[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 301]
This Part shall be known as the "Sewer Rate and Charge Ordinance
of North Strabane Township."
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 302; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 1; and by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 1]
The North Strabane Township Board of Supervisors finds and declares
that it is determined, based on the recommendations of the North Strabane
Township Municipal Authority ("Authority"), to consolidate the three
remaining sewer districts into one sewer district for sewer rate and
charge purposes.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 303; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 2; by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 2;
by Ord. 185, 1/26/1993, § 1; and by Ord. 318, 5/29/2007]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meanings
of terms used in this Part shall be as follows:
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days
at 20° C., expressed in milligrams per liter (mg/l).
Without limiting the generality of the foregoing, all retail
stores, restaurants, office buildings, laundries and other private
business and service establishments of any kind or nature, except
those which are industrial users, residential users, institutional
users or governmental users, as these terms are defined herein.
The amount of water consumed each year for each residential
use, or 58,000 gallons of water consumed per year or estimated to
be consumed per year for nonresidential use.
The charge required to be paid for debt service payments
and cover as set forth in the trust indentures securing the series
of 2003 issue and resulting from any future borrowings, and the bond
anticipation notes and minimum charges required to cover other constant
charges agreed upon by the industrial users, commercial users, institutional
users and governmental users and the Township and Authority.
legislative, judicial, administrative and regulatory activities
of Federal, State and local governments, agencies and authorities
and similar users.
Any nongovernmental, nonresidential user of the publicly
owned treatment works and/or sewerage system, which is identified
in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 1972, Office Management
and Budget, as amended and supplemented, under the following divisions:
Division A – Agriculture, Forestry, and Fishing; Division B –
MininG; Division D – Manufacturing; Division E – Transportation,
Communications, Electric, Gas and Sanitary; and Division I —
Services.
Social, charitable, religious and educational activities
and organizations such as schools, churches, hospitals, nursing homes,
penal institutions and similar uses.
Those commercial, industrial and/or institutional users whose
estimated or actual annual water consumption equals or exceeds 10
million gallons.
An individual or entity, who/which has obtained a tap permit with respect to a property, as set forth in Part 1 of this Chapter 18 of the Township of North Strabane Code of Ordinances, but who/which has not, at a time prior to the date occurring two years after the date of issuance of the tap permit, physically connected the property to the Municipal Authority's public wastewater system and satisfied the requirements of an inspection of said connection by the Municipal Authority, as otherwise required by Township ordinance.
Wastewater that has not more than a biochemical oxygen, demand
(BOD) concentration of 208 mg/l and suspended solids (SS) concentration
of 220 mg/l, an ammonia nitrogen (NH3N) of 15 mg/l and a phosphate
concentration (PO4) of 20 mg/l and a pH not lower than 5.0 or greater
than 9.0.
Those functions that result in expenditures during the useful
life of the sewerage system for material, labor, utilities and other
items which are necessary for managing and operating and maintaining
the system for the purpose for which sewerage facilities, treatment
works and systems are designed and constructed. The term "operation
and maintenance" includes replacement as defined herein.
Expenditures for obtaining and installing equipment, accessories
or appurtenances which are necessary during the useful life of the
sewerage systems to maintain the capacity and performance for which
such systems were designed and constructed.
Any room, group of rooms or enclosure, occupied or intended
for occupancy as the separate living quarters of a person living alone,
a family or any other group of persons living together. The water
consumed each year by each residential dwelling unit within a house,
in a double house, in a row of connecting houses, in a condominium,
in a motel room, or in the separate living quarters of a congregate
care facility or congregate living facility, or in an apartment building
shall be defined as one EDU.
Any contributor of sewage to the Township's sewerage system
whose lot, parcel, real estate, or building is used for domestic dwelling
purposes only.
Any devices and systems for the collection, transmission,
storage, treatment, recycling and reclamation of municipal sewage,
domestic sewage or liquid industrial wastes. These include intercepting
sewers, outfall sewers, sewage collection systems, pumping, power
and other equipment, treatment works and their appurtenances; extensions,
improvements, remodeling, additions and alterations thereof; elements
essential to provide a reliable recycled supply such as standby treatment
units and clear well facilities; and any works, including site acquisition
of the land that will be an integral part of any treatment process
or is used for ultimate disposal of residues resulting from such treatment
(including land for composting sludge, temporary storage of such compost
and land used for the storage of treated wastewater in land treatment
systems before land application); or any other method or system for
preventing, abating, reducing, storing, treating, separating or disposing
of municipal waste or industrial waste, including waste in combined
stormwater and sanitary sewer systems.
Is mandatory; MAY is permissive.
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory
filtering.
The rate paid to the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority or
any other treatment facility for the treatment of the wastewater.
The estimated period during which a treatment works and/or
sewerage system will be operated.
That portion of the total wastewater service charge which
is levied in a proportional and adequate manner for the cost of operation,
maintenance and replacement of any wastewater treatment works and
sewerage system.
A water volume measuring and recording device, furnished
and/or installed by a user and approved by the Pennsylvania-American
Water Company or its successors.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 304; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 3; by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 3;
by Ord. 262, 8/24/1999, § 1; by Ord. 308, 4/18/2006; and
by Ord. No. 400, 5/31/2022]
Schedule of Sewer User Rates and Charges for North Strabane
Township, as mandated by the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority is
set forth on said schedule that is adopted and maintained by the North
Strabane Township Municipal Authority.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987; as added by Ord. 174, 3/27/1990, § 4;
and amended by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 4]
North Strabane Sewer Districts A, B, and C are hereby consolidated
for sewer rate and charge purposes. Sewer rates and charges are now
uniform throughout North Strabane Township.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 305; as amended by Ord.
178, 3/12/1991, § 5]
1.
The Authority or its designated agent shall collect and receive any
and all sewer rates and charges set forth in this Part.
2.
The revenue collected shall be deposited into the North Strabane
Township Municipal Authority Operating Fund.
3.
Fiscal year-end balances in the account shall be used for no other
purposes than those authorized.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 306; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 5; by Ord. 179, 3/12/1991, § 6;
and by Ord. 318, 5/29/2007]
1.
Each user shall pay for the services provided by the Authority based
on use of the sewerage system.
2.
For residential, industrial, institutional, governmental and commercial
users, quarterly user charges will be based on actual water usage
as recorded by water meters.
3.
Where water meters are not in use, the quarterly user charge for
a residential user will be based on a fixed rate of 15,000 gallons
of water used per quarter. Where water meters are not in use, the
quarterly user charge for a nonresidential user shall be based on
estimated water usage as determined by the Authority's consulting
engineer.
4.
If a residential, commercial, institutional or industrial user uses
water that is not discharged into the collection system, the user
may request that his/its user charges be based on readings of a deduct
meter(s) installed and maintained at the user's expense on water lines
to uses which will not discharge to the sanitary sewer. If the Authority
agrees to such use of a deduct meter, the quarterly use charge shall
initially be based on use as reflected in the water meter readings,
but shall be subject to adjustment based on the deduct meter readings.
The Authority shall nonetheless retain the right to independently
monitor:
A.
The accuracy of operation of the deduct meters.
B.
The accuracy of the use of such deduct meters in determining amounts
discharged into the sanitary sewerage system.
C.
The placement of deduct meters to measure only water consumed that
does not and cannot enter the sanitary sewer.
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In the event that the Authority determines that said deduct
meters are not positioned correctly or operating accurately, or are
not accurate in determining amounts of discharge into the sanitary
sewerage system, the Authority shall return to calculating the user's
quarterly user charges on the basis of water meter readings, until
such time as the condition(s) affecting the accuracy of the deduct
meters or the accuracy of use of such meters in determining amounts
discharged into the sanitary sewerage systems has been determined,
and is mutually agreed upon by the Authority and the user to be satisfactory.
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5.
A large commercial, industrial or institutional user which uses water
that is not discharged into the collection system may request that
calculation of its water usage for purposes of this Part be based
on readings of specified water meters installed or to be installed
on only those specific lines through which flows water which will
be discharged into the collection system. Upon request of such a large
commercial, industrial or institutional user, the Authority may (but
shall not be required to) agree to calculation of water usage for
purposes of this Part based on the readings of such specified water
meters. In the event that the Authority agrees to this alternated
method of calculation of sewage discharge, the Authority shall nonetheless
retain the right to independently monitor:
A.
The accuracy of operation of the water meters.
B.
The accuracy of the use of such water meters to determine or estimate
amounts of discharge into the sanitary sewage system.
C.
The accuracy, position, and designation of specified water meters
to calculate sewage discharge into the sanitary sewerage system pursuant
to this Part.
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In the event that the Authority determines that said meters
are not opening accurately, or are not accurate in determining amounts
of discharge into the sanitary sewerage system, the Authority shall
return to calculating the user's quarterly user charges on the basis
of master meter readings, until such time as the condition(s) affecting
the accuracy of the wastewater meters or the accuracy of use of such
meters in determining amounts discharged into the sanitary sewerage
system has been determined, and is mutually agreed upon by the Authority
and the user to be satisfactory.
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6.
Each user shall pay the rates as set forth in the Schedule of User
Rates and Charges that is adopted and maintained by the North Strabane
Township Municipal Authority.
[Amended by Ord. No. 400, 5/31/2022]
7.
For those users whose wastewater requires more treatment than normal
domestic wastewater sewage, an extra-strength sum, in addition to
the normal charges, will be collected. The additional charge for operation
and maintenance, including replacement, shall be the rates charged
by the Canonsburg-Houston Joint Authority, or the following rates,
whichever are greater.
8.
Any user who discharges any toxic pollutants (as defined in Part
I of this chapter) which cause an increase in the cost of managing
the effluent or the sludge from the treatment plant(s), or any user
who discharges any substance which singly or by interaction with other
substances causes identifiable increases in the cost of operation,
maintenance or replacement of the sewerage systems shall pay for such
increased costs. The charge to each such user shall be as determined
by the Township upon recommendation by the Authority.
[Ord. 160, 6/7/1988, § 306.1; as added by Ord.
185, 1/26/1993, § 2; and as amended by Ord. 318, 5/29/2007]
1.
For each EDU identified with an expired tap permit, a nonuser shall
pay a quarterly nonuser charge, calculated by multiplying the rate
set forth in the prevailing schedule of sewer user rates as established
by duly adopted ordinances of the Township of North Strabane by 14.5,
as follows:
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(Sewer rate per 1,000 gallons) x (number of EDUs identified
in expired tap permit) x 14.5 quarterly nonuser charge
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2.
This charge shall be a nonrefundable charge, as it represents a reservation,
on the part of the nonuser, of a certain level of capacity in the
Municipal Authority's public wastewater system after expiration of
the natural two-year life of a tap permit. Payment of such charge
shall extend the life of the permit beyond that period during which
it otherwise would have existed, for such period of time that said
nonuser charges are timely paid; provided, however, that:
A.
On or before the original expiration date of the tap permit, the
nonuser has provided written notification to the Authority of his/its
interest in extending the life of the tap permit; and
B.
The nonuser agrees in writing to, and does in fact, pay to the Authority
such difference, if any, between the cost of a tap at the time originally
purchased and the cost of the tap at the time the property is actually
physical connected to the Municipal Authority's public wastewater
system and appropriate inspections on behalf of the Authority have
been concluded, as otherwise required by Township ordinance.
3.
Each EDU identified within 150 feet of a public sewer system required
to connect that has not connected as per § 115 shall pay,
in addition to any liens or penalties, a quarterly nonuser charge,
calculated by multiplying the rate set forth in the prevailing schedule
of sewer user rates as adopted by the Township of North Strabane as
follows:
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(Sewer rate per 1,000 gallons) x (number of EDUs identified)
x 14.5 quarterly nonuser charge
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[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 307; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 6; by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 7;
by Ord. 187, 1/26/1993, § 1; and by Ord. 221, 1/23/1996, § 1;
by Ord. 274, 12/19/2000, § 1; and by Ord. 318, 5/29/2007]
1.
Bills or invoices (hereinafter "invoices") for said sewer service
shall be submitted in the form and manner prescribed by the Authority.
As a courtesy to the owner of the property (if different from the
user), all bills for sewer service shall be directed to the user of
the premises to which sewer service is furnished, unless the owner,
in writing, otherwise directs. The owner of the property shall, however,
in all cases, be liable for payment of such bills. As used herein,
the term "user" includes but is not limited to the owner of the property
to which service is provided.
2.
All users shall be invoiced quarterly, and payment of invoices shall
be due within 28 days of the invoice date. This date shall be known
as the "due date."
3.
When the invoice has not been paid on or before the due date, it
shall be considered delinquent. At such time, a late payment charge
of 5% of the amount of the invoice shall also be imposed. This late
payment charge shall be in addition to the remedies otherwise available
to the Authority hereunder.
4.
If the invoice is not paid within 28 days of its date, that is, by
the due date, the following procedures shall also be utilized by the
Authority:
A.
Not more than 15 days after the due date, the Authority shall mail
a letter to the user (and the owner of the property at issue, if different)
requesting that the account be paid in full or, alternatively, that
the user meet with the Authority to establish a payment plan and schedule
acceptable to the Authority.
B.
In the event of the failure of a user (or owner of the property at issue, if different) to respond to the Authority's letter referred to in Subsection 4A above or to establish a payment plan and schedule within 10 days of the date of the said letter or upon the user's or owner's failure to timely comply with any such payment plan and schedule so established, the Authority, at least 10 days prior to terminating service, shall mail to the user (and owner of the property at issue, if different), by first class mail, and also post the main entrance to the property at issue, with a notice in substantially the form as previously adopted by the Township and which may be administratively updated and changed from time to time by the Township consistent with the provisions of the Township ordinances.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 308; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 7; and by Ord. 178, 3/12/1991, § 8]
Users contributing more than 6,000 gallons of wastewater per
month and whose waste strength is greater than 208 mg BOD/1 or 220
mg SS/1 shall prepare and file with the Authority a report that shall
include pertinent data relating to the wastewater characteristics
of its discharges, including the methods of sampling and measurement
to obtain this data. This data shall be used to calculate the user
charges for that user. Representatives of the Authority shall have
the right to gain access to the waste stream of the user(s) and take
its own samples. In the event the Authority does so and should the
results be substantially different than those results as determined
and certified to the Authority by the user, the user charge for that
user shall be revised for the next billing cycle/period.
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 309; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 8]
1.
Any industrial user who deems his user charge is unreasonable and/or
inequitable may make written application to the Authority requesting
a review of his user charge. Said written request shall, where necessary,
show the actual or estimated average flow and/or strength of his wastewater
in comparison with the values upon which the charge is based, including
how the measurements or estimates were made.
2.
Review of the request shall be made by the Authority and, if approved,
the user charges for that user may be recomputed based on the revised
flow and: or strength data. Upon amendment of this Part, the new charges
shall be applicable to the next billing cycle/period.
[Amended by Ord. No. 400, 5/31/2022]
[Ord. 152, 9/29/1987, § 310; as amended by Ord.
174, 3/27/1990, § 9]
1.
The Authority will review the user charges at least annually and
recommend to the Township the rates necessary to ensure that adequate
revenues are generated to pay the costs[1] of operation and maintenance (including replacement) of
the sewerage system, and that such revenues remain sufficient to provide
for the proportional distribution of operation and maintenance, including
replacement costs, among users and user classes.
[1]
Editor's Note: Ord. 174, original spelling was "cots."
2.
The Authority will notify the Township and each user at least annually
of the rate being charged for operation and maintenance (including
replacement) of the new sewerage system.
[Ord. 174, 3/27/1990, § 10; as amended by Ord.
178, 3/12/1991, § 9; by Ord. 187, 1/26/1993, § 2;
by Ord. 262, 8/24/1999, § 2; and by Ord. 274, 12/19/2000, § 2]
[Ord. 185, 1/26/1993, § 3]
The provisions of § 306.1 of this Part shall be retroactive
to January 1, 1992, and shall be applicable to any outstanding tap
permits issued prior to that date which as of that date had not yet
expired as established by Township ordinance or Township and/or Authority
regulations.
[Ord. 221, 1/23/1996, § 2]
The provisions of § 307(5) of this Part shall apply
to all invoices dated January 16, 1996, or a later date, regardless
of the actual date of issue.
