[HISTORY: Adopted by the Town Council of
the Town of Denton 4-1-2021 by Ord. No. 713. Amendments noted where applicable.]
A. Terms defined. Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise,
the meanings of terms used in this chapter shall be as follows:
BACKFLOW
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any
source or sources other than its intended source.
BACKFLOW PREVENTER
An assembly, device, or method that is compliant with American
Waterworks Association (AWWA) standards and 10-State Standards and
that is installed to prevent backflow into the Town's public
water supply system.
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;
the building drain terminating 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.
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 groundwater.
PERSON
Any individual, receiver, trustee, guardian, personal representative,
fiduciary, or representative of any kind and any firm, company, association,
partnership, society, corporation, church, school, group, or other
entity.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen
ions in grams per liter of solution.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of
foods 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 1/2 inch in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer which is controlled by a public entity, including
the Town.
SEWAGE
The water-carried wastes from residences, businesses, buildings,
institutions and industrial establishments.
SLUG
Any discharge of water, sewage, or industrial waste which,
in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow,
could cause interference of the treatment works, pass through the
Town's treatment plant, endanger employee and/or public health
and safety, contaminate sludge, or cause of a violation of any permit
issued to the Town's treatment plant.
STORMWATER
Water that originates from a precipitation event.
SUPERINTENDENT
The Superintendent of the Sewage Treatment or Sewer Supply
Facilities of the Town of Denton, or their 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 laboratory
filtering.
TOWN
The Town Council of Denton or Town of Denton, a municipal
corporation of the State of Maryland, and/or its duly authorized officers
or agents.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously
or intermittently.
B. Word usage. "Shall" is mandatory; "may" is permissive.
It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit
to be placed or deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private
property within the Town, or in any area under the jurisdiction of
the Town, any human or animal excrement, garbage or other objectionable
waste.
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within
the Town, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the Town, any sewage
or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been
provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this chapter
or any amendments thereto.
Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct,
keep or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, drains,
or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage if a
public sewer connection is available to the property. All such abandoned
facilities shall be filled and capped to the satisfaction of the Town
and in the time frame required by the Town.
A. Except as provided in Subsection
G below, the owner of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes, situated within the Town and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is located a public sanitary sewer of the Town and a public sewer connection extending from the sewer main to the property line, is hereby required, at his expense, to connect all spigots or hydrants, toilets, and waste drains with the public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter within three months after date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 300 feet of the property line. If an owner of a house, building, or property used for the purposes above does not have fixtures or drains (including spigots or hydrants, toilets, and waste drains) or if the Town believes that the fixtures or drains are inadequate, the owner shall install adequate spigots or hydrants, toilets, and waste drains at his expense to the satisfaction of the Town.
B. Each mobile home and/or trailer unit used for residential or commercial
purposes, and having domestic water and/or sanitary facilities therein,
shall be considered a separate and independent building and, as such,
shall have its own separate and independent building drain and building
sewer.
C. If an owner attempts to comply with Subsection
A above and encounters conditions beyond the owner's reasonable control that make it impracticable to complete the required connection to the sewer main within the three-month time period provided, and if the owner provides evidence of the conditions to the satisfaction of the Superintendent or Town Manager, the Superintendent or Town Manager may grant a temporary waiver or extension of the time period for completion of the connection. The decision to provide a temporary waiver or extension is within the discretion of the Superintendent or Town Manager.
D. The Town reserves the discretion to require that an owner comply
as soon as practicable, notwithstanding the three-month time period
above, if there is an existing privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool,
drain, or other facility that the Town, the Health Department, or
the Maryland Department of the Environment has determined is either
failed or is failing.
E. This section is supplemental to the authority vested in the Health
Department and/or the Maryland Department of the Environment to regulate
public or private wastewater usage.
F. This section does not prohibit the Town from electing not to provide
connections for improved or unimproved property for any reason.
G. This section does not apply to any owner with an executed annexation
agreement that limits the requirement to connect to the public sewer.
In such case, the terms of the annexation agreement govern.
H. Failure to comply with this section shall subject the owner to penalties pursuant to §
102-35 below.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with
or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenances
thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Town Council
of Denton and/or the Superintendent and/or their duly authorized agent.
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 or his agents shall make application on
a special form furnished by the Town. The permit application shall
be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information
considered pertinent in the judgment of the Town.
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 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 from the front building may be
extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building
sewer, provided that this shall only apply when both buildings have
the same ownership.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings
or with additions to existing buildings only when they are found,
on examination and test by the owner or developer and approved by
the Town, to meet all requirements of this chapter. If in the Town's
discretion an old building sewer may not be used, the owner shall
pay all costs and expenses to install a new building sewer to provide
service to the building or buildings.
The size, slope, alignment and 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 or other applicable rules and regulations
of the Town. In the absence of code provisions, rules or regulations
thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications
of the American Society for Testing and Materials and Water Pollution
Control Federation Manual of Practice No. 9, as those specifications
may be amended from time to time, shall apply.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the
building at an elevation below the basement floor. 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 means approved by the Town and discharged to the building
sewer.
No person shall make or allow a connection of roof downspouts,
exterior 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.
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall
conform to the requirements or other applicable rules and regulations
of the Town, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications
of the American Society for Testing and Materials and the Water Pollution
Control Federation as set forth in Manual of Practice No. 9, as those
specifications may be amended from time to time. All such connections
shall be made gastight and watertight, utilizing extra-strength clay-pipe
wyes, wye saddles and/or saddle-hub tees, or as directed by the Town.
All connections of building sewer into the public sewer shall be performed
by a registered master plumber, licensed by the Maryland State Board
of Plumbing, or such other contractor as expressly authorized and
approved by the Superintendent. All connections of building sewer
into the public sewer shall be performed and in accordance with the
Caroline County Building Code, as it may be amended from time to time.
Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be
approved by the Town before installation.
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the
Town when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection
to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision
of the Town or its representatives.
All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately
guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from
hazard or injury. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property
shall not be disturbed in the course of the work without prior consent
by the Town and shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the
Town at the property owner's expense. If restoration is not satisfactory,
the Town may elect in its discretion to restore the street, sidewalk,
parkway, and/or other public property and seek reimbursement from
the appropriate party after the work is completed.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater,
surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated
cooling water, unpolluted industrial process waters, or water from
a public or private pool to any sanitary sewer.
Stormwater shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically
designated as storm drains or to a natural outlet.
No person shall introduce into any part of the sewage treatment
works any pollutant(s) which could pass through of the Town's
wastewater treatment plant, without adequate treatment, and into the
receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant or cause interference
with the operation of the Town's sewage treatment works. No persons
shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described
waters or wastes to any public sewers or to any part of the sewage
treatment works:
A. Any pollutant which creates a fire or explosion hazard in the sewage
treatment works, including, but not limited to, gasoline, benzene,
naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or
gas or other waste streams with a closed cup flashpoint of less than
140° F. or 60° C. using the test methods specified in 40 CFR
261.21.
B. Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids
or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with
other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process,
constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance
or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment
plant, including, but not limited to, cyanides in excess of two milligrams
per liter (mg/l) as CN in the wastes as discharged to the public sewer.
C. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.0 or having any other
corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures,
equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
D. Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable
of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference
with the proper operation of the sewage treatment works, such as,
but not limited to, grease, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings,
metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage,
whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshings, seafood waste, entrails
and paper dishes, cups and milk containers, either whole or ground
by garbage grinders.
E. Any discharges which, either singly or by interaction with other
wastes, will result in the introduction of pollutants to the Town's
wastewater treatment plant that may exceed the design influent levels
for the plant.
F. Any pollutant, including oxygen demanding pollutants (BOD5, etc.) released at a flow rate and/or concentration
which will cause interference at the Town's wastewater treatment
plant.
G. Heat in amounts which will inhibit biological activity in the Town's
wastewater treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case
heat in such quantities that the temperature at the plant exceeds
40° C. (104° F.).
H. Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral
oil original in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.
I. Any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated
by the Superintendent.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into public
sewers or any part of the sewage treatment works the following described
substances, materials, waters or wastes if it appears likely in the
opinion of the Town that such wastes can harm either the sewers, sewage
treatment plant or process or equipment, have an adverse effect on
the receiving stream or can otherwise endanger life, limb, public
or private property or constitute a nuisance. The substances prohibited
are:
A. Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F.
(65° C.).
B. Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether
emulsified or not, in excess of 100 milligrams per liter or containing
substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between
32° F. and 150° F. (0° C. and 65° C.).
C. Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation
and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of 3/4
horsepower (0.76 metric) or greater shall be subject to the review
and approval of the Town.
D. Any waters or wastes containing strong acid from pickling wastes
or concentrated plating solutions, whether neutralized or not.
E. Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and
similar objectionable or toxic substances or wastes exerting an excessive
chlorine or other disinfectant requirement, to such degree that any
such material received in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment
works exceeds the limits established by the Town for such materials.
F. Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste- or odor-producing
substances in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established
by the Town as necessary, after treatment of the composite sewage,
to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public agencies
of jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
G. Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration
as may exceed limits established by the Town in compliance with applicable
state or federal regulations.
H. Any water or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5 or with a pH lower
than 5.0.
I. Materials which exert or cause:
(1) Unusual concentration of inert suspended solids (such as, but not
limited to, Fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues)
or of dissolved solids (such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride
and sodium sulfate).
(2) Excessive discoloration (such as, but not limited to, dye wastes
and vegetable tanning solutions).
(3) Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine or other disinfectant
requirements in such quantities as to constitute a significant load
on the sewage treatment works.
(4) Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting "slugs"
as defined herein.
J. Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to
treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment processes employed,
or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment
plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having
jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
K. Waters or wastes which may cause the Town to violate any discharge
permits issued by either the federal or state government.
A. If any waters or wastes are discharged, or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers or any part of the sewage treatment works, which waters, contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in §§
102-19 and/or
102-20 of this article, and which, in the judgment of the Town, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage treatment works, processes, equipment or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Town may:
(2) Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to
the public sewers or sewage treatment works;
(3) Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or
(4) Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer charges under the provisions of §
102-26 of this chapter.
B. If the Town permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows,
the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject
to the review and approval of the Town and subject to the requirements
of all applicable codes, ordinances, and laws.
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in
the opinion of the Town, they are necessary for the proper handling
of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or any flammable
wastes and/or other harmful ingredients, except that such interceptors
shall not be required but are recommended for private living quarters
or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity
approved by the Town and shall be located as to be readily and easily
accessible for cleaning and inspection.
Where preliminary treatment or flow equalizing facilities are
provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously
in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
When required by the Town, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control structure, together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances, in the building sewer or control structure to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes by the Town at the Town's discretion pursuant to §
102-28 below. Such structure, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Town. The structure shall be installed with plans approved by the Town. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics
of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this chapter shall
be determined in accordance with the latest edition of "Standard Methods
for the Examination of Water and Wastewater," published by the American
Public Health Association, as those methods may be amended from time
to time, and shall be determined at the control structure provided
or upon suitable samples taken at said control structure. In the event
that no special structure has been required, the control structure
shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public
sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling
shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the
effect of constituents upon the sewage treatment works and to determine
the existence of hazards to life, limb and property. (The particular
analyses involved will determine whether a twenty-four-hour composite
of all outfalls of a premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample
or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended-solids
analyses are obtained from twenty-four-hour composites of all outfalls,
whereas pH's are determined from periodic grab samples.)
No statement contained in this chapter shall be constructed
as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the Town
and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual
strength or character may be accepted by the Town for treatment, subject
to payment therefor, by the industrial concern.
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 sewage treatment works. No person shall discharge any prohibited substance, pursuant to §
102-19 above, or harmful substance, pursuant to §
102-20 above, into any sanitary sewer or storm drain in the Town or into any part of the sewage treatment works. No person shall deposit any prohibited or harmful substance upon any property if it drains to either the sewage treatment works or a storm drain. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of disorderly conduct or for violation of any of the laws of the State of Maryland.
The Town and other duly authorized employees, or representatives
of the Town bearing proper credentials and identification, shall be
permitted to enter all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation,
measurement, sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions
of this chapter.
The Town and other duly authorized employees or representatives
of the Town bearing proper credentials and identification shall be
permitted to enter all private properties through which the Town holds
a duly negotiated easement for any of the purposes provided in the
easement, including but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurement,
sampling, repair and maintenance of any portion of the sewage treatment
works lying within said easement.
Any person applying for a building sewer permit shall, before issuance of such permit, pay the entire connection charge, consistent with the requirements found in Chapter
125 of this Code.
A sewer service charge as set by the Town Council of Denton
shall be charged to each building sewer. The Town may bill the property
owners once, twice, or four times per year, at the Town's discretion.
The Town reserves the right to increase or decrease the rates
and charges set forth, by further ordinance, and to establish different
classifications as to rates for residential, commercial or industrial
use in accordance with applicable state or federal regulations.
All rates and/or charges referred to in this chapter shall constitute
a lien on the real estate served and shall be collectible in the same
manner as Town taxes or by suit at law.
The property owner shall be responsible for all charges for
sewer and water used or lost through leaks, carelessness, or neglect
after the same has passed through the water meter. The Town Council
authorizes both the Clerk-Treasurer and the Superintendent to consider
requests for abatement of sewer and water bills that the customer
considers improper when the bill in question is the result of an exterior
leak which has been acceptably documented. Acceptable documentation
is a letter or invoice from a registered plumber or Public Works Staff
detailing the problems found. Property owners who disagree with the
finding of the Clerk-Treasurer or Superintendent shall have the right
to appeal the decision to the Town Council which may defer the request
to the Denton Utility Commission for a recommendation. The Town Council,
in its discretion, shall have the authority to abate charges upon
a finding by a majority of the Council that the property owner has
demonstrated good cause for such abatement.
Any person who violates any provision of or fails to perform
any duty imposed by this chapter or who fails to perform any duty
imposed by a rule, regulation, order, or permit adopted pursuant to
this chapter is guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction is subject
to a fine not exceeding $1,000 or imprisonment not exceeding six months,
or both.
Any person violating any provision of this chapter shall become
liable to the Town of Denton for any expense, loss or damage occasioned
the Town by reason of such violation.
Whenever the public necessity, convenience, general welfare
of the Town and its citizens require, the Town may amend or repeal
any provision herein upon motion duly made and carried by a majority
of the Town Council.