[Adopted 4-20-2005 by Ord. No. 103]
The Township of Middlesex has updated its Act 537 Plan to provide for
public sanitary sewage within the Township of Middlesex. The Township has
delegated to the Saxonburg Area Authority the right and power to provide public
sanitary sewage service. As part of the development of a public sanitary sewage
system, the Township has determined the mandatory connection to the public
sanitary sewage system is required in order to assure the economic viability
of the public sanitary sewer system. This article is to provide for the mandatory
connection to the public sanitary sewer system, to provide for the abandonment
and destruction of existing privy vaults, cesspools and septic tanks and to
provide penalties for failure to comply with this article.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings
indicated:
The Saxonburg Area Authority.
The person appointed or employed by the Saxonburg Area Authority
to inspect public sewers, water lines, building sewers and all other connections
between occupiable homes or other buildings and the public sewers and water
lines.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A man-made structure attached to or into the ground enclosing or
covering a volume of space, and intended to shelter or contain people, animals,
businesses and activities associated with any of them.
[Added 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which
receives the sewage inside the walls of a building and conveys it to the building
sewer beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
That part of the drainage system that extends from the end of the
building drain and conveys the discharge to the public sanitary sewer.
[Added 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A building designed for human occupancy in which individuals congregate
for any purpose and which is equipped with means of egress and plumbing facilities
for water to be used by the occupants of the building.
[Added 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
Individual, partnership, association, company, corporation, municipality,
municipal authority or political subdivision, or any agency of the federal
or state government. The term includes the officers, employees and agents
of any partnership, association, company, corporation, municipality, municipal
authority or political subdivision, or any agency of the federal or state
government.
A sanitary sewer maintained and operated by the Saxonburg Area Authority.
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights
and is controlled by public authority.
A sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwater, surface waters,
and groundwaters are prohibited.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A combination of water-carried wastes from the residence, business
and commercial buildings, apartments, institutions and industrial establishments.
Sewage shall not include industrial waste, which shall be pretreated prior
to placement into the public sanitary sewer system.
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
Mandatory.
[Added 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A sewer which carries storm and surface waters and drainage but excludes
sewage and polluted industrial wastes.[1]
The Township of Middlesex.
[1]
Editor's Note: The former definition of "suspended solids," which
definition immediately followed this definition, was repealed 3-21-2007 by
Ord. No. 110.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A.
Within 60 days after the passage of this article, the
owner or owners of all occupiable buildings located on premises accessible
to a public sanitary sewer shall connect, or cause to be connected, the building
or buildings with the public sanitary sewer to which the property is accessible.
For purposes of discerning accessibility, it shall be presumed that any building
located within 150 feet of a public sanitary sewer is accessible to such sanitary
sewer.
B.
As public sanitary sewers are laid and provided in other
and additional areas of the Township of Middlesex, the owners of all occupiable
buildings accessible to such public sanitary sewers so laid and constructed
shall, within 60 days, connect or cause to be connected any occupiable buildings
with the sanitary sewer to which the property becomes accessible.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
When connection has been made with the public sanitary sewer, the owner
or owners of such property shall forthwith abandon any and all privies, privy
vaults, cesspools and septic tanks then existing on said premises and shall
use them no longer. Such abandoned privies, privy vaults, cesspools and septic
tanks shall have pumped from them all sewage, septage or other waste and shall
cause them to be filled with sand or other acceptable material. Any and all
connection or connections with the occupiable building which was served by
any privy, privy vaults, cesspools and septic tanks shall be broken and destroyed
in such a manner that sanitary sewage can no longer enter therein.
A.
From and after the passage of this article, it shall
be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to erect or construct any
privy, privy vault, cesspool or septic tank, or any other type of disposal
receptacle or structure in, on or under any premises accessible to any public
sanitary sewer in the Township of Middlesex.
B.
From and after the passage of this article, it shall
be unlawful for any person to connect with any privy, privy vault, cesspool,
septic tank or any other type of disposal, receptacle or structure to any
public sanitary sewer in the Township of Middlesex.
C.
From and after the passage of this article, it shall
be unlawful in areas where public sanitary sewers have been provided and where
the owner or owners of premises have connected with the public sanitary sewer,
or are by this article duly bound to do so, to connect the occupied building
with a privy, privy vault, cesspool, septic tank or any other type of disposal,
receptacle or structure.
All connections to the sewer lines that are part of the public sanitary
sewer system of the Township of Middlesex shall be made in accordance with
the rules and regulations adopted by the Authority. Any abandonment of any
existing privy, privy vault, cesspool or septic tank or other disposal, receptacle
or structure shall be made in accordance with rules and regulations adopted
by the Authority.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
A.
No basement seepage, groundwater drainage, foundation
drain or storm drain or any other nonsewage source of water shall be discharged
into the sanitary sewer system, and all applicants desiring connection to
the public sanitary sewage system shall certify that no groundwater, seepage
drains, foundation drains or storm drains are or shall be connected to the
public sanitary sewage system. After connection to the sewer is made, the
applicant shall maintain the house system in such a manner that no such seepage,
groundwater drainage, foundation drains or storm water drains enter the sanitary
sewage system.
B.
No downspouts, roof drainage or surface or area drainage
shall be connected into the public sanitary sewage system, and before attachment
to the sewer system, the property owner or applicant for service shall remove
such connections and adequately and rightly plug his system to prevent the
entrance of the downspouts, roof or surface or area drainage into the public
sanitary sewer system. After connection to the sewer system, no downspouts,
roof drainage or surface or area drainage shall be connected to the sewer
lateral, any part of the plumbing system that discharges to the public sanitary
sewer system or any part of the public sanitary sewage system.
Each user of the public sanitary sewer system, before connections are
made thereto, shall provide the necessary piping, venting and connections
as required by the rules and regulations of the Authority.
No cross-connections shall be made between the sanitary sewer system
and the potable water system whereby vacuums or back siphonage could permit
sanitary waste to enter the potable water system. No cross-connections shall
be made between the sanitary sewage system and the storm drains or storm sewers.
[Amended 3-21-2007 by Ord. No. 110]
The Authority and Township, and their agents and employees, shall be
permitted to enter upon all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation,
sampling, testing and retesting in accordance with rules and regulations adopted
by the Authority.
A.
If the owner or owners of any occupied building or buildings
shall neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions of this article, the
Township of Middlesex may serve a written notice upon said owner or owners,
or upon the tenant or party in possession of the premises if the owner or
owners cannot be found on said premises, requiring said owner or owners to
comply in every respect with the provisions of this article within 30 days
after the service of such notice, and if the owner or owners shall neglect
or refuse to comply with the notice, the Township of Middlesex may perform
or cause to be performed such work and labor, and furnish or cause to be furnished
such material as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of this article
at the cost and expense of the owner or owners, together with 10% in addition
thereto. All charges and expenses incident to such connection by the Township
of Middlesex, which sum shall be collected from said owner or owners, for
the use of the Township of Middlesex as debts are by law collectible or the
said Township of Middlesex may, by the proper officer, file a municipal claim
or lien therefor against said premises as provided by the Act or Acts of Assembly.
B.
In addition to any penalty hereinabove prescribed, any
person violating any of the provisions of this article shall be subject to
a fine of not less than $100 nor more than $500, and in default of payment
thereof, be sentenced to undergo an imprisonment of not less than five days
nor more than 30 days.
C.
In addition to any of the penalties set forth above,
any person who fails to connect to the public sanitary sewer as required under
this article, and such failure to connect continues for a space of 30 days
after written notice to do so, shall become liable for the monthly minimum
charge for sanitary sewer service, and such charge shall continue regardless
of whether service has been established to the property.
