City of Primghar, Iowa – Summary of Modifications to the Code of Ordinances,

Title II, Chapter 2, Article 4

The following is a summary of the modifications made to Title II, Chapter 2, Article 4 of the Primghar Code of Ordinances, Ordinance No. 2025-02. The full document “AN ORDINANCE AMENDING TITLE II, CHAPTER 2, ARTICLE 4, OF THE PRIMGHAR CODE OF ORDINANCES “ is available for review at Primghar City Hall located at 160 S. Hayes Ave., Primghar, IA between the hours of 8:00AM and 4:30PM Monday – Friday. The ordinance will become effective July 1, 2025.

Definitions for use in this summary include:

1. “Sanitary Sewage” means sewage discharging from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings (including apartment houses and hotels), office buildings, factories or institutions, and free from storm, surface water and industrial wastes. 2. “pH”: Means the logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution. It is used to indicate the concentration of free acid and alkali. 3. “B.O.D.” (denoting biochemical oxygen demand) Means the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days at twenty (20) degrees C., expressed in parts per million by weight. 4. “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. 5. “Superintendent” means the person assigned to supervise the sanitary sewage collection system and treatment works.

Modifications include:

1. Corrosive sanitary sewage must be neutralized within a pH range of 6.5 to 9.0. 2. Excessive BOD, solids, or flow, defined as sanitary sewage having a 5-day BOD greater than 250 parts per million by weight, wastes having total suspended solids greater than 250 parts per million by weight, total Kjeldahl nitrogen more than 50 parts per million by weight, or flow of greater than 2% of the average sewage flow of the City, shall be subject to the review of the superintendent. Where necessary in the opinion of the superintendent, the owner shall provide, at his/her expense, such preliminary treatment equipment necessary to comply with the limits specified above. Details regarding the pretreatment equipment shall be submitted for approval by the superintendent prior to construction. 3. Manholes, meters, sampling equipment: When required by the superintendent and authorized by the city council, buildings generating industrial waste shall install a suitable manhole, meter, and sampling equipment to facilitate sampling and observation of the waste. Costs are the responsibility of the building owner. 4. City staff shall be permitted to enter properties and be granted access to the sampling manhole for purposes of inspection and sampling. City staff are authorized to inquire into processes that have an effect on the wastewater system. 5. City staff shall follow safety rules applicable to the premises established by the business.

The provisions below from the Primghar Code of Ordinances Title II, Chapter 2, Article 4 remain unchanged in this amendment:

1. Section 4.06.4 – Permit Fee: Before any permit is issued, the person who makes the application shall pay a fee established by ordinance. This fee is set forth in Appendix A of the Primghar City Code and is available at the Office of the City Clerk. 2. Section 4.07.2 – Connection Fee: The City shall assess a fee for the initial connection of a sewer line in an amount equal to the total original cost to the City for extending the utility to the property to be served. The City may deduct any portion of this cost which has been previously assessed and paid. 3. Section 4.07.3 – Special Connection Charge: If the property to be connected to a public sewer has not been assessed for any part of the cost of construction of the public sewers, or has been assessed only as an unimproved lot, the owner shall pay a special connection charge to the city for the use of the public sewers before the permit is issued. The fee amount shall be determined by the council by ordinance. 4. Section 4.16 – Completion by City: Should any excavation be left open or partly refilled for twenty-four (24) hours after the private sewer is installed and connected with the public sewer, the superintendent shall have the right to finish or correct the work, and the council shall assess the costs to the property owner or the plumber. If the plumber is assessed, he must pay the costs before he can receive another permit. If the property owner is assessed, such assessment shall be collected with and in the same manner as general property taxes (Code of Iowa, Sec. 364.12(3h)). 5. Section 4.24 – Abatement of Violations: Construction or maintenance of building sewer lines located upon the private property of any owner which is in violation of any of the requirements of this article, with the exception of the requirements of Subsection 4.18(14) of this article, shall be corrected at the owner’s expense, within thirty (30) days after date of official notice from the council of such violations. If not made within such time the council shall, in addition to the other penalties provided, have the right to finish and correct the work and assess the cost thereof to the property owner. Such assessment shall be collected with and in the same manner as general property taxes (Code of Iowa, Sec. 364.12(3h)).

Published in O’Brien County’s Bell-Times-Courier May 22, 2025