[Amended 3-16-2009 by Ord. No. 09-23]
A. All applications for the introduction of Township
water to private premises or for the change of an existing supply
shall be made to the Division of Revenue by the owner of the premises
or by their duly authorized agent. The application must be made upon
blank forms furnished by the Division of Revenue, and the applicant
must subscribe to the conditions printed thereon. The applicant is
also required to complete an engineering report which can be obtained
from the Department of Engineering.
B. The application must be accompanied by the permit fee specified in §
556-15. Application fees are nonrefundable.
C. Upon the receipt of the application, the Township
Engineer shall make or cause to be made an inspection of the premises
and shall review the engineering report prepared by the applicant.
D. Upon review and approval of the engineer's report
by the Township Engineer, and deposit of all applicable fees and performance
bonds, the applicant shall proceed with the work upon 48 hours' notice
to the Engineering Department.
E. No additional connections or alterations to existing
connections will be made for the owner of any premises until all charges
of every nature relating to water due the Township from such owner
or charged against such premises are first paid.
The refusal or neglect of any owner to equip
their premises with service pipe connections, utilities or fixtures
of approved character and quality shall be sufficient grounds for
the refusal of the Township Engineer to connect the premises with
the water supply or to turn on the water after such connection has
been made.
Supply and service pipes shall be of such material
and of such size and quality as the Township Engineer may select or
approve.
Supply pipes and service pipes, including curb
cocks, shall be installed and repaired only under the supervision
of the Township Engineer.
Service pipes and all other pipes or fixtures
placed underground must be placed at least four feet below the surface
or finished grade of the ground to ensure against freezing.
In each building intended to be connected with
the public water supply, there shall be provided a stop and waste
cock placed as near to the front basement or foundation wall as possible,
but beyond the meter position and where easily accessible, in order
that water may be turned on and off and drained from the pipe in case
of accident or in order to make necessary repairs. Such stops must
be kept in good working condition, must be thoroughly protected from
freezing and must be equal in strength and quality to the curb cock
or valve set by the Township Engineer.
[Amended 3-4-2002 by Ord. No. 02-07; 2-5-2007 by Ord. No.
07-04]
A. Service pipes.
(1) All service pipes from curb cock or valve at the curbline
of the street to the meter shall be the sole responsibility of the
property owner. Installation repairs and replacement of service pipes
shall be made by a licensed plumber hired by the property owner and
supervised under the direction of the Township Engineer. All costs
shall be borne by the owner.
(2) In the case of a leaking service line, the homeowner
shall be required to contract with a plumber to repair said service
line leak within 48 hours. If no arrangements have been made to repair
leakage within the time prescribed herein, the Township shall be permitted
to retain a contractor to complete the work for a cost of time and
materials, which cost shall be the responsibility of the homeowner
and shall be collect as permitted by law. Restoration of lawn areas,
shrubs, fences, walkways, driveways, steps, etc., shall be the sole
responsibility of the homeowner and not considered as part of the
contractor's time and materials costs.
B. Supply pipes.
(1) The installation of supply pipes (new construction)
shall be the responsibility of the owner/developer under supervision
of the Township Engineer's office. All costs shall be borne by the
owner/developer.
(2) Supply pipes up to one inch, tapped into the main
and extending thence to and including the curb cock or valve at the
curbline of the street, shall be maintained by the Township at its
expense.
(3) Supply pipes greater that one inch shall be installed
and maintained by the owner under the supervision of the Township
Engineer's office.
[Amended 9-18-1967; 7-16-1973; 8-11-1975; 3-16-1981; 3-16-2009 by Ord. No. 09-23]
A. The permit fees for service pipes from the curb cock
or valve at the curbline of the street to the meter shall be as follows:
[Amended 11-18-2013 by Ord. No. 13-39]
Single- and two-family residential units
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$75 per connection
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Three-family residential or greater
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$2 per gpd*
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Nonresidential uses
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$2 per gpd*(maximum fee shall be $2,500)
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Note:
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*Gallons per day. Flow estimates shall be based
upon the criteria specified in N.J.A.C. 7:14A-23.3, Projected flow
criteria.
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(1) All
fees are subject to review and approval of/by the Township Engineer.
The Township Engineer reserves the right to adjust fee amounts.
B. Performance bond.
(1) Each applicant will be required to provide a performance
bond in the following amounts:
Single- and two-family residential units
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$5,000
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Three-family residential units or greater and
nonresidential units
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120% of estimated cost of construction** of
the connection or a minimum of $10,000 whichever is greater
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Note:
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**Estimate of construction costs, where applicable,
shall be provided by the applicant and shall be certified by a licensed
professional engineer in the State of New Jersey.
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(2) Performance bonds shall be in a form acceptable to
the Township Attorney and shall be returned upon approval of the completed
work by the Township Engineer.
C. Fees related to review and endorsement of New Jersey
Department of Environmental Protection potable water permits. When
required by the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection,
the review, endorsement and preparation of an authorizing resolution
by the Engineering Department will require a nonrefundable fee of
$500.
[Added 9-20-2021 by Ord. No. 21-38]
A. Definitions.
As used in this section, the following terms shall have meanings indicated:
CONTRACTOR
A licensed vendor that contracts with the Township of Bloomfield
to replace lead service lines.
DEPARTMENT
The Township Bloomfield Engineering Department, New Jersey.
DWELLING
A building or structure or part thereof containing one or
more dwelling units. This chapter shall also apply to buildings and
structures that are not used for residential purposes.
DWELLING UNIT
Any room or groups of rooms or any part thereof located within
a building and forming a single habitable unit with facilities which
are used or designed to be used for living, sleeping, cooking, eating
or bathing.
LEAD SAFE
Any condition that does not allow access or exposure to lead,
in any form, to the extent that adverse human health effects are possible.
LEAD SERVICE LINE
The water line on private property that leads to the structure
or building that is connected to the curb box in the street. This
is also described and defined as the "service pipe."
LEAD SERVICE LINE REPLACEMENT PROGRAM(S)
The Township of Bloomfield from time to time, when funding
is available, may engage in a public contract to remove and replace
known or documented lead service and supply lines which will be performed
at no cost to the property owner or occupant.
LEAD SUPPLY LINE
The water line within the Township right-of-way that leads
from the curb box into the street to the water main. This is also
described and defined as the "supply pipe." This section of piping
is owned and maintained by the Township of Bloomfield.
OCCUPANT
A person or persons in actual possession of and living in
the building or dwelling unit.
OWNER
Any person who has legal title to any dwelling, with or without
accompanying actual possession thereof; or who has equitable title
and is either in actual possession or collects rents therefrom; or
who is executor, trustee, guardian, or receiver of the estate of the
owner, or as mortgagee or as vendee in possession either by virtue
of a court order or by agreement or voluntary surrender of the premises
by the person holding the legal title, or as collector of rents has
charge, care or control of any dwelling or rooming house.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General
Provisions, Art. I)]
B. Lead
service lines prohibited. It is hereby established that the existence
of lead service lines is prohibited in the Township of Bloomfield.
C. Exclusion
from requirement; proof required. A property owner may be excluded
from the mandatory replacement of its lead service line by providing
the Bloomfield Engineering Department, within 120 days of the effective
date of this section, with written proof from a licensed and certified
plumber that it does not have a lead service line on its property
and/or that the lead service line was previously removed and replaced.
D. Mandatory
replacement of lead service line.
(1) The owner of any dwelling, building or structure serviced by a lead
service line is required to replace the lead service line on their
property. The replacement of the lead service line must be completed
within 120 days from the discovery or uncovering of the lead service
line. An extension of time may be granted where the owner can demonstrate
to the Bloomfield Engineering Department or its designee that a good
faith effort has been made to comply with this section.
(2) Every effort by the property owner shall be taken to inspect and
document the service line coming into their property. This may be
accomplished by any of the methods described herein.
(a) The property owner shall retain the services of a plumber, licensed
in the State of New Jersey, to perform an inspection of the service
line to determine and document its composition. Furthermore, any plumbing
performed by a property owner should include an inspection of the
service line if the material has not been determined by another method
described herein.
(b) The property owner will be advised of a lead service line during
any contract performed by the Township, including meter replacements
or servicing, repair of a Township-owned service line, or any other
utility work that may expose the lead service line.
(c) The Township from time to time may, through its Department of Public
Works and Park Maintenance, or through a contract, perform inspections
of lead service lines at the curb box and notify a property owner
if a lead service line was documented.
(3) The owner of any dwelling, building or structure shall replace their
lead service line by any of the following methods:
(a) Signing up for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program when offered
by the Township of Bloomfield and allowing contractors to access on
their property to conduct the replacement. The contractor will provide
the owner with a right-of-entry form for completion. The right-of-entry
form will provide the contractor with access to the property to verify
the existence of a lead service line; or
(b) Replacing the lead service line on their own and at their own expense.
If an owner selects this option, then replacement must be completed
within 120 days of the discovery of the lead service line. An extension
of time may be granted where the owner can demonstrate to the Bloomfield
Engineering Department or its designee that a good faith effort has
been made to comply with this section. An owner is required to provide
the Engineering Department with proof that the lead service line has
been replaced. Proof must include, at a minimum, an invoice from the
contractor who completed the work, a copy of the estimate along with
any report of the work completed, and an inspection report verifying
the removal.
E. Authorization
to access property. If an owner of the dwelling, building or structure
does not sign up for the Lead Service Line Replacement Program when
such a program is being offered through the Township of Bloomfield,
or does not replace its lead service line within 120 days of the discovery
of the lead service line (or within the time frame provided in an
extension) or is inaccessible or otherwise denies access to the property
to enable the replacement of the line, then the following procedure
shall be followed:
(1) The Township shall secure entrance to the property from the owner
or current occupant of the dwelling, building or structure, and the
Township shall incur no liability from the owner. The contractor will
provide the owner with a right-of-entry form for completion. The right-of-entry
form will provide the contractor with access to the property to verify
the existence of a lead service line. The Township shall restore the
property to its original condition, or as close as possible to its
original condition; and
(2) If access is granted by the occupant of the dwelling, building, or
structure, then the occupant shall be held harmless and no liability
shall incur to the Township or occupant due to the replacement of
the lead service line by the Township of Bloomfield; and
(3) If access is denied by the current occupant or owner, then the Township
shall commence procedures, including filing a court action, to conduct
the replacement of the lead service line.
F. Proof
of lead service line replacement required for certificate of occupancy,
certificate of Code compliance, and smoke and carbon monoxide detector
certificates.
(1) Upon the sale or transfer of ownership of any dwelling, building
or structure, the owner must provide proof that the lead service line
has been replaced in order to secure a certificate of occupancy, a
certificate of continued occupancy, certificate of Code compliance,
and smoke and carbon monoxide detector certificates.
(a) Proof shall be demonstrated by providing the following:
[1] Certification from a licensed plumber in the State of New Jersey
that the lead service line has been inspected and is not comprised
of lead or galvanized steel; or
[2] Providing a certification from the Bloomfield Engineering Department
that the line has previously been inspected and was found not to be
comprised of lead or galvanized steel when such records are available.
(b) A lead and copper sample shall be provided for the property utilizing
current sampling protocols developed by the NJ Department of Environmental
Protection and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. Sampling
shall be performed by an NJ-certified laboratory. A certification
indicating that the said results were provided to the Bloomfield Fire
Prevention Bureau and the purchaser of the property shall be provided
with the submitted sample.
(2) Upon the sale of any Township-owned property, within 90 days of the closing, the buyer is responsible for replacing the lead service line, by either enrolling in the Lead Service Line Replacement Program, when offered by the Township, or in accordance with Subsection
D above.
G. Violations and penalties. Any person who violates any provision of this chapter shall, upon conviction thereof, be punished as provided in §
1-15, General penalty, of this Code.