“Biochemical oxygen demand” (abbreviated as “BOD”) means the amount of dissolved oxygen used by biological organisms in water to break down organic material present in a given water sample over five days at 20 degrees Celsius. The five day BOD determination shall be made by a laboratory accredited by the state of Washington for this method in accordance with standard procedures.

“Day” or “daily” means a 24-hour period commencing at midnight and concluding with the following midnight.

“Flow” means that quantity or volume in gallons of wastewater discharged into the sanitary sewer system.

“Milligrams per liter” (abbreviated as “mg/L”) means a measurement of concentration that shows a unit of mass equal to one thousandth (10^-3) of a gram of a certain substance present in one liter of liquid.

“Septage” means the mixture of solid wastes, scum, sludge, and liquids pumped from within septic tanks, pump chambers, holding tanks, and other on-site sewage system components.

“Temporary discharge” means those wastewater discharges that are approved to provisionally be sent through the city’s wastewater collection system and can only be made upon written approval of the sewer authority. The rate structure detailed in BMC 15.12.180, 15.12.200 or 15.12.210 would apply based on the characteristics and strength of the temporary waste discharge.

“Total suspended solids” (abbreviated as “TSS”) means the amount of solids retained upon filtration through a glass fiber filter with a pore size 1.5 µm, from a sample of known volume. The TSS determination shall be made by a laboratory accredited by the state of Washington for this method in accordance with standard procedures.

“Utility service contract” means a contract providing the terms and conditions upon sewer districts or wholesale sewer customers are authorized to discharge water or wastes into the city’s sewer system.

“Wastewater” means liquid and water carried industrial wastes and sewage from residential dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial and manufacturing facilities, and institutions, whether treated or untreated, which are contributed to the flows received at the city of Bellingham’s wastewater treatment plant. [Ord. 2012-12-061 § 1].