[Adopted 4-20-1972 as Art. VIII of Part II, Charter Appendix,
of the Code of Ordinances of 1972]
The sewer system of the City of Watervliet,
for which sewer rents are hereinafter established and imposed, shall
include all sewer pipes and other appurtenances which are useful in
whole or in part in connection with the collection, treatment or disposal
of sewage, industrial waste and other wastes and which are owned,
operated or maintained by the City of Watervliet, including sewage
pumping stations and sewage treatment and disposal works, if any,
as part of the public system.
[Amended 5-23-1974 by L.L. No. 1-1974; 12-16-1976 by L.L. No.
2-1976; 3-4-1982 by L.L. No. 1-1982; 8-2-1984 by L.L. No.
1-1984; 12-21-1989 by L.L. No. 1-1989; 6-15-2000 by L.L. No.
1-2000; 4-15-2004 by L.L. No. 1-2004; 5-5-2005 by L.L. No.
1-2005; 4-27-2006 by L.L. No. 1-2006; 10-19-2006 by L.L. No.
4-2006; 12-21-2006 by L.L. No. 6-2006; 10-18-2007 by L.L. No.
2-2007; 11-6-2008 by L.L. No. 2-2008; 10-15-2009 by L.L. No.
2-2009; 4-15-2010 by L.L. No. 1-2010; 10-21-2010 by L.L. No.
3-2010; 5-26-2011 by L.L. No. 1-2011; 11-3-2011 by L.L. No.
2-2011; 11-1-2012 by L.L. No. 3-2012; 10-24-2013 by L.L. No.
1-2013; 4-7-2016 by L.L. No. 1-2016; 11-17-2016 by L.L. No. 3-2016; 10-26-2017 by L.L. No. 8-2017; 1-3-2019 by L.L. No. 1-2019; 10-17-2019 by L.L. No. 5-2019; 10-1-2020 by L.L. No. 2-2020; 11-4-2021 by L.L. No. 3-2022; 10-6-2022 by L.L. No. 4-2022]
A. In addition to any other fees or charges provided by law, the owner
of any parcel of real property in the City connected with the City
sewer system by means of a private sewer or drain emptying into the
City sewer system shall be billed per billing period for the use of
the sewer system. The rent shall be $98.41 for the billing period
November 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023, and $98.41 for the billing
period May 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023, for each residential
unit.
B. The metered rate of $4.48 per thousand gallons for the billing period
November 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023, and $4.48 per thousand gallons
for the billing period May 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023, shall
be charged also to other unspecified establishments.
C. Where the metered rate is charged, the minimum charge is to be $224
for the billing period November 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023, and
$224 for the billing period May 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023.
D. Vacant houses and other vacant buildings within the City of Watervliet,
with water turned off at the service entry, will be charged $49.50
per unit for the billing period November 1, 2022, through April 30,
2023, and $49.50 per unit for the billing period May 1, 2023, through
October 31, 2023. If the water is turned on at the service entry during
a billing period, the property will be billed the full rate of $98.41
per unit per billing period. If the water service has been turned
on at the vacant property, other than by the City of Watervliet Water
Department, during a billing period, the property will be billed the
full rate of $98.41 per billing period for each unit and will also
be charged a penalty of $500.
E. Vacant units within an owner-occupied property may apply for a rate
reduction. These units will each be charged $49.50 for the billing
period November 1, 2022, through April 30, 2023, and $49.50 for the
billing period May 1, 2023, through October 31, 2023. If the unit
becomes occupied during a billing period, the property will be billed
the full rate of $98.41 per billing period for that unit. If a unit
that has been granted a reduction is found to be occupied during a
billing period, the property will be billed the full rate of $98.41
per billing period for that unit and will also be charged a penalty
of $500.
F. Vacant lands (300 - Vacant Land property classification code) will
be charged $6.57 for the billing period November 1, 2022, to April
30, 2023, and $6.57 for the billing period May 1, 2023, to October
31, 2023.
G. The owner of any parcel of real property outside the corporate limits
of the City of Watervliet, connected with the City sewer system by
means of a private sewer or drain emptying into the City sewer system,
shall be billed per billing period for the use of the sewer system.
The rent shall be $150 for the billing period November 1, 2022, through
April 30, 2023, and $150 for the billing period May 1, 2023, through
October 31, 2023, for each residential unit.
H. Vacant houses and other vacant buildings outside the corporate limits
of the City of Watervliet, with water turned off at the service entry,
will be charged $75 per unit for the billing period November 1, 2022,
through April 30, 2023, and $75 per unit for the billing period May
1, 2023, through October 31, 2023. If the water is turned on at the
service entry during a billing period, the property will be billed
the full rate of $150 per unit per billing period.
Sewer rents shall be due and payable in semiannual
installments on the first day of January and the first day of July
in each year. Upon all such sewer rents paid on or before February
1 and August 1 of each year, no interest or penalty shall be charged.
On all said sewer rents remaining unpaid after February 1 and August
1 there shall be added interest at the rate of 1% per month until
paid. No deduction or discount shall be made from the payment of said
sewer rents. If not paid by time of tax sale a further penalty of
10% per annum, plus cost of advertising, etc., will be charged. Such
sewer rents may also be collected in the manner prescribed in Subdivision
4 of § 452 of the General Municipal Law.
The provisions of Article 14-F, Sewer Rent Law,
of the General Municipal Law of the State of New York are incorporated
by reference herein and made a part hereof.
[Adopted 4-20-1972 as Art. III of Ch. 20 of the Code of
Ordinances of 1972]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings ascribed to them:
BOD (DENOTING "BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND")
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days
at 20° C., expressed in milligrams per liter.
BUILDING DRAIN
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system
which receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes
inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer,
beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer
or other place of disposal.
CHLORINE DEMAND
The difference between the amount of chlorine added to water,
sewage or industrial wastes and the amount of residual chlorine remaining
at the end of a 20 minute contact period at room temperature.
COMMISSION
The Board of Commissioners appointed by the County Legislature
to the county sewer district.
COOLING WATER
The water discharged from any system of condensation, air
conditioning, cooling, refrigeration or other sources. It shall contain
no polluting substances which would produce BOD or suspended solids
in excess of 10 parts per million by weight or toxic substances as
limited elsewhere herein.
COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT
Any county sanitary sewer district as created, altered or
modified by action of the County Legislature.
COUNTY SEWERAGE SYSTEM
The trunk sewers, force mains, pumping stations, sewage regulators,
water pollution control plants (sewage treatment plants) and other
appurtenant structures owned and operated by the county sewer district.
DIRECTOR
The Executive Director of the County Sewer District.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation,
cooking and dispensing of food and from the handling, storage and
sale of produce.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes,
trade or business, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other
body of surface or ground water.
NORMAL SEWAGE
Sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes, which when analyzed,
show by weight the following characteristics:
A.
BOD: 2,000 pounds per million gallons (240 milligrams
per liter) or less.
B.
Chlorine demand: 208 pounds per million gallons
(25 milligrams per liter) or less.
C.
Suspended solids: 2,500 pounds per million gallons
(300 milligrams per liter) or less.
OTHER WASTES
Garbage, shredded or unshredded, or refuse, wood, egg shells,
coffee grounds, sawdust, shavings, bark, sand, lime, cinder, ashes
and all other discarded matter not normally present in sewage or industrial
wastes.
PH
The negative logarithm of the hydrogen ion concentration
in molecules per liter. It indicates the intensity of acidity and
alkalinity of the pH scale running from zero pint zero (0.0) to fourteen
point zero (14.0). A pH value of seven point zero (7.0), the midpoint
of the scale, represents neutrality. Values above seven point zero
(7.0) represent alkaline conditions and those below seven point zero
(7.0) represent acid conditions.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
Garbage that has been shredded to such a degree that all
particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally
prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half
(1/2) inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal
rights and which is controlled by a public authority.
RECEIVING WATERS
A natural watercourse or body of water into which treated
or untreated sewage is discharged.
SANITARY SEWAGE
Sewage discharging from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings,
including apartment houses and hotels, office buildings, factories
or institutions, and free from stormwater, surface water, industrial
wastes and other wastes.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm-, surface
and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences,
business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together
with such ground-, surface and storm water as may be inadvertently
present. The admixture of sewage with industrial wastes or other wastes
also shall be considered "sewage" within the meaning of this definition.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treatment and disposing
of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
SLUG
Any discharge of water, sewage or industrial waste 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 flow during
normal operation.
STORM DRAIN OR STORM SEWER
A sewer which carries storm- and surface waters and drainage,
but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than unpolluted cooling
water.
SUPERINTENDENT
The General Manager or his authorized deputy, agent or representative.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by flotation,
skimming and sedimentation.
TOXIC SUBSTANCES
Any substance, whether gaseous, liquid or solid, which, when
discharged into a public sewer in sufficient quantities, may be hazardous
to sewer maintenance personnel, tend to interfere with any biological
sewage treatment process or to constitute a hazard to human beings
or animals or to inhibit aquatic life or to create a hazard to recreation
in the receiving waters of the effluent from a sewage treatment plant.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously
or intermittently.
The purposes of this Article are specifically
stated as follows:
A. To prohibit excessive volumes or inordinate rates
of flow of sewage and wastes into the City or county sewerage system.
B. To prohibit the contribution of sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes of a flammable nature or which create, in any
way, a poisonous or hazardous environment for sewerage maintenance
and operation personnel.
C. To prohibit the contribution of sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes which may cause maintenance difficulties in
the lateral and trunk sewers, force mains, pumping stations, sewage
regulators and other structures and appurtenances of the City or county
sewerage system.
D. To prohibit the contribution of sewage, industrial
wastes or other wastes which may create operating difficulties at
the water pollution control plants as they may be constructed, modified
or improved in the future.
E. To prohibit or to regulate the contribution of sewage,
industrial wastes or other wastes which require for treatment at the
plants greater expenditures than are required for equal volumes of
normal sewage.
F. To require the treatment, before introduction into
the City sewers, such wastes as may otherwise impair the strength
or durability of the structures appurtenant to the sewer system by
direct or indirect chemical action or interfere with the normal treatment
processes.
G. To provide cooperation with the county sewer district,
the County Department of Health and any other agencies which have
requirements or jurisdiction for the protection of the physical, chemical
and bacteriological quality of watercourses within or bounding the
county.
H. To protect the public health and to prevent nuisances.
The owner of all houses, buildings or properties
used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes,
situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley, or right-of-way
in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public
sanitary or combined sewer of the city, is hereby required at his
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, within 90 days after date of
official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within
100 feet of the property line.
Any person who maliciously, willfully or negligently
breaks, damages, destroys, uncovers, defaces or tampers with any structure,
appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the public sewerage system
shall be subject to immediate arrears.
In the event of any conflict between participating
municipalities of the county sewer district and the City and the Commission
concerning the interpretation of any part of this Article, the determination
of the Commission shall be final and conclusive, unless reversed by
order of a court.