[Adopted 12-1-1989 by Ord. No. 1989-A; amended in its entirety 3-6-2017 by Ord. No. 1989-A-amended ]
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise,
the meanings of terms and phrases used in this article shall be as
follows:
Bridgewater Township Municipal Authority, Susquehanna County,
Pennsylvania, a Pennsylvania municipality authority.
The extension from the sewage drainage system of any structure
to the lateral of a sewer.
Any property located within this Township upon which there
is erected a structure, including any parcels of real estate contiguous
with property upon which is erected a structure, intended for continuous
or periodic habitation, occupancy or use by human beings or animals
and from which structure sanitary sewage and/or industrial wastes
shall be or may be discharged.
Any improved property located in this Township used wholly
or in part for the manufacturing, processing, cleaning, laundering
or assembly of any product, commodity or article, or any other improved
property located in this Township from which wastes, in addition to
or other than sanitary sewage, are discharged.
Any and all wastes discharged from an industrial establishment,
other than sanitary sewage.
That part of the sewer system extending from a sewer to the
curbline or, if there shall be no curbline, extending to the property
line or, if no such lateral shall be provided, then lateral shall
mean that portion of, or place in, a sewer which is provided for connection
of any building sewer.
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole
or partial, of any improved property.
Any individual, partnership, company, association, society,
corporation or other group or entity.
Normal water-carried household and toilet wastes discharged
from any improved property.
All facilities, as of any particular time, for collecting,
transporting, pumping, treating and/or disposing of sanitary sewage
and/or industrial wastes, situate in the Township, to be constructed,
acquired, owned, maintained and operated by the Authority in, adjacent
to and for rendering sewage service in adjacent to and for certain
portions of this Township.
Any pipe or conduit constituting a part of the sewer system
used or usable for sewage collection purposes.
The Township of Bridgewater, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania,
acting by and through its Board of Supervisors, and in appropriate
cases, by and through its authorized representatives.
A.
The owner of any improved property located in this Township and accessible
to and whose principal building is within 150 feet from the sewer
system shall connect such improved property to the sewer system, in
such manner as this Township and the Authority may require, within
60 days after notice to such owner from this Township to make such
connection, for the purpose of discharge of all sanitary sewage and
industrial wastes from such improved property, subject to such limitations
and restrictions as shall be established herein or otherwise shall
be established by this Township or the Authority, from time to time.
B.
All sanitary sewage and industrial wastes from any improved property, after connection of such improved property with a sewer, shall be required under Subsection A, shall be conducted into a sewer, subject to such limitations and restrictions as shall be established herein or otherwise shall be established by this Township or the Authority from time to time.
C.
D.
Use of privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle
prohibited.
(1)
No privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle shall be used and maintained at any time upon any improved property which has been connected to a sewer or which shall be required under Subsection A to be connected to a sewer.
(2)
Every such privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar
receptacle in existence shall be abandoned and, at the discretion
of this Township, shall be cleansed and filled at the expense of the
owner of such improved property and under the direction and supervision
of this Township and any such privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic
tank or similar receptacle not so abandoned and, if required by this
Township, cleansed and filled, shall constitute a nuisance, and such
nuisance may be abated as provided by law, at the expense of the owner
of such improved property.
E.
No privy vault, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or similar receptacle
at any time shall be connected with a sewer.
F.
The notice by this Township to make a connection to a sewer, referred to in Subsection A. shall consist of a copy of this article, including any amendments at the time in effect, or a brief summary of each section thereof, and a written or printed document requiring such connection in accordance with the provisions of this article and specifying that such connection shall be made within 60 days from the date such notice is given. Such notice may be given at any time after a sewer is in place which can receive and convey sanitary sewage and industrial wastes for treatment and disposal from the particular improved property. Such notice shall be served upon the owner either by personal service or by registered mail or by such other method as at the time may be provided by law.
A.
No person shall uncover, connect with, make any opening into or use,
alter or disturb, in any manner, any sewer system without first making
application for and securing a permit, in writing, from the Authority.
B.
Except as otherwise provided in this Subsection B, each improved property shall be connected separately and independently with a sewer through a building sewer. Grouping of more than one improved property on one building sewer shall not be permitted, except under special circumstances and for good sanitary reasons or other good cause shown, and then only after special permission of the Township and the Authority, in writing, shall have been secured.
C.
All costs and expenses of construction of a building sewer and all
costs and expenses of connection of a building sewer to a lateral
shall be borne by the owner of the improved property to be connected;
and such owner shall indemnify and save harmless this Township and
the Authority from all loss or damage that may be occasioned, directly
or indirectly, as a result of construction of a building sewer or
of connection of a building sewer to a sewer.
D.
A building sewer shall be connected to a sewer at the place designated
by the Authority and where the lateral is provided. The invert of
a building sewer at the point of connection to a lateral shall be
at the same or a higher elevation than the invert of the lateral.
A smooth, neat joint shall be made, and the connection of a building
sewer to the lateral shall be made secure and watertight.
E.
If the owner of any improved property located in this Township and accessible to and whose principal building is within 150 feet from the sewer system, after 60 days' notice from this Township, in accordance with § 247-7A, shall fail to connect such improved property, as required, this Township may make such connection and may collect from such owner the costs and expenses thereof. In such case, this Township shall forthwith upon completion of the work, send an itemized bill of the cost of the construction of such connection to the owner of the improved property to which connection has been so made, which bill shall be payable forthwith. In case of neglect or refusal by the owner of such improved property to pay said bill, this Township shall file a municipal lien for said construction within six months of the date of the completion of the construction of said connection, the same to be subject in all respects to the general law providing for the filing and recovery of municipal liens.
A.
Where an improved property, at the time connection to a sewer is
required, shall be served by its own sewage disposal system or device,
the existing house sewer line shall be broken on the structure side
of such sewage disposal system or device and attachment shall be made,
with proper fittings, to continue such house sewer lines, as a building
sewer.
B.
No building sewer shall be covered until it has been inspected and
approved by the Authority. If any part of a building sewer is covered
before so being inspected and approved, it shall be uncovered for
inspection at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved property
to be connected to a sewer.
C.
Every building sewer of any improved property shall be maintained
in a sanitary and safe operating condition by the owner of such improved
property.
D.
Every excavation for a building sewer shall be guarded adequately
with barricades and lights to protect all persons from damage and
injury. Streets, sidewalks and other public property disturbed in
the course of installation of a building sewer shall be restored,
at the cost and expense of the owner of the improved property being
connected, in a manner satisfactory to this Township.
E.
If any person shall fail or refuse, upon receipt of a notice of this
Township or the Authority, in writing, to remedy any unsatisfactory
condition with respect to a building sewer, within 60 days of receipt
of such notice, this Township or the Authority may refuse to permit
such person to discharge sanitary sewage and industrial wastes into
the sewer system until such unsatisfactory condition shall have been
remedied to the satisfaction of this Township and the Authority.
F.
This Township reserves the right to adopt, from time to time, additional
rules and regulations as it shall deem necessary and proper relating
to connections with a sewer and the sewer system, which additional
rules and regulations, to the extent appropriate, shall be and shall
be construed as part of this article.
G.
This Township requires approval from BTMA for the change of use to
any existing building served by public sewer such as conversion from
residential to commercial, retail to office, storage to commercial
or residential. Approval is required for the renovation of the interior
of any building into multiple functions such as conversion from retail
to offices, adding additional businesses within the existing structure,
and/or building of addition to the same. The number of EDUs required
to serve these modifications will be determined by BTMA. No building
permits will be approved for this activity without the signed approval
of BTMA. Requests will be accompanied with a detailed set of plans
with the anticipated number of occupants and other sources of sewage
effluent to be discharged to the public sewer.
A.
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article shall,
upon conviction in a summary proceeding brought before a Magisterial
District Judge under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure,
be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of
not more than $1,000, plus cost of prosecution. In default of payment
thereof, the defendant may be sentenced to imprisonment for a term
not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation
continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate
offense, and each section of this article that is violated shall also
constitute a separate offense.
B.
Fines and costs imposed under provisions of this article shall be
enforceable and recoverable in the manner at the time provided by
applicable law.
It is declared that enactment of this article is necessary for
the protection, benefit, and preservation of the health, safety and
welfare of inhabitants of this Township.
