[Adopted 12-16-1985 as Ch. 147, Art. II, of the 1985 Code]
A. 
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20º C., expressed in milligrams per liter.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Perkasie, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
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 (1.5 meters) 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, also called "house connection."
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer intended to receive both wastewater and storm- or surface water.
EASEMENT
An acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
FLOATABLE 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 "floatable oil" if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.
GARBAGE
The animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking and serving of foods.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The wastewater from industrial processes, trade or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
mg/l
Milligram per liter.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or ground water.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions, in grams, per liter of solution. Neutral water, for example, has a pH value of seven and a hydrogen ion concentration of 10 to the negative seven (10-7).
PRA
The Perkasie Regional Authority[1] or its authorized agents or representatives.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food 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 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A common sewer controlled by a governmental agency or public utility.
PWTA
The Pennridge Wastewater Treatment Authority or its authorized agents or representatives.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer that carries liquid and water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants and institutions, together with minor quantities of ground-, storm-, and surface waters that are not admitted intentionally.
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 and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
STORM DRAIN (sometimes termed "storm sewer")
A drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water or surface water from any source.
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.
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
An arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes and sludge; sometimes used as synonymous with the terms "waste treatment plant" or "wastewater treatment plant" or "water pollution control plant."
WATERCOURSE
A natural or artificial channel for the passage of water, either continuously or intermittently.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Perkasie Borough Authority was renamed the Perkasie Regional Authority 6-20-2011 by Ord. No. 950. All references to "PBA" have been changed to "PRA" in this article.
B. 
As used in this article, "may" is permissive, and "shall" is mandatory.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit to be deposited in any insanitary manner on public or private property within the Borough of Perkasie or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Borough any human or animal excrement, garbage or objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the Borough of Perkasie or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Borough any wastewater or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article.
The owner(s) of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes situated within the Borough 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 Borough, is hereby required at the owner's (owners') expense to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 100 feet (30.5 meters) of the property line.
No authorized person(s) shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from PRA.
A. 
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits:
(1) 
For residential and commercial service.
(2) 
For service to establishments producing industrial wastes.
B. 
In either case, the owner(s) or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the PRA. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of PRA.
C. 
A permit and inspection fee shall be paid to PRA at the time the application is filed, such fee to be in accordance with a fee schedule adopted by PRA from time to time.
D. 
All building sewer permit applications, under Subsection A(2) above, shall be reviewed and approved in writing by the PWTA prior to permit issuance.
All costs and expenses incidental to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner(s). The owner(s) shall indemnify the Borough, PRA and PWTA 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.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by PRA, to meet all requirements of this article.
A. 
The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Codes[1] or other applicable rules and regulations of the Borough and the PRA.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 70, Building Construction, and Ch. 132, Plumbing.
B. 
In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials shall apply.
[Amended 9-18-2000 by Ord. No. 835]
A. 
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor.
B. 
In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
No person(s) shall make connection of roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer, unless such connection is approved by the PRA for purposes of disposal of polluted surface drainage.
A. 
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Codes[1] or other applicable rules and regulations of the Borough or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight and verified by proper testing. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the PRA before installation.
[Amended 9-18-2000 by Ord. No. 835]
[1]
Editor's Note: For the Building and Plumbing Codes respectively, see Ch. 70, Building Construction, and Ch. 132, Plumbing.
B. 
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the PRA when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection and testing shall be made under the supervision of the PRA.
All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the Borough.
A. 
No excavation, construction or connection work shall be commenced within the PWTA right-of-way until the owner, his agents and/or independent contractor shall have first filed a bond in double the amount of the cost of the work to be performed to be determined by the PWTA, agreeing to indemnify and save harmless the PWTA against any and all loss, damages, costs and expenses which the PWTA may thereafter suffer, incur, be put to or pay by reason of the failure to complete properly any of the aforesaid excavation, construction or connection work.
B. 
The term "owner," as used herein, shall be deemed to include the owner or owners in fee simple, lessees of the premises, occupiers of the premises and all other parties having a beneficial use or interest in the premises and occupying the same with the consent and permission of the owner of the fee title.
A. 
The owner or owners of all properties where a building sewer is located shall be responsible to maintain such building sewer in a watertight condition and be in compliance with the Building and Plumbing Codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the Borough, the Perkasie Regional Authority and all the requirements of the Article.
B. 
Whenever the Perkasie Regional Authority, the Borough or any of their authorized agents determine that there is a leak in a building sewer or a building sewer is otherwise in need of repair, it shall be the obligation of the property owner where said building sewer is located to make the necessary repair at the sole cost and expense of the property owner.
C. 
The problem determined to be existing in the building sewer and the method of repair necessary to correct the problem shall be set forth in a written notice to the property owner, together with the period of time during which the repairs must be made to satisfactorily correct the problem and come within compliance with this article.
D. 
All of the work and materials for the required repairs to the building sewer shall meet the standards and specifications set by the Perkasie Regional Authority and shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the Borough and the Perkasie Regional Authority. All of the corrective work is subject to inspection by the Perkasie Regional Authority, its authorized agents and/or authorized employees of the Borough and must receive such inspection prior to backfilling and closing the trench.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former §§ 147-27 through 147-38, regulating discharges, were deleted 9-18-2000 by Ord. No. 835, as superseded by Art. III, Sewer Use, of this Ch. 147.
The PRA and other duly authorized employees of the Borough and/or PWTA bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the Borough holds a duly negotiated easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, repair and maintenance of any portion of the wastewater facilities lying within said easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any, on said easement shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private property involved.
[Amended 9-18-2000 by Ord. No. 835]
Discharge violations of this article shall be identified and corrected pursuant to Article III, Sewer Use, of this Chapter 147.