[Adopted by the Town Board of the Town of Pittsfield as indicated
in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
[Adopted 5-13-1997 as Ch. 7 of the 1997 Code; amended July 2007]
The purpose of this article is to protect the public health
against unsanitary and unhealthful practices and conditions and to
protect the surface waters and groundwaters of the Town from contamination
of seepage.
A.
Sewage holding tanks are prohibited, with the following exceptions:
(1)
Holding tanks installed to replace existing residential and commercial
septic systems which have failed.
(2)
Holding tanks installed to serve a new home constructed on a farm
for use of the farm operator. In order to qualify as a farm under
this section, the parcel owned by the farmer must be at least 35 contiguous
acres in size and must have produced gross farm revenue of at least
$6,000 in each of the previous three years. In order to qualify as
the farm operator, a person must be able to show, using tax returns
or other suitable documentation, that he/she has earned at least 75%
of his gross income on the farm in each of the past three years. (Note:
The purpose of this subsection is to allow the use of holding tanks
for new construction in the case of a farmer who wishes to build a
home on his/her own farm. The reason for this exception is that it
is considered impractical for a farmer to live away from the farm.)
(3)
Holding tanks serving public recreational facilities located in state,
county, or Town parks.
(4)
Holding tanks serving commercial or business establishments.
B.
Penalty. Failure to comply with the provisions of this article can
result in a forfeiture of not less than $75 nor more than $1,000 for
each day of noncompliance.
A.
Appeals. Any person aggrieved by a decision or order of the Town
Planning Commission may file an appeal with the Zoning Board of Appeals.
Such an appeal must be filed with the Town Planning Commission within
60 days of the decision or order and shall be filed on forms provided
by the Town Planning Commission. The applicant shall then schedule
a hearing with the Zoning Board of Appeals within 30 days.[1]
B.
Variances. The Zoning Board of Appeals may authorize, upon specific
appeal by the concerned party, variances from the terms of this article.
Variances shall be granted only in cases where special conditions
exist such that literal enforcement of this article would result in
an unnecessary hardship. Variances shall not be granted in cases of
self-imposed hardship or which would contradict the purposes of this
article or be contrary to the public interest. Variance request must
be filed with the Town Planning Commission.
C.
Meetings.
(1)
The Zoning Board of Appeals shall hear appeals and variance requests
within a reasonable time of the application. The Board shall give
public notice of the hearing, which shall be conducted as a public
hearing. A written decision to grant or deny shall be issued within
30 days.
(2)
The Zoning Board of Appeals shall grant no appeal or variance which
would result in an action not complying with other applicable state
and local regulations and ordinances for the Town of Pittsfield.
[Adopted 5-13-1997 as §§ 10.001 to 10.004 of the 1997 Code;
amended August 2001; July 2007]
This article is adopted to promote and preserve public sanitation
and for the good order and general welfare of the Town of Pittsfield,
Brown County, Wisconsin.
The public sewer system is under the jurisdiction of the Pittsfield
Sanitary District. Any connection to or use of the sewers is subject
to the rules and regulations of the Sanitary District.
A.
No person, firm or corporation shall discharge or cause to be discharged
any stormwater or clear water drains of any kind, including subsoil
drains, building drains, tile drains, downspouts from roof gutters,
surface drains, drains from any mechanical device, ditches, pipes,
conduits, sump pumps or any other objects or things used for the purpose
of collecting, conducting, transporting, diverting, draining or discharging
clear waters, into a sewer designed or designated as a sanitary sewer,
and all of said waters shall be discharged into a storm sewer wherever
possible. Where no storm sewer is available, such water shall be allowed
to discharge onto the owner's lawn or into an underground conduit
leading to a drainage ditch, gutter or dry well, but no such discharge
shall be allowed or permitted to flow on or across a public sidewalk
or roadway.
B.
If stormwater or clear water is being discharged into a sanitary
sewer, the Sanitary District Commission, either through its Superintendent
or other representative of the District, shall give the person, firm
or corporation offending a seven-day notice or warning to disconnect.
Failure to disconnect after such warning notice shall authorize the
Sanitary District Commission to institute action for violation of
this article.
C.
The restrictions to the discharge of water into sanitary sewers shall
also apply to the discharge of water from basement excavations during
construction.
"Sanitary sewage" is hereby defined as the waste from water
closets, urinals, lavatories, sinks, bathtubs, showers, household
laundries, cellar floor drains and garage floor drains, and only such
domestic sewage as herein defined shall be permitted to be deposited
within the sanitary sewers of the District. The regulations of sewage
discharge as established by the Green Bay Metropolitan Sewerage District
are hereby adopted and made a part hereof as though set forth at length
herein.
All new residences and businesses, and existing residences and
businesses with a failing septic system, shall be connected to the
public sanitary sewerage system when sewer mains are adjacent to the
property. This requirement is contingent on acceptance by the Brown
County Planning Commission into the sewer service area. Application
must be made to the Town Board to change the boundaries of the Pittsfield
Sanitary District.
