14.30.020 Definitions.
“Best management practices” or “BMPs” means the schedule of activities, prohibition of practices, maintenance procedures, and structural, and/or management practices approved by Ecology that, when used singly or in combination, prevent or reduce the release of pollutants and other adverse impacts to waters of Washington State. BMPs are listed and described in the Gig Harbor stormwater management and site development manual, most recent version.
“Clean Water Act” means the federal Water Pollution Control Act (33 USC 1251 et seq.), and any subsequent amendments thereto.
“Hazardous materials” means any material, including any substance, waste, or combination thereof, which because of its quantity, concentration, or physical, chemical, or infectious characteristics may cause, or significantly contribute to, a substantial present or potential hazard to human health, safety, property, or the environment when improperly treated, stored, transported, disposed of, or otherwise managed.
“Illegal discharge” means any direct or indirect non-stormwater discharge to the stormwater drainage system, except as permitted or exempted in GHMC 14.30.050.
“Illicit connection” is defined as either of the following:
1. Any drain, conveyance, or hydraulic connection, whether surface or subsurface, which allows an illegal discharge to enter the stormwater drainage system including but not limited to any conveyances which allow sewage, process wastewater, or wash water to enter the stormwater drainage system and any connections to the stormwater drainage system from indoor drains and sinks, regardless of whether the connection had been previously allowed, permitted, or approved by the city or other authorized public agency.
2. Any drain or conveyance connected from a residential, commercial or industrial land use to the stormwater drainage system which has not been documented in plans, maps, or equivalent records and approved by the city.
“Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4)” or “stormwater drainage system” means the system of conveyances including sidewalks, roads with drainage systems, municipal streets, catchbasins, curbs, gutters, ditches, manmade channels, or storm drains owned and operated by the city and designed or used for collecting or conveying stormwater.
“National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) Phase II permit” means the Western Washington Phase II municipal stormwater permit issued by the Washington State Department of Ecology with an effective date of February 16, 2007, and subsequent reissues.
“Non-stormwater discharge” means any discharge to the stormwater drainage system that is not composed entirely of stormwater.
“Pollutant” or “pollution” shall be construed to mean such contamination or other alteration of the physical, chemical, or biological properties of any of the waters of the state including change in temperature, taste, color, turbidity, or odor of the waters or such discharge of any liquid, gaseous, solid, radioactive, or other substance into any waters of the state as will or is likely to create a nuisance or render such waters harmful, detrimental, or injurious to the public health, safety, or welfare, or to domestic, commercial, industrial, agricultural, recreational, or other legitimate beneficial uses, or to livestock, wild animals, birds, fish, or other aquatic life; as defined by federal regulatory requirements and RCW 90.48.020, as now existing or hereafter amended.
“Stormwater” means surface water runoff resulting from rainfall, snowmelt, or other precipitation.
Storm Drainage System. See “Municipal separate storm sewer system (MS4).”
“Wastewater” or “process wastewater” means any liquid or water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes into direct contact with or results from the production or use of any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product, or waste product.
“Watercourse” and “river or stream” means any portion of a channel, bed, bank, or bottom waterward of the ordinary high water line of waters of the state including areas in which fish may spawn, reside, or through which they may pass, and tributary waters with defined bed or banks, which influence the quality of fish habitat downstream. This includes watercourses which flow on an intermittent basis or which fluctuate in level during the year and applies to the entire bed of such watercourse whether or not the water is at peak level. This definition does not include irrigation ditches, canals, stormwater runoff devices, or other entirely artificial watercourses, except where they exist in a natural watercourse which has been altered by humans.
“Waters of the state” means all lakes, rivers, ponds, streams, inland waters, underground waters, salt waters, and all other surface waters and watercourses within the jurisdiction of the state of Washington as defined in Chapter 90.48 RCW. (Ord. 1347 § 3, 2016; Ord. 1168 § 2, 2009).