If the owner of any property shall fail to make connection of
such property to the public sewage system within 60 days of written
notice from the Township to such owner of the requirement to such
connection, the Township may make such connection, in which event
the owner shall be solely responsible for all costs and expenses incurred
by the Township for such connection. In the event the owner fails
to reimburse the Township for all such costs and expenses within 30
days of receipt of an invoice from the Township therefor, the Township
may institute proceedings for collection by a municipal claim or an
action of assumpsit.
As public sewage services become available to additional properties
within the Township by reason of additions to the public sewage system
or improvements on abutting properties, each owner of a property whose
principal structure is within 150 feet of the public sewer system
shall be required to make the necessary connection to the abutting
or adjoining sewer lines, and any septic tanks, cesspools, holding
tanks and similar devices connected to an individual sewage system
shall be abandoned and filled with approved filling material.
The Sewer Inspector or his or her authorized agent shall have
access at all reasonable hours to all parts of the premises to which
sewage service is supplied to make necessary inspections.
A. The Township's Sewer Inspector shall have the powers, duties and
qualifications prescribed by this part. The duties of the Sewer Inspector
shall include, but not be limited to, the following:
(1) The Inspector shall make any required inspections and supervise any
tests necessary to ensure that all provisions of this part are being
faithfully complied with and shall remove or correct, or order the
removal or correction of, any work or materials that are faulty and/or
not approved.
(2) The Inspector shall observe and prevent, whenever reasonably possible,
any infraction of the Township's regulations or any applicable federal
or state regulations.
(3) The Sewer Inspector shall, upon properly identifying himself or herself,
be provided access to any structure or area in order to fulfill his
or her duty to make inspections to determine whether any drainage
connection is adequate, faulty, improperly used, neglected or abandoned
or whether any unlawful repair, alteration, installation or addition
has been made thereon. Such inspections shall be made at times reasonably
convenient to the occupants.
(4) When an investigation reveals any condition that is or may be unsanitary,
inadequate, in violation of the Township's regulations or dangerous
to life or health, the Sewer Inspector shall issue a written order
to the owner of the property wherein such condition exists to take
such action as may be necessary and adequate to correct and completely
abate and remove the unlawful or objectionable condition. A copy of
such order shall be sent to or served upon the owner of such property
and shall state the nature of the correction ordered. Such condition
shall be abated or corrected by the owner within the time stated in
the order.
B. The Sewer Inspector shall have the right to enter the premises of
any user at any time during operations to determine whether the user
is complying with all requirements of this part and any wastewater
discharge permit or order issued thereunder. Users shall provide the
Sewer Inspector with access to all parts of the premises for the purposes
of inspection, sampling, records examination and copying, and the
performance of all other duties.
(1) Where an industrial user has security measures in force which require
proper identification and clearance before entry into its premises,
the industrial user shall make necessary arrangements with its security
guards so that, upon presentation of suitable identification, the
Sewer Inspector shall be permitted to enter without delay for the
purposes of performing his or her duties.
(2) The Sewer Inspector shall have the right to install on the user's
property, or require installation of, such devices as are necessary
to conduct sampling and/or metering of the user's sewage.
(3) Any temporary or permanent obstruction to safe and easy access to
the facility to be inspected and/or sampled shall be promptly removed
by the user at the written or verbal request of the Sewer Inspector
and shall not be replaced. All costs of clearing such access shall
be the sole responsibility of the user.
(4) Unreasonable delays in allowing the Inspector access to the user's
premises shall be a violation of this part.
(5) In connection with said inspection, the Sewer Inspector shall have
the right to take such samples of any solid, semi-solid, liquid or
contained gaseous material as he or she may deem appropriate for analysis.
If such analysis is in fact made, copies of the results thereof shall
be made available to the property owner within five days after receipt
of the same by the Township.
C. If the Sewer Inspector has been refused access to a building, structure
or property, or any part thereof, and is able to demonstrate probable
cause to believe that there may be a violation of these regulations
or that there is a need to inspect and/or sample as part of a routine
inspection and sampling program of the Township designed to verify
compliance with these regulations or any permit or order issued hereunder
or to protect the overall public health, safety and welfare of the
community, the Sewer Inspector may seek issuance of a search warrant
from the appropriate Commonwealth official authorized to issue a search
warrant. Probable cause shall exist where:
(1) The Sewer Inspector has been refused access to the property, building,
premises, place, book, record, log or physical evidence, or has been
prevented from taking samples or conducting tests;
(2) The sampling, testing, inspection or examination is authorized and
required by this part or the Township's regulations and/or any other
applicable law; and
(3) The Sewer Inspector has reason to believe that a violation of this
part or the Township's regulations has or will occur, giving rise
to the necessity for such inspection, sampling, test or examination.
The Township, upon receipt of any land development or subdivision plan, shall cause copies thereof to be delivered to the Township Engineer for its review and comments, and no determination as to any such plan shall be made until receipt of such review and comments. If the Township Engineer advises that public sewer service is available to or required for the property in question, the builder or developer shall complete such application for service, pay such review fees and submit such sewer plans as the Township by regulation may require. Final plan approval by the Township shall be governed by the provisions of §
95-19 of this part. If the Township Engineer advises that there is no reasonable likelihood of public sewer service to the property within the reasonably foreseeable future, and if the developer does not otherwise desire to pay for connection to the public sewage system, the Board of Supervisors shall thereafter proceed in accordance with the Township Zoning and Subdivision and Land Development Ordinances and shall require on-site sewage service as called for therein. Notwithstanding the foregoing, developers shall be encouraged to provide for connection to the public sewage system wherever possible. No alternative community sewage system shall be approved where the cost of the same, by certified engineering estimate of the Township Engineer, exceeds the cost of connection to the public sewage system.