Terms defined. As used in this chapter, the following
terms shall have the meanings indicated:
ACT 537 PLAN
The Township's Official Plan as defined in the Pennsylvania
Sewage Facilities Act, Act of January 24, 1966, P.L. 1535 (1965),
No. 537, as amended, 35 P.S. §§ 750.1 through 750.20a
("Sewage Facilities Act" or "Act 537").
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
ACT or THE ACT or CLEAN WATER ACT
Federal Water Pollution Control Act, as mentioned by the
Federal Water Pollution Control Act Amendment of 1972, the Clean Water
Act of 1977 and the Water Quality Act of 1987, 33 U.S.C. § 1251
et seq., and any subsequent amendments thereto.
AIR GAP
The unobstructed vertical distance through the free atmosphere
between the lowest opening from any pipe or faucet supplying water
to a tank, plumbing fixture or other device and the flood-level rim
of the receptacle.
APPROPRIATE CONTROL AUTHORITY
The control authority providing water or sanitary sewer service,
as the case may be, to the subject property or properties within Falls
Township.
APPROVAL AUTHORITY
The Director in an NPDES state with an approved state pretreatment
program and the Administrator of the EPA in a non-NPDES state or NPDES
state without an approved state pretreatment program.
AUTHORITIES
Collectively, BCWSA, LBJMA, MMA, and TOFA.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
BACKFLOW
The flow of water or other liquids, mixtures or substances
into the distributing pipes of a potable supply of water from any
source or sources other than an approved source.
BCWSA
The Bucks County Water and Sewer Authority, as presently
or hereafter constituted, which exists and is organized pursuant to
the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 5601, et
seq.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure for five days
at 20° C., expressed in terms of weight and concentration [milligrams
per liter (mg/l)].
BUILDING DRAIN
That part of the lowest piping of a drainage system that
receives the discharge from oil, waste and other drainage pipes inside
and that extends 30 inches (762 mm) beyond the walls of the building
and conveys the drainage to the building sewer.
BUILDING SEWER
That part of the drainage system that extends from the end
of the building drain and conveys the discharge to a public sewer,
private sewer, individual sewage disposal system or other point of
disposal.
BYPASS
The intentional diversion of waste streams from any portion
of an industrial user's pretreatment facility.
CITY
The City of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
COLLECTOR SYSTEM
All piping leading to a treatment plant, including those
pipes connected to a combined sewer overflow which lead directly to
a receiving stream.
COMMISSIONER
The Water Commissioner of the City of Philadelphia or his
designee.
COMMUNITY ON-LOT SEWAGE SYSTEM
A community sewage system which uses a system of piping,
tanks or other facilities for collecting, treating and disposing of
sewage into a subsurface soil absorption area or retaining tank.
COMMUNITY ON-LOT WATER SYSTEM
A community water system which uses a system of piping, tanks
or other facilities for providing, treating and distributing of water.
COMMUNITY SEWAGE SYSTEM
A sewage facility, which is privately owned, for the collection
of sewage from two or more lots or two or more equivalent dwelling
units and the treatment or disposal, or both, of the sewage on one
or more of the lots or at another site.
COMMUNITY WATER SYSTEM
A water facility, which is privately owned, for the providing
of water for two or more lots or two or more equivalent dwelling units.
COMPOSITE SAMPLE
A timed sequential collection of samples of equal volume
or a collection of grab samples combined in a single reservoir to
determine concentration(s) of pollutant(s).
CONTROL AUTHORITY
The Township of Falls Authority, the City of Philadelphia
Water Department and/or the City Water Commissioner, where applicable,
and any other municipal entity providing public water or sanitary
sewer service to lands within the Township.
COOLING WATER
The water discharged from any use such as air conditioning,
cooling or refrigeration or to which the only pollutant added is heat
and which does not contain a level of contaminants detectably higher
than that of the source of the water.
CROSS-CONNECTION
Any physical connection or arrangement between two otherwise
separate piping systems, one of which contains potable water and the
other either water of unknown or questionable safety or steam, gas
or chemical, whereby there exists the possibility for flow from one
system to the other, with the direction of flow depending on the pressure
differential between the two systems.
CUSTOMER
The party receiving water service and/or sewer service from
a control authority which shall include the owner, the legal representative
of the owners of cooperative apartments and condominiums or such other
person or entity with an equitable interest in a property of any type
receiving service.
DAILY MAXIMUM
The maximum allowable discharge of a pollutant during a calendar
day or other twenty-four-hour period as allowed by the POTW. Where
maximum limitations are expressed in units of mass, the daily discharge
is the total mass discharged over the course of a day. Where daily
maximum limitations are expressed in terms of concentration, the daily
discharge is the arithmetic average of all measurements taken that
day.
DEP
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
DEPARTMENT
The Department of Public Works and Code Enforcement of Falls
Township.
DIRECT DISCHARGE
The discharge of treated or untreated wastewater directly
to the waters of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania which may occur
through the Township's stormwater conduits or combined sewer outfall
structures.
DISPOSAL RECEIPT
Documentation (holding tank waste disposal slip) from a DEP-permitted
sewage treatment plant also signed by the sewage hauler indicating
the owner, location (address), and date that an improved property's
holding tank was pumped and properly disposed of.
[Added 12-5-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-06]
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AGENCY
The United States Environmental Protection Agency or, where
appropriate, the term may also be used as a designation for the Administrator
or other duly authorized official of said agency.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing
of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
GOVERNING BODY
The Supervisors of Falls Township, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
[Added 12-5-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-06]
GRAB SAMPLE
A sample which is taken from a waste stream on a one-time
basis, in 15 minutes or less, and with no regard to the flow of the
waste stream.
GRINDER PUMP
Any electric-motor-driven, submersible, centrifugal pump
capable of macerating all material found in normal domestic sanitary
sewage, including a reasonable amount of objects such as plastics,
sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, rubber and the like, to a fine
slurry and pumping this material through a small-diameter discharge.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
GROUNDWATER
The accumulation of water which exists in the ground and
is used as a source of water supply through openings such as wells,
springs and infiltration galleries.
HOLDING TANK
A watertight receptacle which receives and retains sewage
and is designed and constructed to facilitate ultimate disposal of
the sewage at another site, and that provides for either the holding
or anaerobic decomposition of sewage prior to its discharge to an
absorption area or public sewer system, whether intended to be temporary
in nature or permanent. Holding tanks include but are not limited
to the following:
[Amended 12-5-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-06]
(2)
RETENTION TANKA holding tank where sewage is conveyed to it by a liquid-carrying system.
(3)
VAULT PIT PRIVYA holding tank designed to receive sewage where liquid under pressure is not available.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property within the Township upon which there is erected
a structure intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy
or use by human beings or animals and from which structure sewage
shall or may be discharged.
INDIRECT DISCHARGE
The discharge or the introduction of pollutants, including
holding tank waste, into the POTW.
INDUSTRIAL USER or USER
Any person that introduces an indirect discharge regulated
under the Act, state or local law to the POTW.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The liquid and solid wastes from industrial and/or commercial
manufacturing as distinct from sanitary sewage.
INTERFERENCE
(1)
A discharge which, alone or in conjunction with
a discharge or discharges from other sources:
(a)
Inhibits or disrupts the POTW, its treatment
processes or operations or its sludge processes, use or disposal;
and
(b)
Therefore is a cause of a violation of any requirement
of the POTW's NPDES permit (including an increase in the magnitude
or duration of a violation) or of the prevention of sewage sludge
use or disposal in compliance with the following statutory provisions
and regulations or permits issued thereunder (or more stringent state
or local regulations): Section 405 of the Clean Water Act, the Solid
Waste Disposal Act (SWDA) [including Title II, more commonly referred
to as the "Resource Conservation and Recovery Act" (RCRA)] and including
state regulations contained in any state sludge management plan prepared
pursuant to Subtitle D of the SWDA, the Clean Air Act, the Toxic Substances
Control Act and the Marine Protection, Research and Sanctuaries Act.
(2)
In addition, interference shall mean the following:
(a)
The introduction of pollutants into the POTW
which, alone or in conjunction with other discharges, inhibits or
disrupts the process, operations or maintenance of the POTW or causes
an evacuation of any POTW personnel, whether or not it causes or contributes
to a violation of the POTWs NPDES permit.
(b)
The introduction of pollutants, either alone
or in conjunction with other discharges, which when reaching the treatment
plant, inhibit, disrupt or limit the solid waste by-products disposal
options available to the POTW, whether or not it causes or contributes
to a violation of Section 405 of the Act, the Solid Waste Disposal
Act or any other law or regulation regulating solid waste by-products.
(c)
The introduction of pollutants into a control
authority collector system which, alone or in conjunction with other
discharges inhibit, disrupt or adversely affect the operations or
maintenance of the collector system.
LBJMA
The Lower Bucks Joint Municipal Authority, as presently or
hereafter constituted, which exists and is organized pursuant to the
Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 5601 et seq.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
MMA
The Morrisville Municipal Authority, as presently or hereafter
constituted, which exists and is organized pursuant to the Municipality
Authorities Act, 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 5601 et seq.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
MONTHLY AVERAGE
The arithmetic mean of the values for effluent samples collected
over a calendar month.
MUNICIPALITY
The Township of Falls, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
[Added 12-5-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-06]
NATIONAL CATEGORICAL PRETREATMENT STANDARDS
Any regulation containing pollutant discharge limits promulgated
by the EPA in accordance with Sections 307(b) and (c) of the Act (33
U.S.C. § 1317) which applies to a specific category of industrial
users and pretreatment standards as published in 40 CFR Chapter I,
Subchapter N.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other
body of surface or groundwater.
NEW SOURCE
Any building, structure, facility or installation from which
there is or may be a discharge of pollutants, the construction of
which commenced after the publication of proposed pretreatment standards
under Section 307(c) of the Act which will be applicable to such source
if such standards are thereafter promulgated in accordance with that
section.
NONDOMESTIC USERS
Commercial, industrial or municipal users who discharge to
the POTW.
OCCUPIED BUILDING
Each single dwelling unit, household unit, flat or apartment
unit, store, shop, office, business or industrial unit or family unit
contained within any structure erected within 150 feet of the sewer
system and Iintended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy
or use by human beings and from which structure sanitary sewage is
or may be discharged.
OFFICIAL PLAN REVISION
A change in the Township's Act 537 Official Plan to provide
for additional, newly identified future or existing sewage facilities
needs, which may include one or more of the following:
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
(1)
UPDATED REVISIONA comprehensive revision to an existing Official Plan required when the DEP or the Township determines the Official Plan or one or more of its parts is inadequate for the existing or future sewage facilities needs of the Township or its residents or landowners.
(2)
SPECIAL STUDYA study, survey, investigation, inquiry, research report or analysis, which is directly related to an updated revision. The studies provide documentation or other support necessary to solve specific problems identified in the update revision.
ON-LOT SEWAGE DISPOSAL SYSTEM
Any system for disposal of sewage involving a holding tank
before final treatment and disposal of sewage to a public or private
sewer system, including both individual sewage systems and community
sewage systems.
[Added 12-5-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-06]
OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole
or partial, of any property located in the Township.
PASS-THROUGH
A discharge which exits the POTW to the receiving stream
or its atmosphere in quantities or concentrations which alone or in
conjunction with other discharges is a cause of a violation of any
requirement of the POTW's NPDES permit or a violation of any air emission
standard set by the Clean Air Act, state or local rules and regulations
governing emissions to the air (including an increase in the magnitude
or duration of a violation).
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, copartnership, firm, company,
corporation, association, joint-stock company, trust, estate, governmental
entity or any other legal entity or their legal representatives, agents
or assigns. The masculine gender shall include the feminine; the singular
shall include the plural where indicated by the context.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen
ions in grams per liter of solution.
PLUMBING INSPECTOR
The Plumbing Inspector appointed by the Board of Supervisors
or the Township Manager or any duly authorized deputy, assistant or
representative of such Plumbing Inspector.
POLLUTANT
Any dredged spoil, solid waste, incinerator residue, sewage,
garbage, sewage sludge, munitions, chemical wastes, biological materials,
radioactive materials, heat, wrecked or discharged equipment, rock,
sand, cellar dirt, industrial, municipal and agricultural waste or
any other contaminant discharged into water.
POLLUTION
The man-made or man-induced alteration of the chemical, physical,
biological and/or radiological integrity of water. The introduction
of noxious, pathogenic, putrescible substance into the groundwaters,
streams or other bodies of water rendering such water unclean to the
extent of being harmful or potentially harmful to the public health,
safety or welfare or to animal life or to the use of such waters for
domestic water supply or industrial purposes or for recreation. This
could also be an impairment of the quality of the potable water to
a degree that does not create a hazard to the public health but that
does adversely and unreasonably affect the aesthetic qualities of
such potable waters for domestic use.
POTABLE WATER SUPPLY
A waterworks or water system, including source or sources,
treatment, storage, transmission and distribution facilities, resulting
in a water supply that is safe for consumption and use by the public.
PREMISES
The property or areas, including improvements thereon, to
which water service is or will be provided through water lines of
the control authority on which the property abuts.
PRESSURIZED SYSTEM
A grinder pump or grinder pumps and the associated force
mains, pressurized laterals and/or additional equipment associated
therewith.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
PRETREATMENT or TREATMENT
The reduction of the amount of pollutants, the elimination
of pollutants or the alteration of the nature of pollutant properties
in wastewater to a less harmful state prior to or in lieu of discharging
or otherwise introducing such pollutants into a POTW. The reduction,
elimination or alteration can be obtained by physical, chemical or
biological processes, process changes or other means except as prohibited
by 40 CFR 403.6(d).
PRETREATMENT STANDARDS OR REQUIREMENTS
Any substantive or procedural requirement related to pretreatment,
including but not limited to those requirements found in the Clean
Water Act, the General Pretreatment Regulations (40 CFR 403), the
National Categorical Pretreatment Standards, the Resource Conservation
and Recovery Act (42 U.S.C. § 6901 et seq.) and the Solid
Waste Management Act (35 P.S. § 6018.101 et seq.) as they
relate to the proper disposal of pretreatment sludges, any control
authority regulations and any order issued under those regulations,
the industrial user's wastewater discharge permit and any other federal,
state or local law or regulation which regulates discharges to the
POTW.
PROCESS WASTEWATER
Any water which, during manufacturing or processing, comes
into direct contact with or results from the production or use of
any raw material, intermediate product, finished product, by-product
or waste product.
PROPERTY OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole
or partial, of any property located in the Township.
[Added 2-16-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-03]
PUBLICLY OWNED TREATMENT WORKS (POTW)
A treatment works, as defined by Section 212 of the Act (33
U.S.C. § 1292), which is owned by a control authority, including
any devices and systems used in the storage, treatment, recycling
or reclamation of municipal sewage and industrial waste. This definition
includes any sewers that convey wastewater to the POTW treatment plant,
but does not include pipes, sewers or other conveyances not connected
to a facility providing treatment. For the purposes of this chapter,
POTW shall also include any sewers that convey wastewaters to the
POTW from persons outside the Township who are, by contract or agreement
with a control authority, users of the control authority's POTW.
PUBLIC SEWER
A common sewer directly controlled by public authority.
SANITARY SEWAGE
Sewage discharged from the sanitary conveniences of dwellings
(including apartments and hotels), office buildings, factories and
institutions, as distinct from industrial wastes.
SANITARY COLLECTORS
A piping grid which carries wastewater which excludes storm-,
surface and groundwaters which are not admitted.
SEWAGE
Any liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in
suspension or solution, including liquids containing chemicals in
solution, any substance that contains any of the waste products or
excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings and/or
processing wastewater, and/or any noxious or deleterious substance
being harmful or inimical to the public health, or to animal or aquatic
life or to the use of water for domestic water supply or for recreation
or any substance which constitutes pollution under the Clean Streams
Law (35 P.S. §§ 691.1 through 691.1001).
[Amended 12-5-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-06]
SEWAGE HAULER
A company which has the capabilities to pump, haul, and properly
dispose of holding tank sewage in a DEP-permitted sewage treatment
plant and has any required permits.
[Added 12-5-2016 by Ord.
No. 2016-06]
SEWAGE MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
A program authorized by the official action of a municipality
for the administration, management and regulation of the disposal
of sewage and meeting the requirement of DEP pursuant to Subchapter
E, Chapter 71, Title 25.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for transferring wastewater.
SEWER SYSTEM
The public sanitary sewer collection system, together with
appurtenant facilities, and any improvements, additions or extensions
that hereafter may be acquired or made by the Township of any part
or parts of any or all thereof.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
Any arrangement of physical modules and structures for renovating
solvable and suspended fraction of nutrients found in wastewater used
for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for retaining, pumping, treating and disposing
of sewage.
SIGNIFICANT INDUSTRIAL USER
Includes the following: any industrial user subject to any
National Categorical Pretreatment Standard; or any industrial user
that discharges an average of 25,000 gallons per day or more of process
wastewater to the POTW (excluding sanitary, noncontact cooling and
boiler blowdown wastewater) or contributes a process waste stream
which makes up 5% or more of the average dry weather hydraulic or
organic capacity of the POTW treatment plant; or any industrial user
that is found by the control authority, DEP or EPA to have a reasonable
potential, either alone or in conjunction with other discharges, to
adversely affect the POTW, the collector system, the solid waste by-products
of the POTW or air emissions from the POTW.
SOLID WASTE BY-PRODUCTS
Materials related to POTW operations which include but are
not limited to grit, scum, screenings, incinerator ash, sludges and
dredge spoils.
SPILL or SLUG DISCHARGE
Any discharge of a nonroutine, episodic nature, including
but not limited to an accidental spill or noncustomary batch discharge,
or any discharge at a flow rate or concentration which could cause
a violation of the prohibited discharge standards found in of this
chapter.
STANDARD INDUSTRIAL CLASSIFICATION (SIC)
A classification pursuant to the Standard Industrial Classification
Manual issued by the Executive Office of the President, Office of
Management and Budget, 1972, as amended.
STATE
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
STORMWATER
Any flow occurring during or following any form of natural
precipitation and resulting therefrom.
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN
A sewer which carries rainwater, surface waters, condensate,
cooling water or similar liquid wastes, but excludes sewage and polluted
industrial wastes.
SURFACE WATER
Water derived from the surface of the earth, such as streams,
ponds, lakes or reservoirs.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that maintain their suspension in wastewater or other
liquids and which are largely removable by agglomeration and absorption
by settling. There are two general types of suspended solids particle
dispersions in wastewater. When water is the solvent these are called
the hydrophobic or water-hating and the other is hydrophilic or water-loving
colloids. Such solids remain after the required settling period and
recorded concentration is in mg/l.
TOFA
The Township of Falls Authority, as presently or hereafter
constituted, which has been created by the Township Board of Supervisors
and which exists and is organized pursuant to the Municipality Authorities
Act, 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 5601 et seq.
[Amended 2-16-2016 by Ord. No. 2016-03]
TOWNSHIP
Township of Falls, Bucks County, Pennsylvania.
TOWNSHIP ENGINEER
The Township Engineer appointed by the Board of Supervisors
or any duly authorized deputy, assistant or representative of such
Township Engineer.
TOXIC POLLUTANT
Any pollutant or combination of pollutants listed as toxic
pursuant to Pennsylvania Statutes and Rules, Section 307(a) of the
Act or other federal statutes.
TREATMENT TANK
A watertight tank designed to retain sewage long enough for
satisfactory bacterial decomposition of the solids to take place;
the term includes the following:
(1)
SEPTIC TANKA treatment tank that provides for decomposition of sewage prior to its discharge to an absorption area.
(2)
AEROBIC SEWAGE TREATMENT TANKA mechanically aerated treatment tank that provides aerobic biochemical stabilization of sewage prior to its discharge to a stream or absorption area.
WASTEWATER
The liquid and water-carried industrial or domestic wastes
from dwellings, commercial buildings, industrial facilities and institutions,
whether treated or untreated.
WATER
The water produced and distributed by the water supply system.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously
or intermittently.
WATER MANAGEMENT PROGRAM
A program authorized by the official action of a control
authority for the administration, management and regulation of the
distribution of water meeting the requirements of DEP.
WATERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH
All streams, lakes, ponds, marshes, watercourses, waterways,
wells, springs, reservoirs, aquifers, irrigation systems, drainage
systems and all other bodies or accumulations of water, surface or
underground, natural or artificial, public or private, which are contained
within, flow through or border upon the commonwealth or any portion
thereof.
WATER SYSTEM
The public water supply distribution system, together with
appurtenant facilities, and any improvements, additions or extensions
that hereafter may be acquired or made by the control authority of
any part or parts of any or all thereof.