A. 
Required connections.
(1) 
The owner of all new houses, new construction, new structures, or other properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or any other purposes situated and abutting any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is now located a public sanitary or combined sewer of the City is hereby required, at their expense, to install suitable wastewater facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter if the building to be connected is also within 200 feet of the public right-of-way in which the sewer is located. The sewer connection shall be made at the time of construction and no certificate of occupancy shall be issued for the parcel until such sewer connection is made and ready for use. (Reference: 38 M.R.S.A. § 1160 and 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3405)
(2) 
When a new sewer is constructed, except as provided in Subsection B, the owners of all houses, buildings and parcels used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purposes situated and abutting any street, alley or right-of-way where a new public sanitary sewer is built is hereby required, at their expense, to install suitable wastewater facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper sewer in accordance with the provisions of this chapter within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so, per provisions of § 176-3.01A(1). Official notice shall be provided, in writing and by appropriate service or mailing, by the WRRD. (Reference: 38 M.R.S.A. § 1160)
B. 
Exceptions to required connections to public sewer. In the following instances, connection to public sewer is not required:
(1) 
When it is not reasonably feasible through good engineering practices to serve by sewer an existing residential building, the connection to a public sewer is not required. The determination of whether engineering practices prohibit connection shall be made by the Water Resource Recovery Director in consultation with the City Engineer.
(2) 
If/when an existing building is served by a private sewer system which functions in a satisfactory and sanitary manner and does not violate applicable law or ordinance applicable to the connection. [Reference: 38 M.R.S.A. § 1046(4) and § 1160]
C. 
If an existing private sewer system is not functioning in a satisfactory and sanitary manner, or violates applicable law or ordinance, the City shall notify the owner that connection to the public sewer is required within 90 days of the receipt by the owner of the request, in compliance with 38 M.R.S.A. § 1046(3), or its successor. At the time of connection, any septic tanks, cesspools and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be cleaned of biosolids, abandoned, and filled with clean bank gravel or dirt.
The City of Saco may occasionally extend sewer throughout various areas of the City. The City Council may prescribe assessments to properties that are served by the sewer extension in accordance with provisions of this section.
The provisions of 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3441 et seq. are hereby adopted for enactment by reference and are as follows.
A. 
Estimate and assessments; notice. When the City of Saco constructs and completes a common sewer, the City Council may determine what lots or parcels of land are benefitted by the sewer, and may estimate and assess upon the lots and parcels of land and against the owner of the land or person in possession, or against whom the taxes on the land are assessed, whether the person to whom the assessment is made is the owner, tenant, lessee or agent and whether the land is occupied or not, the sum not exceeding the benefit they consider just and equitable toward defraying the expense of construction and completing the sewer, together with any sewage disposal units and appurtenances that are necessary and in operation. The whole of the assessment may not exceed 1/2 the cost of the sewer and sewage disposal units unless 75% or more of the landowners that will be benefitted by the expansion petition the City Council to construct the sewer and sewage disposal unit and agree to pay a higher assessment that must be identified in the petition. The City shall maintain and keep the sewer in repair.
(1) 
Farmland, as defined by Title 36, Section 1102, Subsection 4, is exempt from assessment under this subsection when benefits are not derived from the common sewer. The owner of the farmland must notify the City Council that farmland property may qualify for this exception. The City Council shall revise the assessments against qualified farmland to exempt it from assessment. Any revision of assessment provided by this subsection must be in writing and recorded by the City Clerk.
(2) 
When the use of the land is changed from farmland, the owner shall within 60 days notify the City Council in writing of the change. The City Council may assess this land in an amount equal to the assessment which would have been due but for this subsection. The City Council shall notify the owner of the assessment due which the owners shall pay within 60 days of notice or as provided by the City Council under the authority set out in 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3444, or its successor.
B. 
Filing of assessments. The City Council may file with the City Clerk:
(1) 
The location of the sewer and sewage disposal unit, with a profile description of the same;
(2) 
Statement of the amount assessed upon each lot or parcel of land assessed under this section; and
(3) 
The name of the owner of the lots or parcels of land or persons against whom the assessment is made. The City Clerk shall record the assessments on the York County Register.
C. 
Notice of assessment. Within 10 days after filing occurs under Subsection B, each person so assessed shall have notice of the assessment given to that person or left at that person's usual place of abode in Saco.
(1) 
If the person has no place of abode in the City, then the notice shall be given or left at the abode of the tenant or lessee, if any. If there is no tenant or lessee in the municipality, then the notice shall be given by:
(a) 
Posting it in some conspicuous place in the vicinity of the lot or parcel of land so assessed at least 30 days before the hearing; or
(b) 
Publishing it for three successive weeks in any newspaper of general circulation in the City. The first publication must be at least 30 days before the hearing.
(2) 
The notice must contain an authentic copy of the assessment, and an order of notice signed by the City Clerk stating the time and place for a hearing upon the subject matter of the assessments. A return made upon a copy of the notice by any constable in the City or the production of the paper containing the notice is conclusive evidence that the notice was given.
D. 
Hearing; revision of assessments. When the hearing is held, the City Council may revise, increase, or diminish any of these assessments. Any revision, increase or diminution must be in writing and recorded by the City Clerk.
Any person not satisfied with their assessed amount per § 176-3.02 may, within 10 days after such hearing, by request in writing, submitted to the City Clerk, have the assessment upon their lot or parcel of land determined by arbitration. The City Council shall nominate six persons who are residents of the municipality. The applicant shall select two of these persons, and these two persons shall select a third person who is a resident of the City and who is not one of the six persons nominated by the City Council. The three persons selected under this section shall set and fix the final amount assessed and to be paid by the appealing party. Within 30 days from the hearing before the City Council under § 176-3.02, the arbitrators shall report their findings to the City Clerk who shall record them. The arbitrators' report is final and binding on all parties.
All assessments and charges made under this article shall be certified by the City Council and filed with the Finance Department for collection. If the person assessed, within 30 days after written notice of the amount of such assessments and charges, fails, neglects or refuses to pay the City the expense thereby incurred, a special tax in the amount of such assessment and such additional costs, interest, fees or charges as required may be assessed by the City upon each and every lot or parcel of land so assessed, and buildings upon the same and such assessment shall be included in the next annual warrant to the Tax Collector for collection and shall be collected in the same manner as state, county and municipal taxes are collected, and may be enforced by the filing of a lien against the subject real estate. Reference 30-A MRS § 3406 or its successor.
A. 
No person or party shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer, wastewater facility, or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the City authorizing such connection, opening, use, alteration or disturbance. (Reference: Chapter 186; 30-A M.R.S.A. § 3423)
B. 
Any person or party proposing a new discharge into the system or a substantial change in the volume or character of pollutants that are being discharged into the sewers or wastewater facilities shall notify the WRRD Director at least 60 days prior to the proposed change or proposed connection.
The owner of any parcel, lot or improvement, or the owner's agent upon written confirmation of the WRRD, shall make application on a wastewater discharge permit application form furnished by the City. The form shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, as required in Article VI of this chapter, or with other information considered pertinent in the Director's judgment. Information provided on this form will provide information to assess the user's potential impact to the WRRF. This form also provides the required information for the WRRD to establish whether there is capacity to serve a potential discharger and the appropriate impact fee(s) and pretreatment requirement(s) for the proposed use(s). This form will also provide the detail required to determine whether a wastewater discharge permit (WDP) is required for the use.
All costs and expenses incident to installation, connection, and operation of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall defend, indemnify and hold the City harmless from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation or operation of the building sewer. A third party may offer to pay for such costs in lieu of the owner, but not without written agreement and approval of the City, and in no event shall such agreement, or any payment accepted thereunder, absolve owner of their ultimate responsibility for any and all costs.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found on examination and test by the Director or designee to meet all requirements of this chapter.
The connection and design of the building sewer to the public sewer shall conform to the applicable requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code,[1] Technical Design Construction Standards Manual (TDCSM), and other applicable rules and regulations of the City. In the absence of code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ATSM and WEF Manual No. 9, Technical Report No. 16 (TR-16) Guidelines for the Design of Wastewater Treatment Works, and the WEF Manual of Practice No. FD-5 shall apply. All such connections shall be made gaslight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and material must be approved by the Water Resource Recovery Director before installation.
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 73, Building Construction.
When required by the Director, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying nonresidential residential 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 accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Director. The manhole shall be installed by the owner at the owner's expense and shall be maintained by the owner to be always safe and accessible.
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 or party shall make connections of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, sump pumps, 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 Public Works Director when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Public Works Director or designee.
All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights 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 City. (Reference: Chapter 186)
A written permit from the City of Saco is required before any removal of sewer service into a public sewer is completed. Before the building is dismantled or moved, the entrance of the service into such building at the building drain shall be sealed with a watertight plug. The plug shall be installed under the supervision of the Public Works Department.
The City shall assume responsibility for the repair and/or replacement of failed single family dwelling unit connections within the City right-of-way, provided that the failure was not a result of negligence on the part of the owner, owner's agent, or tenant. The City shall not be responsible for private pressure sewers (force mains) residing within the right-of-way or for negligent use of the sewer system. The cost of initial installation shall be borne by the owner as provided in § 176-3.07. (See also City Code, Chapter 186, Streets and Sidewalks)
A. 
General. Discharges from floor drains may adversely affect the sewer system because of potential volume and various pollutant characteristics.
B. 
Requirements. All floor drains that ultimately discharge to the City's WRRF shall be screened. Screening requirements shall be determined by the WRRD, based on the type of use, flow, and anticipated pollutants that could possibly enter the City's WRRF.
C. 
Review of floor drains. The WRRD shall review all floor drain locations before installation, and in the case of new structures or commercial alterations which require a plumbing or building permit from the Code Enforcement Department, before issuance of the applicable permit(s) for the space that includes floor drains.
D. 
Decision. Based on opportunities for pollutants to enter the City's WRRF, the WRRD may require pretreatment of floor drains, approve, approve with conditions, or deny installation of floor drains. The WRRD may require existing floor drains to be properly abandoned when such floor drains cannot be properly pretreated or when violations have resulted because of improper use of floor drains.
E. 
Maintenance requirements. Floor drain screens must be properly maintained and cleaned to ensure proper functioning. (Cross-reference: Zoning Ordinance, Water Quality, § 230-809, regarding discharge of floor drains, and similar provisions found in State of Maine Subsurface Wastewater Disposal System Rules)