Borough of Glen Rock, NJ Sewers

(Domestic or home sewage) Wash water, water-carried animal waste, culinary waste and liquid waste containing human excrete and other matter flowing in or from a building drainage system or sewer originating in a dwelling, business, building, factory or institution.

STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN

A sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwater, surface water and groundwater are not intentionally admitted.

SEWAGE

A combination of the water-carried waste from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such groundwater, surface water and stormwater as may be inadvertently present.

SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT

Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.

SEWER

A pipe or enclosed conduit for carrying sewage.

SEWERAGE SYSTEM

A system of sewers and appurtenances for the collection, transportation and pumping of sewage and industrial waste.

A sewer which carries stormwater and surface water and drainage, but excludes sewage and polluted industrial waste.

STORMWATER

Water resulting from precipitation (including rain and snow) that runs off the land's surface, is transmitted to the subsurface, is captured by separate storm sewers or other sewage or drainage facilities, or is conveyed by snow removal equipment.

[Added 8-24-2005 by Ord. No. 1510]

SUSPENDED SOLIDS

Solids that either float on the surface or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory filtering.

WASTE

Sanitary sewage, garbage or properly shredded garbage as defined in this section, respectively.

WATERCOURSE

A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.

"Shall" is mandatory; "may" is permissive.

§ 171-3 Use of public sewers required.

It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the Borough or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Borough any sanitary sewage, industrial waste or other polluted waters except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article.

Duties of property owners.

The owner of every house, building or property used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purpose situated within the Borough and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way or located in the rear of other properties so abutting and having access to such street in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the Borough is hereby required, at his or her expense, to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this article and the requirements of the Board of Health within six months after the date of completion of the sanitary sewer system and after official notification from the Borough.

The owner of any such house, building or property used for human occupancy which is located more than 300 feet from any existing or future public sanitary sewer who feels aggrieved by reason of the foregoing provisions shall be entitled to make written appeal to the Board of Health for an exemption from the mandatory sewer connection requirements of Subsection B(1) herein, which exemption may be granted by the Board of Health in such instances where it is determined by said Board that the exemption applied for will not adversely affect the public health.

As public sewers become available to property presently being served by a private sewage disposal system, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer pursuant to the terms of this section, and any septic tanks, cesspools and/or similar private sewage disposal systems shall be abandoned and disconnected from all pipes discharging or receiving sewage. Abandoned septic tanks, cesspools and/or similar private sewage disposal systems may be used for disposal or subsurface and/or surface water from sump pumps and house leaders.

§ 171-4 Use of public sewers. [1]

Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm drains or storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the Borough Engineer. Where this may not be feasible, the deactivated individual disposal system may be used for this purpose, upon approval of the Board of Health. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the Borough Engineer and the Board of Health, to a storm drain or natural outlet.

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any public sewer:

Gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, lubricating oils and greases, inflammable or explosive liquids, solid or gases, paint and lacquers or other combustible materials.

Improperly shredded garbage.

Abrasives, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood or paunch manure.

Solid or viscous substances which are capable of causing obstructions in sewers or interference with the proper functioning of the treatment processes.

Waste containing viable pathogenic bacteria other than those normal to domestic sewage.

All waste containing corrosive matters or toxic or poisonous substances or chemicals in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with the sewage treatment process or create any hazard to sewers, structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage works.

(7)

Any noxious or malodorous solids, liquids or gases which either singly or by interaction with other substances are capable of creating a public nuisance or hazard to life or preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance and repair.

(8)

All waters, waste or deleterious substances which shall be excluded from discharge to intercepting or trunk sewers of the Passaic Valley Sewer Authority as defined by existing or future regulations of the Authority and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the Authority.

Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described water or waste to any public sewers:

Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F.

Any water or waste which may contain more than 100 parts per million by weight of fat, oil or grease.

Any water or waste having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.

Any water or waste having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 350 parts per million by weight.

Any water or waste containing more than 350 parts per million by weight of suspended solids.

Any water, waste or deleterious substances which require pretreatment or dilution before introduction to intercepting or trunk sewers of the Passaic Valley Sewer Authority as defined by existing or future regulations of the Authority and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the Authority.

The admission into the public sewers of any water or waste having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 350 parts per million by weight or containing more than 350 parts per million by weight of suspended solids or containing any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in Subsection C or having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow of the Borough shall be subject to the review and approval of the Borough Engineer. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Borough Engineer, the owner shall provide, at his or her expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 350 parts per million and the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight or reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the acceptance limits provided for in Subsection C or control the quantities and rates of discharge of such water or waste. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the Borough Engineer, the Board of Health and of the Department of Environmental Protection and Energy of the State of New Jersey, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained, in writing.

Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any water or waste, they shall be maintained continuously by satisfactory and effective operation, and facilities for sampling shall be installed by the owner at his or her own expense.

Building sewers carrying industrial waste.

When required by the Borough Engineer, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial waste shall install a suitable control manhole in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the waste. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, available for inspection and shall be constructed under the supervision of the Borough Engineer in accordance with plans approved by the Borough. The manhole shall be maintained by said owner so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

The owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial waste, excepting such buildings served by a force main, shall be further required to install in said building sewer a compound water meter as manufactured by Gamon Meter Division, Worthington Pump Company, or approved equal, in a size as shall be determined by the Borough Engineer. The Borough Engineer, however, shall be authorized to approve a substitute for a compound water meter in such instances where small service sizes render the use of said compound meter unsuitable or impracticable. Said water meter shall be made available at all times to the employees of the Borough for the purpose of determining the quantities of water and waste from said property being discharged into the public sewers. The owner of said property shall be billed by the Borough on the first day of January, April, July and October of each year for all such water and waste discharged from said property into the public sewers at a rate fixed at double the rate charged to the Borough by the Passaic Valley Sewer Authority for all waste discharged by the Borough into the sewage system operated by said Authority. All such charges, if unpaid by said property owner for a period in excess of 30 days after said billing date, shall be charged against said property, which said charge shall become a lien upon said lands and shall be added to and become and form a part of the taxes next to be assessed and levied upon said lands, the same to bear interest at the same rate as taxes and shall be collected and enforced in the same manner as taxes.

Measurements, tests and analyses.

All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of water and waste to which reference is made in Subsections B, C and D hereof shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste-Water, published by the American Public Health Association, Inc., a copy of which is hereby adopted, is annexed hereto and made a part hereof and incorporated herein as fully as if set forth at length.

Two copies of said Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste-Water have been placed on file in the office of the Borough Clerk of the Borough upon the introduction of this article and will remain on file there until final action is taken on this article, for the use and examination by the public. Upon adoption of this article, said copies shall remain on file in said office so long as said article is in effect; and in addition, two copies shall be placed on file and remain on file in the office of the Board of Health of the Borough so long as said ordinance is in effect, for the use and examination by the public.

All such measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of water and waste shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in § 171-4F(1) hereof or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.

No statement contained in this article shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between the Borough, the Board of Health and any person whereby an industrial waste system, either before or after pretreatment, provided that there is no impairment of the functioning of the sewerage system or any sewage treatment plant by reason of the admission of such waste and no extra costs are incurred by the Borough without recompense by the person.

Illicit connections.

[Added 8-24-2005 by Ord. No. 1510]

Prohibited conduct: No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged through an illicit connection to the municipal separate storm sewer operated by the Borough of Glen Rock any domestic sewage, noncontact cooling water, process wastewater, or other industrial waste (other than stormwater).

Enforcement: This chapter shall be enforced by the Department of Public Works of the Borough of Glen Rock and/or the Police Department.

Editor's Note: Ord. No. 1497, adopted 4-13-2005, amended this section by adding the adoption of the "Municipal Stormwater Management Plan" compiled by Vollmer Associates, dated March 2005, and approved by the County of Bergen.

§ 171-5 Building sewers, building sewer laterals and connections.

No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any building sewer lateral or any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Board of Health.

Building sewer connections.

There shall be two classes of building sewer connection permits: for residential and commercial service and for service to establishments producing industrial waste. In either case, the owner or his or her agent shall make application on forms furnished by the Board of Health. In the event that any unusual situations should arise, the matter will be referred by the Board of Health to the Borough Engineer for his or her technical advice and counsel. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Board of Health. A permit and inspection fee for any building sewer permit shall be paid to the Board of Health at the time the application is filed in accordance with the current schedule of fees listed in the Plumbing Code of the Borough.[1]

Editor's Note: See now Ch. 101, Fees.

The permit and inspection fee for a building sewer lateral in an amount as provided in Chapter 101, Fees, shall be paid to the Borough Clerk at the time the application is filed. The permit application shall be supplemented by such necessary plans and specifications as shall be required by the Borough Engineer.

[Amended 9-28-1997 by Ord. No. 1291]

All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer and building sewer lateral shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the Borough from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building sewer may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.

Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Board of Health, to meet all requirements of this article.

The diameter of the building sewer shall not be less than four inches, and the diameter of the building sewer lateral shall not be less than six inches. The slope of such pipes shall not be less than 1/4 inch per foot. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Borough Engineer, if the above sizes and slope are not adequate, he or she shall have the right to require a larger diameter pipe or an increased slope that is adequate. Under special circumstances, lesser slopes that will provide a minimum velocity of two feet per second will be permitted upon approval of the Borough Engineer.

Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to a new building at an elevation below the basement floor. Building sewers for existing buildings shall be brought to the building at an elevation not exceeding that of the existing building drain. If the building sewer is brought to the existing building at a lower elevation than the existing building drain, suitable fittings and cleanouts shall be installed subject to inspection and approval of the Board of Health. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to and within three feet of any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened, except under special circumstances and only with the approval of the Borough Engineer. The depth of cover over the pipe shall be a minimum of four inches to afford protection from frost. The building sewer shall be laid at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. Changes in direction shall be made only with proper fittings as specified in the Plumbing Code and shall be subject to the approval of the Board of Health.

In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drains shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer.

Building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be one of the following:

Asbestos cement nonpressure sewer pipe, including fittings, conforming to ASTM Designation C428-59T, of a class of 2400 or as required by the Mayor and Council or Borough Engineer. Rubber sealing gaskets shall conform to the requirements of ASTM-D-1869 latest issues and consist of a vulcanized rubber compound as specified by the manufacturer.

Extra-heavy cast-iron pipe with lead joints shall be used where any part of the building sewer is located within 10 feet of a water service pipe, where the building sewer is exposed to damage by tree roots, if so directed by the Plumbing Inspector, and is filled or unstable ground, except that nonmetallic pipe may be accepted if laid on a suitable concrete bed, cradle or bedding as approved by the Mayor and Council or Borough Engineer.

All joints and connections shall be made gastight and watertight as follows:

Joints in asbestos-cement pipe shall be formed of a sleeve-type coupling and rubber rings or gaskets and shall be made in accordance with the standards and specifications which are current at the time of passage of this article or as may be approved, subsequently, by the Borough.

Joints in cast-iron soil pipe shall be firmly packed with oakum or hemp and filled with molten lead, Federal Specification QQ-L-156, not less than one inch deep after calking. Lead shall be run in one pouring and calked tight. No paint, varnish or other coatings shall be applied to the jointing materials until after the joint has been tested and approved.

Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when in the opinion of the Plumbing Inspector they are necessary as called for in the Plumbing Code for the proper handling of liquid waste containing grease in excessive amounts or any flammable waste, sand and other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity as called for in the Plumbing Code and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. Grease and oil interceptors shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, watertight and equipped with easily removable covers, which, when bolted in place, shall be gastight and watertight.

Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his or her expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.

Before any portion of the building drain outside of the house is connected to the building sewer, the owner shall prove to the satisfaction of the Plumbing Inspector that the building drain is clean and conforms in every respect to the requirements of the Plumbing Code. Before any portion of the building sewer is connected to the building sewer lateral, the Plumbing Inspector shall be satisfied that the building sewer is in good order and conforms in every respect to the requirements of the Plumbing Code.

Where there is no existing building sewer or building sewer lateral available that connects to a public sewer, the property owner shall, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, apply to the Plumbing Inspector for a building sewer permit for the installation of a building sewer lateral and/or building sewer for connection to the public sewer.

Maintenance responsibility.

[Amended 4-11-2012 by Ord. No. 1658]

Maintenance of the public sewer shall be performed by the Borough.

The property owner, at his/her expense, is responsible for maintaining, cleaning and servicing the house lateral and building sewer laterals leading from the house or building to the connection at the public sewer. This includes the portion of the lateral on private property (house lateral) and the portion in the right-of-way or easement (building sewer lateral).

All new/replaced house laterals shall have a cleanout cap installed at the curb/edge of pavement as directed by the Superintendent of Public Works, or his/her designee.

No person shall open, grade or pave any public street (or other public thoroughfare) nor construct or install therein any sanitary sewer, storm drain or other type of street improvement without first having obtained permission from the Director of Public Works. Any person making application as provided herein shall submit a certified or bank check made payable to the Borough in a sum estimated by the Borough Engineer to be sufficient to cover his/her fees for services in examining the plans, together with the cost for inspecting and supervising the proposed work. In addition, the applicant shall also make a cash deposit or furnish a corporate/individual surety bond, approved by the Borough Attorney, conditioned upon the completion of the improvement in question, together with any other Borough ordinance pertaining to the improvement/work, to the satisfaction of and within the time designated by the Director of Public Works. The cash deposit or bond shall be in double the amount of the estimated cost of the improvement, with a minium amount of $2,500, as determined by the Borough Engineer.

[Amended 4-11-2012 by Ord. No. 1658]

The connection of the building sewer lateral into the public sewer shall be made at the Y-branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If the public sewer is 12 inches in diameter or less and no properly located Y-branch is available, the owner shall, at his or her own expense, install a Y-branch in the public sewer at the location specified by the Borough Engineer. Where the public sewer is greater than 12 inches in diameter and no properly located Y-branch is available, the owner shall, at his or her own expense, have a neat hole cut into the public sewer to receive the building sewer lateral with entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about 45°. A forty-five-degree ell may be used to make such connection, with the spigot and cut so as not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer. The invert of the building sewer lateral at the point of connection shall be at the same or at a higher elevation than the invert of the public sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall be made and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete. Special fittings may be used for the connection only when approved by the Borough Engineer.

Each sewer pipe shall be laid so as to have a continuous bearing on the bedding material, true to line and grade and in such manner as to form a close concentric joint with the adjoining pipe and to prevent sudden offsets of the flow line. As the work progresses, the interior of the pipe shall be cleared of all dirt and superfluous materials of every description. A suitable swob or drag shall be kept in the pipe and pulled forward past each joint immediately after the jointing has been completed. Trenches shall be kept free from water and pipe shall not be laid when the condition of the trench or the weather is unsuitable for such work. At times, when work is not in progress, open ends of pipe and fittings shall be securely and satisfactorily closed so that no trench water, earth or other substance will enter the pipe or fittings.

Excavations and trenches.

Excavation for building sewers and building sewer laterals shall follow lines parallel to and equidistant from the location of the pipe center line. Trenches shall be excavated to the depths and widths required to accommodate the construction of the sewers. Excavation shall not be carried below the approved grade. Any excavation made below grade for any reason shall be backfilled with the granular material specified hereinafter. Excavation and trenches in rock shall extend to a depth of five inches below the outside bottom of the pipe barrel and brought to required elevation with granular bedding material consisting of pea gravel or broken stone graded as required by the Borough Engineer.

Excavation and trenches in earth shall extend to a depth of four inches below the outside bottom of the pipe barrel and be brought to required elevation with the above-specified granular bedding material. When unsatisfactory foundation material is found in earth trenches, such material shall be removed to the extent directed by the Borough Engineer. In backfilling trenches, loose fine earth free of frozen clods, stones larger than two inches in greatest dimension and debris shall be used to a depth of two feet over the top of the pipe. The backfill material shall be carefully tamped under the pipe haunches, on the sides and above the pipe in layers not more than six inches deep before completion. The remainder of the trench shall contain not more than 20% stone by volume, and no one stone shall be more than six inches in greatest dimension. This material shall be thoroughly tamped on layers not to exceed 10 inches in thickness after compaction. Backfilling and compaction up to two feet over the pipe shall be done by hand.

Compaction of each layer of backfill shall be to a density at least equal to that of the surrounding earth and to a degree which will prevent settlement of restored or proposed future pavement. The surface shall be mounded over and left in a uniform and neat condition satisfactory to the Borough Engineer.

Excavated materials shall be piled in compact heaps, so placed as to cause the least possible inconvenience to the public. Extreme care shall be taken to prevent any dirt, stones or other undesirable material from entering the public sewer system through the building sewer during these operations.

Blasting operations for excavation shall be subject to the approval of the Borough Council on recommendation of the Borough Engineer and shall conform to the requirements of all laws, ordinances and regulations having jurisdiction over such work.

Trenches shall be protected by such sheeting, shoring, bracing and the like as may be required to perform the excavations, for safety, including the protection of persons, structures, utilities, etc., and to conform to existing laws. All sheeting, shoring and bracing shall be removed after the completion of backfill to the extent directed by the Borough Engineer.

All excavations for building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be adequately graded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazards. Sidewalks and other public property disturbed in the course of installing building sewers shall be backfilled within 48 hours from the beginning of excavation. Streets, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of installing building sewer laterals shall be backfilled within such reasonable period of time as may be determined by the Borough Engineer in each particular case.

Dryhouse connection installations may be permitted subject to the following steps to be taken by the property owner:

Application shall be made to the Board of Health for the dryhouse connection.

Both ends of the dryhouse connection shall be provided for expandable blocks.

Prior to backfilling any trenches or covering any sewer pipes, the applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Plumbing Inspector when the dryhouse connection sewer is ready for inspection.

Upon official notice requiring connection with the public sanitary sewer, in accordance with the local ordinance of the Board of Health, final connection of the dryhouse connection with the building sewer lateral shall be made and the following steps shall be taken:

Application shall be made to the Plumbing Inspector for a house connection permit as listed below.

Prior to the final connection of the dryhouse connection with the house drain at one end and the house sewer lateral at the other end, the expandable plugs heretofore installed shall be removed and the entire length of the dryhouse connection shall be completely flushed and cleaned in the presence of the Plumbing Inspector.

Reasonable notice of the date and time when such flushing will be performed shall be given to the Plumbing Inspector, and no flushing shall be done except in the presence of the Plumbing Inspector.

STORM DRAIN (sometimes called "storm sewer")

After completion of final connection with the house drain at one end and the house sewer lateral at the other end, both connections shall be inspected and approved by the Plumbing Inspector.

The connection to the public sewers shall be made under the supervision of a duly qualified representative.

Building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be subject to all tests set forth by the Board of Health.

No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any water or waste through any building sewer during construction of the building sewer without written approval of the Board of Health.

Prior to final approval and acceptance of a building sewer lateral by the Borough, a plan showing the location, depths, elevations or other information as determined by the Borough Engineer shall be furnished and placed on file at the Board of Health's office by the applicant.

AA.

Restoration of pavements. All sidewalk and roadway pavements and curbs directly or indirectly affected, disturbed or injured in connection with the construction of building sewers or building sewer laterals shall be restored in accordance with Borough standards to a condition at least equal to that which existed prior to the start of the installation work. Pavements and curbs so restored shall be of the same type as that existing and shall match and line up with existing adjacent construction to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer or his or her representative.

§ 171-6 Protection from damage.

No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the Glen Rock sewerage system. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to the penalties hereinafter set forth under § 171-8 hereof.

§ 171-7 Right of entry; inspections.

The Borough Engineer or his or her representative, the Plumbing Inspector and duly authorized employees of the Borough, the Passaic Valley Sewer Authority or the Board of Health or their representatives, bearing proper credentials and identification, shall be permitted to enter upon all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions of this article.

§ 171-8 Violations and penalties.

Any person found to be violating any provision of this article, except § 171-6, which requires immediate arrest, shall be served by the Borough with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, permanently cease all such violations.

Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any of the provisions of this article shall, upon conviction, be punishable by any combination of the following: a fine not exceeding $1,000, imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days or a period of community service not exceeding 90 days.

[Added 9-28-1997 by Ord. No. 1291]

Article II Wastewater Disposal

[Adopted 5-23-1977 by Ord. No. 857 (Ch. XVIII of the 1971 Revised General Ordinances)]

§ 171-9 Definitions.

[Amended 2-24-1992 by Ord. No. 1191]

Whenever used in this article, the following terms shall have the following meanings:

FLOTABLE OIL

Oil, fat or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. A wastewater shall be considered free of flotable fat if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.

INDUSTRIAL COST RECOVERY

A charge to industrial users based on their use of PVSC facilities to repay the capital cost outlay of the federal share given PVSC under the provisions of applicable federal law allocable to the treatment of the wastes from the industrial user.

INDUSTRIAL USER

Any nongovernmental user of PVSC facilities identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual 1972, as amended and supplemented, under Divisions A, B, D, E or 1. A user may be excluded if it is determined that it introduces primarily segregated sanitary wastes.

INDUSTRIAL WASTE

The liquid waste from an industrial process as distinct from sanitary waste; all wastes, except stormwaters and sanitary wastes.

The wastewater from industrial processes, trade or business, as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.

INTERCEPTOR

A device designed and installed so as to separate and retain harmful, hazardous or undesirable matter from normal wastes while permitting normal sewage or liquid wastes to discharge into the drainage system by gravity.

MAJOR INDUSTRY

An industrial user of PVSC facilities that:

Has a flow of 50,000 gallons or more per average workday.

Has in its waste a toxic pollutant in toxic amounts.

Is found by USEPA, NJDEP or PVSC to have significant impact, either singly or in combination with other contributing industries, in the PVSC treatment works or upon the quality of the effluent from the PVSC treatment works.

NATURAL OUTLET

An outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface water or groundwater, including the Passaic River or any of its tributaries.

NJDEP

The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection.

NPDES

The National Pollution Discharge Elimination System.

PERSON

Any individual, firm, company, society, association, corporation, public or private, or group.

The reciprocal of the logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions, in grams per liter of solution. Neutral water has a pH value of 7.0 (a hydrogen concentration of 10^-7). Lower pH's are acid; higher pH's are alkaline.

PRETREATMENT

Treatment given to industrial waste prior to its discharge, directly or indirectly, to the PVSC facilities by the industry in order to remove illegal and/or undesirable constituents or to reduce the strength of the waste.

PUBLIC SEWER

A common sewer controlled by a governmental agency, public utility or the municipality.

PVSC

The Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners.

SANITARY SEWER

A sewer that carries liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions, together with minor quantities of groundwater, stormwater and surface water that are not admitted intentionally.

SANITARY WASTE

Waste derived principally from dwellings, office buildings and sanitary conveniences; when segregated from industrial wastes, sanitary waste may come from industrial plants or commercial enterprises.

SEWAGE

The spent water of a community. The preferred term is "wastewater."

SEWER

A pipe or conduit that carries wastewater or drainage water.

SLUG

Any discharge of water or wastewater which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times the average twenty-four-hour concentration or flows during normal operation.

A drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water or unpolluted water from any source.

STRENGTH OF WASTE

A measurement of suspended solids and/or biochemical oxygen demand and/or chemical oxygen demand and/or any other parameter determined by PVSC as a fair indicator of the relative use, other than volumetric, of PVSC facilities by industrial wastes.

SUSPENDED SOLIDS

Total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of or is in suspension in water, wastewater or other liquids and that is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater and referred to as "nonfilterable residue."

UNPOLLUTED WATER

Water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect, or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be benefited by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.

USEPA

The United States Environmental Protection Agency.

USER CHARGE

A charge to users consisting of two parts. The first part is established by PVSC based on volume and, where applicable, on strength and/or flow rate to pay for the use of the PVSC facilities. The second part is established by the Borough to pay for the use of the local sewer system and to pay for administration of the billing and collection of the funds.

WASTES IN TOXIC AMOUNT

As defined by USEPA in 40 CFR 129 (38 F.R. 24342, 9-7-1973) and any superseding revisions.

WASTEWATER

The spent water of a community. From the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of the liquid- and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions, together with any groundwater, surface water and stormwater that may be present.

WASTEWATER FACILITIES

The structures, equipment and processes required to collect, carry away and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent.

WASTEWATER TREATMENT WORKS

The PVSC facilities.

§ 171-10 Wastewater discharge prohibition; exception.

[Amended 8-26-1985 by Ord. No. 1048]

It shall be unlawful to discharge into any natural outlet within the municipality any wastewater or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided and where a National Pollution Discharge Elimination System permit has been obtained from the appropriate governmental authority, where required.

§ 171-11 Permit required for sewer connection.

No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a permit from the appropriate Borough official.

§ 171-12 Applications for sanitary connections.

Application to Borough. Application for sanitary connections for a dwelling, groups of dwellings or industrial or commercial establishments with only sanitary waste shall be made directly to the Borough. A fee shall be paid to the Borough to process the application as otherwise provided by ordinances of the Borough.[1]

Editor's Note: See Ch. 101, Fees.

Record; report of sanitary applications and connections. The Borough Council shall designate some suitable person to maintain a record of the number of sanitary applications and connections that are added and removed from the system and shall make an annual report to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commissioners no later than February 1 of each year.

Borough Council endorsement required for connection to a PVSC sewer. When a direct connection to a PVSC sewer is requested by the applicant, the request shall first be endorsed with the approval of the Borough Council and then submitted to the PVSC for its action.

§ 171-13 Existing industrial users.

Application procedure. Each existing industrial user presently connected, directly or indirectly, to the wastewater facilities of the Borough shall make application for a permit no later than July 1, 1977, whether the connection is for industrial waste or stormwater. Applications for future connections shall be made and approved before a certificate of occupancy may be issued. The application shall be made to the Borough by the industry that generates the waste. However, the application shall be signed by the owner of the property whereon the industry is located. After approval of the application by the Borough, the application shall be forwarded to the PVSC for classification and issuance of the permit by the PVSC.

Industrial sewer waste revision application required for change in facility or processing. Any existing industrial user proposing to make any change in its facility or its processing which significantly affects the quality or quantity of its discharge into the system shall submit to the Borough an industrial sewer waste revision application showing the contemplated changes. Any new tenant or occupant of an existing industrial user shall submit an industrial sewer waste revision application. The application, if approved by the Borough, shall be sent to the PVSC, accompanied by the written approval of the Borough. Existing industrial users that have applied for permits may continue their discharge until their application has been processed by the PVSC, except for prohibited waste as otherwise provided within this article or unless notified by the PVSC to cease and desist their discharge. No certificate of occupancy shall be issued for an industrial use until an industrial permit has been issued by the PVSC, and no person shall occupy any building or structure for the purpose of a new industrial use until an industrial permit has been issued by the PVSC.

§ 171-14 Classification of industrial users.

Industrial users shall be classified by PVSC as follows:

Category I.

A Class 1-A permit shall not be issued to an industry defined as a major industry and when issued shall allow the industry to discharge with no modification or pretreatment of flow.

A Class 1-B permit is one issued to an industry classified as a major industry. This permit shall allow the industry to discharge with no modifications or pretreatment of flow. However, PVSC may require the installation of monitoring equipment.

Category II.

A Class II-A permit shall allow an industry to discharge pretreated wastes in accordance with standards established in the permit.

A Class II-B permit shall allow an industry to continue to discharge subject to change of characteristics of its waste by pretreatment or other means in accordance with a schedule as established by the PVSC in the permit.

Category III. The permit shall be denied and the discharge of prohibited materials shall be halted or modified by a date established by the PVSC and in accordance with conditions contained in the permit denial.

§ 171-15 Change in classification.

The PVSC classification of an application shall be subject to change by the PVSC upon written notification from the PVSC to the applicant by certified mail. Any change shall be accompanied by a detailed explanation of the reason for the change.

§ 171-16 Appeals.

Right to appeal. Any industry aggrieved by a permit classification by the PVSC shall have a right to appeal to the PVSC. Such an administrative appeal shall be taken within 30 days of notification by the PVSC to the industry of its decision. The notice of appeal shall be delivered personally to the offices of the PVSC at 600 Wilson Avenue, Newark, New Jersey, or shall be sent by certified mail, return receipt requested. The taking of an appeal shall not stay the provisions of a Class III denial. During the time of appeal, however, the Class II permits shall be stayed. However, the staying shall not release any industry from meeting any requirements of any schedule set by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy or the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

Filing of appeal. Upon the filing of an appeal, the PVSC shall set the date and time for a hearing before the Commissioners. The applicant shall have the right to present evidence, shall have the right to be represented by counsel and shall have the right of cross-examination. Upon conclusion of the hearing, the Commissioners shall make findings of fact and conclusions.

§ 171-17 Application for industrial permits.

All applications for industrial permits shall be submitted on forms to be supplied by the PVSC and shall comply with the instructions on such forms.

§ 171-18 Applicant to bear costs for installation and connection of the building sewer.

All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the applicant, and the applicant shall indemnify the Borough or the PVSC from any loss or damage that may be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer. All sewer connections shall be in accordance with the requirements of the Borough unless otherwise provided by ordinance in the case of the connection into the PVSC sewer. The connection shall be in accordance with the conditions contained in the approval of the PVSC.

§ 171-19 Surface runoff connection to sanitary sewer prohibited.

[Amended 8-26-1985 by Ord. No. 1048]

No person shall make connection on roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or drain which in turn is connected, directly or indirectly, to a public sanitary sewer unless approved by the municipality for the purpose of disposal of polluted surface drainage.

§ 171-20 Industrial survey form.

In addition to the application for the permit as hereinabove provided, each industrial user shall complete an industrial survey form which will be supplied by the PVSC and from time to time shall update the form when required by the PVSC.

§ 171-21 Monitoring system.

Whenever an industry is classified as a major industry, it shall install an approved, sealed, automatic monitoring system if required by the PVSC.

§ 171-22 Uncontaminated water.

No uncontaminated water shall be discharged into the PVSC system except with the prior written consent of the Borough and the PVSC. There will be two separate provisions, one for municipalities with separate systems and one for municipalities with combined systems.

§ 171-23 Conformance with federal pretreatment standards.

When pretreatment standards are adopted by the United States Environmental Protection Agency for any given class of industries, then any industry within that class shall conform to the United States Environmental Protection Agency timetable for adherence to pretreatment requirements as well as all other applicable requirements promulgated by the United States Environmental Protection Agency in accordance with the provisions of the law. Additionally, such industries shall comply with such more stringent standards necessitated by local conditions as determined from time to time by the PVSC.

§ 171-24 Government access to facilities.

All industrial users shall provide immediate access to their facilities at any time during normal working hours or at any other time that there is a discharge under the jurisdiction of the PVSC. Access shall be for the purpose of checking the quality of the discharge, taking samples and making tests of the discharge or for the purpose of permitting enforcement of this article. The access shall be made available to the employees of the PVSC, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy, the United States Environmental Agency and/or the Borough. All users shall provide access to property and premises for inspection for the purpose of determining if there is any violation of the terms or provisions of this article.

§ 171-25 Discharge of wastes.

Prohibited wastes. The following wastes shall be prohibited and shall never be discharged into the wastewater facilities of the Borough and the PVSC:

Wastes that may create a fire or explosion hazard in the sewer or wastewater facility, such as gasoline, fuel oil and cleaning solvents.

Wastes that may impair or cause to impair by hydraulic capacity of the sewer system, such as ashes, sand, metal and precipitates.

Wastes that may create a hazard to people, the sewer system, the treatment process or the receiving water, such as dangerous levels of toxic materials.

Wastes of a flow rate which is excessive over a relatively short time period so that there is a treatment process upset and substantial loss of treatment efficiency.

Wastes below a pH of 5.0 unless the line is designed to accommodate such waste.

Any discharge of radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the PVSC, in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.

Wastes requiring special permission of discharge. The following wastes may not be discharged without special permission from the PVSC, upon a determination by the PVSC that the discharge would not be detrimental to the system.

Any discharge in excess of 150° F. (65° C.)

Any discharge containing more than 100 milligrams per liter of mineral oil or grease.

Any discharge containing flotable oil or grease.

Any discharge of heavy metals or any other toxic materials in toxic amounts, which amounts shall be established by the PVSC.

Any discharge quantities of flow or concentration which shall constitute a slug.

Wastes with pH outside the limits of 5.0 to 9.0.

Interceptors.

[Amended 8-26-1985 by Ord. No. 1048; 2-24-1992 by Ord. No. 1191; 9-14-1992 by Ord. No. 1203]

Installation. Interceptors shall be required in each facility, business, building or commercial establishment generating liquid waste containing grease, oil, flammable waste, sand, solids and other ingredients harmful to the building drainage system, the public sewer or sewerage treatment plant or processing plant. Residential premises are exempt from this requirement.

Design. The type and size of each interceptor shall be in compliance with the Uniform Construction Code regulation, N.J.A.C. 5:23-1 et seq., as amended. The appropriate construction permit shall be obtained before the installation of any device pursuant to and in accordance with this subsection.

Accessibility. Each interceptor shall be so installed that it is readily accessible for inspection by the appropriate municipal department responsible for the enforcement of this subsection of this article.

Maintenance. Interceptors shall be maintained in an efficient operating condition by periodic removal of accumulated grease, scum, oil or other floating substance and solids deposited in the interceptor. In any event, periodic removal shall be no less often than every six months, and a written record must be kept of each such maintenance procedure.

Enforcement.

(a)

Enforcement officer. The Plumbing Inspector, the Board of Health of the Borough and/or its agents are hereby designated to administer the provision of this subsection and are hereinafter referred to as the "enforcement officer."

(b)

Enforcement procedure. Whenever the enforcement officer determines that there is a violation of any provision of this subsection, he or she shall give notice of such violation to the person, persons or entities responsible therefor under this subsection. Such notice shall be in writing and shall include a concise statement of the reasons for its issuance. Such notice shall be deemed to be properly and sufficiently served if a copy thereof is sent by registered or certified mail to the last-known address of the person or entity upon which the same is served, as shown by the most recent tax lists of the municipality or a copy thereof handed to such a person or persons or a copy thereof left at the usual place of abode or office of such person or entities. Notice shall be given as aforesaid within or without the municipality. The notice shall also state that unless the violation is abated, removed, cured, prevented or desisted from within 10 days of the date of service of such notice (exclusive of the date of service), a summons shall be issued for such violation. The enforcement officer may, at the time he or she issues the notice, extend the period for compliance of the violation stated in the notice for a period in excess of the aforesaid 10 days if, in his or her judgment, the abatement, removal, prevention, cessation of or cure of the condition violated cannot reasonably be effected within the ten-day period; and, in such cases, the enforcement officer shall state such reasonably required extended period in the notice, which shall then be applicable instead of the aforesaid 10 days. In the event that the violation is not abated, removed, cured, prevented or desisted from or otherwise fully remedied within the ten-day period or within such extended period as set forth in the notice, pursuant to the foregoing, a summons shall then be issued against the persons, entity or entities so notified.[1]

Editor's Note: Original Sec. 18.17.3F, Violations and Penalties, which immediately followed this subsection, was deleted 9-28-1997 by Ord. No. 1291.

§ 171-26 Sampling point required.

Each major industrial user shall construct or otherwise have available a sampling point for sampling wastewater before it enters the Borough sewer system. Other industrial users may be required to construct such sampling point if ordered so to do by the Borough or the PVSC.

§ 171-27 Discharges prohibited by the Environmental Protection Agency.

No discharge into the wastewater facilities of the PVSC shall be permitted from any source which causes physical damage, interferes with the treatment process or results in a violation of effluent limitations or other conditions contained in the National Pollution Discharge Elimination System Permit to Discharge issued to the PVSC by the United States Environmental Protection Agency.

§ 171-28 Structure for observation, sampling and measurement of wastes.

When required by the Borough, the United States Environmental Protection Agency, the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and Energy or the PVSC, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure, together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances, to the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the governmental agency requiring it. The structure shall be installed by the applicant at his or her expense and shall be maintained by him or her so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

§ 171-29 Required information.

Information to be provided to the Borough and the PVSC. All persons subject to this article shall be required to provide information to the Borough and the PVSC, as needed, to determine compliance with this article.

Requirements. These requirements may include:

The wastewaters' discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period.

Chemical analysis of wastewaters.

Information on raw materials, processes and products affecting wastewater volume and quality.

Quantity and disposition of specific liquid, sludge, oil solvent or other materials important to sewer use control.

A plot plan of sewers of the user's property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location.