[Adopted 9-26-1994 by Ord. No. 860 (Ch. 131, Art. V, of the 1998 Township Code)]
A. 
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context:
BUILDING DRAIN
Part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer beginning five feet outside the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
Piping carrying liquid wastes from a building to the treatment or holding tank or to the public sewer main.
ENFORCEMENT OFFICER
A person or agency appointed to perform inspections and issue permits in connection with individual sewage systems and community sewage systems.
PERSON
Any natural person, partnership, association or corporation. Whenever used in any clause prescribing and imposing a penalty or imposing a fine or imprisonment, or both, the term "person" shall include the members of an association and the officers of a corporation.
PRIVATE SEWAGE SYSTEM
Any system, privately owned, for the collection and disposal of sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature, or both, including various devices for the treatment of such sewage.
PUBLIC SEWAGE SYSTEM
The sewer system owned, operated or maintained by the Township.
SEWAGE
Any substance that contains any of the waste products or excrementitious or other discharge from the bodies of human beings or animals and any noxious or deleterious substances 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.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Wilkins.
B. 
In this article, the singular shall include the plural, the plural shall include the singular, and the masculine shall include the feminine and neuter.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 and, in default of payment, to imprisonment for a term not to exceed 30 days. Every day that a violation of this article continues shall constitute a separate offense. The Township may seek equitable relief in the Court of Common Pleas.
All property owners whose building drain or existing building sewer or existing septic tank are within 250 feet of any public sewer line shall be required to connect thereto.
A. 
Persons claiming exemption under the 250-foot distance requirement of this section shall file an application for exemption with the Township containing a survey indicating the location of the buildings to be exempted and the distance from the public sewer to the building drain, building sewer or septic tank.
B. 
The application shall contain a report (dated within 60 days) by a registered engineer, certified sewage enforcement officer or other person deemed qualified by the Allegheny County Health Department, which report includes a dye test and establishes that the private sewage disposal system is functioning in accordance with regulations of the Allegheny County Health Department.
C. 
A report as set forth in Subsection B above shall be delivered to the Township every six months after approval of the exemption application.
D. 
Upon failure to file a report or upon failure of the private system to comply with Allegheny County Health Department regulations, connection to the public sewer shall be made within 60 days.
If the owner of any property, after 90 days' notice from the enforcement officer to make connection of such property with the public sewage system, shall fail to make such connection, the Township may make the connection and collect the costs thereof in the manner provided by law.
From time to time in the future as public sewage services become available to additional properties within the Township by reason of additions to the public sewage system or improvements on abutting properties, each and every owner of such property shall be required to make the necessary connection to the abutting or adjoining sewer lines, and any septic tanks, cesspools, holding tanks and similar devices connected to an individual sewage system shall be abandoned and filled with new material.
The enforcement officer or his authorized agent and agents of the Township shall have access at all reasonable hours of the day to all parts of the premises to which sewage service is supplied to make necessary inspections.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any part of the public sewage system or appurtenance thereto without first obtaining a permit from the enforcement officer.
Before making a connection with the sewer system, each property owner shall make a written application therefor in the manner prescribed by the enforcement officer and pay a permit fee established pursuant to a resolution of the Township Board of Commissioners.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: The current fee resolution is on file at the Township offices.
All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the Township from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building. Exceptions to this provision shall be made where one building stands to the rear of another on an interior lot and no sewer line is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, in which case the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building only on approval by the enforcement officer. Such connection of the two buildings to the sewer lines shall be considered as two building sewers.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with a building only when such connection is approved by the enforcement officer and they meet the requirements of this article or rules and regulations adopted pursuant hereto.
The building sewer shall be cast-iron soil pipe, ASTM specifications or equal, vitrified clay sewer pipe, ASTM specification or equal, or other suitable material approved by the enforcement officer. Joints shall be tight and waterproof. Any part of the building sewer that is located within 10 feet of a water service pipe shall be constructed of cast-iron soil pipe with leaded joints. Cast-iron pipe with leaded joints may be required by the enforcement officer where the building sewer is exposed to damage by tree roots. If installed in filled or unstable ground, the building sewer shall be of cast-iron soil pipe, except that nonmetallic material may be accepted if laid on a suitable concrete bed or cradle as approved by the enforcement officer.
The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the enforcement officer, but in no event shall the diameter be less than six inches. The slope of such six-inch pipe shall be not less than 1/8 inch per foot.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to or within three feet of any bearing wall which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from frost. The building sewer shall be laid at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. Changed in direction shall be made only with properly curved pipe and fittings.
A trap shall be installed on the building lateral outside the building within four feet of the outer wall of the building in the event that there is no existing trap. The installation of such trap, complete with vent, is mandatory.
All excavations required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the enforcement officer. Pipelaying and backfill shall be performed in accordance with ASTM specifications, except that no backfill shall be placed until the work has been inspected and approved.
A. 
All joints and connections shall be made gastight and watertight. Cast-iron pipe joints shall be firmly packed with oakum or hemp and filled with molten lead according to federal specifications, not less than one inch deep. Lead shall be run in one pouring and caulked tight. No paint, varnish or other coatings shall be permitted on the jointing material until after the joint has been tested and approved.
B. 
All joints in vitrified clay pipe or between such pipe and metals shall be made with approved hot-poured jointing materials or cement mortar.
C. 
Other jointing materials and methods may be used only after approval from the enforcement officer.
The connection of the building sewer to the public sewerage system shall be made at the Y-branch if such branch is available at a suitable location. If the public sewer line is 12 inches in diameter or less and no properly located Y-branch is available, the owner shall, at his expense, install a Y-branch in the public sewer at the location specified by the enforcement officer. Where the public sewer is greater than 12 inches in diameter and no properly located Y-branch is available, a neat hole may be cut into the public sewer to receive the building sewer with entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about 45°. A 45° ell may be used to make such connection, with the spigot and cut so as not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer. The invert of the building sewer at the point of connection shall be at the same or at a higher elevation then the invert of the public sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall be made and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete. Special fittings may be used for the connection only when approved by the enforcement officer.
The permit holder shall notify the enforcement officer when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection with the public sewer, and the connection shall be made under his supervision.
Any connection to the Township sanitary sewer system which has been backfilled without receiving final inspection and approval of the Building Inspector or Township Engineer or his authorized agent will be declared unsatisfactory, and the owner will be required to uncover the trench for the necessary inspection, and, upon failure to do so, the Township may do the necessary work and recover the cost thereof from such owner by a municipal claim or in an action of assumpsit as provided by law, or the Township may proceed against such owner as provided for violations in § 333-31.
All excavations for building sewer installation and connection 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 Township Engineer.
A. 
No person shall connect or cause to be connected with any of the public sewers in the Township directly or indirectly any steam exhaust, boiler blowoff, sediment drip or any pipe carrying or constructed to carry hot water or acid, germicide, grease, brewery mash, gasoline, naphtha, benzine, oil or any other substance detrimental to sewers or to the operation of the sewerage system or sewage disposal plant used by the Township.
B. 
No downspouts or other pipes collecting stormwater or water from underground springs and no privy vault, cesspool or similar receptacle for human excrement shall at any time now or hereafter be connected with any of the Township sewers nor shall sewage from any property other than that for which a permit was issued.