[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.