[Adopted 10-30-1968 by Ord. No. 18-1968; amended 4-19-2006 by Ord. No. 5-2006; 12-16-2009 by Ord. No. 10-2009; 11-17-2010 by Ord. No. 14-2010; 9-13-2018 by Ord. No. 6-2018]
Every owner of property in the City of Monessen whose property
abuts upon any public sanitary or combined sewer presently in existence
or to be constructed in the future shall connect, at their own cost,
the house, building or other structures located on said property with
the public sanitary or combined sewers for disposing of all acceptable
sanitary sewage emanating from said property.
Every owner of real property in the City whose property or any, and all, house, building or other structure located thereon is, or in the future shall become, connected to the public sanitary or combination sewer system, as that term is defined in Ordinance No. 10 of 2009 (§ 317-9A of the City Code), shall be responsible to maintain, to pay for, or to reimburse the City for the cost and expense of the video inspection, maintenance, repair, upgrade or replacement of the lateral sewer line from the house, building or other structures located on the property to the curb when, in the opinion of the City or other governmental agency having jurisdiction over the use, control and maintenance of the public sanitary or combined sewer system, such lateral sewer line is in need of maintenance, repair or replacement. The need for maintenance, repair or replacement of all or part of the lateral sewer line shall include those circumstances in which maintenance, repair or replacement of the main line occurs, requiring reconnection of a lateral line to the main line. Lateral inspection and replacement/repair shall be in accordance with § 317-19, Sewer lateral inspection and replacement/repair standards.
It shall be unlawful for any owner, lessee or occupier of any
property in the City of Monessen abutting upon any public sanitary
or combined sewer to employ any means, either by septic tank, cesspool,
privy vault, mine hole or otherwise, for the disposal of acceptable
sanitary sewage other than into and through said public sanitary or
combined sewers.
Where any house, building or structure in the City abutting
upon any public sanitary or combined sewer is now or hereafter may
be using any method for the disposal of acceptable sanitary sewage
other than through said public sanitary or combined sewer, it shall
be the duty of the City Clerk or the authorized representative of
the Mon Valley Sewage Authority (herein called the "Authority") to
notify the owner, lessee or occupier of such structure, in writing,
either by personal service, certified mail or registered mail, to
disconnect the same and make proper connection for the discharge and
disposal of all acceptable sanitary sewage through the public sanitary
or combined sewers, as herein provided, within 45 days after receipt
of such notice.
No privy vault, cesspool, septic tank, mine hole or similar
receptacle for human excrement shall, at the present time or at any
time hereafter, be connected with the aforesaid public sanitary or
combined sewers.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation connected
to any public sanitary sewer to connect any roof drain thereto or
permit any roof drain to remain connected thereto or to permit, allow
or cause to enter into said public sanitary sewers any stormwater,
foundation drain water, spring water, surface water or any sewage
or industrial waste from any property other than that for which a
permit is issued. This section applies only to those properties in
the City of Monessen that are connected to an exclusively sewage sanitary
sewer on streets identified as MS4 streets in Appendix A of the MS4
Illicit Discharge Detection and Elimination Ordinance[1] and any other sewer in the City that is used exclusively
for sewage.
A.
BLOCKED DRAIN
COMBINATION (COMBINED) SEWER
DYE OR SMOKE TEST
EVIDENCE OF COMPLIANCE
ILLEGAL SURFACE STORMWATER CONNECTIONS
IMPROVED PROPERTY
PERSON
SANITARY SEWER SYSTEM
Definitions. As used in this section, the following terms shall have
the meanings indicated:
A drain which, when dye-tested, does not discharge to the
sanitary sewer and which also cannot be observed to discharge to the
surface or subsurface draining system.
A sewer system which carries a combination of sewage and
stormwater and is maintained and operated by the City of Monessen.
A plumbing test conducted according to professional plumbing
standards in which dye or smoke is introduced into the stormwater
collection system of real property to determine if surface stormwater
is entering the sanitary system.
An official written statement issued by the City that it
has on file a written certification from a registered plumber that
there are no illegal surface stormwater connections into the sanitary
source system, such as roof drains, downspouts, foundation drains,
yard drains or driveway drains, and no blocked drains.
The connection of roof drains, foundation drains, yard drains,
driveway drains or other connections conveying surface stormwater
into the sanitary sewer system.
Real property on which any building, driveway or parking
pad, or other surface or subsurface improvement has been constructed,
installed or erected.
Any natural person, association, partnership, corporation,
syndicate, institution, agency, authority, or other entity recognized
by law as the subject of rights and duties.
A system of pipes which carries sewage exclusively and is
maintained and operated by the City of Monessen ("City") and/or the
Mon Valley Sewage Authority ("Authority").
B.
Testing.
(1)
No person or owner of property tapped into the City sewer system
shall discharge, or permit the discharge of, any stormwater, surface
water, roof runoff, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process
waters into said sanitary sewer system.
(2)
The City employees or their designated agents are hereby authorized
to conduct periodic tests, and any other appropriate test or inspection,
of all existing sewer systems, laterals, and structures tapped into
the City sewer system for compliance with this article and other laws
pertaining to sewer systems and structures.
(3)
Every owner of property tapped into the City sewer system shall submit
to a test. Testing will not be required when the owner of the property
produces a valid plumber's inspection report issued by a registered
plumber, which report is not more than three years old.
(4)
Testing and any necessary disconnection, replacement or repair must
be performed at the owner's expense by a registered plumber.
(5)
It is required that connections be tested in the following manner:
(a)
A basic property inspection of roof leaders, driveway drains,
stairwell drains, sump pumps, and all other area drains. If the discharge
point of these drains is not evident, the plumber shall insert dye
into the suspected drain, roof leader or sump pump to determine the
ultimate discharge point. Should an illegal connection and/or blocked
drain be confirmed, the test shall be deemed as a fail, and the illegal
connection(s) must be immediately removed and rerouted and/or the
blocked drain cleared.
(b)
Property sump pumps will be operated with dye-colored water
to verify discharge location. The test shall be considered a failure
if the water enters the sanitary sewer system, and the discharge pipe
must be removed and rerouted immediately.
(6)
When illegal stormwater or surface water connections, failed laterals
and/or blocked drains have been discovered, all necessary remedial
work to correct such connection shall be completed by the owner of
the property at their expense, weather permitting, within two months
of the date they receive notification of the illegal connection, failed
lateral and/or blocked drain.
(a)
In the event the necessary remedial work would create severe
economic hardship for the owner of the property, application may be
made to the City Treasurer for one extension up to an additional six
months to complete said remedial work.
(b)
In the event the owner of the property fails to complete the
necessary remedial work within the time permitted, including any extension
thereof, the City Council may undertake to have the necessary remedial
work completed at the expense of the owner of the property, and to
make any necessary arrangements for the payment of said work by the
owner of the property on an installment basis, which arrangements
shall be mutually satisfactory to the owner of the property. Under
such circumstances, in the event satisfactory arrangements are not
agreed upon, the City and the owner may do any of the following:
[1]
File a lien against such property for the expense incurred by
the City to perform the work, plus 6% interest per annum, plus a penalty
of 5% of the amount due, which lien shall remain in effect until payment
in full or sale of the property occurs, which lien shall also include
all City engineering and legal fees and all costs incurred in connection
with such lien; or
[2]
The City may sue the property owner in a civil action to recover
the amount due, plus 6% interest per annum, plus a 5% penalty of the
amount due, plus costs, plus the City's attorneys' fees
and engineer's fees as permitted by law.
No person, firm or corporation shall make or cause to be made
any connection with any of the public sanitary or combined sewers
until he, the applicant, has fulfilled all the following conditions:
A.
The applicant shall make application to the City and/or Authority
upon a permit form to be supplied by the City and/or Authority for
permission to connect to the public sanitary or combined sewers. Among
other things, the applicant must state the character and use of each
structure located upon his property.
B.
The applicant shall pay the required City and/or Authority tap connection
and inspection fee to the City and/or Authority at the time of making
application for permission to make a connection.
C.
No work shall commence before the payment of the aforesaid tap connection
and inspection fee and issuance of the connection permit.
D.
The applicant shall give the designated inspector of the City and/or
Authority at least 24 hours' notice of the time when such connection
shall be made in order that said inspector can be present to inspect
and approve the work of connection. The inspector shall signify his
approval of the connection by endorsing his name and the date of approval
on the connection permit in the possession of the permittee.
E.
At the time of inspection of the connection, the owner or owners
of properties shall permit the inspector full and complete access
to all sanitary and drainage arrangements and facilities in each building
and in and about all parts of the property. No building sewer line
shall be covered over or in any manner concealed until after it is
inspected and approved by said inspector.
The construction of all building sewer lines or house service
sewers shall be done in accordance with the specifications, plans
and procedures established by the Authority in its Sewage Disposal
System Rules and Regulations, as the same may be from time to time
published and amended, copies of which, upon adoption by the Authority,
shall be maintained on file with the City Clerk.
If the owner or owners of any occupied houses, buildings or structures in the City shall neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions of this article or the written notice as prescribed in § 317-7 hereof, the City or the Authority may perform or cause to be performed such work and labor and furnish or cause to be furnished such material as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of this article, at the cost and expense of such owner or owners, plus 6% interest per annum, plus a penalty of 5% of the amount due, including all City legal fees and costs incurred in connection with such work, which sum shall be collected from said owner or owners, for the use of the City or the Authority as debts are by law collectible, or the City or the authority may, by its proper officer, file a municipal claim or lien therefor against said premises as provided by law.
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the
meanings indicated:
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of the organic matter in sewage or industrial waste under standard
laboratory procedure in five days at 20° C., expressed in parts
per million by weight, which shall be determined by one of the acceptable
methods described in the latest edition of Standard Methods for the
Examination of Water and Sewage, published by the American Public
Health Association.
A sewer designed to receive both sewage and stormwater runoff
which has been approved for such purpose.
Solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing
of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
Any liquid, gaseous or water-borne wastes from industrial
processes or commercial establishments, as distinct from sanitary
sewage.
The logarithm to the base of 10 of the reciprocal of the
hydrogen ion concentration, expressed in moles per liter, determined
by one of the acceptable methods described in the latest edition of
Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage, published
by the American Public Health Association.
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of
food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce that have
been shredded to such 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 in any direction.
All sanitary or combined sewers, all pumping stations, all
force mains, all sewage treatment works, and all other facilities
for the collection, transportation and treatment of sanitary sewage
and industrial wastes, together with their appurtenances, and any
additions, extensions or improvement thereto. "Public sanitary sewage
system" shall also include sewers which serve one or more persons
and discharge into the public sanitary sewerage system. "Public sanitary
sewage system" does not include separate storm sewers or culverts
which have been constructed for the sole purpose of carrying storm
and surface runoff.
The normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from
residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial and commercial
establishments, exclusive of stormwater runoff, surface water or groundwater.
A sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwaters, surface
waters and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
A sewer which is intended to carry stormwater runoff, surface
waters, groundwater drainage, etc., but which is not intended to carry
any sanitary sewage or polluted industrial waste.
That portion of the rainfall which reaches a channel, trench,
sewer or sink.
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension
in water, sewage, industrial waste, or other liquids, and which are
removable by laboratory filtration. The quantity of suspended solids
shall be determined by one of the acceptable methods described in
the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water
and Sewage, published by the American Public Health Association.
Any water or waste containing none of the following: free
or emulsified grease or oil; acid or alkali; phenols or other substances
imparting taste and odor to receiving waters; toxic or poisonous substances
in suspension, colloidal state or solution; and obnoxious or odorous
gases. Unpolluted water or waste shall contain not more than 10,000
parts per million by weight of dissolved solids, of which not more
than 2,500 parts per million shall be as chloride and not more than
10 parts per million each of suspended solids and biochemical oxygen
demand. The color shall not exceed 50 parts per million. Analyses
for these substances shall be determined in accordance with the latest
edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage,
published by the American Public Health Association.
In addition to any penalty hereinabove prescribed, any person, firm or corporation failing to make a proper connection within the time specified after receipt of proper notice as provided in § 317-7 hereof shall, upon conviction thereof in a summary proceeding before any District Justice having jurisdiction of such offense, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 or undergo imprisonment not exceeding 90 days, or both.
