[Amended 10-26-1967 by Board of Health Ord. No. 10]
A code regulating the location, construction, use, maintenance and method of emptying or cleaning individual sewage disposal systems and fixing penalties for the violation thereof is hereby adopted pursuant to P.L. 1950, c. 188 (N.J.S.A. 26:3-69.1 to 26:3-69.6). A copy of said code is annexed hereto and made a part hereof without inclusion of the text thereof herein. The said code established and adopted by this chapter is described and commonly known as the "Individual Sewage Disposal System Code of New Jersey (1963)." Three copies of the said Individual Sewage Disposal System Code of New Jersey (1963) have been placed on file in the office of the Secretary, Clerk or other similar officer of this Board of Health upon the introduction of this chapter and will remain on file in said office for the use and examination of the public. All references in this chapter shall be construed to mean this code of 1963, and said code shall be in effect, except that the following regulations or higher standards are hereby prescribed:
A. Plans and specifications. Every application for a certificate of compliance as to location and design of an individual sewage disposal system shall include as a part thereof a complete set of plans and specifications prepared or reviewed and approved by an engineer licensed to practice professional engineering in the State of New Jersey. The plans and specifications shall be drawn to scale and shall fully and accurately show the system to be constructed and each component part thereof as related to the plan and elevation of the building structure(s) and the topography of the lot.
B. Requirements for built-in-place units.
(1) Detailed construction plans shall be provided for any component part of a system to be built in place such as a septic tank, distribution box or seepage pit. The construction plans shall specify the dimensions, the materials to be used, the cement mixture, and the size, type and location of any reinforcement.
(2) Concrete septic tanks and distribution boxes shall equal or exceed the design and construction standards of current ACI 318 (Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete, adopted by the American Concrete Institute).
(3) Units constructed of concrete block, cinder block, brick or stone shall meet the requirements of the highest standards of masonry construction. Septic tanks shall be constructed on a concrete base at least six inches thick to serve as a foundation and bottom of the unit. Mortar shall be one part portland cement to three parts sand. Two coats (each 1/4 of an inch thick) of portland cement, sand plaster or other equivalent sealing mixture shall be applied to the interior walls of a septic tank.
C. Information to be furnished respecting precast and prefabricated septic tanks and distribution boxes and seepage pits.
(1) If any precast concrete unit is to be used, the plans for the system may, in addition to other specifications, provide a designation of any such unit or units to be used.
(2) Concrete units shall equal or exceed the design and construction standards of current ACI 318 (Building Code Requirements for Reinforced Concrete, adopted by the American Concrete Institute).
(3) No precast or prefabricated unit shall be installed in any individual sewage disposal system constructed in the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus unless the design and construction of such unit shall have been determined by the Board of Health to comply with the requirements of the Standards for the Construction of Sewerage Facilities for Realty Improvements and the provisions of this chapter. Such determination shall be made only upon the submission to and review by the Board of Health of the structural design of the unit. Structural design data shall show all detail specifications, including dimensions, thickness of walls, strength of materials, size, type and locations of any reinforcement, inlet, outlet, access openings and other details sufficient to establish that the unit complies with all the requirements of state laws and standards and any applicable requirements of this chapter. Submission to the Board of Health for purposes of the required determination as to any unit may be made in connection with an application for certification as to location or design or may be made at any time by any manufacturer or distributor of precast or prefabricated septic tanks, distribution boxes or seepage pits. In the event that the Board of Health determines that a unit does not meet the applicable requirements, the Board shall furnish to the applicant, manufacturer or distributor a written report stating the specific reason for such determination.
D. Capacities of septic tanks serving single-family dwelling units.
(1) Septic tanks serving single-family dwelling units shall have the following minimum capacities:
| Number of Bedrooms | Capacity of Septic Tank (gallons) | Two Seepage Pits for Each Tank (gallons each) |
|---|
| 2 or less | 1,000 | 1,000 |
| 3 or less | 1,200 | 1,200 |
| 4 or less | 1,200 | 1,400 |
| 5 or less | 1,450 | 1,600 |
| 6 or less | 1,450 | 1,800 |
| Promulgated by the State Commission of Health on December 7, 1954, and the Individual Sewerage Disposal Code of New Jersey, 1953, adopted by the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus May 25, 1961. |
(2) Septic tanks and pits can be round or square of the above capacity. The foregoing minimum capacity requirements shall be controlling in the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus and not those specified in Section 5.1(a) of the Standards for the Construction of Sewerage Facilities for Realty Improvements.
(3) The top of the tank and seepage pit are to have a poured concrete slab, reinforced with iron, the minimum thickness to be six inches with an eighteen-inch opening, with covers constructed so as to anchor the top of all walls.
(4) All drainage fields and area around the outer walls of compartments, the seepage tank and seepage pits are to be filled with one-and-one-half-inch and three-fourths-inch crushed stone to a width of 12 inches, and from the bottom of the pit up to the inlet pipe to be of this same width, and a layer of salt hay spread over the crushed stone.
(5) If mud and water are present, cracked stone is to be laid in the bottom of the excavation before concrete footing is poured. Pumps must be in continuous use until completion.
(6) The above will be subject to and determined by a percolation test, the porosity of the soil, the slope of the plot and geographical surroundings according to the Realty Improvement Sewerage and Facilities Act, P.L. 1954, c. 199, promulgated by the State Commission of Health December 7, 1954, and Individual Sewerage Disposal Code of New Jersey, 1953, adopted by the Borough of Ho-Ho-Kus May 25, 1961. Care must be taken to prevent the surrounding surface water from entering the disposal field.
(7) In low wet land, surface water and groundwater that interfere with the proper functioning of a sewerage disposal system shall be drained and trenched to a proper depth with one-and-one-half-inch or three-fourths-inch crushed stone and drain pipe for discharge into a lower level or into a storm drain.
(8) If groundwater elevation is high in the area where the proposed building is to be constructed, the property must be filled in and graded in a higher level.
(9) If a drainage field or a disposal bed is contemplated in place of a seepage pit, application must be made to the Board of Health for permission of location, adaptability and performance of same.
(10) Care must be taken to prevent any operation of mechanized devices and bulldozers over or upon the completed sewerage disposal system. This responsibility remains with the builder and the property owner.
E. Building sewer.
(1) Building sewers shall be constructed of cast iron and shall be at least 20 feet in length, measured from the outer wall of the building to the inlet opening of the septic tank. All joints in the building sewer shall be sealed with lead.
(2) Care must be taken on the depth of a basement in conjunction with the level of the septic tank for the outgoing sewer pipe. Pipes from the building to the septic tank are to be of not less than four-inch extra-heavy cast-iron soil pipe.
(3) The foregoing provisions shall control over any inconsistent provisions of the Standards for the Construction of Sewerage Facilities for Realty Improvements, promulgated by the State Commissioner of Health on December 7, 1954. The Board of Health may issue such a certificate if the officer of the Health Department shall submit a statement, in writing, signed by him to the Board of Health that the said disposal system has been located and constructed in accordance with the terms of the permit issued and the requirements of the aforesaid code.
(4) In the event the officer of the Health Department deems it necessary, he may require such certification to be made by an engineer licensed to practice professional engineering in the State of New Jersey, and in such event the costs thereof shall be borne by the property owner or the person applying for such permit.