[Adopted 8-17-2021 by Ord. No. 2021-20]
A. 
After official notice has been promulgated by the Mayor and Council announcing that any certain section of public sewers has been completed and is ready for use, every new building, except as hereinafter provided, erected upon land abutting on any avenue, street, road or right-of-way in which a public sewer ready for use is located shall be connected with such public sewer in the manner hereinafter provided, and thenceforth all liquid household wastes and sewage matter of every description, unless it is of a nature hereinafter specifically prohibited, shall be discharged through a properly laid pipe directly into said public sewer.
B. 
Within a period of six months from the date of said official notice, the owner or owners of any existing building or buildings within the Borough located upon land abutting on any avenue, street, road or right-of-way in which lies a public sewer ready for use shall cause the plumbing system of said building or buildings to be connected with said public sewer.
C. 
No privy, cesspool or septic systems shall be constructed upon any premises abutting on any avenue, street, road or right-of-way containing a public sewer ready for use, nor, after the elapse of the six months aforesaid, shall any cesspool be used or maintained upon premises so situated.
D. 
The repair and maintenance of any such existing or future connection, whether it be to a preexisting lateral running from a main or directly to a main, is the responsibility of the owner of the property served by that connection up to the main and including any preexisting lateral incorporated into such connection.
For the better protection, operation and maintenance of the public sewers and sewage disposal system of the Borough of Lodi, there is hereby created and established the office of Sewer Inspector of said Borough. The Sewer Inspector shall be the Director of Public Works.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to:
A. 
Cause or permit the discharge of sewage or foul liquid upon the surface of the ground or into any gutter, stream, ditch, culvert, catch basin, watercourse, surface or subsurface groundwater drain or stormwater drain.
B. 
Uncover any portion of the public sewers or drains or the connection branches thereof or to open any manhole or flush tank except with the written permission of the Sewer Inspector.
C. 
Open any public street or place for the purpose of making any sewer connection or make or cause to be made any connection with a house-connection branch of a public sewer except under a special written permit signed by the Construction Official allowing such specific connection and under the supervision of the Sewer Inspector or his designee.
D. 
Make or cause or allow to be made any excavation within four feet of any public sewer or blast any rock within 10 feet thereof, save with the express written permission of the Sewer Inspector and under his supervision and control.
E. 
Break or cut or remove any pipe of any public sewer or make or cause to be made any connection with such a sewer except through the specific connection branch or branches allotted for that purpose, the allotment of such connection and its location to be designated by the Construction Official.
F. 
Discharge or cause or permit the discharge into any public sewer, directly or indirectly, of any clear drainage, groundwater, surface water or rainwater from sidewalks, yards, areas, courts or roofs or any cistern or tank overflow.
G. 
Discharge or cause or permit the discharge into any public sewer, directly or indirectly, of any drainage or overflow from manure pits, cesspools, privies or other receptacles storing or designed to store organic wastes.
H. 
Connect or cause or permit the connection with any public sewer, directly or indirectly, of any steam exhausts, boiler blowoffs, sediment drips or any pipes carrying or constructed to carry hot water, acids, dyes, brine, germicides, grease, brewery mash, gasoline, naphtha, benzine, oil or any other substance detrimental to the sewers or their appurtenances or to the operation of the sewerage system.
I. 
Throw or deposit or cause or allow to be thrown or deposited in any fixture, vessel, receptacle, inlet or opening connected, directly or indirectly, with any public sewer any sticks, garbage, vegetable parings, ashes, cinders, rags or any other matter or anything whatsoever, except feces, urine, necessary toilet paper and liquid house-slops, or allow any house sewer connected with a public sewer to be likewise connected with any privy vault or cesspool or underground drain or with any channel conveying water or filth except such soil pipes, house drains, house sewers and other plumbing work as shall have been duly inspected and approved by the Sewer Inspector.
J. 
The failure to properly maintain any backflow regulator or other such mechanical device installed by, or required to be installed by, the Borough in accordance with the directions provided by the representative of the Borough or otherwise in a reasonable manner.
K. 
The installation, repair, alteration, extension, maintenance or use of any connection with or in any sewerage facility connected to the public sewer contrary to any of the current rules and regulations for the direct and indirect discharge of waste water to the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, treatment works as promulgated by the Passaic Valley Sewerage Commission, a true copy of which rules and regulations are on file in the office of the Borough Clerk and open for inspection during the regular hours of that office.
The Sewer Inspector or Construction Official may at any time, in its discretion, stop and prevent the discharge into the sewers of any waste or sewage containing any of the substances specifically forbidden by this article or any other substance injurious to the sewers or their appurtenances or able to interfere with the normal operation of the sewerage system.
Licensed contractors will be held fully and directly liable for any and all violations of this article by any associate, employee or other agent. Such licensee shall obtain from the Borough of Lodi's Building Department. A permit for the opening of the street shall be deposited with the Borough of Lodi's Building Department to guarantee the proper restoration of any street to its former condition such sum or sums as are fixed by the ordinance covering street openings.
No person except a regular employee of the Department of Public Works or a licensed contractor holding a permit for the particular work as provided in hereof shall uncover any public sewer or remove the seal from the side inlet of any branch of any public sewer or cut or break any pipes in or connected with any public sewer or make any attachment to or connection with any part of the Borough sewerage system or lay any house sewer or house drain designed for connection, directly or indirectly, with the sewerage system or any pipe tributary thereto.
A. 
Application for permission to connect with the public sewer system shall be made by the owner or legal agent of the property to be sewered, on printed forms to be obtained at the Borough's Building Department, accompanied by a permit fee as set forth in the fee ordinance
B. 
Each application shall describe adequately the property to be sewered and shall be accompanied by proper plans and specifications in duplicate, covering the proposed work and showing locations of pipes, sizes, materials, rates of fall, changes in grade or direction, cleanouts and all other structural data, which shall be examined by the Sewer Inspector. A permit to connect shall not be granted until the Sewer Inspector is satisfied that the proposed work conforms to the requirements of this article and that the sewer system will not be endangered or adversely affected by the construction and use of the connection sought.
C. 
The application must also contain a covenant and agreement, binding upon the owner, that:
(1) 
The work done shall conform in all respects to the plans and specifications filed with it and to the requirements of this article.
(2) 
The owner will restore adequately any roadway, gutter, curb or sidewalk affected by the proposed construction.
(3) 
He will refill and resurface, promptly and adequately, upon demand of the Borough, any settlement that may occur over or around the house sewer trench or the public sewer connection at any time within a period of one year after the pipe is laid.
(4) 
He will protect the Borough of Lodi and all its officials and agents against any and all claims for loss or damage caused to person or property by the execution of the work.
(5) 
He waives any and all claims against the Borough of Lodi, its officials or agents for any injury to those employed upon the work or any damage to the property named in the application by reason of any operation of the public sewer or any stoppage or flooding of any public or private sewer or stormwater drain or any surface water flow.
(6) 
He will give due notice to the Sewer Inspector when the work is ready for inspection or test and he will grant to him or his duly authorized representative free access, at all reasonable hours, for examination of the house sewer, the house drain or the plumbing connected therewith.
(7) 
The owner of the property served shall agree on his, her or its own behalf and on behalf of his, her or its successors and assigns that the connection serving his, her or its property to the main, including any preexisting lateral that may be incorporated into such connection, shall henceforth be maintained in good working order at his, her or its sole cost and expense.
D. 
The application must also state the name of the licensed contractor who is to do the work.
No private sewer may be connected with any public sewer, directly or indirectly, except under the following conditions:
A. 
Written application for privilege of connection must be filed with the Borough's Building Department upon a printed form obtained from him, accompanied by the payment of a permit fee.
B. 
With the application must be filed, in duplicate, plans and profiles of the existing or proposed private sewer or sewers showing exact locations, sizes, materials, elevation and every change of grade or direction, rates of fall, manholes, flush tanks, Y-branches, laterals and the buildings they serve and all other structural data, together with a duly executed certificate or agreement that:
(1) 
The proposed sewer or sewers will be built or the existing sewer has been built in strict accordance with the standard sewer specifications of the Borough of Lodi.
(2) 
All new construction will be done under the direction and supervision of the Sewer Inspector or Construction Official and subject to his approval.
(3) 
At all times the wastes discharged from the private sewer shall conform to the requirements of this article.
(4) 
The owner of the property served shall agree on his, her or its own behalf and on behalf of his, her or its successors and assigns that the connection serving his, her or its property to the main, including any preexisting lateral that may be incorporated into such connection, shall henceforth be maintained in good working order at his, her or its sole cost and expense.
C. 
If the application and accompanying plans, profiles, detailed data and certificate or agreement are found acceptable, the Construction Official, upon the recommendation of the Superintendent of the Department of Public Works, may, if it so elects, issue written permission to construct or prepare for connection the proposed private sewer or sewers, but permission to connect with the public sewer system will not be granted until the Superintendent certifies, in writing, that the construction has been completed, examined and tested by him and found acceptable, and no connection with any public sewer may be made until written permission to connect has been issued by the Sewer Inspector.
A. 
Each building fronting on a public way or a public sewer right-of-way must be connected separately and independently with the public sewer through the house connection branch provided therefor in front of the building or nearest in the downstream direction.
B. 
Where one building stands in the rear of another building, without sewer frontage of its own, and no other outlet is practicable, the house sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole will be considered as one house sewer. In no other case will groupings of buildings upon one house sewer be permitted.
Old house sewers may be used in connection with new buildings or new plumbing only when they are found, on examination and test, to conform in all respects to the requirements governing new house sewers as prescribed in this article. If the old work is found to be defective, the owner, under the direction of the Sewer Inspector, must make whatever changes are necessary to bring the work into conformity with the requirements of this article or else he must lay a new house sewer. The testing shall be done by the television camera method, video recording with narrative, the cost of which shall be borne by the owner or builder for new construction.
A. 
No house sewer may be of any diameter smaller than four inches, except under special written and recorded permission of the Construction Official, granted for good reason.
B. 
No pipe may be reduced in size in its progress toward the public sewer, nor may a five-inch house sewer be connected through a four-inch connection branch in the public sewer, nor may the public sewer be broken into for entry of a five-inch house sewer, but, in such case, two or more lengths of the public sewer shall be taken out, and a new house connection branch having a five-inch side Y-inlet shall be installed in the public sewer, and it and its adjoining closure pieces shall be sealed securely and accurately in place, all joints being made watertight, under the immediate supervision and to the satisfaction of the Sewer Inspector and Construction Official.
All materials must be of the best quality, new and free from defects, subject to the inspection of and acceptable to the Sewer Inspector and Construction Official. Should any dispute arise regarding the quality of materials, a decision shall be made in accordance with the Standard Specifications of the American Society for Testing and Materials.
A. 
If a house sewer discharges into a cesspool or vault, a running trap, with bore of the same diameter as the house sewer, with a four-inch cleanout hub on the house side of the water seal, fitted with a four-inch extra-heavy iron ferrule and heavy brass trap screw, should be placed in the house drain at an accessible point near the house wall.
B. 
When such a house sewer is to be connected to a public sewer, the running trap must be removed. In building a new house sewer to be connected at once with the public sewer, this running trap must be removed. There must be no obstruction to the free flow of air through the whole course of the house sewer, house drain and soil line from the street sewer to the open terminus above the roof of the building served. Any person offending as above shall be subject to the penalties of this article and shall, in addition, pay the costs of rectifying the damage done. No grease trap may be installed in any part of any house plumbing system connected or to be connected with a public sewer.
At least 24 hours before beginning any work upon house sewers or connection, the licensed contractor must notify the Sewer Inspector of his intention to commence, and no materials may be used and no work done without the latter's inspection and approval.
A. 
No house sewer may be laid within five feet of any wall of any building or through any abandoned well or cistern or cesspool or through filled or unstable soil or less than 30 inches underground from the outside top of the barrel of the pipe. The house sewer must be of extra-heavy cast-iron pipe bedded as the Sewer Inspector may direct and, if shallow, held in place by concrete frost-anchors.
B. 
The use of cast-iron pipe for house sewers is also compulsory if the proposed line is to lie, in any part of its course, below maximum groundwater level, as determined by the Sewer Inspector, or if connection is to be made with a cast-iron public sewer.
C. 
The trench must be carefully excavated and graded so that each pipe shall be firmly supported on a bed of undisturbed ground for at least 80% of the length of its barrel, pockets being scooped as the line is laid to receive the bells and to permit the making of tight joints and thorough joint inspection. If rock is encountered, it must be removed to a depth of at least three inches below the true grade line. If a foundation is poor, unstable soil must be removed. In either case, or if the trench in error is cut too low, the bottom of the trench must be brought to grade with gravel, coarse sand, hard cinders or other good material, well rammed until the bed is firm, all to the satisfaction of the Sewer Inspector.
D. 
House sewers must be laid as nearly as possible in a straight line. Necessary changes of direction must be made with appropriate long-sweep curved pipe or fittings. All joints must be concentric to prevent intrusion of jointing material into the bore of the pipe. The interior of each pipe shall be carefully cleaned with a close-fitting swab or follower drawn through, pipe by pipe, as the line is laid. Cast-iron pipe shall be gasketed. The ditch must in all cases be kept dry during the pipe laying and, if cement is used, until the cement has acquired a hard set.
E. 
In removing the seal of the side inlet of a public sewer Y-branch, the greatest care must be taken to avoid breakage of the inlet hub and to prevent the entrance of sand or dirt or fragments of the sealing material into either the house sewer or the public sewer. A tapping saddle must be used when connecting the house lateral to the main pipe.
Any fitting or connection which introduces into any sewage conduit any enlargement, chamber or recess or any projection, ledge or shoulder or which reduces the conduit area in the direction of flow is prohibited.
A. 
No house sewer connecting or to be connected with a public sewer shall be laid with a grade of less than one inch of fall in four feet, save by special written permission from the Sewer Inspector specifying the minimum grade that will be permitted.
B. 
Grades must be true, uniform as far as possible from the house drain to the street sewer and determined by measuring down from an overhead line set to a true gradient by the Sewer Inspector or checked by him. Wherever a change of direction occurs, the curved fitting making it shall be set with its outlet end 1/2 inch lower than its inlet end to compensate for lost velocity to extra friction.
A. 
No sewer connection branch shall be opened, no pipe shall be laid and no joint shall be made save in the presence and under the direction of the Sewer Inspector or his duly authorized representative.
B. 
Before any portion of the line is covered and before connection with the public sewer is made, the Sewer Inspector or Construction Official shall apply such tests as are necessary, in his judgment, to prove the absolute tightness of the pipe and its joints and the adequacy of the line in all other respects.
C. 
When house sewers are constructed in localities where invasion of groundwater is to be apprehended, the Sewer Inspector, at his discretion, may require that the tightness of the line be proved by filling the open trench with water and subjecting the pipe and joints to external hydraulic pressure. Resulting leakage, indicated by flow into and through the house sewer pipe, will call for effective repairs.
D. 
Equipment, material, power and labor necessary for testing, as required by the Sewer Inspector or Construction Official, shall be furnished by and at the expense of the plumber.
A. 
Any defects developed by the tests must be remedied within three days to the satisfaction of the Sewer Inspector, and the entire work must be retested as though no previous test had been made.
B. 
For each test made necessary by the finding of defects, the Sewer Inspector, before granting approval, shall charge and collect and give receipt for the sum as set forth in the Borough' s fee ordinance.
C. 
No house sewer may be used until all defects have been remedied and the entire tributary system has been made to conform to the full requirements of this article.
Contractors must report to the Sewer Inspector or Construction Official, in writing, with a full description of circumstances and within 12 hours, the finding by them of all obstructions in house sewers or the presence therein of any substances prohibited by this article. Failure to report will render the person, firm or corporation so offending liable to the penalties in for each failure so to report. When multiple stoppages occur within the same house sewer, a television video inspection with narrative will be done to the pipe to determine the necessary repairs.
All fees for permits, inspections and reinspections provided for by this article shall be paid to the Borough of Lodi.
[Added 8-8-2023 by Ord. No. 2023-06]
A. 
New connections. The connection fee for each new direct or indirect connection to the sewerage system shall be $5,000 per EDU, which shall be calculated as follows:
(1) 
Residential. Each single-family residential dwelling unit shall constitute one EDU. Each separate dwelling unit (e.g., apartment, condominium, townhouse) within a multiple family structure or complex shall also constitute one EDU.
(2) 
Nonresidential. The number of EDUs attributed to each nonresidential connection shall be calculated by dividing the projected daily flow for such facility or use, as established by N.J.A.C. 7:14A-23.3, by 300 gallons (any reference to "seat" in N.J.A.C. 7:14A-23.3 shall be deemed to mean the maximum permitted occupancy established pursuant to the Uniform Construction Code and/or the Uniform Fire Code), with the exceptions indicated in the following table:
Use
Unit of Measurement
GPD
Flex space
Per square foot
0.040
Church
Per building
1 EDU
(Worship area only; other uses to be calculated separately)
(3) 
In the event that a type of facility or use is not listed in N.J.A.C. 7:14A-23.3 or in the table of exceptions above, the Borough shall use its best judgment in determining the estimated flow.
(4) 
There shall be a minimum connection fee of $5,000 for each nonresidential connection.
B. 
Fees for additional connections and increased usage.
(1) 
Additional/altered connections. An application for additional capacity shall be made whenever there is an increase in the estimated flow of sewage from any existing building, facility or structure resulting from any physical or operational change for which a building permit, site plan, subdivision, variance or other municipal approval is required. A connection fee shall be charged whenever the increase in estimated flow associated with the aforesaid physical or operational change requires the installation of a larger size, or additional connection to the sewer system, to be calculated in accordance with the then current fees required for such new connections.
(2) 
Increased usage. For properties that have been connected to the Borough sewer system for less than 20 years, an application for additional capacity shall be made whenever there is any addition, alteration, or change in use that materially increases the level of use and imposes a greater demand on the sewer system, but does not involve a new physical connection of the property to the sewer system. A connection fee shall be charged that is equal to the amount by which the increased use and demand on the sewerage system exceeds the use and demand that existed prior to such addition, alteration, or change in use.
C. 
Reduced fees for eligible projects. The fees set forth in this Section 13.12.275 shall be reduced by 50% for eligible projects, which shall include public housing authorities, nonprofit organizations building affordable housing projects, and any other affordable housing, including affordable housing in inclusionary projects, as set forth in, and subject to the requirements of, N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11.3. Connection fees assessed under this Section 13.12.275 to public housing authorities, nonprofit organizations building affordable housing projects, and other affordable housing owners, for replacement units for demolished or refurbished units, and for which a connection fee was previously paid, are to be computed by charging the lesser of a) the reduced rate of 50% of the connection fee established in this section, or b) the connection fee established in this section, minus a credit in the amount of a connection fee previously paid for the housing units being replaced, provided the public housing authority and nonprofit organization can establish the connection fee previously paid. If the amount of the previous connection fee cannot be established, the reduced rate of 50% of the connection fee established in this section shall apply.
D. 
Payment of connection fees. All sewer connection fees must be paid in full prior to the issuance of a construction permit for the premises. In the event a connection is made without prior payment thereof for any reason, the sewer connection fee shall constitute a first lien upon the benefitted property and shall bear interest, as set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-12 and as otherwise provided by law. This shall be in addition to any violations, penalties or other remedies otherwise provided for.
E. 
Reinstatement of service. In the event that an application is made to reinstate sewer service that was previously terminated at a building, facility or structure, or abandoned when the prior building, facility or structure was demolished or substantially totally destroyed, no connection fee will be due, provided that service is reinstated within two years of the date of the prior termination of service. If there is an increase in the estimated sewer usage of the building, facility or structure, then the application will also be considered as an application for additional capacity and a connection fee will be due in accordance with the conditions set forth above.
F. 
At least once each year the Borough shall review the sewer connection fees established in this section, and revise such fees as necessary by way of resolution of the Mayor and Council, in accordance with the standards and procedures set forth in N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11, et seq. The revised connection fee shall be imposed upon those who subsequently connect to the system in the new budget year. Any applications for connection made prior to the establishment of the fee for the year in which the connection takes place shall be subject to a pro rata adjustment of the connection fee when a new fee is established for the year in which the connection takes place. Any refund for reduction in fee will be made by the Borough within 60 days and any additional sum due shall be paid by the owner or occupant of the property within 60 days, of the date of the establishment of the new fee.