[Ord. 2-1998, 5/6/1998, § 5]
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning
of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
The property owner applying for permission to connect to
the sewer system.
The members of the Board of Supervisors of the Township of
Thornbury, County of Delaware, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
The quantity of oxygen, expressed in parts per million by
weight, utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under
standard laboratory procedure for five days at 20° C. The standard
laboratory procedure shall be that found in the latest edition of
"Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage," published
by the American Public Health Association.
The party contracting for service to a property as herein
classified:
A building under one roof owned or leased by one party and used
for one business or dwelling unit.
A combination of buildings owned or leased by one party in one
common enclosure and used for one business or dwelling unit, or each
unit of a multiple house or building occupied by one household or
one firm as a residence or place of business and having a separate
or individual means of entrance.
A building owned or leased by one customer having a number of
apartments, offices or lofts which are rented to tenants and using,
in common, one hall and one or more means of entrance.
An industrial or commercial or manufacturing establishment.
Each dwelling unit, in addition to the first dwelling unit,
in a building under one roof owned by one party shall be treated and
regarded as a separate customer and shall be subject to the rate schedule
applicable thereto.
The normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from
residences and commercial and industrial establishments.
Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or form of energy
rejected or escaping from any industrial, manufacturing, trade or
business process or from the development, recovery or processing of
natural resources, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
The ratio of parts, by weight, of material under consideration
to 1,000,000 parts, by weight, of sewage.
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen-ion concentration
expressed in moles per liter and indicates the degree of acidity or
alkalinity of a substance.
The normal water-carried wastes from business buildings,
institutions, commercial and industrial establishments.
All facilities for the collection, treatment and disposal
of sewage located in Thornbury Township.
Solids that either float on the surface or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory
filtration.
The Township of Thornbury, County of Delaware, Commonwealth
of Pennsylvania.
Any poisonous substance as defined by any government agency.
[Ord. 2-1998, 5/6/1998, § 6; as amended by Ord.
5-2005, 8/3/2005, § I; and by Ord. 2-2010, 3/17/2010, § I]
1.
Whenever any sewer constituting a branch or extension of the Township
sewer system has been completed and is ready for public use, the owners
of each property abutting on the highway, road, street or walk along
which such sewer has been installed may cause the buildings erected
on their premises requiring sewage drainage to be connected there
with upon the approval of the Township of Thornbury and at the property
owner's expense and subject to the payment of the annual sewer
rental and tapping fees for the use of the same. No property with
a properly functioning on-site sewer system or one requiring minimal
repair shall be required to connect to the public sewer system.
2.
In the event any owner of premises situate within 150 feet along
the line of a Township sewer containing a failed on-site sewage disposal
system as certified by the Township Engineer and Sewage Enforcement
Officer, who has been duly notified to correct the same or to cause
any building or buildings erected on such premises to be connected
with the public sewer, fails to comply with the requirements of any
such notice or with the provisions of this article, the Board of Supervisors
shall then cause the necessary connections to be made and, upon completion
of the work for the same, shall render a bill covering the cost of
said work to the owner of such premises and file a duplicate thereof
with the Township. All such bills shall contain a notice that if said
bills are not paid within 30 days after the date thereof, the same
will be collected in the manner provided by law. Upon the expiration
of 30 days after said bills shall have been rendered to the owners
of such premises, it shall be the duty of the Township to refer to
the Township Solicitor all such bills remaining unpaid, and the Township
Solicitor shall thereupon take the necessary action to effect the
collection of such unpaid bills in the manner provided by law.
3.
Whenever an area has been designated by resolution of the Board of
Supervisors as a specific sewer district or sub district in order
to take advantage of the installation and investment by a developer
and/or the Township and in order to equalize costs for all property
owners, the Township shall have the authority to assess by resolution
of the Board of Supervisors all property owners whose property abuts
the highway, road, street, easement or walk along in which a public
sewer has been installed and completed, an amount equal to their share
of the costs of the sewer main installation, notwithstanding whether
property owners have or have not elected to connect to the installed
sewer main.
4.
Upon the failure of any owners of premises situated along the line
of a Township sewer main to fully comply with the requirements of
any notice of assessment and pay the amount of the assessment to the
Township of Thornbury within 60 days or as further provided in a deferred
payment written agreement, or any other provision of this article,
the Board of Supervisors may then cause a lien to be filed or civil
action at law, as provided pursuant to law, for the amount due which
shall include interest and the imposition of additional charges and
costs (including without limitation, attorney's fees) incurred
in connection therewith.
A.
In the event owners and the Township of Thornbury enter into a deferred
payment written agreement, at the sole discretion of the Board of
Supervisors, the following provisions, inter alia, shall apply:
(1)
Upon the sale or transfer of the subject property, mortgage
default or the filing of proceedings in bankruptcy, the entire balance
due to the Township of Thornbury shall become due and payable and
subject to the lien provisions as provided herein.
(2)
In the event owners are in default or fail to remit a payment
within 60 days of due date, the entire balance due to the Township
of Thornbury shall become due and payable and subject to the lien
provisions as provided herein.
5.
Owners shall have no right to connect to or use the sewer facilities
until all sums due, including interest, have been paid in full or
proper arrangements have been entered into with the Township for installment
payments and the owners shall have applied for and obtained all necessary
permits for connection. Nothing in this article shall act as or be
construed to be a guarantee of capacity in the Township's sanitary
sewer system. Capacity shall be subject to availability at the time
of requested connection to the Township system and payment of all
the required fees and costs, therefore. In the event capacity is not
available, the capacity portion of the tapping fee, if paid, shall
be refunded.
[Ord. 2-1998, 5/6/1998, § 7; as amended by Ord.
5-2010, 8/4/2010]
1.
Conditions of Service.
A.
The Township will furnish sewer service only in accordance with the
currently prevailing and as hereafter revised rates, rules and regulations
of the Township, which are made a part of every application, agreement
or license entered into between the property owner or customer and
the Township.
B.
The Township reserves the right, so often as it may deem necessary,
to alter, amend and/or repeal the rates and/or rules and regulations
or any part and, in whole or in part, to substitute new rates, rules
and regulations which shall forthwith, without notice, become and
be part of every application, agreement or license for sewerage service
in effect at the time of adoption.
C.
The furnishing of sewerage service to premises may be refused if
the sewage flow therefrom is found or estimated to be excessive and/or
the character of the wastes being or to be unacceptable for the usual
methods of transmission and/or treatment in a conventional wastewater
treatment plant.
D.
The maintenance, repair or replacement of sewerage service lines
leading from the property to the collector sewers of the Township
shall be the responsibility of the user and shall in no way affect
the payment of sewer rents due the Township.
E.
Any customer making any material change in the size, character or
extent of equipment or operations utilizing sewerage service, or whose
change in operations results in a substantial change in the quantity
or characteristics of flow of sewage or industrial waste, shall immediately
give the Board of Supervisors written notice of said change.
F.
The Township will furnish sewerage service, subject to there being
an existing main of adequate size and/or capacity abutting or in reasonable
proximity to the premises to be served.
G.
In emergencies and for maintenance and repairs the Township shall
have the right to temporarily interrupt service to the premises and
shall not be held liable for any claim for damages or inconveniences
suffered by the user and/or owner.
H.
If any residential customer shall fail or refuse, upon receipt of
written notice from the Township, to remedy any unsatisfactory condition
within a reasonable length of time established by the Township, then
the Township shall have the right to impose a lien and, through the
Township Solicitor, to file a lien against the property in the office
of Judicial Support, Court of Common Pleas of Delaware County, Pennsylvania,
and such liens, together with penalty and costs accrued thereon, shall
be filed and collected in accordance with law.
I.
The Township will presume service is being rendered until the customer
gives written notice to the Board of Supervisors of his desire to
discontinue said service.
2.
Application for Service.
A.
Application for sewerage service must be made by the customer, in
writing, on a form provided by the Township.
B.
Application for service to establishments such as, but not limited
to, public buildings, churches, apartments and commercial establishments
must also be accompanied by detailed plans and specifications, including
a list of the number and type of fixtures served and estimated flow
data.
C.
Application for the discharge of industrial wastes shall be made
in accordance with the applicable sections of this article.
D.
No application for service will be accepted by the Township from
any applicant who is in arrears for charges due on any property presently
or heretofore chargeable.
E.
Applications accepted by the Township shall constitute a contract
between the Board of Supervisors and the applicant and shall obligate
the applicant to adhere to the rates, rules and regulations established
by the Board.
F.
A connection fee is hereby required for each and every connection
to be made to the existing Thornbury Township sewerage system and
for each and every connection made to any new sewer line of any subdivision
which eventually connects to the Township sewage system. Connection
fees shall be fixed by resolution of the Board of Supervisors and
may be amended from time to time.
3.
Regulations for Construction and Connection.
A.
The applicant desiring service shall pay to the Township all actual
costs incurred by the Township to make such connections or, under
the direction of the Township, can have the sewer service lateral
constructed by himself or others at his expense. Every connection
must be inspected and approved by the Township before the trench is
backfilled. Such inspection shall be performed by the Township Code
Enforcement Officer or authorized representative, who shall be present
at the time of the connection.
B.
All sewer service laterals from the Township's sewer, regardless
of location, are the property of the customer and/or owner and shall
be maintained by him/her in good condition and repair.
C.
Notification, required by the Board of supervisors, of proposed construction
and/or repair by parties engaged by the customer is the responsibility
of the customer.
D.
Connections to the Township's sewers must be made in compliance
with the requirements of the Plumbing Code adopted by the Township
and the rules and regulations adopted by the Township. Attention must
be paid to the separation of the public water supply from the sewage
system.
E.
No person, firm or corporation shall be permitted to make a connection
to Township sewer system unless he is licensed to do plumbing work
by the Township. Any connection made by unlicensed parties will be
thoroughly examined by a representative of the Township, and any deficiencies
will be corrected. Both the examination and the correction work will
be at the expense of the customer. In addition, fines shall be levied
against the customer and the person, firm or corporation performing
the unlicensed work.
F.
It is the intention of the Board of Supervisors to require a separate
and distinct permit and sewer connection for each individual building,
whether constructed as a single detached unit or as one of a pair
of a row of houses, but a single connection may be permitted to serve
a school, factory, apartment house or other permanent multiple-unit
structure whose individual apartments or units are not separately
owned.
G.
Sewer service laterals shall be built and maintained in accordance
with the Plumbing Code according to the following specifications:
(1)
Sewer laterals shall be PVC Schedule 40 with water-tight joints.
Other methods and materials reflecting new technology may be used
as approved by the Township of Thornbury. The minimum pipe size is
four inches on a 1/4 inch per foot grade.
(2)
Where groundwater is normally above invert of house connection
pipe, pipe is to be encased in concrete for thickness of at least
two inches over the outside edge of the bell and over its entire surface,
prior to the pouring of concrete, the pipe shall be supported at an
adequate height from the bottom of the trench to allow complete encasement
in concrete. Placing of the concrete shall be done only in the presence
of Township inspectors. Pipes with tight joints need not be encased
in concrete except at the connection to the sewer. All pipes will
be inspected by the Township for resistance to infiltration.
(3)
Under seasonal high ground water or indication thereof, the
house connection, as well as any pipe disturbed in the sewer, shall
be fully encased in concrete.
(4)
No infiltration will be allowed in house connections.
H.
Where an existing sewer lateral is available for reuse subsequent
to the demolition or removal of a previously existing building, the
lateral may be reused; provided, that it is inspected by the Township
and is found to be adequate in terms of infiltration/inflow and general
conditions.
I.
On-Lot Sewage Disposal System Abandonment.
(1)
Upon completion of the building connection to the municipal
sewer system, the existing on-lot sewage disposal system shall be
abandoned. When a sewage facility is to be abandoned, it shall be
the responsibility of the property owner of such system to properly
abandon such sewage facility. This paragraph shall not apply to tankage
converted to equalization and retention facilities. Proper abandonment
is as follows:
(a)
The removal and proper disposal of all liquids, sludge, and
solids for all septic tank(s)/cesspool/seepage pit and distribution
boxes shall be pumped out and cleaned by a Pennsylvania Department
of Environmental Protection registered septage hauler.
(b)
Once empty, the top of all steel and/or masonry tanks shall
be removed and/or collapsed and the tank void filled with soil, sand
or stone and compacted. Prior to filling with inert material, a minimum
of five two-inch diameter holes must be provided in the bottom of
the tank to allow for drainage of the tank.
(c)
Such other rules and regulations as may be required.
(2)
Upon completion of the abandonment, the property owner shall
submit a letter of certification regarding the work completed to the
Thornbury Township Code Enforcement Department.
[Ord. 2-1998, 5/6/1998, § 8]
1.
Garbage Disposal. The installation and use of domestic and commercial
garbage grinders will be strictly controlled by the existing ordinances
and Plumbing Code of Thornbury Township.
2.
Prohibited Wastes. Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall
discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described
wastes or waters to any public sewer:
A.
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 160° F.
B.
Any water or waste containing more than 100 parts per million by
weight, of fats, oils or greases.
C.
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.
D.
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.
E.
Any solids or viscous substances capable of causing obstruction to
the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation
of the sewerage system or the sewage treatment works.
F.
Any water or waste having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.5
or having any corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazards
to structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage works.
G.
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.
H.
Any water or waste that contains a cyanide in excess of a concentration
determined by multiplying 0.2 parts per million by the ratio or the
average flow in the receiving stream to the design flow of the sewage
treatment works.
I.
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.
J.
Any toxic radioactive isotopes.
K.
Any water or waste that contains fluoride in excess of a concentration
determined by multiplying 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.
3.
Stormwater Runoff and Cooling Water.
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 recirculation systems or from bacteria and harmful chemicals
should be drained into stormwater drains.
4.
Industrial Wastes.
A.
A discharge which is not excluded by the above prohibitions shall
be considered industrial waste if it has:
(1)
A five-day 20° C. BOD greater than 300 parts per million.
(2)
A suspended solids content greater than 350 parts per million
or a chlorine demand greater than 15 parts per million or an average
daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow at the
sewage treatment works.
(3)
Any toxic substance.
(4)
Any wastes which are considered by the Board of Supervisors
to offer possibilities of harm to structures, processes or operation
of the plant.
B.
Control of Industrial Waste. Industrial waste shall not be introduced
into the Township sewer system without the approval of the Board of
Supervisors in accordance with the applicable Township ordinances.
The user shall be responsible for testing and providing facilities
to enable monitoring of the quality and quantity of said industrial
waste in accordance with other sections of this article.
5.
Additional Prohibitions. The Board of Supervisors may promulgate
prohibitions against specific types or strengths of industrial wastes
or other substances, in addition to those previously set forth, which
are harmful to the collection system or which the Township of Thornbury
has prohibited from discharge to its interceptor, treatment and disposal
facilities to which the Thornbury collection system is to be connected.
Any person questioning the reasonableness of any such prohibitions
as applied to the property owned or used by such person shall have
the right to a hearing before the Board of Supervisors within a reasonable
time after requesting the same (but such request shall not operate
as a stay of such prohibitions), except in cases where such prohibitions
have been established or specifically approved by ordinance.
