§ 23-21. Definitions; abbreviations.

(a)

Definitions. The following words, terms and phrases, when used in this article, shall have the meanings ascribed to them in this section, except where the context clearly indicates a different meaning. Words and phrases shall be read within their context and shall be construed according to the common and approved usage of the language. Technical words and phrases, and such others as may have acquired a peculiar and appropriate meaning in the law, shall be construed and understood according to such peculiar and appropriate meaning.

Biochemical oxygen demand means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures of five (5) days at twenty (20) degrees Celsius, expressed in parts per million (1,000,000) by weight, or milligrams per liter.

Building drain means that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes (not including storm drains) inside the walls of the building and which conveys it to the building sewer, ending five (5) feet outside the inner face of the building.

Building sewer means the piping extending from the building drain to the point of connection with the public sewer or other place of disposal.

Chemical oxygen demand means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the chemical oxidation of the chemically oxidizable carbonaceous contents found within the waste water sample, expressed in milligrams per liter or parts per million (1,000,000).

Garbage means the solid waste matter resulting from the preparation, cooking, or dispensing of food or from the handling, storage, or sale of produce or other food products.

Health department means the state department of health and hospitals, the director, or his duly authorized representative.

Industrial waste means the liquid waste resulting from industrial or other technical processes, trade, or business, distinct from sanitary sewage.

Infiltration means water other than waste water that enters a sewerage system (including sewer service connections) from the ground through such means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections, or manholes. Infiltration does not include, and is distinguished from, inflow.

Infiltration/inflow means the total quantity of water from both infiltration and inflow without distinguishing the source.

Inflow means water other than wastewater that enters a sewerage system (including sewer service connections) from sources such as roof leaders, cellar drains, yard drains, area drains, foundation drains, drains from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross connections between storm sewers and sanitary sewers, catch basins, cooling towers, storm waters, surface runoff, street wash waters, or drainage. Inflow does not include, and is distinguished from, infiltration.

Natural outlet means any outlet into a ditch, watercourse, pond, lake, or any other stream or body of surface water.

Nuisance means that which is dangerous to human life or detrimental to health; whatever building, structure, or premises are not sufficiently ventilated, sewered, drained, cleaned, or lighted, in reference to intended or actual use; and whatever renders the air or human food or drink or water supply unwholesome.

Official notice means any notice issued by the parish government by the following means:

(1)

Certified United States mail (return receipt).

(2)

Hand delivery.

(3)

Posting of such notice in a conspicuous place on the premises.

Parish government means the Terrebonne Parish Consolidated Government.

Payment of fees means the payment by check or money order with the check clearing the parish government's bank, made payable as required.

Person means any individual, partnership, copartnership, firm, company, corporation, association, joint-stock company, trust, estate, governmental entity or any other legal entity, or its legal representatives, agents or assigns.

pH means the logarithm (base 10) of the reciprocal of the concentration of hydrogen ions expressed in grams per liter of solution.

Plumbing means the practice, materials, and fixtures used in the installations, maintenance, extension, and alteration of all piping fixtures, appliances, and appurtenances in connection with any of the following: Sanitary drainage or storm drainage facilities, the venting system and the public or private water supply systems, within or adjacent to any building, structure, or conveyance; also the practice and materials used in the installation, maintenance, extension, or alteration of storm water, liquid waste or sewerage and water supply systems of any premises to their connection with any point of public disposal or other acceptable terminal.

Properly shredded garbage means garbage that has 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 inch in any dimension.

Public sewer means a sewer owned or controlled by the parish government to which property owners in the vicinity may have access. In general, the public sewer includes the main sewer in the street and the service branch, if any, to the curb or to the property line of the owner having access to the public sewer.

Sanitary code means the Sanitary Code: State of Louisiana as prepared by the office of public health and promulgated by the state department of health and hospitals, or their successors in function, as printed January 1, 1974, and all revisions.

Sanitary manner means:

(1)

Protect the public health, safety and welfare.

(2)

Prevent land, water or air pollution.

(3)

Prevent the spread of disease and the creation of nuisances.

(4)

Conserve natural resources.

(5)

Enhance the beauty and quality of the environment.

Sanitary sewage means:

(1)

Domestic wastewater with storm and surface water excluded.

(2)

Wastewater discharging from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings (including apartment houses and hotels), office buildings, industrial plants, or institutions.

Sanitary sewer means a sewer intended to only carry sanitary sewage or industrial wastes or a combination of both, and to which storm, surface and ground water are not intentionally admitted.

Septage means the solids produced in individual on-site wastewater disposal systems, principally septic tanks, cesspools and grease traps.

Sewage means any combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, and storm water as may be inadvertently present.

Sewage, normal means sewage having the following limiting characteristics:

(1)	B.O.D. 5-day 20 degrees C	200 mg/l (maximum)
(2)	Chlorine demand 15 minutes 68 degrees F	25 mg/l (maximum)
(3)	Suspended solids	200 mg/l (maximum)
(4)	Hydrogen ion concentration (pH)	5.0 to 9.0
(5)	Grease	50 mg/l (maximum)
(6)	Temperature	125°F (maximum)

 

Sewage treatment plant means any arrangement of equipment, devices and structures used for treating sewage.

Sewage works means any and all facilities for collection, pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage.

Sewer means the pipe or other conduit outside a building for conveying sewage.

Slug means 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-hour concentration of flows during normal operation of that particular customer. The number of slugs permitted over a given period of time shall be determined by the parish government based on the ability of the system to handle them. If it is considered harmful to the system, then no slugs shall be permitted.

Standard methods means Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater published by the American Public Health Association, latest edition. All sampling and testing procedures required under the provisions of this article shall be in accordance with Standard Methods.

Storm sewer means any sewer or natural or manmade drainage channel which carries storm and surface waters and drainage, but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, and other than unpolluted cooling water.

Suspended solids means 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.

User means any person who contributes, or causes or permits the contribution of, wastewater into the public sewer.

Watercourse means a channel in which a flow of storm, surface or ground water occurs continuously or intermittently.

(b)

Abbreviations. The following abbreviations shall have the designated meanings:

A.B.S.	—	American Building Standard.
A.S.T.M.	—	American Society for Testing and Materials.
B.O.D.	—	Biochemical oxygen demand.
C.	—	Celsius.
C.F.R.	—	Code of Federal Regulations.
C.O.D.	—	Chemical oxygen demand.
C.W.A.	—	Clean Water Act.
E.P.A.	—	Environmental protection agency.
F.	—	Fahrenheit
I.C.R.	—	Industrial cost recovery.
l.	—	Liter.
M.G.D.	—	Million gallons per day.
mg.	—	Milligrams.
mg/l	—	Milligrams per liter.
N.P.D.E.S.	—	National pollutant discharge elimination system.
P.O.T.W.	—	Publicly owned treatment works.
P.p.m.	—	Parts per million (1,000,000).
P.V.C.	—	Polyvinyl chloride.
Q.	—	Flow in gallons per day.
S.I.C.	—	Standard industrial classification.
SS	—	Suspended solids.
S.W.D.A.	—	Solid Waste Disposal Act, 42 U.S.C. 6901 et seq.
T.S.S.	—	Total suspended solids.
U.S.C.	—	United States Code.

 

(Parish Code 1979, § 19-221; Ord. No. 5156, 12-1-93)

State law reference

Definitions applicable to the Louisiana Environmental Quality Act, R.S. 30:1054.

Editor's note

Some of the provisions are included in the above section in case specific pretreatment standards are added to this article in the future.