[Amended 4-23-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
Sewer rentals are hereby established and imposed, which shall be payable by and collected from the owner of each property, based upon the number of EDUs applicable to such property, from and after the date the Township certifies the connection of such property to the sewer system as complete.
[Amended 8-28-1991 by Ord. No. 87-12; 12-16-1992 by Ord. No. 92-6; 2-23-1994 by Ord. No. 94-2; 2-25-1998 by Ord. No. 98-2]
The annual sewer rental for each EDU shall be established by resolution of the Board of Supervisors. Said sewer rental as established shall be payable in one annual payment for residential units. The rental as established shall be the basic rental for each residential unit, and the nonresidential users shall be charged semiannually in accordance with § 127-35 as set forth below. For all residential users, whether their system is a private system or public, the rate shall be as set forth in said resolution.
[1]
Editor’s Note: Former § 127-34, Special rental, as amended, was repealed 12-11-2013 by Ord. No. 13-09.
[Amended 11-12-2014 by Ord. No. 14-13]
The sewer rental for nonresidential uses shall be calculated as the greater of the basic sewer rental for one EDU or the product of multiplying the number of EDUs applicable to such use, calculated based upon the six-month volume of actual water consumption or measured volume of wastewater, by the basic sewer rental.
A. 
Metering facilities: water usage. The volume of water to be used for billing sewer rentals to industrial establishments and nonresidential users shall include any and all water purchased from the North Penn Water Authority or North Wales Water Authority or any other private or public water company and, in addition, all water obtained from any other source or sources (wells, springs, streams, etc.) as determined by meters installed and maintained by either of said Water Authorities or any other private or public water company, by meters maintained and installed by the property owner as may be required, approved and inspected by the Township, or from estimates or measurements made by the Township where metering is considered impractical by the Township or when meters have not been installed.
B. 
Excluded water.
(1) 
Exclusion from the sewer system and treatment plant of nonprocess, nonsanitary waters not requiring treatment may be required by the Township or such exclusion may be optional with the property owner if not required by the Township. When such waters are not discharged to the sewer system, sewer rentals shall be based upon total water consumption less waters not discharged to the sewer system.
(2) 
Waters not discharged to the sewer system may be determined from meters installed and maintained by the owner or from estimates or measurements made by the Township, or the owner may elect to measure the volume of wastewater actually discharged to the sewer system as provided for below.
C. 
Metering facilities: sewer meters. The Township shall require all private sewer systems and outside sewer facilities, and may require any industrial establishment and nonresidential user, to install, at their own expense, and maintain a meter of a type approved by the Township to measure the volume of wastewater discharged to the sewer system by such user. Such a meter shall be installed for any nonresidential user obtaining, in whole or in part, a supply of water from other than a public water company.
D. 
Surcharge. In addition to the sewer rental established hereby, a nonresidential user may be subject to surcharges based upon the strength of the wastewater discharged, as established under the provisions of Ordinance 84-6 of the Township, known as the “Pretreatment Ordinance.”[1] Any nonresidential user subject to a strength surcharge under the pretreatment ordinance shall pay, in addition to such surcharge, an additional amount to be added to each billing to cover all costs associated with the monitoring, sampling, testing or analysis of wastewater discharged by such nonresidential user.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Part 2 of this chapter.
E. 
Sampling facilities. When directed by the Township, industrial establishments shall install, pay for and maintain a manhole or other device as may be approved by the Township to facilitate observation, measurement and sampling of wastes discharged to the sewer system and treatment plant. The Township or its duly authorized representatives shall at all reasonable times be permitted to enter upon any and all properties for the purpose of inspecting all metering devices and of observing, measuring and sampling wastes discharged to the sewer system and treatment plant. Any industrial establishment that desires to connect with the sewer system or which is connected to the sewer system and plans to change its operations so as to materially alter the characteristics and volumes of wastes discharged therefrom shall notify the Township in writing at least 10 days before making such connection or changing its operations.
F. 
Installation and maintenance of meters. If the owner of any industrial establishment shall be required pursuant to the foregoing provisions to install a water meter or meters or a meter or meters for measuring wastewaters, it shall be the duty of such owner to furnish and install such meter at his own expense, and in such case and also if such owner shall have voluntarily installed such meter or meters, such owner shall be required to maintain the same in good operating condition and make all necessary repairs and replacements. If the owner, being obligated so to do, shall fail to furnish or install such meter or meters or shall fail to maintain the same as above provided, then in any such case after 10 days’ written notice by the Township to perform such obligation, the Township may enter onto such property at all reasonable times and install such meter or meters or repair and maintain the same, as the case may be, and charge the cost of such installation or repair to such owner. Bills for such installation or repairs if made by the Township shall be due and payable immediately upon completion of the work and then shall be collected in the same manner as semiannual bills for sewer rentals and charges.
G. 
Amendments and modifications. Additional classifications of sewer rentals or modifications of the above schedule of rentals may be established or made by the Township from time to time as deemed necessary.
[Amended 12-28-1988 by Ord. No. 88-15; 2-23-1994 by Ord. No. 94-2; 2-25-1998 by Ord. No. 98-2]
A. 
Sewer rentals for residential units shall be billed annually on the first day of March, commencing on the first day of the annual billing period next succeeding the date upon which the Township certifies the connection of the property to the sewer system as complete, and shall be due and payable immediately. Apportionment of sewer rentals for properties connected for less than the annual billing period shall be in accordance with § 127-37 of the Towamencin Township Code. Sewer rentals for industrial establishments and nonresidential users shall be billed semiannually on such dates or as soon thereafter as necessary data to prepare such bills for the semiannual period next preceding such dates shall become available and shall be due and payable immediately.
[Amended 4-23-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
B. 
If the full amount of such bills shall not be paid within 120 days from the date of billing, 10% of the face amount of the bill shall be added thereto, which together with the face amount of the bill shall become the gross amount thereof. In the event any bill shall remain unpaid as of December 31 of any year, the Township shall proceed to collect all sums due in accordance with law.
[Amended 1-27-2021 by Ord. No. 21-03]
C. 
Failure of any owner to receive a bill for sewer rentals and charges due to the failure of such owner to notify the Township of his correct address or failure of any owner to receive a correct bill for sewer rentals and charges by reason of the failure of such owner to notify the Township of the use or uses of which an improved property or any portion thereof is made, pursuant to the notice requirements of § 127-44, shall not excuse nonpayment or failure to pay the amount which would be properly applicable to the use or uses of which said improved property is made, and shall not result in an extension of the period of time during which the bill shall be payable.
[Amended 2-25-1998 by Ord. No. 98-2; 4-23-2014 by Ord. No. 14-06]
Whenever sewer service to any property begins after March 1, the sewer rentals for such property shall be for that portion of the annual billing period during which the property is served. However, in making such apportionment, a fraction of a month amounting to 1/2 or more of a month shall be counted as a full month, and a fraction of a month amounting to less than 1/2 of the month shall be disregarded.
Delinquent bills for sewer rentals, together with all charges, expenses and fees added thereto, shall, in the manner provided by law, become a lien upon the property served and shall be collectible by the Township by an action in assumpsit against the owner of such property or be enforced against such property by the filing of a municipal lien.
[Amended 11-12-2014 by Ord. No. 14-13]
The Township shall have the right to allocate the operation and maintenance costs associated with a Township- and/or Authority-owned and -operated pump station to the improved properties’ tributary to said pump station. These costs shall include but not be limited to electricity, parts and equipment replacement and associated labor costs, servicing, cleaning, routine inspection and mileage costs. Such allocation of costs shall be in addition to the other applicable sewer rentals and charges and shall be assessed to each tributary improved property on the basis of volume of flow contributed during each billing period.