OAR 860-037-0010
Definitions


As used in this division:

(1)

“Actual cost” means the direct cost of parts, materials, and labor of a specific item or project separated from indirect costs.

(2)

“Applicant” means a person that:

(a)

Applies for service with a wastewater utility; or

(b)

Reapplies for service at a new or existing location after service has been discontinued.

(3)

“Association” means an incorporated or unincorporated association of individuals or a homeowner association providing wastewater service, as defined in ORS 757.005 (Definition of public utility).

(4)

“Co-customer” means a person who meets the definition of “customer” and is jointly responsible with another person for payments for wastewater utility service on an account with the wastewater utility. If only one of the co-customers discontinues service in his/her name, the remaining co-customer shall retain customer status only if he/she reapplies for service in his/her own name within 20 days of such discontinuance, provided the wastewater utility contacts the co-customer or mails a written request for an application to the remaining co-customer within one business day of the discontinuance.

(5)

“Commission” means the Public Utility Commission of Oregon.

(6)

“Construction” includes installation of a new wastewater system or part thereof, or the alteration, repair, or extension of an existing wastewater system. The grading, excavation, and earth-moving work connected with installation, alteration, or repair of a system, or part thereof, is considered to be a part of the wastewater system construction.

(7)

“Contributions in aid of construction” means any money, service, or property received by a wastewater utility for capital expenditures at no cost to the utility and with no obligation to repay the benefactor.

(8)

“Cooperative” means a cooperative corporation as defined in ORS Chapter 62 (Cooperatives).

(9)

“Cost-based” means the direct and indirect costs of a specific item or project, including overhead and a reasonable return on investment.

(10)

“Customer” means any person, partnership, association, corporation, or governmental agency who has applied for, been accepted, and is currently receiving service unless otherwise noted. Notwithstanding section (2) of this rule, a customer who voluntarily terminates service and subsequently requests service with the same wastewater utility at a new or existing location within 20 days after disconnection retains customer status.

(11)

“Customer service line” means that portion of the sewer pipe extending from the end of the utility service connection to the structure or premises to be served. The customer service line is purchased, installed, maintained, repaired, and replaced as necessary by the customer and at the customer’s expense.

(12)

“DEQ” means the Oregon Department of Environmental Quality.

(13)

“Domestic wastewater” means the water-carried human waste, together with such groundwater infiltration and surface water that may be present that flow to wastewater treatment facilities from residences, buildings, industrial establishments, or other places.

(14)

“District” means a corporation as defined under ORS Chapter 553 (Water Control Districts).

(15)

“Emergency repair” means repair of a failing wastewater system when immediate action is necessary to relieve a situation in which sewage is backing up into a dwelling or building, or repair of a broken sewer pipe. It does not include the construction of new or additional installation, expansion, alteration, or repair of a system, or part thereof that does not constitute a public health hazard.

(16)

“Failing system” means a failing wastewater system or any wastewater system that discharges untreated or incompletely treated sewage or septic tank effluent, directly or indirectly, onto the ground surface, public waters, dwellings, or buildings.

(17)

“Formal complaint” means a written complaint filed with the Commission’s Administrative Hearings Division.

(18)

“Industrial/commercial wastewater” means any liquid, gaseous, radioactive, or solid waste substance or a combination thereof resulting from any process of industry, manufacturing trade, business, or from the development or recovery of any natural resource.

(19)

“Legal availability” means a wastewater system will be legally available for service if the system is not under a DEQ connection permit moratorium.

(20)

“Lift or pump station” means any pump, structure, equipment, or device, used to lift sewage or effluent to a higher elevation. Lift stations are considered a part of the wastewater collection system.

(21)

“Main line extension” means the extension of a main line to an area not previously served. If the main line extension is required at the request of a potential customer in order to receive service, the cost of such extension will comply with the wastewater utility’s main line extension policy.

(22)

“Pressure transport piping” means piping that conveys sewage or effluent under pressure into a common sewage system by means of a pump, siphon, or gravity.

(23)

“Public health hazard” means a condition whereby there are sufficient types and amounts of biological, chemical, or physical agents, including radiological, relating to sewage that are likely to cause human illness, disorder, or disability, or it is probable that the public is exposed to disease-caused physical suffering or illness due to the presence of inadequately treated sewage. These include, but are not limited to, pathogens, viruses, bacteria, parasites, toxic chemicals, and radioisotopes.

(24)

“Public utility” has the meaning given the term in ORS 757.005 (Definition of public utility) and 757.061 (Regulation of water utilities). The term does not include People’s Utility Districts (PUDs), municipalities, or cooperatives.

(25)

“Registered dispute” means an unresolved issue between a customer or applicant and a wastewater utility that is under investigation by the Commission’s Consumer Services Section or Utility Division staff, but is not the subject of a formal complaint.

(26)

“Service connection” means the physical connection of the utility service line and the customer service line and that portion of the sewer pipe extending from the sewer main line to the boundary line of the customer’s property, easement, public road, or street under which the sewer main line is located.

(27)

“System development charge (SDC) or fee” is the infrastructure charge to all potential customers by a wastewater utility prior to service being initiated. The SDC encompasses the total cost of the wastewater system proportionately allocated to all potential customers.

(28)

“Utility” means any wastewater utility, except when a more limited scope is explicitly stated.

(29)

“Utility service line” means that portion of the sewer pipe between the sewer main line and the customer’s property line. The utility service line is purchased, installed, maintained, repaired, and replaced as necessary by the utility and at the utility’s expense.

(30)

“Wastewater” means sewage or the water-carried human or animal waste from residences, buildings, industrial establishments, or other places, together with such groundwater infiltration and surface water that may be present. The admixture of domestic and industrial waste or other by-products, such as sludge, is considered sewage.

(31)

“Wastewater collection system” means all components including pipes, manholes, pumps, lift or pumping stations, and other components necessary to collect and transport domestic and/or industrial liquid waste from a community, individual, corporation, or entity that produces wastewater, sewage, or other waste treatable in a community or private wastewater treatment facility.

(32)

“Wastewater service” means the collection, transportation, treatment, and disposal of wastewater for the public or any other beneficial or necessary purpose. Wastewater service does not include septic pumping.

(33)

“Wastewater system” means any structure, equipment, or process required to collect, carry away, and treat sewage, including pipe or conduits, lift or pump stations, main lines, and other structures, devices, appurtenances, and facilities used for collecting, treating, or disposing of wastewater, or for collecting or conveying sewage to an ultimate point for treatment and disposal.

(34)

“Wastewater treatment facilities” includes all pipes, pumps, canals, lagoons, plant, structures, and appliances, and other real estate, fixtures, and personal property owned, operated, and controlled or managed in connection with or to facilitate the collection, transport, treatment, and disposal of wastewater for the public, or any other beneficial or necessary purpose.

(35)

“Wastewater treatment system” means any sewage treatment system. It includes all structures, facilities, equipment, or processes for treating, neutralizing, stabilizing, and/or disposing of domestic waste and sludge, including industrial waste discharged to sewage treatment works.

(36)

“Wastewater utility” means all public water utilities as defined ORS 757.005 (Definition of public utility) and 757.061 (Regulation of water utilities) that also provide wastewater service inside the boundaries of a city, either directly or through an affiliate, regardless of the number of customers receiving water or wastewater service.
860‑037‑0001
Scope and Applicability of Rules
860‑037‑0005
Applicability and Formal Requirements
860‑037‑0010
Definitions
860‑037‑0015
Information for Customers and Applicants
860‑037‑0020
Designation of Third Party to Receive Notices
860‑037‑0025
Dispute Resolution
860‑037‑0030
Applications for Water/Wastewater Utility Service
860‑037‑0035
Establishing Credit for Residential Service
860‑037‑0040
Deposit Payment Arrangements for Residential Wastewater Service
860‑037‑0045
Interest on Deposits for Residential and Nonresidential Service
860‑037‑0050
Refund of Wastewater Utility Deposits
860‑037‑0055
Installation of Wastewater Service Connection
860‑037‑0060
Installation of Main Line Extension
860‑037‑0065
Design, Construction, and Operation
860‑037‑0067
Wastewater Disposal
860‑037‑0070
Interruption of Service
860‑037‑0075
Refusal of Service
860‑037‑0080
Restrictions on Entering a Customer Residence
860‑037‑0095
Annual Fees Payable to the Commission by a Wastewater Utility
860‑037‑0097
Estimated Annual Fees Payable to the Commission by a Wastewater Utility
860‑037‑0101
Wastewater Service Charges
860‑037‑0105
Bill Forms
860‑037‑0110
Due and Payable Period
860‑037‑0115
Late-Payment Charge
860‑037‑0120
Adjustment of Bills
860‑037‑0125
Transfer Billings
860‑037‑0205
Grounds for Terminating Customer Wastewater Service by Disconnecting Water Service
860‑037‑0210
Voluntary Water Disconnection for Wastewater Service
860‑037‑0215
Emergency Water Disconnection for Wastewater Service
860‑037‑0220
Disconnection of Water Service on Weekends and Holidays
860‑037‑0225
Accounts Not Related to Residential Service
860‑037‑0230
Disconnection of Wastewater Service to Tenants
860‑037‑0235
Multilingual Disconnection Notice
860‑037‑0240
Reconnection Fee
860‑037‑0245
Disconnection Procedures for All Customers of Wastewater Utility Services
860‑037‑0307
Wastewater Utility Compliance Enforcement by Commission Appointment of Regent to Operate and Manage a Wastewater System
860‑037‑0308
Expenditure of Fees Collected Under ORS 756.310 to Make Emergency Repairs
860‑037‑0309
Commission-Assessed Civil Penalties for Noncompliance
860‑037‑0310
Maps and Records
860‑037‑0320
Location of Underground Facilities
860‑037‑0325
Construction, Safety, and Reporting Standards for Wastewater Utilities
860‑037‑0330
Attachments to Poles and Conduits Owned by Public, Telecommunications, and Consumer-Owned Utilities
860‑037‑0405
Relating to New Wastewater Utilities
860‑037‑0407
Request for Rate Regulation of an Association within the Boundaries of a City
860‑037‑0410
Tariff Specifications
860‑037‑0415
Tariff Contents
860‑037‑0420
Tariff Changes Require 30 Days’ Notice to the Commission
860‑037‑0425
Announcement of Tariff Changes
860‑037‑0430
Applications to Make Tariffs or Rate Schedules Effective on Less Than Statutory Notice
860‑037‑0435
Requirements for Filing Tariffs or Schedules Changing Rates
860‑037‑0440
Requirements for Filing Tariffs or Schedules Naming Increased Rates
860‑037‑0445
Tariff Changes Effective with Service Rendered
860‑037‑0450
Notice to Interested Persons
860‑037‑0505
Form and Filing of Applications
860‑037‑0510
Notice and Approval Requirements Relating to the Sale, Transfer, Merger, Termination, Abandonment, or Disposal of a Wastewater Utility
860‑037‑0515
Applications for Authority to Sell, Lease, Assign, Mortgage, Merge, Consolidate, or Otherwise Dispose of or Encumber its Property, or to Acquire Stock, Bonds, or Property of Another Public Utility
860‑037‑0517
Acquisition Adjustment
860‑037‑0520
Application by a Wastewater Utility for Authority to Issue Wastewater Stocks, Bonds, Notes, or Other Securities
860‑037‑0525
Applications for Authority to Guarantee Indebtedness
860‑037‑0530
Applications for Approval of Transactions Between Affiliated Interests
860‑037‑0535
Information Required Regarding Wastewater Utility Goods or Services Provided to Affiliated Interests
860‑037‑0540
Timeliness of Applications Made Under OAR 860-037-0530 and Filings Made Under OAR 860-037-0535
860‑037‑0545
Applications for Waiver of Requirements Under OARs 860-037-0530 and 860-037-0535
860‑037‑0547
Allocation of Costs by a Wastewater Utility
860‑037‑0550
Special Contracts
860‑037‑0555
Relating to City Fees, Taxes, and Other Assessments
860‑037‑0560
Relating to Local Government Fees, Taxes, and Other Assessments
860‑037‑0565
Accounting for Director’s Fees
860‑037‑0567
Accounting for Contributions in Aid of Construction (CIAC)
860‑037‑0570
Accounting for Construction Work In Progress (CWIP)
860‑037‑0605
Preservation and Destruction of Records
860‑037‑0610
Uniform System of Accounts for Wastewater Utilities
860‑037‑0625
Annual Reports
860‑037‑0630
Use of Deferred Accounting as it Applies to Wastewater Operations by Wastewater Utilities
Last Updated

Jun. 8, 2021

Rule 860-037-0010’s source at or​.us