[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 1]
(a) 
No person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer, storm drain and appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Town Engineer, the director of public works or a designated representative.
(b) 
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits as follows:
(1) 
For residential and commercial service; and
(2) 
For service to establishments producing industrial wastes.
No permits shall be issued unless approved by the state department of health, the Blackstone Valley Sewer Commission and the Town public works department.
(c) 
All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer, except where originally installed by the Town, shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the Town from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly by occasioned by his installation of the building sewer.
(d) 
A separate and independent building sewer, if practical, shall generally be provided for every building.
(e) 
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Town Engineer or designated agents, to meet all requirements of this article.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 2; Ord. of 7-8-1976(2), art. XIV, § C; Ord. No. 91-23, § 2, 9-18-1991; Ord. No. 99-1, § 3, 1-6-1999; Ord. No. 07-28, § 1, 12-5-2007; Ord. No. 08-30, § 1, 9-3-2008; Ord. No. 09-03A, § 1, 3-18-2009; Ord. No. 09-04A, § 1, 3-18-2009]
(a) 
(1) 
No sewer work shall be done without a permit. Permits are to be obtained week-days at the office of the public works department between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. If a service connection is to be made from the Town sewer system to the curb line a charge will be made for each sewer service connection permit. This fee shall be payable to the Town of Cumberland. The charge will be $550 for each commercial, industrial or residential unit served through the connection. Each apartment or condominium unit within a building or complex shall constitute a unit for which a separate connection charge shall be assessed.
(2) 
On and after December 1, 2008, the connection fee for all single-family residential lots or an existing single-family residential building herein referred to as an equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) otherwise subject to the present sewer assessment or which otherwise should have connected to a public sewer line pursuant to § 40-137 and § 40-140 shall be $1,000 per EDU.
In the case of lots or buildings other than a single-family residential unit, the connection fee shall be calculated as follows:
2-family to 4-family
1.5 EDU charges
Multifamily (5 to 10 units)
2 EDU charges
Apartments/multifamily, 11 to 15 units (per building)
3 EDU charges per building
Apartment/multifamily, greater than 15 units
3 EDU charges plus 2 EDU charges for each additional 5 units
Condominiums
1 EDU charge per condominium unit
Commercial Buildings
(square feet)
Up to 5,000
1 EDU charge
5,001 to 15,000
2 EDU charges
15,001 to 30,000
3 EDU charges
30,001 to 100,000
4 EDU charges
Greater than 100,000
5 EDU charges
Restaurants
(seats)
0 to 100
1 EDU charge
101 to 150
2 EDU charges
Greater than 150
3 EDU charges
Industrial
Based upon actual or projected flow and the dwelling units
(3) 
For any newly constructed commercial or residential unit for which a building permit was issued after the passage of this subsection the service connection fee for a single-family residential lot or an existing single-family residential building herein referred to as an equivalent dwelling unit (EDU) shall be $1,000 per equivalent dwelling unit. Said fee shall be paid for by the person applying for the building permit at the time of making application for the building permit.
In the case of lots or buildings other than a single-family residential unit, the connection fee shall be calculated as follows:
2-family to 4-family
1.5 EDU charges
Multifamily (5 to 10 units)
2 EDU charges
Apartments/multifamily, between 11 to 15 units (per building)
3 EDU charges per building
Apartment/multifamily, greater than 15 units
3 EDU charges plus 2 EDU charges for each additional 5 units
Condominiums
1 EDU charge per condominium unit
Commercial Buildings
(square feet)
Up to 5,000
1 EDU charge
5,001 to 15,000
2 EDU charges
15,001 to 30,000
3 EDU charges
30,001 to 100,000
4 EDU charges
Greater than 100,000
5 EDU charges
Restaurants
(seats)
0 to 100
1 EDU charge
101 to 150
2 EDU charges
Greater than 150
3 EDU charges
Industrial
Based upon actual or projected flow and the dwelling units
(b) 
Permits will only be issued to plumbers licensed to do business in the state and to drainlayers licensed to lay drains in the Town. Permits are not transferable.
(c) 
Permits shall be subject to revocation when any of the provisions of this article are not being followed or if in the opinion of the Town Engineer or an authorized representative the work constitutes a safety hazard to the public.
(d) 
If the work under the permit is not completed within 30 days, renewal of the permit by the public works department must be obtained.
(e) 
Permits will not be issued until the applicant has filed a layout plan showing the location of the existing service connection, house location and route of sewer service, any revamping of the existing building drain, and the layout has been approved by the Town Engineer or an authorized representative.
(f) 
Permits must be obtained for repair work to existing sewer services and a fee established from time to time by the Town Council and on file in the office of the Town Clerk will be charged, payable to the Town of Cumberland upon issuance of the permit. Responsibility and liability for all repair work shall be the same as imposed in this article for the original connections.
(g) 
No permit shall be issued, except in cases of emergency, to dig up or make an excavation in a public way until the applicant files with the department of public works proof of notifying all existing public utilities.
(h) 
No permit shall be issued if existing plumbing does not pass inspection.
(i) 
The Town assumes no responsibility on the issuance of permits.
(j) 
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Town Engineer when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Town Engineer or his representative.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 3]
(a) 
Licenses to connect building sewers to the common sewers will be issued to experienced and competent contractors. Contractors must provide proof of being engaged in this line of work for at least five years.
(b) 
Drainlayers and plumbers doing work under this article shall maintain minimum insurance coverage as follows:
(1) 
Public liability, $50,000/$100,000.
(2) 
Property damage liability, $50,000/$100,000.
A certificate of the insurance shall be filed with the public works department and the Town treasurer.
(c) 
Such drainlayers and plumbers shall post a bond payable to the Town treasurer in the amount of $5,000 to guarantee the satisfactory completion of work.
(d) 
Violation of the requirements of this article shall be cause for revocation of the license or permit and the cashing of the bond by the Town treasurer.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 4; Ord. of 3-20-1985, § I]
(a) 
Pipe and fittings to be used in the sewer work shall be extra heavy cast iron soil pipe with caulk or gasket joints or vitrified clay pipe with O-ring joints or, at the discretion and approval of the Town, polyvinyl chloride pipe (PVC) shall be permitted.
(b) 
In general, sewer connections will not be allowed to have more than two angle points or a total angular deviation of 180°, unless the person making the connection is granted a variance by the Town Engineer or a designated representative. Cleanouts shall be installed at each deflection. All cleanout risers shall be cast iron. Line traps shall be installed with two hand holes, one vent and one cleanout. All risers shall be cast iron with approved vent caps. All vents and cleanouts shall be installed to finish grade. Line traps shall be installed in a building sewer.
(c) 
All service pipe shall be laid in an envelope of washed screened gravel with not less than six inches of material under and on the sides of the barrel of pipe with 12 inches over the top of the barrel of the pipe. Maximum stone size shall be three-fourths inch.
(d) 
All pipe and fittings shall be laid to a minimum slope of one-fourth inch per foot, unless otherwise approved by the Town Engineer or his authorized representative.
(e) 
Line and grade of the pipe and fittings shall be controlled by the use of batter boards and string lines set for this purpose. Batters shall not exceed a distance of 30 feet apart, unless otherwise directed. Batter boards are to be set and maintained by the contractor.
(f) 
Trenches shall be excavated from the terminus of the existing sewer service to the point of connection of the building outlet. Pipe and fittings laid in the trench shall not be backfilled until the work is inspected and approved.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 5]
(a) 
Pipe shall be protected during sewer construction against impact shocks and free fall and shall be stacked and placed as directed. Pipe shall be kept clean at all times, and no pipe shall be used in the work that is cracked or broken or dirty. Pipe shall be double strength vitrified clay or extra heavy cast iron and shall conform to the specifications prepared by American Society for Testing Materials and the National Bureau of Standards.
(b) 
All pipe shall be laid with ends abutting home and according to the line and grade. They shall be carefully centered so that when laid they will form a sewer with a smooth uniform invert. The pipe shall be laid in a true and straight line from the sewer junction to the building sewer connection pipe.
(c) 
The laying of pipe in finished trenches shall commence at the lowest point, with the spigot ends pointing in the direction of the flow.
(d) 
Pipe shall be laid accurately to the line and grade marked by the owner and approved by the Town. Preparatory to making pipe joints, all surfaces of the portions of the pipe to be joined shall be clean and dry. The pipe sections shall then be placed, fitted, joined and adjusted in a workman-like manner to obtain a watertight installation.
(e) 
Trenches shall be kept water free and dry during bedding, laying and joining of pipe. As soon as possible after the joint is made, sufficient backfill material shall be placed along each side of the pipe to offset conditions that might tend to move the pipe off its correct line and grade.
(f) 
The backfilling over sewer lines, after they are laid and inspected, must be compacted as directed by the Town Engineer or his authorized representative, with the replacing of ballast and paving being done within 48 hours after the completion of that part of the drainlaying within the public way and done so as to make the surface of the ground as it was before it was disturbed and to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer. All water pipe drains, gas pipe, electric conduit or cables and telephone lines must be protected from injury to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer.
(g) 
All work shall be done in such manner and at such times as to interfere as little as possible with the public travel and convenience, and the drainlayer shall conduct his work in such manner as may from time to time be directed.
(h) 
Whenever possible, the building sewer should be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain may be lifted by approved pumping equipment and discharged to the building sewer.
(i) 
No drainlayer or person employed by him will be allowed to rest any planking material or equipment upon any gas pipe, telephone duct, cable, electrical cable, duct, drainage line or water pipe. All underground and overhead utilities shall be protected at all times. Every drainlayer must enclose any opening which he may make in the public streets, sidewalks or ways with sufficient barriers and must maintain appropriate warning and caution lights at night and must take all necessary precautions to guard the public effectually against all accidents from the beginning to the end of the work. He shall lay drains and sewer line only on condition that he shall use every precaution against accident to persons, animals, vehicles and property of every kind.
(j) 
Sheathing, wood or steel shall be used as directed by the Town Engineer or his authorized agent.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 6]
Rock excavation shall be conducted in a manner approved by the Town Engineer and shall conform with the rules and regulations of the public works department.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 7]
(a) 
No excavation for a sewer shall be allowed before all necessary permits have been secured.
(b) 
Trenches shall be backfilled and toughly compacted. The street pavement shall be repaired in accordance with the public works requirements.
(c) 
Power shovels, bulldozers, loaders, trucks and other equipment used in construction shall not be operated on or across sidewalks, berms, curbing, etc., until they have been properly protected by planking or other approved means. All damages resulting from the plumber's or drainlayer's operations shall be repaired by them, to the satisfaction of the Town Engineer, at their expense.
(d) 
When making sewer connections in state highways, the necessary permits from the state department of public works must be obtained by the applicant prior to the issuance of a Town sewer connection permit. All work relating to the excavation, backfilling and compacting of trenches and the repairing and replacing of road pavement shall be in accordance with the requirements set forth by the state department of public works. Any costs in connection therewith shall be borne by the applicant.
[Ord. of 1-13-1972, art. III, § 8]
(a) 
Requests for inspections on new sewer service connections shall be made at the public works department two days prior to the work. No work shall start before a permit has been obtained.
(b) 
Inspections will be made during the normal working hours of the department.
(c) 
Services in excess of 100 feet in length are subject to review and such other requirements as may be found necessary to ensure a functional connection. Cleanouts of an approved type shall be installed a maximum of every 50 feet. They shall be so constructed that the sewer connection can be rodded each way.
(d) 
In new construction and where practicable in existing buildings when the common sewer is sufficiently deep, service shall be laid directly, without deflections, from the house plumbing vent stack to the connection provided at the common sewer.
(e) 
Tunneling will not be allowed unless special permission for such is given in writing by the public works department.
(f) 
Connections made to the building plumbing system shall be upstream of any septic tanks or cesspools.
(g) 
Plumbers and drainlayers shall be responsible for all defects in materials and workmanship for a period of one year following completion of the sewer installation or repair. All charges related to correct the defects of the work or material shall be assumed by the plumber or drainlayer doing the original installation.
(h) 
Upon connection of the building plumbing system to the common sewers, existing septic tanks and cesspools shall be cut off and completely filled with suitable material, to the satisfaction of the public works department and in accordance with the state board of health requirements.
(i) 
Connections shall not be cut into common sewers before a site inspection and a permit is obtained from the public works department.
(j) 
All pipe joints shall be watertight.
(k) 
All work and material in relation to sewers and connections shall conform to Town, state and Blackstone Valley Sewer Commission requirements.
[Ord. of 7-8-1976(2), art. XV, § D]
Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Town Engineer, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Town Engineer, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
[Ord. of 7-8-1976(2), art. XV, § E]
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
[Ord. of 7-8-1976(2), art. XV, § F]
Where required by the Town Engineer, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling, and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Town Engineer. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
[Ord. of 7-8-1976(2), art. XV, § G]
All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in this article shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at the control manhole provided, or upon suitable samples taken at the control manhole. If no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb, and property. The particular analyses involved will determine whether a twenty-four-hour composite of all outfalls of the premises is appropriate or whether a grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always, BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four-hour composites of all outfalls whereas pH's are determined from periodic grab samples.