Section 19-27. Declaration of Pubic Utility.
The sanitary sewage system of the Town of Tryon is hereby declared to be a public utility, and a proper source of revenue for the upkeep and maintenance of the system and for other purposes.
Section 19-28. Definitions.
For the purpose of this Article, certain terms and words are to be used and interpreted as defined hereinafter:
- “Sanitary sewage system” includes all sanitary sewer trunk lines, main lines, sub-main lines, lateral lines, and sewage treatment plants, and all sewer lines connected to the town’s sewage treatment plants, whether owned by the town or not.
- “Sanitary Sewage” means liquid waste which may or may not contain solids discharged into the sanitary sewage system from a dwelling, business building, factory, institution, or other property.
- “Customer” means the owner or property served by a water connection, or tenants, lessee, renter, establishment, institution, or occupant of such property, or the person in or against whose name the water connection for such property is listed on the books and records of the Town of Tryon and who is responsible to the Town for the payment of bills incurred for water furnished to the property, and for by such property for the sanitary sewage system of the Town, either or both.
- “User” means a water customer, as defined above, whose property also discharges sanitary into the sanitary sewage system of the Town of Tryon.
- “Sewer service rate” means the charge fixed for the user based upon the gallon amount of sanitary sewage determined to be discharged into the sanitary sewage system of the Town of Tryon.
- “Sewer service charge” means the charge fixed for the user based upon the gallon amount of sanitary sewage determined to be discharged into the sanitary system of the Town multiplied by the sewer service rate.
Section 19-29. Sewer Service Charge.
- For the purpose of providing funds for the maintenance of the sanitary sewage system and for other purposes, there is hereby fixed and established charges for the use of the sanitary sewage system to be levied against each respective user thereof as follows:
- $17.25 minimum sewer charge for the first 1,000 gallons of water usage;
- $2.25 as sewer charge for water usage from 1,001 gallons to 2,000 gallons;
- $2.25 as sewer charge for water usage from 2,001 gallons to 3,000 gallons;
- $2.25 as sewer charge for every 1,000 gallons in excess of 3,001 gallons.
- Except as herein otherwise expressly provided, each person, firm, corporation, association, institution, or establishment from whose property or premises sanitary sewage is discharged into the sanitary sewer system of the Town of Tryon, Oklahoma, but who is not a water customer of the Town or who also obtains water from another source, is hereby required to meter, as its source, the quantity of water used with an appropriate meter to be approved by the Town, and to pay a monthly sewer service charge based upon the amount of water thus metered.
Section 19-30. Exceptions.
Exceptions to the above sewer service charge are provided as follows:
- In lieu of metering water at its source, any person, firm, corporation, association, institution, or establishment from whose property or premises sanitary sewage is discharged into the sanitary sewage system of the Town of Tryon where the charge based upon the quantity of water metered to such user does not reasonably determine the amount of sewer discharged by the applicant into the sanitary sewer system under the special facts and conditions shown to exist so that the sewer service charge to the applicant will be just, fair, and equitable. The sewer service rate contained herein is designed to compensate for the normal discrepancies in water metered and sanitary sewage discharged as a result of summer lawn watering, and no adjustment shall be made for summer lawn watering.
- That where industrial wastes having excessive concentrations of suspended solids or biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) are permitted to be discharged into the Town sewer system, a surcharge shall be levied in addition to the charges established under the rate schedule. The surcharge shall be 3.09 cents for each pound of 200 parts per million, and 6.97 cents for each pound of BOD in excess of the normal concentration of 222 parts per million. The sewer inspector shall determine the quantity and strength of the waste, or the user may install measuring devices and perform tests satisfactory to the sewer inspector, and the result thereof may be used to compute the amount of the surcharge.
- Any person, firm, corporation, or association which uses any house, building, or property for human occupancy or other human use shall be exempted hereunder if such structure is not within one hundred fifty (150) feet of any public sewer.
Section 19-31. Collections.
The sewer service charge for the use of the sanitary sewerage system shall be billed to each user monthly, along with the bill for water and other services, and the Town Clerk is hereby directed not to accept payment of the bill for water and other services unless such payment is accompanied with the sewer service charge. The failure to pay a sewer service charge when due shall be cause for discontinuing and disconnecting either the sewer or all of the connections.