Town of Tolland, CT Building Sewers; Subdivisions; Developments

The following requirements of this section shall apply to any person licensed to do sewer work and who has a building or house sewer permit to do such sewer work as provided in Article III of these regulations:

(1)

Old building sewers may be used and connected to a public sewer, when serving new buildings, only when they are found on examination or test by the Director of Public Works to meet all requirements of this regulation. The Director of Public Works may require, where indicated, the uncovering of old sewers for inspection.

(2)

A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building except that, when two or more buildings are so situated that separate and independent building sewers for each building would be impractical or impose unnecessary hardship, the Director of Public Works may authorize a single building sewer connection to the public sewer subject to such terms and conditions as to easement, design and construction as the Director of Public Works may require.

(3)

No building shall be connected to a public sewer unless the plumbing system of said building has a soil vent pipe extended to a point above the roof. The Director of Public Works may require that no running trap, main house trap or other device which might prevent the free flow of air throughout the whole course of the building sewer, house drain and said soil vent pipe will be allowed.

(4)

The building sewer shall be cast-iron soil pipe, vitrified clay sewer pipe, polyvinyl chloride pipe or other suitable material approved by the Director of Public Works. All pipe materials shall conform to the latest standard specifications of the ASTM as approved by the Director of Public Works. Any part of the building sewer that is located within 10 feet of a water service pipe shall be constructed of cast-iron soil pipe. Wherever possible, water service and house sewer pipes shall be laid in separate trenches. Where laid in the same trench, the water pipe shall be laid on a bench at least 12 inches above the top of the sewer pipe and at least 12 inches, and preferably 18 inches, from the side of the sewer trench. Cast-iron pipe may be required by the Director of Public Works where the building sewer is exposed to damage by tree roots. If installed in filled or unstable ground, the building sewer shall be of cast-iron soil pipe, except that nonmetallic material may be accepted if laid on a suitable concrete bed or cradle as approved by the Director of Public Works. No building sewer shall be located within 25 feet of a cellar drain or groundwater drain unless the pipe is of cast iron. No building sewer shall be constructed within 25 feet of a water supply well. If a building sewer is constructed within 25 to 75 feet of a water supply well, it shall be constructed in accordance with all applicable guidelines promulgated by the Director of Public Works.

(5)

The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the Director of Public Works. The diameter shall not be less than six inches in diameter for either new or replacement sewers.

(6)

When an owner of any lot or his agent applies for a building permit, the Building Inspector shall require, as a condition of the issuance of such permit, that said owner or agent show on the plot plan the layout of the proposed building sewer from the building drain to the point of entry to existing pipes, including elevation of the building drain, finished first floor and/or cellar floor and the elevation of existing piping to which the proposed building sewer will drain.

(7)

The building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation satisfactory to the Director of Public Works. In a situation where any building drain is too low to flow by gravity to the public sewer, the property owner shall have the option of installing a private sewage disposal system conforming to the Public Health Code of the State of Connecticut and any applicable local ordinances and regulations or the sewage shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the public sewer.

(8)

In all buildings where the building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sewage or other wastewaters carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer through a cast-iron force main or approved equal. All building drains, whether force mains or gravity lines, shall be of cast-iron soil pipe or equal from the inner face of the building wall to the point of connection with the building or house sewer, and all joints, including that with the building sewer, shall be made gastight and watertight by a method approved by the Director of Public Works.

(9)

For any sewering situation in which a public sewer backup would create the distinct possibility, as determined by the Director of Public Works, of a serious backup into a residential, commercial or industrial building or otherwise endanger life, limb or public health, the contractor, upon written notice from the Director of Public Works, shall install, at the expense of the property owner, a backflow check valve in the building sewer. Such valves shall be installed under the direction of the Director of Public Works and so situated as to provide accessibility thereto.

(10)

Construction and location of sewers.

(a)

All excavations required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trench work, unless otherwise approved by the Director of Public Works. Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to or be within three feet of any bearing wall which might thereby be weakened. The depth of the building sewer shall be sufficient to afford protection from frost and in general such depth shall not be less than three feet six inches below the finished ground surface at all points. All building sewers shall be laid at uniform grade and in straight alignment in so far as possible. A layer of filter fabric extending the full width of the trench shall be laid over the stone bedding prior to the placement of any sand. The filter fabric would be as approved by the Director of Public Works.

(b)

Building sewers shall be laid in the following manner: stone bedding material will be required below all pipe and all utility structures. Stone bedding shall be placed to the full width of the trench and to a depth of six inches below the bottom of the pipe invert. Stone bedding shall be placed 12 inches beyond the widths of a utility structure foundation (base) and to a depth of six inches from the bottom of the excavation to the bottom of the foundation (base). After a pipe is bedded, the trench shall be filled to the center line of the pipe with stone bedding except at the joint. After the joint is inspected, that portion shall be filled in with stone bedding. Stone used shall be 3/8 inch to 1/2 inch. Material under and around the pipe shall be carefully and thoroughly tamped. From the top of the pipe to a point 12 inches above the top of the pipe, the backfill shall be clean sand, placed by hand and hand tamped. Above this point, backfill shall be suitable material from excavation or bank-run gravel. This backfill shall be placed in layers eight inches deep, and each layer shall be compacted with mechanical tampers to not less than 95% of the maximum dry density.

(c)

Building sewers shall be located at a sufficient distance from other parallel pipes to permit alterations or repairs to any such pipes or the sewer pipe without disturbing the other; they shall be well cleaned inside after laying; and they shall conform to all reasonable requirements for good construction.

(d)

The open ends of building sewers, building drains and building connection laterals shall be kept closed or protected during construction and during periods when work is suspended in order to exclude from the public sewer all water or debris which might obstruct, damage or otherwise be detrimental to the public sewer or sewage works. Abandoned building sewers or drains shall be likewise promptly closed and sealed off from any public sewer at the expense of the owner of the property.

(11)

All joints and connections for or between building sewers, building drains and building connection laterals shall be made gastight and watertight as follows.

(a)

Cast-iron, vitrified clay sewer pipe, polyvinyl chloride pipe or other suitable material approved by the Director of Public Works shall be gasketed and equipped with tyton or mechanical joints. The pipe and joints shall conform to all applicable ASA and ASTM specifications. No paint, varnish or other coatings shall be permitted on any joint until after the joint has been tested and approved.

(b)

Leakage.

[1]

The rate of infiltration into or leakage out of all gravity sewers and appurtenant constructions shall be tested. Suitable bulkheads, weirs or other devices shall be built by the contractor to enable the Director to make measurements of watertightness of sewers after their completion.

[2]

Leakage tests shall be carried out in a manner approved by the Director. The Director will designate the tests to be performed on the basis of the groundwater elevations and other physical conditions at the time tests are to be performed. The contractor will be required to independently test manholes and pipelines. Manholes will be tested by exfiltration only; pipelines will be tested by infiltration when the groundwater level is two feet above the crown of the sewer and by exfiltration when below this level. The maximum length of the pipeline to be tested shall not exceed one section (manhole to manhole). The allowable leakage rate into or out of the sewer lines shall not exceed 50 gallons per inch of diameter per day per mile of pipe, except in potable watershed areas where it shall not exceed 25 gallons per inch of diameter per mile of pipe. The allowable leakage rate out of an individual manhole shall not exceed one gallon per day per foot of depth. If the measured infiltration or exfiltration exceeds the specified rates, the necessary repairs shall be made by the contractor to reduce leakage to rates stated herein, and additional tests shall be made at the contractor's expense.

[a]

Leakage out of each manhole shall be tested by exfiltration. The contractor shall plug all openings into the manhole being tested and fill the manhole to a level no less than one foot above the beginning of the manhole taper. Water shall be allowed to stand in the manhole for one hour. The manhole shall then be refilled to the original depth. The water level shall be carefully marked, and at the end of the following one-hour period, sufficient water shall be added to bring the water level back to the mark. Water added shall be supplied from a metered source, and the quantity so added shall be converted to gallons per day lost through manhole leakage.

[b]

The contractor shall plug all inlets and outlets into the upstream manhole, except for the line being tested. A V-notch weir shall be placed into the upstream pipe in the downstream manhole, with a watertight seal between the weir and the pipeline. Infiltrating water shall be allowed to build up and level off behind the weir until a steady, uniform flow passes over the V-notch weir. After steady flow has been established, measurements of the water flow shall be taken at thirty-minute intervals, with not fewer than three consecutive readings. Flow measurements shall be converted to gallons-per-day infiltration rate.

[c]

The contractor shall plug all inlets and outlets into the upstream manhole, except for the line being tested. A tapped plug shall be placed in the inlet pipe of the downstream manhole, with a water supply connection for filling the pipeline. Water shall be introduced into the pipeline at the downstream manhole until the upstream manhole has been filled to a depth of six feet or six inches below the beginning of the manhole taper, whichever is less. The line shall be allowed to stand full for a minimum of four hours before beginning exfiltration measurements. After refilling to the original level, the drop in water level over the following one-hour period shall be measured and converted to gallons per day lost through pipeline exfiltration, after appropriate compensation for manhole losses.

[d]

Air testing.

[e]

The Director may, at his option, require the contractor to perform low-pressure air testing of the gravity sewers in lieu of infiltration or exfiltration testing on the pipelines. Where air testing is to be substituted, the contractor will be notified sufficiently in advance to allow him to obtain and transport to the job site all necessary equipment for carrying out the air tests, which will include compressor, control panel, pneumatic plugs, hoses and cables, and all other miscellaneous accessories.

[f]

The air test will be conducted between manholes. The sewer line under test shall be plugged at both ends. The air hose shall be connected to a tapped plug to be used for air inlet to the line. The hose will be connected to portable air control equipment which must include a shut-off valve, pressure-regulating valve, pressure-reduction valve and a monitoring-pressure gauge with range from zero to five pounds per square inch. Air shall be introduced from the air source through the control equipment to the pipeline.

[g]

Air shall be slowly supplied to the test section, until a constant pressure of 3.5 is maintained. The air pressure shall be regulated to prevent the pressure inside the pipe from exceeding 5.0 pounds per square inch. When constant pressure of 3.5 pounds per square inch is reached, the air supply shall be throttled to maintain the internal pressure above 3.0 pounds per square inch for at least five minutes, for stabilization.

[h]

After stabilization, the air pressure shall be adjusted to 3.5 pounds per square inch and shut off or disconnected from the air supply. The gate shall be observed until the air pressure reaches 3.0 pounds per square inch. At 3.0 pounds per square inch the pressure drop shall be timed with a stopwatch until the pressure drops to 2.5 pounds per square inch. The time required for the pressure drop of zero and 0.5 pounds per square inch shall be recorded and compared to the following tabulation.

[i]

If the time for the drop of zero and 0.5 pounds per square inch is less than that shown, the section will be considered to have failed, the source of leakage must be located by the contractor, repaired and the section retested.

Time Requirements for Air Testing
	Time
Pipe Size (inches)	Minutes	Seconds
8 or less	5	06
10	6	22
12	7	39
14	9	35

[j]

Where groundwater level is above the invert of the sewer line, the air test pressure must be increased 0.43 pounds per square inch for each foot the groundwater level is above the invert of the pipe, and the resulting pressure computed will be used for the starting pressure. The allowable drop 0.5 pounds per square inch and the time requirements will not change.

[k]

No measurement and no payment will be made for work performed under this section. All costs for labor, materials and supplies required for leakage testing, including repairs and retesting until accepted, shall be considered to be included in the cost of pipe and manholes.

(c)

All joints in vitrified clay pipe, polyvinyl chloride pipe or other approved pipe or between such pipes shall be made with rubber or similar gaskets. Hot-poured jointing materials or cement mortar shall not be approved. Pipe and joints shall conform to all applicable ASTM specifications.

(d)

Any jointing materials, other than those described in Subsection A(11)(a), (b) and (c), may be used only upon approval by the Director of Public Works.

(e)

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing codes or other applicable rules and regulations of the Town. Any deviation from prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the Director of Public Works before installation.

(f)

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the Y-branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If the public sewer is 12 inches in diameter or less, and no properly located Y-branch is available, the owner shall, at his expense, install a Y-branch in the public sewer at the location specified by the Director of Public Works. Where the public sewer is greater than 12 inches in diameter, and no properly located Y-branch is available, a neat hole may be cut into the public sewer to receive the building sewer, with entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about 45°. A forty-five-degree ell may be used to make such connection, with the spigot end cut so as not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer. Where street sewers are of asbestos-cement sewer pipe, the connection may be made with a cast-iron saddle in the event that no fitting is available on the street sewer. The invert of the building sewer at the point of connection is to either match the center lines of such street sewers or be higher. A smooth, neat joint shall be made and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete. Special fittings may be used for the connection only when approved by the Director of Public Works.

(12)

When the building sewer trench has been excavated and the building sewer repaired, altered or constructed and is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer, the Director of Public Works shall be notified during regular working hours, not less than 24 hours in advance of the time when the connection to the public sewer is planned. The connection of the building sewer to the public sewer shall be made under the supervision of the Director of Public Works, and a record of all said connections shall be kept by him. If any person constructs, installs, alters or repairs any building sewer or drain connecting to a public sewer in the Town in violation of any section of this regulation or fails to give adequate notice to the Director of Public Works for an inspection of the work, said Director of Public Works may order all or any portion of said work to be uncovered for inspection and approval.

(13)

All excavations for building sewer installations 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 Town.

If any person, after proper order or direction from the Director of Public Works, fails to remedy any violation of this section or of any other section of these regulations, the Director of Public Works may disconnect the building sewer of the property where the violation exists from the public sewer and may collect the cost of making such disconnection from any person or persons responsible for or willfully concerned in or who profited by such violation of the requirements of these regulations.