[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
Souderton as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted 12-2-1968 by Ord. No. 386 (Ch. 77, Art. I, of the 1972 Code)]
The discharge into the sanitary sewer system of the Borough
of Souderton through any drain, public or private, of any substance
or substances which may injure the said sewer system or any part thereof
or which impairs or may impair the treatment of sewerage in the treatment
plant, is hereby prohibited.
The Sewer Committee of the Borough of Souderton is hereby given
the authority and is directed, in its discretion, to examine the content
and character of all waste, commercial, industrial and other waste,
prior to the discharge thereof into the Borough sewer system.
A.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater,
surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling
water or unpolluted industrial or commercial process water into any
sanitary sewer.
B.
The discharge of cooling water from air-conditioning units with cooling
towers or recirculating systems or from air-conditioning units using
flow-through or unrecirculating systems is prohibited. The sanitary
sewers are not designed to handle the cooling water volumes produced
by air-conditioning units. Cooling water free from bacteria and harmful
chemicals may be drained into stormwater drains or other disposal
areas.
C.
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause
to be discharged any of the following described wastes or waters to
any sanitary sewer:
(1)
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 160° F.
(2)
Any water or waste containing more than 100 ppm (parts per million)
by weight of fats, oils or greases.
(3)
Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quality
may cause fire or explosion, or be in any other way injurious to persons,
to the sewage works' structures or to the operation of these
works.
(4)
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance which, either singly or
by interaction with other wastes, is capable of creating a public
nuisance or hazard to life or preventing entry into sewers for their
maintenance and repair.
(5)
Any garbage that has not been comminuted or shredded by a garbage
disposal unit, installed with the approval of the Sewer Committee.
(6)
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, bones,
feathers, tars, plastic, wood, paunch manure, butchers' offal
or any other solids or viscous substances capable of causing obstruction
to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation
of the sewage system or the sewage treatment works.
(7)
Any water or waste having a pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 9.0
or having any corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazards
to structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage works.
(8)
Any water or waste containing any toxic substances in quantities
sufficient to interfere with the biochemical processes of the sewage
treatment works or that will pass through the sewage treatment works
and exceed the state or interstate requirements for the receiving
stream.
(9)
Any water or waste containing suspended solids of such character
and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle
such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
(10)
Any toxic radioactive isotopes, without special permit.
(11)
Any water or waste that contains fluoride in excess of a concentration
determined by multiplying one and 1.2 parts per million by the ratio
of the average flow in the receiving stream to the design flow of
the sewage treatment works.
D.
No statement contained in this article shall be construed as prohibiting
any special agreement or arrangement between the Borough and any person
whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be
admitted into the sanitary sewers for treatment by the Borough either
before or after pretreatment.
In order to control the admission of industrial wastes, the
approval of the Borough must first be obtained prior to the discharge
into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having:
A.
A five-day, twenty-degree-centigrade BOD greater than 300 parts per
million.
B.
A suspended solids content greater than 350 parts per million.
C.
A chlorine demand greater than 15 parts per million.
D.
An average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage
flow at the sewage treatment works.
E.
Any toxic substance.
F.
Any wastes which are considered by the Borough to offer possibilities
of harm to structures, processes or operation of the plant.
No factory effluents or industrial wastes, comprising wastes
other than domestic, shall be discharged into the sewerage system
except upon compliance with the following rules, regulations and conditions:
A.
Each industry making application for permission to discharge industrial
wastes into the sanitary sewer system shall furnish all the information
necessary to determine the quantity of such waste and the nature or
quality of the materials therein and other characteristics of such
waste. The industry shall agree in such application to bear the cost
of the original and any subsequent chemical analysis and laboratory
tests.
B.
Adequate means shall be provided at each industry's connection
with the sewerage system for periodic determination of all characteristics
and concentrations of wastes. Samples shall be collected in such manner
as to be truly representative of the actual quality of the wastes,
and standard methods of analysis as published by the American Public
Health Association shall be used.
C.
Industrial waste discharged or proposed to be discharged into the
sanitary sewer system shall be subject to analysis by the Borough.
D.
Industries shall cooperate by adopting such schedules of discharge
as will minimize peak concentrations when necessary.
E.
In the event that the materials and wastes discharged or proposed
to be discharged from any industry or the chemicals in or characteristics
of such wastes cause or threaten injury to the sanitary sewer system
or impair the sewage treatment process or unduly increase the cost
of operation thereof, said industry shall produce wastes of acceptable
quality before discharge thereof into the sanitary sewer system by
reducing its peak discharges, by construction of equalizing tanks,
by pretreatment, by partial pretreatment, by elimination of troublesome
wastes or by other approved means.
F.
Industries applying for permits to discharge industrial wastes into
the sanitary sewer system from new or existing treatment facilities
are required to furnish in quadruplicate complete engineering reports,
plans and specifications covering connection to the sanitary sewer
system, industrial wastes treatment facilities and measuring devices.
This applies also to alteration and additions to such connections
or treatment facilities. Reports and supporting data herein referred
to must be prepared by an engineering firm registered in Pennsylvania.
G.
Industries will not connect to the sanitary sewer system or proceed
with any construction of industrial waste treatment facilities or
changes to existing waste treatment facilities unless plans and specifications
covering same have been approved by the Borough.
H.
The industry shall indemnify the Borough for any damage caused by
its industrial wastes to the sanitary sewer system, its function and
its treatment processes. Such indemnification shall be in strict conformance
with the applicable local and state laws and shall be in effect during
the life of agreements between industries and the Borough.
I.
The Borough reserves the right to cancel any agreement between any
industry and the Borough after one year. However, whenever it shall
be found that a service installation or industrial waste treatment
facility has been made contrary to these rules and regulations and
constructed and operated in any other manner than that approved by
the Borough, the service shall be disconnected and removed within
30 days. The services shall not again be supplied until the service
installation and industrial waste treatment facilities are constructed
and operated according to these rules and regulations and all expenses
and damages shall be paid by the industry or its successors.
Each industry discharging factory effluents or industrial wastes
into the sanitary sewer system shall install a suitable device for
continuously indicating, recording and totalizing the flow discharged
by it into the sanitary sewer system and shall submit for approval
by the Borough plans for complete metering installation. All meters
or the measuring devices installed or required to be used, shall be
under the control of the Borough. The industry by which any such measuring
device is installed, at its own expense, shall be responsible for
its maintenance and safekeeping, and all repairs thereto shall be
made at the industry's cost, whether such repairs are made necessary
by ordinary wear and tear or other causes. Bills for such repairs,
if made by the Borough, shall be due and payable within 30 days after
the date of issuance by the Borough.
Charges for the treatment of industrial wastes shall be made
in accordance with the rates as noted on the permit when issued by
the Borough.
A.
Before any permit shall be issued by the Borough of Souderton for
the connection to and use of the sanitary sewer system by any person
or corporation for use other than domestic sewerage and household
wastes, such person or corporation shall enter into a written agreement
with the Borough of Souderton wherein the connection charge shall
be fixed and the character, quantity and rate of discharge of such
waste into the said sanitary sewer system from the property shall
be particularly set forth.
B.
All manufacturing plants, bleacheries, laundries, slaughterhouses
and all other industrial or commercial properties which have heretofore
received connection permits for the discharge of sewerage into the
Borough sanitary sewer system, and which have been, or hereafter will,
discharge industrial waste, shall be subject to the requirements of
this article and shall be required to secure permits and execute agreements
in accordance with the provisions hereof.
C.
All connection permits for industrial or commercial waste shall be
provisional in nature and conditional upon the character and quantity
of the waste proposed to be discharged, and the said Borough reserves
unto itself the right to refuse to permit industrial, commercial or
other waste to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system if, in
the opinion of the Borough Council, such industrial, commercial or
other waste would be injurious to or destructive of the physical property
of the sewage and disposal system, including also unusual burdens
on the process of disposal.
D.
If, after permission to connect and discharge into the Borough sanitary
sewer system, in the opinion of the Borough Council, the waste should
prove to be injurious to or destructive of the physical property of
said system or the processes of disposal, the Borough reserves the
right for the immediate refusal to permit further discharge of said
industrial waste into said sanitary sewer system and to require preliminary
or further treatment as is necessary before again allowing such industrial
waste to be discharged into the system.
E.
The Borough shall have the right to inspect treatment plants and
require reports on the operation of such plants and analyses of effluent,
from time to time, as may be deemed necessary.
Notwithstanding any of the above requirements, any industrial,
manufacturing or commercial plant may discharge normal domestic sewage
from the above plants into the sanitary sewer system without the issuance
of a special permit as herein provided.
[Amended 8-7-1972 by Ord.
No. 408; 8-6-1979 by Ord. No. 458]
A.
In addition to the prohibition of the use of the Souderton Borough
sanitary sewer system and not in limitation of any such prohibition,
any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of
this article or any agreement entered into pursuant to this article
shall, upon conviction thereof before any Magisterial District Judge,
be sentenced to pay costs and a fine not exceeding $300 or to imprisonment
in the county jail for a term not exceeding 30 days, or both such
fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation continues shall be considered
a separate violation and may be prosecuted as such.
B.
The penalties herein fixed may be imposed in addition to the disconnection
privileges wherever the same have been provided.
[Adopted 7-6-1971 by Ord.
No. 400 (Ch. 77, Art. II, of the 1972 Code)]
There is hereby imposed a sewer rental or charge for the use
of the Borough sanitary sewer system, sewage treatment plant and for
the collection and treatment of normal domestic sewage and household
waste, payable by the owners of all property served by and of the
sanitary sewers of the Borough, unless otherwise provided by special
agreement with the Borough.
For the purposes of this article, the following classes of sewer
service are defined:
The sanitary sewer service for a single-family unit, regardless
of location or number of occupants, including single-family dwellings,
multiple-family dwellings and apartments. Each family accommodation
shall be considered one residential unit.
The sanitary sewer service provided to any structure intended
to be used wholly or in part for the purpose of carrying on a trade,
business or profession or for social amusement, religious, educational,
charitable or public uses. Each separate commercial accommodation
shall be considered one commercial unit.
The sanitary sewer service provided to any structure intended
to be used wholly or in part for the manufacturing, fabricating, storing
or warehousing, processing, cleaning, laundering or assembly of any
product, commodity or article. Each separate industrial accommodation
shall be considered one commercial unit.
[Amended 12-7-1992 by Ord. No. 576]
All rental and charges for sewer services shall be billed quarterly
on the first day of February, May, August and November of each and
every year. The rental or charge shall be for the use of the sanitary
sewer system during the preceding three-month period.
[Amended 4-4-1977 by Ord.
No. 442; 3-3-1980 by Ord. No. 465; 3-5-1984 by Ord. No. 501; 3-4-1985 by Ord. No. 508; 3-3-1986 by Ord. No. 517; 1-5-1987 by Ord. No. 520; 12-7-1992 by Ord. No. 576; 7-5-2005 by Ord. No. 658; 9-7-2010 by Ord. No. 695]
In order to apportion sewer rentals or charges equitably among
the properties served by the Borough sanitary sewer system, the sewer
rental or charges shall be fixed by making a quarterly charge based
upon the metered water consumed by such unit during that same period
of use. The rates are hereby established as follows:
|
Effective November 1, 2010 billing
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Metered Volume in Cubic Feet
|
Residential
|
Commercial
|
|
0 to 375 (minimum bill)
|
$42.50
|
$61.00
|
|
376 to 25,000
|
$0.046 per cf
|
$0.048 per cf
|
|
Over 25,000
|
$0.031 per cf
|
$0.036 per cf
|
Commercial-type garbage disposal units shall be charged by said
agreement with the Borough.
[Amended 4-4-1977 by Ord.
No. 442]
If a property supplied with sewer service is located outside
the Borough limits, the property owner thereof shall, in addition
to the regular sewer rates as set forth in the preceding sections,
pay a semiannual charge of 30% of each bill, unless otherwise provided
by special agreement with the Borough.
Where the owner, tenant or other occupier of a residential,
commercial or industrial unit using or requesting to use the sanitary
sewer system has a private water supply, such owner, tenant or occupier
shall, at his own expense, install and maintain a sealed water meter
to such private supply. The owner or user shall pay sewer rentals
or charges at the same rates as established in this article. Any property
owner who shall refuse to install and maintain a water meter may be
denied the use of the sanitary sewer system. Any water meter installed
under the provisions of this section shall be improved by the Borough.
Any property, structure, building or lot discharging industrial
waste into the sanitary sewer system shall comply with all requirements
and specifications called for under the present Industrial Waste Ordinance
No. 386.[1]
The Borough Council expressly reserves the right to inspect,
test, repair or replace sewer facilities and water meters, and they
shall be made available to Borough employees at reasonable times.
[Amended 3-3-1980 by Ord.
No. 465]
Payment on each bill for sewer rental or charges shall be received
within 30 days from the date of said bill.
[Amended 3-3-1980 by Ord.
No. 465]
If payment on each bill for sewer rental or charges is not received
within 30 days from the date thereof, it shall be subject to a penalty
of 10%.
If a property owner fails to make payment for the sewer rental
or charges and penalty made in accordance with this article, and the
said bill remains due and owing for a period of 90 days or more, the
Borough Secretary shall give written notice by registered mail to
the said property owner that failure to make payment of the sewer
rental or charge and penalty within 15 days from the date of such
notice will result in the water supply being discontinued. If, at
the expiration of the time mentioned in said notice, the sewer rental
or charge and penalty is not paid, the Borough may discontinue and
turn off the supply of water to the property for which the bill has
not been paid. Once the water supply has been discontinued and turned
off, it shall not be turned on until said bill has been paid in full,
as well as all charges for the cost of turning off the water supply
and the estimated loss of revenues resulting from such turnoff. In
any case, said charges shall not be less than $5.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding section, the
Borough shall have the right to collect the sewer rental or charges
and penalty due and owing under the provisions of this article by
filing a municipal lien or any other legal action in such case made
and provided.
Where any user of the Borough sanitary sewers, sewer system or sewage treatment plant establishes that the method of determining the sewer rental or charges as set forth in this article results in an inequity to said user, said user may appeal to the Borough Council for an equitable determination of the sewer rental or charges. If the Borough Council, after hearing said appeal, determines that an inequity does exist, the Borough Council may make an equitable adjustment with regard to the method of determining the sewer rental or charges, provided that the quarterly charge shall in no event be less than the minimum quarterly charge set forth in § 504-14 of this article.
No rebate or refund for any sewer rental or charge shall be
allowed for any vacancy, disconnection or other reason for a portion
of any six-month period.
This article is the sole ordinance establishing rents and charges
for the users of the Borough sanitary sewer system. It shall not affect
nor be affected by any agreement which presently exists or which may
exist in the future between the Borough and any other political subdivision.
[Added 12-5-1988 by Ord.
No. 536; amended 7-7-1997 by Ord. No. 604; 7-2-2001 by Ord. No. 629; 6-13-2005 by Ord. No. 656]
No person shall make a connection to the Souderton Borough sanitary
sewer system or increase the number of units connected to the sewer
system as of the effective date of this section without first having
obtained a permit for such connection or addition and having paid
therefor a connection fee. The connection fee shall not be charged
for the conveyance of the property or a portion thereof so long as
the number of units or the estimated flow is not changed. The connection
fee is based on the Tapping Fee Calculation Tables, dated May 24,
2005, as prepared by the Borough Engineer, and the connection fee
is established as follows:
A.
Residential unit. A connection fee in the amount of $5,540 shall
be assessed for each new residential unit, regardless of the location
or number of occupants. Each separate dwelling, dwelling unit, apartment,
condominium, or family accommodation shall be considered one residential
unit for purposes of this subsection.
B.
Commercial, industrial and institutional units. Commercial or industrial
connections or additions shall pay a connection fee based upon estimated
flows expressed in "gallons per day" as reviewed and determined by
the Borough Engineer. The connection fee shall be assessed at the
rate of $24.10 for each gallon of wastewater estimated to be discharged
per day into the sanitary sewer system.
C.
Unit flows for tapping fee calculation. The following table shall
serve as a guide for the Borough Engineer to review and determine
the connection fee of various commercial, industrial and institutional
units:
|
Unit Flow
| ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Type of Use
|
(gpd/unit)
|
(unit)
| ||
|
Commercial
| ||||
|
Auto service station
|
500
|
Island
| ||
|
Banquet facilities
|
580
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Bar/cocktail area
|
50
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Barber shop
|
100
|
Chair
| ||
|
Beauty salon/hairdresser
|
100
|
Chair
| ||
|
Bowling alley
|
140
|
Lane
| ||
|
Commercial office
|
160
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Country club
|
530
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Dentist office
|
200
|
Chair
| ||
|
Doctor office
|
200
|
Exam room
| ||
|
Funeral home
|
200
|
Viewing room
| ||
|
Health/fitness center
|
600
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Laundry- self service
|
400
|
Washer
| ||
|
Motel
|
50
|
Room
| ||
|
Hotel
|
60
|
Room
| ||
|
Residence/executive suites
|
200
|
Unit
| ||
|
Movie theater (no food)
|
4
|
Seat
| ||
|
Restaurant - traditional
|
35
|
Seat
| ||
|
Restaurant - 24 hour operation
|
50
|
Seat
| ||
|
Restaurant - fast food
|
50
|
Seat
| ||
|
Retail store (first 10,000 square feet)
|
220
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Additional 10,000 to 25,000 square feet
|
80
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
"Big box" >25,000 square feet
|
60
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Shopping center/mall complex
|
100
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Industrial
| ||||
|
Light sanitary only
|
370
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Warehouse
|
130
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Institutional
| ||||
|
Assembly halls
|
2
|
Seat
| ||
|
Churches
|
4
|
Seat
| ||
|
Institutions
| ||||
|
Average type
|
125
|
Bed
| ||
|
Hospital
|
250
|
Bed
| ||
|
Nursing home
|
125
|
Bed
| ||
|
Day-care schools
| ||||
|
Toilets only
|
500
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
With cafeteria or showers
|
710
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
School - public/private
| ||||
|
Without cafeteria, gym or showers
|
500
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
With cafeteria
|
710
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
With cafeteria, gym and showers
|
840
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
|
Boarding school
|
180
|
1,000 square feet
| ||
