[Adopted 4-7-1975 ATM
(Ch. 149, Art. I, of the 1989 Code)]
A.
BOD (denoting "biochemical oxygen demand")
BUILDING DRAIN
BUILDING SEWER
COMBINED SEWER
COMMISSION
GARBAGE
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
NATURAL OUTLET
PERSON
pH
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
PUBLIC SEWER
SANITARY SEWER
SEWAGE
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
SEWAGE WORKS
SEWER
SLUG
STORM DRAIN (sometimes termed "storm sewer")
SUPERINTENDENT
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
WATERCOURSE
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning
of terms used in these rules and regulations shall be as follows:
The quantity of oxygen utilities in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days
at 20° C., expressed in milligrams per liter.
That 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 (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building
wall.
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer
or other place of disposal.
A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
The Permanent Sewer Commission of the Town of Hull.[1]
Solid wastes from the domestic and commercial preparation,
cooking and dispensing of food, and from the handling, storage and
sale of produce.
The liquid wastes from industrial manufacturing processes,
trade or business, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other
body of surface or ground water.
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation
or group.
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen
ions in grams per liter of solution.
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of
food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will
be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in
public sewers, with no particle greater than 1/2 inch (1.27 centimeters)
in any dimension.
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal
rights, and is controlled by public authority.
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm-, surface
and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences,
business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together
with such ground-, surface and stormwaters as may be present.
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating
sewage.
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing
of sewage.
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
Any discharge of water, sewage or industrial waste which
in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds
for any period of duration longer than 15 minutes more than five times
the average twenty-four-hour concentration or flows during normal
operation.
A sewer which carries storm- and surface waters and drainage
but excludes sewage and industrial wastes, other than unpolluted cooling
water.
The Superintendent of Sewers acting for and on the behalf
of the Permanent Sewer Commission of the Town of Hull, his authorized
deputy, agent or representative.
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory
filtering.
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously
or intermittently.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Permanent Sewer Commission was created
10-23-1967 STM by Art. 5, and extended under Art. 38 of the 1969 Annual
Town Meeting. Provisions concerning said Commission are on file in
the Town Hall.
B.
"Shall" is mandatory; "may" is permissive.
A.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or
opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance
without first obtaining a written permit from the Superintendent.
B.
Any person proposing a new discharge into the system or a substantial
change in the volume or character of pollutants that are being discharged
into the system shall notify the Superintendent at least 45 days prior
to the proposed change or connection.
A.
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: one for residential
and commercial service, and one for service to establishments producing
industrial wastes.
B.
In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on
a special form furnished by the Town. The permit application shall
be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information
considered pertinent in the judgment of the Superintendent. A permit
and inspection fee of $25 for a residential or commercial building
sewer permit and $50 for an industrial building sewer permit shall
be paid to the Town at the time the application is filed.
All costs and expense incident to the installation and connections
of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall
indemnify the Town 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; except where one building stands at the rear of
another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can
be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court,
yard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be
extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building
sewer.
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 these rules and regulations.
A.
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 Town. In the absence of code provisions
or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth
in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing
and Materials and the Water Pollution Control Federation Manual of
Practice No. 9 shall apply.
B.
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 Town or the procedures set
forth in appropriate specifications of the American Society for Testing
and Materials and the Water Pollution Control Federation 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.
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.
No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, 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.
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.
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 Town Highway Department.
[Added 5-12-1980 ATM
by Art. 20]
After being so notified by the Commission, the owner of a house,
building or property used for human occupancy, employment, recreation
or other purposes shall be allowed two years to connect to the public
sewer line.
[Added 5-12-1980 ATM
by Art. 21]
The Commission shall license competent persons to make connections
to the Town sewer system. No connection shall be made unless the contractor
and/or individual has received such a license.
[Added 4-12-1982 STM
by Art. 14]
Any property owner whose property is accessible to the Town
sewerage system shall connect said property to the same in accordance
with the Sewer Use Regulations.
[Added 4-12-1982 STM
by Art. 12]
The Permanent Sewer Commission, through its agent(s) or by itself,
may require any property owner whose property is accessible to the
Town sewerage system to be connected to the same within a reasonable
amount of time.
[Amended 5-7-2007 ATM
by Art. 22]
Preamble: Whereas the unauthorized discharge of water into the
sanitary sewer system of the Town can result in the introduction into
said system of harmful liquids and also results in an overcharging
of the system which may lead to damage to the system, all of which
may unnecessarily increase the cost of the operation, it is declared
that the public health and safety warrant this bylaw regulating same.
A.
No person (which shall also mean any entity or corporation) shall
discharge or cause or permit to be discharged any stormwater, surface
water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, uncontaminated
cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters or the like
to any sanitary sewer by any subsurface drainage, downspout, eave
trough, rainspout, yard drain, sump pump, foundation drain, yard fountain,
pond, swimming pool, cistern overflow or air-conditioning unit or
system or similar device or means.
B.
Inspections. All inspections provided for in this section must be
at times that are reasonably convenient for ordinary citizens. Town
staff may apply to the District Court for an appropriate administrative
search warrant if a property owner refuses to allow an inspection
of the owner's property.
(1)
Regular inspections. Within 30 days after written notice from the
Town, every person owning improved real estate that discharges into
the Town's sanitary sewer system must allow the Town or a designated
Town representative to inspect the buildings to determine whether
there is a prohibited discharge into the sanitary sewer system. In
lieu of having the Town inspect the property, a person may furnish
an inspection report in a form acceptable to the Town from a licensed
plumber approved by the Town.
(2)
Re-inspections. A property that is found to be not in compliance
with this section is also subject to reinspections to confirm that
the property is subsequently brought into compliance. Thereafter,
the property is subject to reinspections on an annual basis or when
deemed necessary to confirm continued compliance. Properties that
are in compliance may also be subject to reinspections to confirm
continued compliance.
(3)
Inspections for building, health, fire or other permits or code compliance.
If a Town inspector is on property for the purpose of inspecting for
compliance with a permit or for compliance with the law, the Town
inspector has the authority to also inspect the property for compliance
with this section.
(4)
Inspection for property being sold or conveyed. Prior to the sale,
transfer or conveyance of the ownership of a building serviced by
a sanitary sewer, the owner, buyer or other appropriate party shall
request an inspection and shall file prior to the sale, transfer or
conveyance, with the Permanent Sewer Commission a certificate of compliance.
Changing ownership without such a certificate is a violation of this
section. In order not to delay or prevent a pending sale of a property
affected by this section, a buyer, other transferee or other appropriate
party may file with the Sewer Department evidence of a contract or
accepted bid for work which, when completed, will bring the property
into compliance with the provisions of this law within the time limits
set forth by the Sewer Department, along with evidence that adequate
funds have been or will be escrowed to complete said work, and a stipulation
agreeing to bring the property into compliance with the provisions
of this section. Failure by the buyer, transferee or other appropriate
party to so bring the property into compliance shall constitute a
violation of this bylaw and shall be subject to the penalties and
remedies set forth herein. A notice of the requirements of this bylaw
shall be noted on a municipal lien certificate.
C.
Corrections. The owner of a property found to be in violation of
this section must make the necessary corrections to comply with this
section within the time specified in the written notification from
the Town.
D.
Temporary waiver. The Chief Facility Manager (or designee) may allow
or require a temporary waiver from the provisions of this section
where strict enforcement would cause a threat of damage to other property.
A written request for a temporary waiver must be first submitted to
the Chief Facility Manager specifying the reasons for the request.
If a waiver is required or granted, the property owner must pay an
additional fee for sanitary sewer services based on the number of
gallons discharged into the sanitary sewer system as estimated by
the Chief Facility Manager. The Chief Facility Manager may terminate
the waiver upon a failure to comply with any conditions imposed in
the temporary waiver or may take appropriate legal action to enforce
those conditions. The Chief Facility Manager must give five days'
advance written notice of the termination to the property owner with
the reasons for the action. After expiration of termination of a temporary
waiver, the property owner must comply with the provisions of this
section.
E.
Violations. Any person, entity or corporation violating the provisions of this section shall be liable to a fine of not more than _____ for each violation. Each day on which any violation or offense exists shall constitute a separate violation or offense. Violations may also be processed under the non-criminal disposition procedure pursuant to Chapter 1 of the Code/Bylaws of the Town.
F.
No warranty. A certificate of compliance or inspection done by the
Town indicates that so far as can be reasonably determined by a visual
inspection of the premises and review of Town records, the premises
meets the requirements of this article. Neither the Town nor its inspectors
assume any liability in the inspection or issuance of a certificate
of compliance or inspections, and the issuance of a certificate of
compliance or inspections does not guarantee or warrant the conditions
of the premises inspected. Nothing contained herein shall be construed
to be a specific assurance of safety or assistance.
G.
Remedies. The remedies provided in this section are cumulative and
do not limit the right of the Town to pursue any available legal remedy.
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged
to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or
storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the Superintendent.
Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged,
on approval of the Superintendent, to a storm sewer, combined sewer
or natural outlet.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the
following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:
A.
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive
liquid, solid or gas.
B.
Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids
or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with
other wastes, to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process,
constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance
or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment
plant.
C.
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other
corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures,
equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
D.
Solid or viscous substances in quantities or of such size capable
of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference
with the proper operation of the sewage works such as, but not limited
to, ash, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass,
rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, unground garbage, whole blood,
paunch manure, hair and fleshings, entrails and paper dishes, cups,
milk containers, etc. either whole or ground by garbage grinders.
A.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged the following
described substances, materials, waters or wastes if it appears likely
in the opinion of the Superintendent that such wastes can harm either
the sewers, sewage treatment process or equipment, have an adverse
effect on the receiving stream or can otherwise endanger life, limb,
public property or constitute a nuisance. In forming his opinion as
to the acceptability of these wastes, the Superintendent will give
consideration to such factors as the quantities of subject wastes
in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction
of the sewers, nature of the sewage treatment process, capacity of
the sewage treatment plant, degree of treatability of wastes in the
sewage treatment plant and other pertinent factors. The substances
prohibited are:
(1)
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F.
(65° C.).
(2)
Any water or waste containing fats, wax, grease or oils, whether
emulsified or not, in excess of 100 milligrams per liter or containing
substances which may solidify or become viscous at temperatures between
32° and 150° F. (0° C. and 65° C.).
(3)
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. The installation
and operation of any garbage grinder equipped with a motor of 3/4
horsepower (0.76 hp metric) or greater shall be subject to the review
and approval of the Superintendent.
(4)
Any water or wastes containing strong acid iron pickling wastes or
concentrated plating solutions whether neutralized or not.
(5)
Any waters or wastes containing iron, chromium, copper, zinc and
similar objectionable or toxic substances; or wastes exerting an excessive
chlorine requirement, to such degree that any such material received
in the composite sewage at the sewage treatment works exceeds the
limits established by the Superintendent for such materials.
(6)
Any waters or wastes containing phenols or other taste or odor producing
substances, in such concentrations exceeding limits which may be established
by the Superintendent as necessary, after treatment of the composite
sewage to meet the requirements of the state, federal or other public
agencies or jurisdiction for such discharge to the receiving waters.
(7)
Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration
as may exceed limits established by the Superintendent in compliance
with applicable state or federal regulations.
(8)
Any waters or wastes having a pH in excess of 9.5.
(9)
Materials which exert or cause:
(a)
Unusual concentrations of inert suspended solids, such as, but
not limited to, fuller's earth, lime slurries and lime residues,
or of dissolved solids such as, but not limited to, sodium chloride
and sodium sulfate.
(b)
Excessive discoloration such as, but not limited to, dye wastes
and vegetable tanning solutions.
(c)
Unusual BOD, chemical oxygen demand or chlorine requirements
in such quantities as to constitute a significant load on the sewage
treatment works.
(d)
Unusual volume of flow or concentration of wastes constituting
slugs as defined herein.
(10)
Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable
to treatment or reduction by the sewage treatment process employed,
or are amenable to treatment only to such degree that the sewage treatment
plant effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having
jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
B.
Authority of Superintendent.
(1)
If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in Subsection A of this section, and which, in the judgment of the Superintendent, may have a deleterious effect upon the sewage works, processes, equipment or receiving waters or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Superintendent may:
(2)
If the Superintendent permits the pretreatment or equalization of
waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment
shall be subject to the review and approval of the Superintendent,
and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances
and laws.
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in
the opinion of the Superintendent, they are necessary for the proper
handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or
any flammable wastes, sand or other harmful ingredients, except that
such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters
or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity
approved by the Superintendent and shall be located as to be readily
and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
Where preliminary treatment or flow-equalizing facilities are
provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously
in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
When required by the Superintendent, the owner of any property
serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install
a suitable control manhole, together with such necessary meters and
other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation,
sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required,
shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in
accordance with plans approved by the Superintendent. The manhole
shall be installed by the owner at his expense, and shall be maintained
by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.
A.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters
and wastes to which reference is made in these rules and regulations
shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard
Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by
the American Public Health Association, and shall be determined at
the control manhole provided or upon suitable samples taken at said
control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required,
the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream
manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer
is connected. Sampling shall be carried out by customarily accepted
methods to reflect the effect of constituents upon the sewage works
and to determine the existence of hazards to life, limb and property.
The particular analysis involved will determine whether a twenty-four-hour
composite of all outfalls of a premise is appropriate or whether a
grab sample or samples should be taken. Normally, but not always,
BOD and suspended solids analyses are obtained from twenty-four-hour
composites of all outfalls whereas pH's are determined from periodic
grab samples.
B.
All industries discharging into a public sewer shall perform such
monitoring of their discharges as the Superintendent and/or other
duly authorized employees of the Town may reasonably require, including
installation, use and maintenance of monitoring equipment, keeping
records and reporting the results of such monitoring to the Superintendent.
Such records shall be made available upon request by the Superintendent
to other agencies having jurisdiction over discharges to the receiving
waters.
No statement contained in this article shall be construed as
preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the Town and
any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength
or character may be accepted by the Town for treatment, subject to
payment therefor, by the industrial concern.
No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently
break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure,
appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the sewage works. Any
person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest
under charge of disorderly conduct and/or damage to property of the
Town of Hull.
A.
The Superintendent and other duly authorized employees of the Town
bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to
enter all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation,
measurement, sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions
of these rules and regulations. The Superintendent or his representative
shall have no authority to inquire into any processes including metallurgical,
chemical, oil, refining, ceramic, paper or other industries beyond
that point having a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge
to the sewers or waterways or facilities for wastes treatment.
B.
While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in Subsection A above, the Superintendent or duly authorized employees of the Town shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the occupant or owner thereof, and the occupant or owner shall be held harmless for injury or death to the Town employees and the Town shall indemnify the occupant or owner against loss or damage to its property by the Town employees and against liability claims and demands for personal injury or property damage asserted against the occupant or owner and growing out of the gauging and sampling operation, except as such may be caused by negligence or failure of the occupant or owner to maintain safe conditions as required in § 344-22.
C.
The Superintendent and other duly authorized employees of the Town
bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to
enter all private properties through which the Town holds a duly negotiated
easement for the purposes of, but not limited to, inspection, observation,
measurement, sampling, repair and maintenance of any portion of the
sewage works lying within said easement. All entry and subsequent
work, if any, on said easement, shall be done in full accordance with
the terms of the duly negotiated easement pertaining to the private
property involved.
The Commission shall establish sewer use charges to recover
the costs associated with the operation and maintenance of the sewerage
system.
A.
Any person found to be violating any provision of these rules and regulations, except § 344-25, shall be served by the Commission with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, permanently cease all violations.
B.
Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Subsection A of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and, on conviction thereof, shall be fined in the amount not exceeding $20 for each violation. Each day in which any such violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate offense.
C.
Any person violating any of the provisions of these rules and regulations
shall become liable to the Town for any expense, loss or damage occasioned
the Town, by reason of such violation.
[Added 11-15-1984 STM
by Art. 7]
The Town shall exempt low-income persons 70 years of age or
older from tying into the Town's sewer system.
