Borough of Paulsboro, NJ Article II Use; Installation; Maintenance; Rates

[Adopted 12-20-1955 by Ord. No. 366]

§ 61-12.1 Regulation of sewer use.

[Added 12-17-1974 by Ord. No. 570]

A. Permitted uses. The sanitary sewer system shall be used only for the discharge of fluid refuse from sinks, bathtubs, house laundry tubs, shower baths, urinals and waste from toilets, which shall hereafter be referred to as domestic waste, and for such other wastes as the Borough Council may, by special permission, allow to enter said sewer system.

B. Limited uses generally. No person, firm or corporation, either owner, user or tenant, of any land and premises shall cause to be drained or permit to flow or to be deposited into any part of the sewer system, matter:

(1) Of such a nature and in such a quantity as to impair the hydraulic capacity of such facilities, normal and reasonable wear and usage excepted.

(2) Of such a nature as to, by either chemical or mechanical action, impair the strength and durability of wastewater conveyance lifting and treatment structures.

(3) Of such a nature as to cause explosive or flammable conditions in such facilities. The flash point shall be no lower than 187° F., as determined by the Tagliabue (Tag.) Closed Cup Method.

(4) Having toxic materials in such a quantity so as to cause or upset the biological activity of the treatment facilities.

(5) Having a pH lower than 4.0 or greater than 9.0.

(6) Having a temperature higher than 150° F.

(7) Having any obnoxious or toxic gases which will cause hazardous conditions to the operating personnel of such facilities.

(8) Including any garbage or grease other than that received directly into public from residences, unless the authority shall have given written consent to its inclusion.

(9) Including any radioactive substance, unless the authority shall have given written consent to its inclusion.

(10) Including any industrial waste unless the authority shall have given written consent to its inclusion.

§ 61-13 Cleanouts; installation of laterals; connection charge.

[Amended 12-17-1974 by Ord. No. 570; 8-19-1975 by Ord. No. 580]

A. Cleanout plugs at the curb shall be provided and maintained at the expense of the owner or occupant of the premises. The term "cleanout" is defined as the area along the service line where a lateral connects with the line running from the consumer's premises. Said point is the area where municipal responsibilities end and consumer responsibilities begin. The cleanout shall usually be located adjacent to the curb abutting a street servicing the consumer's premises.

B. A connection charge shall be made for each sewer connection in the amount of $1,500, as hereinafter defined. This charge will be made in addition to cost for all permits required by the Plumbing Code and the cost of the permit for street openings.

[Amended 3-7-2017 by Ord. No. 02.17]

C. All connections with the sewer mains shall be made only by a duly licensed representative of the Water and Sewer Department of the Borough of Paulsboro, upon application being made to the Supervisor of the Department. All connections from the sewer main to the curb shall be done at the expense of the property owner by a plumber, duly licensed by the Board of Health of the Borough of Paulsboro. The excavation and refilling of trenches for a sewer lateral installation shall be done by the licensed plumber installing the sewer lateral, who shall be responsible for the satisfactory performance of such excavation and refilling and using gravel backfill when required. The resurfacing of the street shall be done by the Streets and Highways Department of the Borough of Paulsboro, upon an application to be filed with said Supervisor, such work not to exceed a maximum area of 40 square feet. An additional charge shall be made for any work in excess of 40 feet. The sewer lateral shall be a minimum diameter of four inches, vitrified clay pipe, cast-iron or asbestos cement pipe with a joint acceptable to the Department. This charge will not include the cost of a street opening permit.

[Amended 3-1-2005 by Ord. No. 06.05]

D. Except as herein provided, the Plumbing Code of the Borough of Paulsboro shall in all cases prevail, and application for plumbing permit to install the lateral shall be made to the Plumbing Inspector of the Borough of Paulsboro.

§ 61-14 Cost of extensions.

Any extensions of existing mains installed hereafter by the Borough shall be assessed against and charged to the properties benefiting from the same and shall become liens on the properties benefiting until paid; or in the case of new subdivisions, the cost of installation shall be borne or paid as agreed upon before installation or as defined in the Subdivision Code or ordinance when the same is adopted.

§ 61-15 Number of units on a single service line.

A. Hereafter, a single sewer service line shall not be permitted to serve more than one physical unit; however, a physical unit may contain apartment, stores, offices or other facilities for more than one occupant or family. One physical unit is defined as a property not divisible for sale or ownership by more than one owner or group of owners.

B. However, any of the following situations shall be considered to be part of one physical unit: a professional office for a physician, lawyer, dentist, architect, professional engineer, mortician or other such profession, or studio and/or rooms for home occupation, provided that such office, studio or rooms for home occupation shall be located in a dwelling in which the practitioner resides.

§ 61-16 Rates.

[Amended 12-19-1967 by Ord. No. 484; 11-12-1972 by Ord. No. 548; 12-17-1974 by Ord. No. 570; 8-19-1975 by Ord. No. 580; 12-22-1975 by Ord. No. 589]

A. Rates. The rates for the sewer services shall be as follows: The minimum rate shall be $366 per year. The minimum rate is based upon the first 60,000 gallons of water used by the consumer per basic service unit, as defined herein; in those cases where the unit is described by a fraction, the users will be entitled to the appropriate fractional amount of 60,000 gallons. All amounts of water used over the gallonage allowed in the minimum rates will be charged at a rate of $4.50 per 1,000 gallons or part thereof.

[Amended 12-28-1976 by Ord. No. 599; 1-29-1980 by Ord. No. 0.2.80; 4-3-1984 by Ord. No. 0.7.84; 4-25-1985 by Ord. No. 0.2.85; 4-15-1886 by Ord. No. 0.4.86; 2-4-1992 by Ord. No. 0.1.92; 2-2-1993 by Ord. No. 0.2.93; 2-15-1994 by Ord. No. 02.94; 3-1-2005 by Ord. No. 06.05; 3-7-2006 by Ord. No. 03.06; 2-16-2010 by Ord. No. 02.10; 3-19-2012 by Ord. No. 02.12; 2-16-2016 by Ord. No. 01.16; 2-7-2017 by Ord. No. 01.17; 3-5-2019 by Ord. No. 03.19; 2-4-2020 by Ord. No. 01.20; 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 01.21; 2-1-2022 by Ord. No. 02.22]

B. Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms have the meanings indicated:

[Amended 12-28-1976 by Ord. No. 599, 2-4-1992 by Ord. No. 01.92; 3-1-2005 by Ord. No. 06.05; 3-7-2006 by Ord. No. 03.06; 3-5-2019 by Ord. No. 03.19]

BASIC SERVICE UNIT (BSU)

(1) For sewer rental purposes, a room, a group of rooms, house trailer or similar structure, or facility occupied or designed for occupancy as separate living quarters by a family or other group of persons living together or by a person living alone, where such structures and facilities are in addition to the initial sewer connection. The basic service unit will be allotted 15,000 gallons per quarter at a flat rate.

(2) For water rental purposes, a room, group of rooms, house trailer or similar structure or facility occupied or designed for occupancy as separate living quarters by a family or other group of persons living together or by a person living alone is classified as a "basic service unit," where such structures and facilities are in addition to the initial water connection. One basic service unit will be allotted 15,000 gallons per quarter (60,000 gallons per year) and will be charged in accordance with § 61-16A.

BILLING

Billing for sewer charges will be made on a quarterly basis. Billing shall be calculated on a "per unit" basis.

FLAT RATE CHARGE

Each unit shall be allotted 15,000 gallons per quarter and shall be charged a flat rate of $91.50 per the 15,000 gallons per unit per quarter.

[Amended 2-4-2020 by Ord. No. 01.20; 3-2-2021 by Ord. No. 01.21; 2-1-2022 by Ord. No. 02.22]

C. Unit Designations.

[Amended 12-28-1976 by Ord. No. 599; 4-3-1984 by Ord. No. 0.7.84[1]; 12-5-1987 by Ord. No. 0.8.87; 2-4-1992 by Ord. No. 0.1.92; 3-5-2019 by Ord. No. 03.19; 2-4-2020 by Ord. No. 01.20]

Description	No. of Units	Comments/Examples
Single-family residential	1 unit (BSU)
Multifamily residential, per family unit	1 unit (BSU)	Duplex = 2 units Triplex = 3 units
Rented rooms, each living unit available for rent, minimum flat rate charge	1 flat rate charge for the first living unit, and for each additional living unit available there shall be a charge of 1/10 BSU	Ex. Houses renting rooms with 5 rooms = 1.4 units
Single-family, with place of business with drain facilities	1.5 units (BSU)
Apartment house, minimum 1-unit charge	1 unit (BSU) for each rental unit
Motel/hotel	1 flat rate charge for the first rental unit, and for each additional rental unit there shall be a charge of 3/10 unit
Church, club, society and service organization building, if such organization does not have a CB liquor license	1 unit (BSU)	There are to be no living areas within the premises. Any living areas associated with these organizations (priest's house) shall be charged an additional BSU per living area.
Church, club society and service organization building, with a CB liquor license	1 unit (BSU) plus 1/2 unit (BSU)	There are to be no living areas within the premises. Any living areas associated with these organizations (priest's house) shall be charged an additional BSU per living area
Public building, other than schools	1 unit (BSU)
Service stations, without car washing facilities or repair facilities	1 unit (BSU)
Commercial garage	1 unit (BSU)
Service stations, with car washing facilities or repair facilities	1 1/2 unit (BSU)
Diners, restaurants, luncheonettes and taverns; units to be determined by seating capacity as follows:
1 to 20 seating capacity	1 unit (BSU)
21 to 75 seating capacity	1 1/2 units (BSU)
76 to 100 seating capacity	2 units (BSU)
Excess of 100 seating capacity to be treated as special case as outlined below
Theater, excluding drive-in theaters	2 units (BSU)
Bowling alley	1 unit (BSU)
Laundromat	3 units (BSU)
Supermarkets:
5 employees or fewer	1 1/2 units (BSU)
More than 5 employees	2 units (BSU)
Business establishments not otherwise classified
5 employees or fewer	1 1/2 units (BSU)
More than 5 employees	2 units (BSU)
Warehouse
First 5,000 square feet of gross floor area or any portion thereof	1 1/2 units (BSU)
Each additional 5,000 square feet	Additional 1 unit (BSU) per 5,000 square feet
Industrial or manufacturing plant (without industrial waste)
First 3,000 square feet of gross area or up to 5 employees, whichever is greater	1 1/2 units (BSU)
Each additional 3,000 square feet or any portion thereof or up to each additional 5 employees, whichever is greater	Additional 1 unit (BSU) per 3,000 square feet

[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that it shall be effective retroactive to January 1, 1984.

D. In special case not contemplated in the above schedule of rates or not clearly defined therein, the Borough Council is hereby authorized to establish special rates by resolution under such schedule or formula as the Council may deem advisable, and the Council may make contracts with such special users as the special circumstances may require.

E. In addition to the rates described above, additional charges may be made against commercial and industrial sewer services under the following circumstances:

(1) In the event that the Gloucester County Utilities Authority shall charge the Borough additional charges for extra-strength waste, then and in that event each commercial or industrial user causing such extra charges shall be billed by the Borough of Paulsboro in an amount equal to 1.6 times the extra charge made to the Borough by the Gloucester County Utilities Authority.

[Amended 3-1-2005 by Ord. No. 06.05]

F. In cases where users using the sewer system have sources of water supply other than, or in combination with, water supplied through an approved meter source, such dwellings and establishments shall provide a meter on the other sources of supply. The total amount of water consumed, as shown by the sum of all meter readings, shall be used as the basis for computation of the sewer rent pursuant to the excess charge described above, and for the additional charge for extra-strength waste.

G. In cases where industrial users using the sewer system use water supplied from any source, and the water so supplied is not entirely discharged into the sewer system, the amount of water consumed, to be used as a basis for the computation of the sewer rent pursuant to the excess charge described above, and the extra-strength premium shall be determined by any of the following methods:

(1) The industrial user, at his own expense, shall install a meter or measuring device approved by the Authority on his sewer connection with the sewer system, and the readings from this meter or measuring device shall be used in computing the sewer rent.

(2) The industrial user, at his own expense, shall install a meter or measuring device approved by the Authority on the effluent not being discharged into the sewer system, and the readings from this meter or measuring device shall be deducted from the readings of all water meters and the remainder shall be used in computing the sewer rent.

(3) If the Authority shall decide it is not practicable to install a meter or measuring device to determine the quantity of water not discharged into the sewer system, the Authority will determine in such manner and by such method as it may prescribe the percentage of metered water discharged into the sewer system, and the quantity of water used to compute the sewer rent shall be that percentage so determined of the total quantity measured by the water meter or meters.

H. All meters or measuring devices used to meter sewage effluent shall be annually inspected, calibrated and certified with the results forwarded to the Borough of Paulsboro. The certifying agency shall be subject to the approval of the Borough Water Superintendent.

[Added 2-4-1992 by Ord. No. 0.1.92]

§ 61-17 Payment.

[Amended 11-9-1972 by Ord. No. 533; 3-20-1973 by Ord. No. 555; 12-17-1974 by Ord. No. 570; 2-18-1986 by Ord. No. 0.1.86; 3-7-2017 by Ord. No. 02.17; 7-8-2020 by Ord. No. 11.20]

All of the above charges shall be billed and payable quarterly. All bills for water service shall be payable at the office of the Borough Collector. The water billing shall be based on water meter reading at the end of each quarter. If such bills are not paid on or before April 15 for the first quarter, July 1 for the second quarter, October 1 for the third quarter and December 21 for the fourth quarter, water service shall be shut off and not turned on except upon the payment of arrears, with interest of 18% per year, accrued on a daily basis (18/365) on the unpaid balance until such balance is paid in full, and a fee of $50 for turning on the water. All unpaid property bills shall be rendered to the property owner. All unpaid water bills and other water charges shall become liens on the property benefiting from water services as provided by the New Jersey Revised Statutes.

§ 61-18 Severability.

The provisions of this ordinance shall be severable, and if any of the provisions hereof shall be held invalid by a court of competent jurisdiction, the decision of such court respecting such provision or provisions shall not affect the validity of any other provision which can be given effect without such invalid provision or provisions.

§ 61-19 Repealer.

All ordinances or parts of ordinances not consistent with the provisions of this ordinance are hereby repealed.

§ 61-20 Effective date.

This ordinance shall take effect on January 1, 1956, following its adoption and publication according to law.