[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Board of the
Town of Greece 4-21-2009 by L.L. No. 1-2009. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Department of Public Works — See Ch. 39.
Plumbing — See Ch. 154.
It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge
or cause or permit to be discharged into any sewer or drain connected
with any sewerage system in the Town of Greece any deleterious substances
that will cause damage to the sewer structures, limit or restrict
the sewer function, place unusual or excessive loads on the sewage
treatment plant and process or create conditions dangerous to public
health and safety or inimical to the public interest. The Town Board
shall determine and establish the standards and regulations controlling
the quantity and quality of all wastes discharged into any sewer or
drain.
A violation of this article is hereby declared
to be a misdemeanor and shall be punishable by a fine or penalty of
not to exceed $10 for the first violation and $20 or imprisonment
for not to exceed 30 days, or both, for each subsequent violation.
This article shall be known as the "Sewer Use
Law."
It is the purpose of this article to protect
the sewage collection and treatment facilities, to prevent danger
to life or damage to property, to promote the health, safety and general
welfare, to prohibit the introduction of storm- , surface or subsurface
waters into the sanitary sewers, to provide for the fair distribution
of treatment costs and to form a basis in policy for controlling the
quantity and quality of wastes accepted into the sewage systems of
the sewer districts now or hereafter created in the Town of Greece,
Monroe County, New York.
A.
BOD (denotes "biochemical oxygen demand")
BUILDING DRAIN
BUILDING SEWER (sometimes called "house lateral")
COMMERCIAL-INDUSTRIAL WASTES
COMMISSIONER
DOMESTIC WASTES
GARBAGE
NATURAL OUTLET
OWNER
PERSON
pH
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
PUBLIC SEWER
SANITARY SEWER
SEWAGE
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
SEWAGE WORKS
SEWER DISTRICTS
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
WATERCOURSE
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise,
the meanings of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
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.
That part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system
carrying sewage which receives discharge from soil, waste and other
drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to
the building sewer.
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer
or other place of disposal.
Any or all other wastes not being domestic wastes but not
limited to the wastes from commercial, lavatory and industrial processes,
waste from domestic operations or certain trade operations, such as
sand, grit, waste petroleum products from automotive service stations
and the like, animal wastes, straw and related items from dairy or
other farming operations.
The Commissioner of Public Works.
Waterborne human or animal excreta or body wastes and normal
culinary, laundry and washing wastes originating in residences.
Solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing
of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other
body of surface or ground water.
Any person entitled to or having any interest in real property
in any of the sanitary sewer districts and their extension or extensions
and/or any drainage district or districts now existing or subsequently
created by the Town Board of the Town of Greece, New York.
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation
or group.
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen
ions in grams per liter of solution.
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of
food that have 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 1/4 inch in any dimension.
A sewer which is controlled by the Town Board of the Town
of Greece, New York.
A pipe or conduit which carries sewage and to which storm-
, surface and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
The water-carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings,
institutions and industrial establishments and other places.
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating
sewage under the control of the Town Board of the Town of Greece,
New York.
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing
of sewage.
Any of the sanitary sewer districts and their extension or
extensions and/or any drainage district or districts now existing
or subsequently created by the Town Board of the Town of Greece.
A sewer which carries storm- and surface water drainage but
excludes sewage, commercial-industrial and domestic wastes.
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage and other liquids and which are removable by laboratory
filtering.
A channel in which a flow of water occurs either continuously
or intermittently.
A.
The sewer systems of the sewer districts of the Town
of Greece, New York, constructed or as hereafter added to or changed
shall be under the charge and control of the Town Board under whose
supervision they shall be used by property owners, and no person shall
enter into, open or interfere with or use or do any repair or maintenance
work with respect to said sewer systems except under the inspection
and direction of the Town Board and after a written permit shall have
been issued by the Town Board of the sewer district in which such
entering, opening, use, repair or maintenance is to take place.
B.
The Town Board shall adopt rules and regulations to
govern the maintenance and use of the sewer systems and shall therein
fix the amount of fees that shall be chargeable to persons or property
owners who may wish to enter or use the sewer systems, which fee shall
be sufficient in amount to pay for the cost of inspection of such
entry or entries.
A.
Permits granted under this article shall be for a
specific waste or wastes and such permits shall be granted only after
the submission and approval of plans as set forth hereinafter. Subsequent
wastes of different quantity, quality or characteristics shall be
covered by separate permits.
B.
Building sewer permits.
(2)
The owner or his agent shall make application on a
form furnished by the Town Board. The permit application shall be
supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered
pertinent in the judgment of the Commissioner. A permit fee in an
amount fixed by the rules and regulations of the Town Board in the
Town of Greece shall be paid at the time the application is filed.
(3)
All costs and expenses incident to the installation
and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner.
The owner shall indemnify the Town Board from any loss or damage that
may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the
building sewer.
(4)
A separate and independent building sewer shall be
provided for every building.
A.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged
any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface
drainage, cooling water, impounded water or unpolluted industrial
process waters to any sanitary sewer.
B.
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall
be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm
sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the Town Board. Industrial
cooling water or other unpolluted process waters may be discharged
upon approval of the Town Board to a storm sewer or natural outlet.
C.
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge
or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or
wastes to any public sewer:
(1)
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature lower than
32º F. or higher than 150º F.
(2)
Any water or waste which may contain more than 100
milligrams per liter, by weight, of fats, oils or grease.
(3)
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel, oil or other
flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
(4)
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded.
(5)
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, grit, straw, animal
wastes, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood,
manure or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing
obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper
operation of the sewage works in the opinion of the Town Board.
(6)
Any water or wastes having a pH lower than 6.0 or
higher than 9.0, or having any other corrosive property capable of
causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of
the sewage works, in the opinion of the Town Board.
(7)
Any water or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous
substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage
treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals or create
any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant in
the opinion of the Town Board.
(8)
Any water or wastes containing suspended solids of
such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required
to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
(9)
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance.
D.
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided
when, in the opinion of the Town Board, they are necessary for the
proper handling of wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or
any flammable wastes, sand, grit and other harmful ingredients. All
interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Town
Board and shall be located so 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. Grease and oil interceptors
shall be constructed in any place or building having a capacity to
serve group meals.
E.
Where installed, all grease, oil, sand and grit interceptors
shall be maintained by the owner at his/her expense in continuously
effective operation at all times.
F.
The admission of the following into the public sewers
shall be subject to the review and approval of the Town Board: Any
waters or wastes:
(1)
Having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater
than 300 milligrams per liter by weight.
(2)
Containing more than 350 milligrams per liter by weight
of suspended solids.
(3)
Containing any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in Subsection C of this section.
(4)
Having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the
average daily sewage flow of the sewer district.
G.
Where necessary in the opinion of the Town Board,
the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment
as may be necessary to:
(1)
Reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 300 milligrams
per liter and the suspended solids to 350 milligrams per liter by
weight.
(2)
Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents
to within the maximum limits provided for in this section.
(3)
Control the quantities and rates of discharge of such
waters or wastes.
H.
Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information
relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted
for the approval of the Town Board, together with a letter from the
New York State Department of Health approving the proposed preliminary
treatment facilities, and no construction of such facilities shall
be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.
I.
Where preliminary treatment facilities are required
for any waters or wastes, no permit will be granted until such pretreatment
units have been placed in operation and have demonstrated their effectiveness
by test. The cost of such testing, sampling and analyzing shall be
borne by the waste contributor. Said preliminary treatment facilities
shall be maintained continuously and satisfactorily in effective operating
condition by the owner at his/her expense.
J.
When required by the Town Board, the owner of any
property served by a building sewer carrying commercial-industrial
wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the building sewer
to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes.
Such manhole, when required, shall be conveniently and safely located.
It is to be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Town
Board. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his/her expense
and shall be maintained by him/her so as to be safe and accessible
at all times.
K.
All measurements, tests and analysis of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in Subsections C and F shall be determined in accordance with Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage, or with methods approved by the New York State Department of Health, and may be determined at the control manhole provided for in Subsection J or upon suitable samples taken at said manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole may be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. If, in the judgment of the Commissioner, analysis must be performed which are beyond the scope of the laboratory at the sewage treatment plant, these analysis shall be performed at a laboratory designated by the Commissioner and the cost of these analysis shall be borne by the owner.
L.
No statement contained in this section shall be construed
as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the Town
Board and any industrial, commercial or other owner from whose premises
a commercial-industrial or domestic waste emanates which is of unusual
strength or character from being accepted by the Town Board for treatment
subject to payment therefor by such owner.
A.
Any repair or maintenance work in connection with
sewer pipes and drains connected directly or indirectly to any sanitary
or storm sewer system or storm drain in the Town shall be performed
in accordance with the specifications and under the supervision and
inspection of the Town Board.
B.
Charge.
(1)
For work performed on sewers, pipes, laterals or drains
which are not a part of a sanitary sewer or storm sewer system at
the direction or under the supervision of the Town Board for the particular
or special benefit of any individual parcel or portion of real property,
a charge is hereby established in an amount equal to the actual cost
thereof to the Town Board.
(2)
The Town Board shall annually assess against the individual
parcel of land the amount of any such charges remaining unpaid on
October 1, and such charges shall be added to the tax roll and collected
in the same manner and at the same time as the other taxes are assessed,
levied and collected in the Town pursuant to statute.
A.
The Commissioner and other duly authorized employees
of the Town Board bearing proper credentials and identification shall
be permitted to enter upon all properties for the purpose of inspection,
observation, measurement, sampling and testing or proper activities
in accordance with the terms of this article or any regulations promulgated
thereunder. The powers and authority herein granted shall be in addition
to powers of inspection otherwise granted by law to Commissioners
of Public Works.
B.
All information in the possession of the owner bearing
on the industrial, commercial or other process which, in the judgment
of the Commissioner, affects the sewage works or systems, shall be
made available to the Commissioner or his/her authorized representatives.
A.
Any permit issued pursuant to this article shall be
subject to cancellation after a hearing in the event of a finding
by the Town Board at such hearing that the user or permittee of the
sewerage system has violated any of the provisions of this article.
Such hearing shall take place on 10 days' written notice to the permittee
or user. Upon any cancellation provided for in this subsection or
otherwise in this section, the Town Board may terminate the use of
the sewer by severing the connection to the sewerage system.
B.
The Town Board of the Town of Greece shall be responsible
for the enforcement of this article.
A.
Any person violating any provision of this article
shall be responsible in money damages for any injury to the sewer
system or expense caused the Town Board by such violation. This money
may be collected by civil action in the Supreme Court of the State
of New York. Obedience to this article may also be enforced by injunction.
B.
Any person violating any provisions of this article
and interfering with, entering or using said sewer systems without
obtaining permission hereunder shall be guilty of an offense and subject
to a fine of not more than $250 or to imprisonment for not more than
15 days, or both such fine and imprisonment, and, in addition, when
a violation of this article or any of the provisions thereof is continuous,
each 24 hours thereof shall constitute a separate, distinct and additional
violation.
