[Amended 10-27-2009 STM by Art. 10]
Building sewers shall be constructed by licensed drain layers
only. No person may uncover, connect to, open, alter, repair, or disturb
a public sewer, or sewage works without a connection permit from the
Superintendent. Any person proposing a new discharge from any commercial
or industrial use or a new discharge in excess of one thousand (1,000)
gallons per day from any residential use, or a substantial change
in the volume or character of pollutants in an existing discharge,
into the sewage works must notify the Water/Sewer Department at least
forty-five (45) days before such proposed discharge or change. No
person may break, cut, connect to, or remove any part of the public
sewer. Building sewers shall connect to the existing connection branches
unless an alternative manner is approved by the Superintendent.
B.
Applications shall be made on a special form furnished by the Charlton
Water/Sewer Department. Completed applications shall be forwarded
to the Superintendent of the Charlton Water/Sewer Department for approval.
All industrial and commercial permits, and all residential permits
for average daily flows in excess of one thousand (1,000) gallons
per day, require approval from the Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners.
C.
Permit and inspection fees for connection permits shall be paid to
the Town when an application is filed. The applicant shall also be
issued, in the absence of a plumbing permit issued by the Plumbing
Inspector or his/her designee and for a fee of ten dollars ($10),
a plumbing inspection permit for the purpose of having the Plumbing
Inspector, or his/her designee, review the interior of the property
to assure that all sanitary codes have been complied with, when connection
to the municipal system is accomplished. If a permit is issued, it
shall be valid for no more than sixty (60) calendar days from date
of issue.
D.
A drain layer may not have more than three (3) connection permits
outstanding without written permission from the Superintendent. The
permit shall be available for inspection at the site of work. Drain
layers may install building sewers only during normal working hours
of the Water/Sewer Department. Emergency working hours may be approved
on a case-by-case basis by the Superintendent or the Board.
Costs incidental to the connection of the building sewer to
the public sewer and inspection by the Superintendent or his/her designee
shall be borne by the property owner or owner of the building. In
either case, the owner shall indemnify the Town from any loss or damage
that may directly or indirectly be caused by the installation and
connection of the building sewer.
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided
for every building; unless otherwise approved by the Board. In cases
where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot
and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear
building through an adjoining alley, courtyard, or driveway, the building
sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building
and the whole considered one building sewer, if approved by the Board.
The Town will not assume any responsibility for damages caused by
any such connection.
The use of existing building sewers must cease if they are found
upon examination and testing by the Board, or its designee, to be
in violation of any requirement of this bylaw or of applicable rules
or regulations.
The size, slope, alignment, and materials of construction of
a building sewer, and the methods used in excavating, placing the
pipe, jointing, testing, backfilling, and paving of the trench shall
conform to all applicable rules and regulations and bylaws of the
Commonwealth of Massachusetts and the Town. In the absence of code
provisions, or in amplification thereof, the materials of modern sanitary
engineering shall apply.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the
building at an elevation below the basement floor. In buildings in
which the building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the
public sewer, wastewater shall be lifted by an approved means and
discharged to the building sewer.
No person shall connect roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, sump pumps, areaway drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer which discharges to a sanitary sewer. Any business, commercial, or industrial establishment, residence or building found to have any of the above-mentioned connections shall immediately eliminate said connection, regardless of when the connection was made, or will be subject to fines outlined in Article VII.
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall
conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other
applicable rules and regulations of the Town, or the procedures set
forth in current specifications of the ASTM and WPCF Manual
of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gastight
and watertight. Special appurtenances to prevent the backflow of wastewater
may be required if deemed necessary by the Superintendent. Any deviation
from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved in writing
by the Board or the Superintendent before installation, denoting the
grounds for such deviation.
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the
Superintendent at least forty-eight (48) hours prior to the start
of an approved installation, unless a "Dig-Safe" number has been issued,
and a second time when the building sewer is ready for inspection
and connection to the public sewer. The applicant shall connect all
sanitary sewer discharges to the building sewer and the connection
to the public sewer shall be made under the supervision of the Superintendent
or an appointed representative. All connections shall be made in the
approved manner; no caps and/or plugs are to be removed without explicit
orders, and under the direct supervision of the Superintendent or
his/her designee, the existing septic tanks must be pumped, crushed
and filled then inspected by the Superintendent or his/her designee
before any approval can be granted. When leaching fields are encountered,
the Health Agent shall be notified. No backfilling of any trench shall
be made without the approval of the Superintendent. The interior of
the property shall be inspected by the Plumbing Inspector or his/her
designee, to assure compliance with all applicable plumbing code requirements.
Excavations for building sewer installations shall be adequately
guarded with barricades and lights, or a police detail may be required
so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways,
and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall
be restored in a manner satisfactory to the Town. Except in the case
of an emergency, when it is necessary to close off a street, the Town's
Fire Department and Police Department shall be notified in writing
no later than twenty-four (24) hours in advance. A street opening
permit shall be obtained from the Town at least seventy-two (72) hours
before opening the street except under emergency conditions as determined
by the Superintendent and approved by the Charlton Police Department.
[Amended 10-27-2009 STM by Art. 10; 10-16-2017 STM by Art. 10]
Drain layers must obtain a license from the Board before performing
any work. Licenses shall be issued for one (1) calendar year commencing
January 1, names to be listed in a policy to be set by the Board.
The applicant will supervise and be responsible for all work performed
under the license. Any blasting required shall be done by a person
licensed to perform blasting in the commonwealth, and only after receiving
a blasting permit from the Charlton Fire Department. The applicant
shall submit certificates of insurance to cover general liability,
including one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000)/three hundred thousand
dollars ($300,000) for bodily injury, fifty thousand dollars ($50,000)
for property damage, and a bond, cash deposit or certified check for
five thousand ($5,000) must be submitted. In order to qualify for
a drain layer's license, an applicant must be a license holder
in good standing from the Town of Charlton; or provide proof of current
licenses from three (3) other Massachusetts municipalities (will accept
contractor list from other Massachusetts cities only if stated specifically
that contractor is a licensed drain layer); or take and pass a written
exam at the Town's sewer plant. No insurance policy may be canceled
without thirty (30) days' prior written notice by registered
mail to the Water/Sewer Department and the Fire Department. Such insurance
shall indemnify the Town against all claims, liabilities, or actions
for damages incurred in, or in any connected with, the performance
of work by a drain layer and for, or by reason of, any acts of omission
of said drain layer in the performance of his/her work. If insurance
or bond is canceled or expires, the drain layer's license shall
become void.
A.
No person duly licensed to construct building and other private sewers
and make connections with public sewers may allow his/her name to
be used by any other person for the purpose of obtaining permits or
for doing work under his/her license. Licenses are issued to individuals
only, not companies. More than one (1) person may be listed on an
individual license at the discretion of the Board of Water and Sewer
Commissioners.
B.
Building sewer installation work may only be performed by drain layers
licensed by the Board. Applicants for permits to do such work must
be licensed drain layers, or the property owners.
The Board of Water and Sewer Commissioners may from time to
time establish just and equitable annual charges for the use of public
sewers and the wastewater treatment works. This annual fee shall be
paid by every person with a connection to the public sewerage system.
The money received may be applied to the costs for operation and maintenance
of the wastewater works or any debt contracted for sewerage purposes.
