No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with
or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance
thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Superintendent.
[Amended 10-19-1982 by Ord. No. 31-82]
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: a) for
residential and commercial service, and b) for service to establishments
producing industrial wastes. In either case, the owner or his agent
shall make application at the Building Inspection Department. The
City shall require every applicant to pay a sewer connection fee;
said fee to be set by resolution of the City Council and on file in
the City Building Inspection Department. Said fee for connection to
the sewer system shall be paid in advance. If the drain is to be connected
with the sewer built by private parties or to pass through property
not owned by the applicant, the written consent of the owner must
be procured and filed with the application. The permit application
shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, or other information
considered pertinent in the judgment of the Superintendent.
All moneys raised from the charge for connecting a private drain
or sewer to the main sewer of the City shall be credited to the sewer
funds of the City and used for the maintenance and operation of the
existing system or to create a reserve fund for the purpose of future
maintenance or construction of a new sewer system of the City. Revenues
from such charge shall also be used for abatement or reduction of
ad valorem taxes being levied or to be levied from the payment of
bonds outstanding or to be issued for the construction of, or additions
to, the sewage system of the City.
[Amended 11-7-1978 by Ord. No. 1144]
A. No person shall engage in or conduct the business of sewer connection
and house drainage or excavate any trenches for sewer pipe, or open,
uncover or in any manner make connection with or lay any sewer drain,
or attach to, modify or repair any appurtenances to sewer connections
with the sewer in the streets or alleys or with any private sewer
or drain in the City without holding a proper license for such work,
and without complying with the provisions of this chapter and other
provisions of this Code relating thereto and with the provisions of
any resolution or order hereinafter passed by the Mayor and Council
pertaining to sewers; provided, however, this regulation shall not
apply to persons under special contract with the City for construction,
extension or repair of sewers.
B. No person shall receive such license who shall not have furnished
satisfactory evidence of responsibility and qualifications to apply
his trade in accord with the requirements of this chapter and the
Council's rules for the conduct of such work. The license fee of a
drainlayer and/or a plumber shall be set from time to time by the
City Council, payable in advance, and no license shall be granted
for a greater period than one year. No licensed drainlayer or plumber
shall allow his name to be used by any other person directly or indirectly,
either to obtain a permit or do any work under his or their license
or bond. Such licenses shall expire April 30 following their issuance.
The licensed plumber or drainlayer who connects the public sewers
shall be held responsible on his bond for any damages he may cause
to the sewers, public streets or alleys. He shall restore the streets
or alleys to the satisfaction of the Water/Wastewater Superintendent,
and make good any settlement of ground or pavement caused by the excavations
made by said plumber or drainlayer under or by virtue of any permit
issued under the provisions of this article. In the event of settling
within one year after being refilled, the Water/Wastewater Superintendent
shall have the right and it shall be his duty to demand and require
the restoration by the party who made such excavation.
[Amended 7-21-1987 by Ord. No. 13-87]
A. It shall be unlawful for any person to break into, or otherwise open,
any lateral or trunk sewer at any other place than where a "Y" has
been placed for the connection of service sewers, except upon written
permission of the Water/Wastewater Superintendent, and when an opening
is made in any sewer, at any place other than where a "Y" is left
for such purpose, it shall be so made by inserting in the place of
a single joint a like-size joint having a "Y" connection. No service
sewer trench shall be filled or sewer pipe covered until the service
has first been inspected by the Water/Wastewater Superintendent, and
all persons making such connections shall give a reasonable notice
of the time when such sewer shall be ready for inspection. All trenches
left open shall be properly guarded in the daylight hours and in the
nighttime shall be further guarded by the placing of lighted lanterns
at the excavation, which lanterns shall be kept lighted from one-half
hour after sundown until one-half hour before sunrise. All trenches
in unpaved streets and alleys shall be refilled in a careful and workmanlike
manner, shall be well and thoroughly done in uniform layers of not
exceeding four inches and tamped with a tamper of not less than 40
pounds weight, or with puddled earth, so as to replace as nearly as
possible all excavated material and leave the surface in as good a
condition as before the commencement of the work. Excavations in streets
and alleys shall be made in such manner as to impede travel as little
as possible. The Water/Wastewater Superintendent may determine and
limit the time such excavation may remain open, and, when unnecessarily
delayed, he may direct that the number of workers be increased to
hasten the work to such an extent as he may deem necessary.
B. No drain or sewer pipe shall be less than four inches, internal diameter,
in that portion of the line extending from the street sewer to the
property line of the property connected, and the connection with the
public sewer must be made with an increaser. All sewers outside of
buildings must be laid in a trench with a uniform grade not less than
1/8 inch to the foot and greater if practical.
(1)
Cylindrical vitrified salt-glazed pipes of standard weight,
good quality, free from flaws, and well glazed over the entire surface
may be used outside of buildings to a point not less than two feet
from the foundation of such building. All pipes must be well connected
with Portland cement mortar and the excess mortar wiped out after
laying. All changes of direction must be made with pipes of not greater
than 1/8 bend. No pipe shall be laid at a less depth than four feet
unless by special permit of the Water/Wastewater Superintendent.
(2)
All trenches and excavations deeper than five feet will be shored
or the sides shall be placed with the proper angle of repose or otherwise
supported by means of sufficient strength to protect the employees
working therein. For all excavations and trenches deeper than five
feet near large buildings, shoring shall be used.
(3)
For all excavations or trenches in unstable ground deeper than
four feet, shoring shall be used or the sides shall be sloped with
the proper angle of repose. Unstable ground shall include soft, sandy,
or filled area or waterlogged areas, or areas wet from groundwater
or a water line leak or leaks.
(4)
The angle of repose shall be as stated in OSHA Safety and Health
Standards (29 CFR 1926/1910) No. 2207, dated 1985. Such standards
and additional information contained in such standards are made a
part hereof by this reference and are on file with the office of the
City Clerk-Treasurer, City of Seward, Nebraska. Said OSHA standards
are made a part of this chapter by this reference thereto and shall
be on file in the office of the City Clerk-Treasurer, City of Seward,
Nebraska.
(5)
The party excavating and his bondmen shall be liable for all
damages arising by reason of any neglect in regard to these requirements
and provisions.
(6)
All alternative jointing methods and materials must be approved
by the Superintendent prior to installation.
C. Whenever possible, the building sewer shall 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 shall be lifted
by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.
D. No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, interior and
exterior foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface
runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which
in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
E. 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 City, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications
of the ASTM and the WPCF Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections
shall be made gastight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed
procedures and materials must be approved by the Superintendent before
installation.
F. The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Superintendent
when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to
the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision
of the Superintendent or his representative.
G. A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every
building.
H. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings
only when they are found, on examination and test by the Superintendent,
to meet all requirements of this chapter.
I. The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building
sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe,
jointing, testing and backfilling the trench shall all conform to
the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable
rules and regulations of the City.
J. All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately
guarded with barricades and lights 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 City.
K. All architects, owners, agents or contractors will see that a certificate
of inspection from the Water/Wastewater Superintendent is presented
before accepting any plumbing work of any description.
[Added 6-19-1979 by Ord.
No. 1165]
Any building sewer which is abandoned, for any reason, must
be cut off from the City sewer, and capped in a manner and at such
place as the Water/Wastewater Superintendent may approve, by the owner
of the property being served by such building sewer.
[Added 8-21-1984 by Ord.
No. 21-84]
A. The Municipal Water/Wastewater Department may require the owner of
any property which is within the municipality and connected to the
public sewers or drains to repair or replace any connection line which
serves the owner's property and is broken, clogged or otherwise in
need of repair or replacement. The property owner's duty to repair
or replace such a connection line shall include those portions upon
the owner's property and those portions upon public property or easements
up to and including the point of junction with the public main.
B. The Municipal Clerk shall give the property owner notice by registered
letter or certified mail, directed to the last-known address of such
owner or the agent of such owner, directing the repair or replacement
of such connection line. If within 30 days of mailing such notice
the property owner fails or neglects to cause such repairs or replacements
to be made, the Water/Wastewater Superintendent may cause such work
to be done and assess the cost upon the property served by such connection.
(Neb. RS 18-1748)