City of Harrisburg, PA Sanitary Sewer Rentals

There is imposed upon each property in the City served by the sewer system, and having the use thereof, rates and rental charges, payable as hereinafter provided, for the use, whether direct or indirect, of the sewer system, based on the rates as set forth in this chapter.

[1]

Editor's Note: This section derives from Ord. No. 12-1976.

§ 9-503.3 Sewer rental payment by property owner. [1]

All persons owning property connected to, and from which sanitary sewage or industrial wastes are discharged into, the sewer system shall pay to the City rates and rental charges for each service period in accordance with the schedule or rates set forth in this chapter.

[1]

Editor's Note: This section derives from Ord. No. 12-1976.

§ 9-503.4 Rate categories for City customers. [1]

Metered residential water customers and nonresidential establishments.

(1)

All owners of nonresidential establishments and owners of residential property provided with metered water service by the City shall, subject to the exceptions set forth hereafter, pay a sewage service charge based on actual volume of water consumed and computed at the volume rate set forth in § 9-503.7, as amended from time to time.

(2)

For the purpose of determining the actual volume of water consumed, there shall be included metered water purchased from the City and all water obtained from sources other than the City, in each case as determined from meters installed and maintained by the City, or from meters installed and maintained by any such person, or from estimates or measurements by the City.

(3)

For all such customers, the sewage service charges shall be based upon water consumed, as above determined and subject to Subsection B hereof, during the water service period immediately preceding the service period in which the sewer billing is rendered.

Nonresidential establishments that exclude wastewaters from sewer systems.

(1)

Exclusion from the sewer system of noncontaminated wastewaters may be required of a nonresidential establishment by the City, or such exclusion may be optional with the property owner if not required by the City. When such wastewaters are excluded, or when any other portion of the water consumption of a nonresidential establishment does not reach the sewer system, sewer rental rates and charges shall be based upon water consumption, less water excluded.

(2)

The water so excluded may be determined from meters installed and maintained by the City or by the person owning the property concerned or from estimates or measurements by the City. However, any nonresidential establishment or any industrial establishment, upon order of the City, shall install, pay for and maintain a meter approved by the City for measuring the volume of wastewater discharged into the sewer system, in which case the sewer rental shall be based upon the actual volume of wastes so measured and shall be computed at the volume rate set forth under § 9-503.7.

Nonmetered residential establishments. All persons owning residential property connected to the sewer system and having an unmetered water source shall pay a flat rate sewer rental per residence per year as set forth in § 9-503.7 or its adjusted equivalent for service periods of less than a year.

Nonresidential and industrial establishments that discharge excess-strength wastes to sewer system. See § 9-503.6 for relevant provisions.

[1]

Editor's Note: This section derives from Ord. No. 12-1976.

§ 9-503.5 Charges payable by suburban municipalities. [1]

Residences and nonresidential establishments. Billings by the City to suburban municipalities for residential properties and nonresidential establishment customers of suburban municipalities shall be based on the sewer rental rates as set forth in § 9-503.7 for persons whose wastewater is ultimately discharged by the respective municipality into the Harrisburg Conveyance System or the Steelton Conveyance System. Billings by the suburban municipalities to their respective customers shall be based on either the volume rate or the flat rate as specified by the respective suburban municipalities.

Nonresidential establishments and industrial establishments that discharge excess-strength wastes to wastewater system. See § 9-503.6 for relevant provisions.

[Ord. No. 43-1990]

[1]

Editor's Note: This section derives from Ord. No. 12-1976.

§ 9-503.6 Charges payable by significant industrial users.

[Ord. No. 43-1990]

A significant industrial user discharging, directly or indirectly, into the sewer system wastewaters having an average five-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD) greater than 290 mg/L, or a suspended solids content (SS) greater than 380 mg/L, or total phosphorus (P) content greater than 10 mg/L shall pay to the Department a strength-of-waste surcharge in addition to applicable volume charges. Such surcharges shall be determined in accordance with rates set forth in § 9-503.7 and shall be billed by the Department to the significant industrial user. The strength of wastewaters to be used for establishing the amount of surcharges shall be determined at least once annually either:

(1)

By suitable sampling and analysis of the wastewaters for three consecutive days during a period of normal discharge; or

(2)

From estimates made by the City; or

(3)

From known relationships of products produced to strengths of wastewaters for those users for which such factors have been established.

In establishing wastewater strengths for surcharge purposes by analysis, analyses shall be made in accordance with procedures outlined in the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," published by the American Public Health Association, Inc., or any method approved by the EPA. Owners of industrial establishments discharging domestic and/or industrial wastewater to the sewer system shall furnish the Department, upon request, all information deemed essential for determination of applicable sewer rental surcharges for excess-strength wastes. The cost of obtaining such information shall be borne by the owners of such industrial establishments.

§ 9-503.7 Rates, rentals and charges.

[Ord. No. 38-1995; amended 12-31-2002 by Ord. No. 32-2002; 12-22-2004 by Ord. No. 43-2004; 12-21-2006 by Ord. No. 25-2006]

Effective January 1, 2007, there are hereby established rates or charges for the use and services of the wastewater facilities of the City. Such rates and charges shall be based upon the volume of water supplied to each customer according to water meter reading or average estimated dwelling unit equivalent. The gross rate established is that set forth in Subsection C hereof, which gross rate is the applicable sum total of user charges for operating and maintenance charges of the wastewater facilities as set forth in Subsection C(1) hereof and that portion of charges applicable to rental and other obligations of the City as imposed by the lease entered into between the City and The Harrisburg Authority as set forth in Subsection C(2), (3) and (4) hereof.

The rates set forth under the column captioned "payable by suburban municipalities" are set forth on a per-customer basis. These rates shall be charged by the City to the suburban municipalities under the service agreement dated September 15, 1976, as amended. The suburban municipalities shall pay the statements as issued by the City to the respective municipalities. The municipalities shall be responsible for billing their respective customers.

Total sewer rental rates payable with respect to the wastewater facilities [the total of Subsection C(1), (2), (3) and (4) below]:

					Payable by Suburban Municipalities Per Customer
		Harrisburg Customers			Harrisburg Conveyance System	Steelton Conveyance System
Volume Rate
Dollars per volume of water consumed		$26.038 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$3.481 per 1,000 gallons	$2.966 per 1,000 gallons	$2.390 per 1,000 gallons
Flat Rate
Dollars per residential property per year		$226.27			$192.79	$155.35
*Strength of Waste Surcharges (See Note below.)**
Pollutant	Threshold
BOD	290 mg/L	$1.10 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.15 per 1,000 gallons	$0.15 per 1,000 gallons	$0.11 per 1,000 gallons
SS	380 mg/L	$0.83 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.11 per 1,000 gallons	$0.11 per 1,000 gallons	$0.11 per 1,000 gallons
P	10 mg/L	$16.30 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$2.18 per 1,000 gallons	$2.21 per 1,000 gallons	$2.21 per 1,000 gallons

NOTE: * Strength of waste surcharges are expressed as cents per volume of water consumed for each mg/L by which the pollutant exceeds the threshold.

(1)

Sewer rental attributable to operation, maintenance and administration expenses.

					Payable by Suburban Municipalities Per Customer
		Harrisburg Customers			Harrisburg Conveyance System	Steelton Conveyance System
Volume Rate
Dollars per volume of water consumed		$20.039 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$2.679 per 1,000 gallons	$2.481 per 1,000 gallons	$2.064 per 1,000 gallons
Flat Rate
Dollars per residential property per year		$174.14			$161.27	$134.16
*Strength of Waste Surcharges (See Note below.)**
Pollutant	Threshold
BOD	290 mg/L	$0.88 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.12 per 1,000 gallons	$0.12 per 1,000 gallons	$0.12 per 1,000 gallons
SS	380 mg/L	$0.66 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.09 per 1,000 gallons	$0.09 per 1,000 gallons	$0.09 per 1,000 gallons
P	10 mg/L	$12.32 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$1.64 per 1,000 gallons	$1.64 per 1,000 gallons	$1.64 per 1,000 gallons

NOTE: * Strength of waste surcharges are expressed as cents per volume of water consumed for each mg/L by which the pollutant exceeds the threshold.
The sewer rental rates presented above in this Subsection C(1) are the user charges relative to the wastewater facilities as defined by regulations of the United States Environmental Protection Agency published in the Federal Register, February 11, 1974.

(2)

Sewer rental attributable to 1984 and 1988 Series A lease rental and related revenue requirements.

					Payable by Suburban Municipalities Per Customer
		Harrisburg Customers			Harrisburg Conveyance System	Steelton Conveyance System
Volume Rate
Dollars per volume of water consumed		$3.127 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.418 per 1,000 gallons	$0.482 per 1,000 gallons	$0.323 per 1,000 gallons
Flat Rate
Dollars per residential property per year		$27.17			$31.33	$21.00
*Strength of Waste Surcharges (See Note below.)**
Pollutant	Threshold
BOD	290 mg/L	$0.20 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons
SS	380 mg/L	$0.15 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons	$0.02 per 1,000 gallons
P	10 mg/L	$1.64 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.21 per 1,000 gallons	$0.24 per 1,000 gallons	$0.25 per 1,000 gallons

NOTE: * Strength of waste surcharges are expressed as cents per volume of water consumed for each mg/L by which the pollutant exceeds the threshold.

(3)

Sewer rental attributable to Series B lease and related revenue requirements.

				Payable by Suburban Municipalities Per Customer
	Harrisburg Customers			Harrisburg Conveyance System	Steelton Conveyance System
Volume Rate
Dollars per volume of water consumed	$1.803 per 1,000 cubic feet	or	$0.241 per 1,000 gallons	N/A	N/A
Flat Rate
Dollars per residential property per year	$15.66			N/A	N/A

(4)

Sewer rental attributable to the 1996 PENNVEST loan, pension fund loan and related revenue requirements.

			Payable by Suburban Municipalities Per Customer
	Harrisburg Customers		Harrisburg Conveyance System	Steelton Conveyance System
Volume Rate	Per 1,000 cubic feet	Per 1,000 gallons	Per 1,000 gallons	Per 1,000 gallons
Dollars per volume of water consumed	$1.070	$0.143	$0.003	$0.003
Flat Rate
Dollars per residential property per year	$9.30		$0.20	$0.20

§ 9-503.8 City's right of entry.

For the purpose of determining the amount of sewer rental payable under the provisions set forth in §§ 9-503.3 through 9-503.7, the City shall have access at all reasonable times without delay to all properties using the sewer system and any meters used for establishing or determining water consumption, water excluded from the sewer system and sewage or wastewater discharged into the sewer system.

§ 9-503.9 Bills and billing.

Bills for the payment of rentals for sewer service and the use of the sewer system pursuant to this chapter shall be rendered at the same time and intervals as charges for water consumed in and furnished to the same property and shall be due and payable upon presentation. All quarterly billings shall be made and distributed and shall cover service over the following months:

Months of Billing	Months of Service Covered by Billing
January, February or March	January, February and March
April, May or June	April, May and June
July, August or September	July, August and September
October, November or December	October, November and December

§ 9-503.10 Delinquent payment; penalty.

If any bill for sewer rentals, except for annual service periods, is not paid within 60 days after the same becomes due and payable, it shall be delinquent, and a penalty shall be imposed as provided in § 1-301.5. Bills for annual service periods shall be subject to the same penalties, except that penalties shall not be added or begin to accrue until August 1 of such annual service period.

§ 9-503.11 Shutting off service.

Upon the failure of any person to pay in full any bill for sewer use or rental within 60 days after the same becomes due and payable, the City shall have the right to terminate sewer service to the property of such person or to turn off the water supply to such property as provided in Chapter 9-511. Service may be restored upon payment of all delinquent bills against such property and expenses which may have been incurred in terminating such service, turning off the water supply, or restoring the same, as provided in Chapter 9-511.

§ 9-503.12 Collection of unpaid bills.

The sewer rentals imposed by this chapter shall be collected as provided in Chapter 9-511.

§ 9-503.13 Segregation and use of sewer rentals.

All money received by the City from the collection of the sewer rentals and all penalties thereon, as herein provided for and as required by the lease, shall be segregated and kept separate and apart from all other funds of the City and shall be used only for purposes permitted by the lease, which include the expenses of the City in the operation, maintenance, insurance, depreciation, repair, alteration, inspection, and other ordinary expenses related to the sewer system and for making of usual renewals and replacements and ordinary improvements thereto in order to maintain adequate service, including income, profits, property, franchise, or excise taxes, if any, payable by the City in connection therewith and for the payment of the lease rental by the City under any lease or supplement thereto with The Harrisburg Authority and for any other payments required to be paid under any lease thereto with The Harrisburg Authority or supplement.

§ 9-503.14 When effective; amendments.

[Ord. No. 43-1990]

This chapter is hereby declared to be urgent for the preservation of the peace, health and comfort of the residents of the City and shall take effect and be in force, as hereinafter provided, immediately after final passage and publication as required by law. The City reserves the right, subject to its obligations under its lease with The Harrisburg Authority, to make such changes from time to time as, in its determination, may be desirable or beneficial and to amend this chapter or to change the rates or charges in such manner and at such time as, in its determination, may be advisable.

§ 9-503.99 Enforcement and penalty.

Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall be subject to the penalty and enforcement provisions of Chapter 9-511, including the right of the City to disconnect service.