, or a sewer main that has flows that are nearing capacity on high flow days, or some other similar reason that makes it probable that sewer backups or overflows will occur during periods of heavy rains or heavy snow melt if unlawful sump pump discharges are present in sewer lines in such designated area.
E. 
If the Director or designee has been refused access to a building, structure or property, or any part thereof that is the subject of the inspection, the Director or designee may seek issuance of a special inspection warrant, pursuant to Wisconsin Statutes § 66.0119, from the Lake Mills Municipal Court if the property is located in the City of Lake Mills, or from the Jefferson County Circuit Court if the property is located in the Town of Lake Mills.
F. 
In lieu of inspection by the City of Lake Mills, in the case of inspections solely for the purpose of confirming that no sump pumps are unlawfully connected to the sanitary sewer, any property owner may elect to hire a plumber licensed in the State of Wisconsin to provide written certification, which must be submitted to the sanitary sewer utility supervisor within 15 days of election, and if such written certification states that no sump pumps are connected to the sanitary sewer, then the inspection shall be considered completed.
A. 
Notice of noncompliance. When the Director of Public Works, or authorized designee, finds that a user has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, the Director or designee may serve upon that user a written notice of noncompliance. Within 30 days of the receipt of this notice, an explanation of the violation and a plan for satisfactory correction and prevention thereof, to include specific required actions, shall be submitted by the user to the Director. Submission of this plan in no way relieves the user of liability for any violations occurring before or after the receipt of the notice of noncompliance. Nothing in this subsection shall limit the authority of the Director to take any action, including emergency actions or any other enforcement action without first issuing a notice of noncompliance.
B. 
Notification of violation. When the Director of Public Works, or authorized designee, finds that a user has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, and has failed to provide an acceptable plan for corrective action as required in Subsection A of this section, the Director or designee may serve upon that user a written notice of violation. Within 30 days of the receipt of this notice, an explanation of the violation and plan for the satisfactory correction and prevention thereof, to include specific required actions, shall be submitted by this user to the Director. Submission of this plan in no way relieves the user of liability for any violations occurring before or after receipt of the notice of violation. Nothing in this section shall limit the authority of the Director to take any action, including emergency actions or any other enforcement action without first issuing a notice of noncompliance.
C. 
Consent orders. The Director of Public Works, or authorized designee, may enter into consent orders, assurances of voluntary compliance, or other similar documents establishing an agreement with any user responsible for noncompliance. Such documents will include a specific action to be taken by the user to correct the noncompliance within a time period specified by the document. Such documents shall have the same force and effect as the administrative orders issued pursuant to Subsections D and E in this section and shall be judicially enforceable.
D. 
Show cause hearing. The Director of Public Works, or authorized designee, may order a user which has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, to appear before the Board of Public Works and show cause why the proposed enforcement action should not be taken. Notice shall be served on the user specifying the time and place for the meeting, the proposed enforcement action, the reasons for such action and a request that the user show cause why the proposed enforcement action should not be taken. The notice of the meeting shall be served personally or by certified mail (return receipt requested) at least 10 days prior to the hearing. Such notice may be served on any authorized representative of the user. A show cause hearing shall not be a bar against, or prerequisite for, taking any other action against the user.
E. 
Compliance orders. When the Board of Public Works finds that a user has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, the Board may issue an order to the user responsible for the discharge directing that the user to come into compliance within a specified time period. If the user does not come into compliance within the time provided, sewer service may be discontinued unless adequate treatment facilities, devices or other related appurtenances are installed and properly operated. Compliance orders also may contain other requirements to address the noncompliance, including additional self-monitoring and management practices designed to minimize the amount of pollutants discharged to the sewer. A compliance order may not extend the deadline for compliance established for a pretreatment standard or requirement, nor does a compliance order relieve the user of liability for any violation, including any continuing violation. Issuance of a compliance order shall not be a bar against, or prerequisite for, taking any other action against the user.
F. 
Cease-and-desist orders. When the Director of Public works finds that a user has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, or that the user's past violations are likely to recur, the Director may issue an order to the user directing it to cease and desist all such violations and directing the user to:
(1) 
Immediately comply with all requirements; and
(2) 
Take such appropriate remedial or preventative action as may be needed to properly address a continuing or threatened violation, including halting operations and/or terminating the discharge.
(3) 
The issuance of a cease-and-desist order shall not be a bar against, or a prerequisite for, taking any other action against the user.
A. 
The Director of Public Works may immediately suspend a user's discharge, after informal notice to the user, whenever such suspension is necessary to stop an actual or threatened discharge which unreasonably appears to present or cause an imminent or substantial endangerment to the health or welfare of persons. The Director of Public Works may also, after notice and opportunity to respond, immediately suspend a user's discharge that threatens to interfere with the operation of the wastewater treatment plant, or which presents, or may present, an endangerment to the environment.
(1) 
Any user notified of a suspension of its discharge shall immediately stop or eliminate its contribution. In the event of a user's failure to immediately comply voluntarily with the suspension order, the Director of Public Works may take such steps as deemed necessary, including immediate suspension order. The Director may take such steps as deemed necessary, including immediate severance of the sewer connection, to prevent or minimize damage to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, its receiving stream, or endangerment to individuals. The Director may allow the user to recommence its discharge when the user has demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Director that the period of endangerment has passed, unless the termination proceedings under this section are initiated against the user.
(2) 
A user that is responsible, in whole or in part, for any discharge presenting imminent endangerment shall submit a detailed written statement, describing the causes of the harmful contribution and the measures taken to prevent any future occurrence, to the Director prior to the date of any show cause hearing under § 623-22D or prior to initiating termination proceedings under this section.
B. 
Nothing in this section shall be interpreted as requiring a hearing prior to any emergency suspension under this section.
In addition to the provisions of § 623-22 , any industrial or commercial user subject to pretreatment or a wastewater discharge permit who violates the following conditions is subject to discharge termination:
A. 
Violation of wastewater discharge permit conditions;
B. 
Failure to accurately report the wastewater constituents and characteristics of its discharge;
C. 
Failure to report significant changes in operations or wastewater volume, constituents and characteristics prior to discharge;
D. 
Refusal of reasonable access to the user's premises for the purpose of inspection, monitoring or sampling; or
E. 
Violation of the pretreatment standards in § 623-20C and Dof this article.
A. 
Injunctive relief. When the Public Works Director finds that a user has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, the Director may petition the Jefferson County Circuit Court through the City Attorney or Special Prosecutor for the issuance of a temporary or permanent injunction, as appropriate, which restrains or compels the specific performance of the wastewater discharge permit, order or other requirement imposed by this article on activities of the user.
B. 
The Director may also seek such other action as is appropriate for legal and/or equitable relief, including a requirement for the user to conduct environmental remediation. A petition for relief shall not be a bar against, or a prerequisite for, taking any other action against the user.
C. 
Civil penalties.
(1) 
A residential sewer user who has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, shall be liable to the City of Lake Mills for a maximum civil penalty of $1,000 per violation, per day. In the case of a monthly or other long-term average discharge limit, penalties shall accrue for each day during the period of violation.
(2) 
A commercial or industrial sewer user who has violated, or continues to violate, any provision of this article, wastewater discharge permit, order issued herein, or any pretreatment standard or requirement, shall be liable to the City of Lake Mills for a maximum civil penalty of $10,000 per violation, per day. In the case of a monthly or other long-term average discharge limit, penalties shall accrue for each day during the period of violation.
(3) 
The Director may recover reasonable attorneys' fees, court costs and other expenses associated with enforcement activities including sampling and monitoring expenses and the cost of any actual damages incurred by the City of Lake Mills.
(4) 
In determining the amount of civil liability, the court shall take into account all relevant circumstances, including, but not limited to, the extent of harm caused by the violation, the magnitude and duration of the violation, any economic benefit gained through the user's violation; corrective actions by the user, the compliance history of the user and any other factors as justice requires.
(5) 
Filing a suit for civil penalties shall not be a bar against, or a prerequisite for, taking any other action against a user.
A. 
The remedies provided for in this article are not exclusive. The Director of Public Works may take any, all or any combination of these actions against a noncompliant user.
B. 
The Director is empowered to take more than one enforcement action against any noncompliant user.