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Borough of Bonneauville, PA
Adams County
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Table of Contents
Table of Contents
[Adopted 8-19-1975 by Ord. No. 40 (Ch. 18, Part 3, of the 1994 Code)]
The purpose of this article is to establish procedures for the use and maintenance of holding tanks designed to receive and retain sewage whether from residential or commercial uses and it is hereby declared that the enactment of this article is necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation of the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of the Borough.
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
BOROUGH
The Borough of Bonneauville, Adams County, Pennsylvania.
COUNCIL
The Bonneauville Borough Council, a Pennsylvania municipal corporation.
HOLDING TANK
A watertight receptacle which receives and retains sewage and is designed and constructed to facilitate ultimate disposal of the sewage at another site. Holding tanks include but are not limited to the following:
A. 
CHEMICAL TOILETA toilet using chemicals that discharge to a holding tank.
B. 
RETENTION TANKA holding tank where sewage is conveyed to it by a water carrying system.
C. 
VAULT PIT PRIVYA holding tank designed to receive sewage where water under pressure is not available.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property within the Borough upon which there is erected a structure intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which structure sewage shall or may be discharged.
OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole or partial, or any property located in the Borough.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, company, association, corporation or other group or entity.
SEWAGE
Any substance that contains any of the waste products or excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings or animals and any noxious or deleterious substance being harmful or inimical to the public health, or to animal or aquatic life or to the use of water for domestic water supply or for recreation.
The Council as authorized and empowered to undertake within the Borough the control and methods of holding tank sewage disposal and the collection and transportation thereof.
The Council is authorized and empowered to adopt such rules and regulations concerning sewage which it may deem necessary from time to time to effect the purposes herein.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
The Borough Manager is hereby charged with enforcement of this article and of the rules and regulations pursuant hereto.
Any holding tank permitted to be installed pursuant to this article shall strictly comply with the following requirements:
A. 
The tank shall be of welded construction and completely water tight.
B. 
The tank shall be installed underground and secured by steel bands to a concrete slab or concrete base to prevent floating.
C. 
The tank shall be placed on at least 12 inches of sand and the excavation shall be backfilled with sand only.
D. 
The tank shall be equipped with an approved aerator.
E. 
The tank shall be steel of sufficient thickness to resist pressures reasonably foreseeable and shall be coated with epoxy paint.
F. 
The tank shall have an inlet nozzle not less than six inches in diameter at or near the top thereof.
G. 
The tank shall have a vent connection not less than 2 1/2 inches in diameter with an equal size outside vent pipe venting at a height at least 15 feet above the ground level.
H. 
The tank shall have a manhole with a water tight cover at least 18 inches in diameter located on the top near one end of the tank.
I. 
The tank must have a gasket around all covers and an approved warning device to warn of ground water entering the tank.
J. 
The tank shall have a gauge with a direct reading dial indicating the quantity of liquid in the tank, which gauge shall be mounted in a place where it will be protected from vandalism.
K. 
The tank shall have an audible or visible alarm which shall sound and light when the tank is 75% full, which alarm shall be mounted at a place frequented by the owner or responsible individual.
L. 
Transmission pipes to the tank shall be only Johns-Manville Transite or cast iron pipe or equal quality approved by the treatment plant operator.
M. 
The tank shall have a capacity large enough to hold a minimum of three days sewage waste or 1,000 gallons, whichever is larger, and shall have a greater capacity if required by the treatment plant operator in view of the facility to be served.
N. 
The tank shall be placed so that the in-flowing sewer has a slope of not less than 1/8 inch per foot between the facility served and the holding tank; provided, however, that the 10 feet of in-flowing sewer immediately preceding the treatment tank shall not exceed 1/4 inch per foot.
O. 
The tank shall be located so that the collecting truck will have no difficulty in gaining access to it.
P. 
The tank shall be set so that the end under the manhole is at least three inches lower than the other end and so that the section lift from the bottom of the tank is not more than 12 feet.
[Amended at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I)]
All holding tanks installed hereunder must be emptied by a collector holding a permit from the Borough of Bonneauville to do so at intervals of not more than 15 days and shall be emptied at more frequent intervals if directed by the Borough Manager upon his determination that full protection of the public requires the same.
If the Bonneauville Borough Municipal Sewage Treatment system has been extended to serve and accommodate a property using holding tanks, the holding tank must be disconnected and sealed or removed.
All such rules and regulations adopted by the Council shall be in conformity with the provisions herein, all other ordinances of the Borough, and all applicable laws, and applicable rules and regulations of administrative agencies of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The Council shall have the right and power to fix, alter, charge and collect rates, assessments, and other charges in the area served by its facilities at reasonable and uniform rates as authorized by applicable law.
The collection and transportation of all sewage from any improved property utilizing a holding tank shall be done solely under the direction and control of the Borough Council and pursuant to a valid contract or contracts for the collection of sewage on a regular basis, and the disposal thereof shall be made only at such site or sites as may be approved by the Council and the Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The owner of an improved property that utilizes a holding tank shall:
A. 
Maintain the holding tank in conformance with this or any ordinance of this Borough, the provisions of applicable law, and the rules and regulations of the Council and any administrative agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B. 
Permit anyone acting under the direction of the Council to collect, transport, and dispose of the contents therein.
[Amended 4-19-1994 by Ord. No. 69]
Any person who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine not exceeding $1,000 and costs and, in default of payment thereof, shall be subject to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Each day that a violation of this article continues shall constitute a separate offense.
In addition to any other remedies provided in this article, any violation of § 184-17 above shall constitute a nuisance and may be abated by the Borough or the Council by either seeking appropriate equitable or legal relief from a court of competent jurisdiction.