The existing publicly owned and operated sanitary
sewer system of the Township, previously operated by the Howell Township
Municipal Utilities Authority, is hereby declared to be a utility
of the Township of Howell. Such utility shall hereafter be referred
to as the "Division of Sewer Utility" ("Sewer Utility"), which shall
be a division of the Department of Sewer and Water Utilities ("Department"),
under the control of the Director of such Department.
All future revenue and accounting therefor from
said Sewer Utility shall be on a dedicated utility basis in conformance
with the provisions of N.J.S.A. 40A:4-35. All monies derived from
the operation of said Sewer Utility and any other monies applicable
to its support shall be segregated and kept in a separate fund which
shall be known as the "Sewer Utility Fund," and all disbursements
for the operation and maintenance of said Sewer Utility shall be taken
from said Sewer Utility Fund.
The dedicated budget of this Sewer Utility shall
include appropriations for operating expenses, capital improvements,
debt service and for the payment of all other deferred charges and
statutory expenses as may be required.
[Amended 3-15-2011 by Ord. No. O-11-05; 11-14-2016 by Ord. No. O-16-24]
The owners of all houses, buildings and properties constructed
after the enactment of this chapter,[1] situated within the Township of Howell and abutting on
any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is now located or
may in the future be located a public sanitary sewer of the Township,
are hereby required, at their expense, to connect all sanitary and
other plumbing facilities directly with the proper public sewer, in
accordance with all of the pertinent ordinances of the Township, prior
to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy; provided, however,
that this mandatory connection requirement shall not apply to single-family
residences whose property line is 100 feet or more from the public
sewer.
[Amended 3-15-2011 by Ord. No. O-11-05; 11-14-2016 by Ord. No. O-16-24; 5-24-2022 by Ord. No. O-22-16]
A.
The owners of all houses, buildings and properties existing at the
time of the enactment of this chapter[1] and having private sanitary sewer facilities will be required
at their expense to connect all sanitary and other plumbing facilities
directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the rules,
regulations and ordinances of the Township and of the County Board
of Health.
C.
All other owners of all houses, buildings and properties existing
at the time of the enactment of this chapter located within the Township's
capital improvement project entitled "Freewood Acres and Route 9 North
Sanitary Sewer Extension" shall connect all sanitary and other plumbing
facilities directly to the proper public sewer within four years from
the date (May 1, 2021) of the official notice from the Township to
do so, and same shall be done in accordance with all of the pertinent
ordinances of the Township.
[Amended 6-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-16]
D.
After four years from the date of the official notice to connect, all property owners that have not connected to the public sewer system located within the Township's capital improvement project entitled "Freewood Acres and Route 9 North Sanitary Sewer Extension" will be billed the yearly residential or commercial sewer rental service charge and connection fees set forth in Chapter 139, Fees.
[Amended 6-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-16]
E.
For all
properties not yet connected, connection is required at the time of
resale or transfer of deed/title for any real property included in
the Freewood Acres project area. Sewer connection will be required
prior to the issuance of the following:
[Added 6-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-16]
(1)
Building
permits for any interior or exterior renovation, reconstruction, addition
or alteration or new construction;
(2)
Land
use permit for any improvement increasing the need for sewer or water
service, including but not limited to finished basements and aboveground
or in-ground swimming pools;
(3)
Certificate
of occupancy for any change in use or change in tenancy or ownership
for any commercial property or any new development associated with
a conditionally exempt, minor or major site plan approval; or
(4)
Certificate
of occupancy for any development associated with minor or major subdivision.
F.
Any person
who violates any provision of this section shall, upon conviction
in the Howell Township Municipal Court, or such other court having
jurisdiction, be liable to a fine not exceeding $2,000. Each day that
a violation occurs shall be deemed a separate and distinct violation
subject to the penalty provisions of this section. Upon a guilty conviction
in Howell Township Municipal Court, or such other court having jurisdiction,
sewer billing will commence immediately. Howell Township Code Enforcement
shall be responsible for enforcing this section.
[Added 6-13-2023 by Ord. No. 23-16]
[Amended 3-15-2011 by Ord. No. O-11-05]
A.
Sump pumps. It is a violation for any persons or user
of this system to connect or discharge, by any means, into the system,
any materials, chemicals or drainage other than sanitary sewerage.
The Director or Code Enforcement Officer shall serve notice to such
person or user to remove such discharge immediately.
B.
Broken lines. The Director or Code Enforcement Officer
shall also serve notice to a user of the utility having broken service
lines that cause infiltration into the system to repair same no later
than 14 days from the said service of notice pertaining to such violation.
The Township Council is hereby authorized to
establish, from time to time, the charges and fees for sewer and incidental
services to be provided by the Sewer Utility. The following schedule
of charges shall be, and the same are, hereby fixed and established
for the collection, disposal and treatment of sanitary sewage material
collected in public sanitary sewers located within the Township of
Howell to be charged to all customers of the Sewer Utility and properties
served by the public sewage collection system located within the Township
of Howell:
A.
Residential.
[Amended 9-21-2004 by Ord. No. O-04-37; 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. O-09-04]
(3)
Residential dwelling without kitchen facilities shall
include for each unit:[2]
[2]
Editor's Note: Former Subsection A(3), containing a minimum
sewer rental charge for the Aqua New Jersey, Inc. sewer system, as
amended, was repealed 3-15-2011 by Ord. No. O-11-05. This ordinance
also redesignated former Subsection A(4) and (5) as Subsection A(3)
and (4), respectively.
B.
Churches, fraternal organizations, service organizations,
public buildings and schools.
[Amended 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. O-09-04]
(1)
There shall be a minimum sewer rental as set forth in Chapter 139, Fees. A unit is defined as consuming 75,000 gallons of water per year. Each separate establishment shall, in the minimum, equal one unit. In the event that the water consumption exceeds the aforesaid 75,000 gallons per year (or 18,750 gallons per quarter), the minimum charge shall be as set forth in Chapter 139, Fees.
(2)
Each user shall be required to install, in accordance
with the regulations of the Water Utility, a water meter to record
the volume of flow of water consumed by said user. Said meter shall
be installed at a place which shall provide easy access for reading
the meter by the Sewer Utility. In the event that the user falls to
install said meter, or refuses to allow the Sewer Utility to read
the meter, then the Sewer Utility shall estimate the volume of water
consumed by each user.
C.
Commercial. All uses not covered as set forth above,
with the exception of industrial uses.
[Amended 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. O-09-04]
(1)
Minimum sewer rental as set forth in Chapter 139, Fees. A unit is defined as consuming 75,000 gallons of water per year. Each separate establishment shall, at a minimum, equal one unit. In the event that the water consumption exceeds the aforesaid 75,000 gallons per year (or 18,750 gallons per quarter), the minimum charge shall be as set forth in Chapter 139, Fees.
(2)
Each commercial user shall be required to install
a water meter to record the volume of flow of water consumed by said
user. Said meter shall be installed in accordance with the regulations
of the Water Utility, and shall be located at a place which shall
provide easy access for reading the meter by the Sewer Utility. In
the event that a user fails to install said meter, or refuses to allow
the Sewer Utility to read the meter, then the Sewer Utility shall
estimate the volume of water consumed by each user.
D.
Industrial. All uses not covered as set forth above.
[Amended 2-3-2009 by Ord. No. O-09-04]
(2)
A unit is described as consuming 75,000 gallons of water per year. Each industrial establishment shall, in the minimum, equal one unit. In the event that the water consumption exceeds the aforesaid 75,000 gallons per year (or 18,750 gallons per quarter), the minimum charge shall be as set forth in Chapter 139, Fees.
(3)
Each industrial user shall be required to install
a water meter to record the volume of water flow of water consumed
by said user. Said meter shall be installed in accordance with the
regulations of the Water Utility, and shall be located at a place
which shall provide easy access for reading the meter by the Sewer
Utility. In the event that a user falls to install said meter, or
refuses to allow the Sewer Utility to read the meter, then the Sewer
Utility shall estimate the volume of water consumed by each user.
F.
Payment of sewer rental charges.
(1)
The annual sewer rental charges shall be due and payable
to the utility in equal quarterly installments on the first day of
January, April, July and October of each year.
(2)
The sewer rental charge for churches, fraternal organizations,
service organizations, public buildings, schools, commercial and industrial
users shall be based upon water consumption as provided for in the
within schedule of charges, and shall be estimated at the beginning
of each year, based upon the utility's estimate of water consumption,
or the consumption of water for the previous year ending December
31. The Utility shall compute the actual sewer rental charge subsequent
to December 31 of each year. The user shall receive a credit or shall
be billed for the additional charge.
