[Adopted 11-17-1916]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:
The Director of Public Works, whose duties shall be performed
by the Borough Director of Administration and Finance or his duly
authorized agents.
[Amended 10-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-16; 2-12-1992 by Ord. No.
92-1; 2-12-1992 by Ord. No. 92-2]
Not only the system of sewers, disposal works and water system
proper, but all house receptacles and inlets or openings connected
directly or indirectly with any water main or public sewer.
After official notification is given by the
Borough Council of the completion of the system of sewers or any extension
thereof, the main sewer of any building or buildings, except as hereinafter
provided, abutting on any street, road, lane, alley or right-of-way
in which a public sewer is laid shall be connected therewith in the
manner hereinafter provided, and all liquid waste of human origin,
soiled waters of all descriptions from the household, with such exceptions
as are hereinafter provided, shall be discharged into a properly laid
and approved sewer pipe discharging directly into said public system
of sewers.
Within a period of one year from the date of
the official notification hereinbefore referred to, unless otherwise
provided, or within 30 days from the date of the serving of any specific
notice, in writing, to the owner of any existing building or buildings
located in the Borough of Downingtown, upon the premises abutting
on any street, road, lane, alley or right-of-way in which a public
sewer is laid shall cause such building or buildings to be connected
with said public sewer and shall close, up to the satisfaction of
the Inspector, after properly disinfecting it, any cesspool or privy
vault, using satisfactory material.
Where sewer service is desired by the owner
of a property fronting on a street, avenue or place wherein no sewer
is laid, but which property can be connected to a sewer, in another
street, such connection may be authorized upon condition that no expense
incident to making such connection for right-of-way or otherwise shall
be a charge against the Borough and that, in addition to the regular
connection charge and general annual sanitary service charges, said
party shall likewise pay such frontage costs or tax levy cost equal
to the frontage assessment on a property of equal frontage abutting
on a street containing service.
It shall not be lawful for any person or any
plumber to connect any privy, well, cesspool or dry closet with any
sewer which is part of the public system of sewers.
A.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation
to uncover any portion of the public sewers, water mains or the connecting
branches thereof; to open any manhole, flush tank, lamp hole or valve
box; to open any public street, alley, sidewalk or public place for
making a sewer or water connection; to make or cause to be made any
connection with a public sewer or water main; to break into a sewer
main when a "Y" cannot be located; to connect any pipe with the sewer
carrying hot water, acids, dyes, germicides, brewery mash, gasoline,
naphtha, gasoline, oil or any substance of an explosive or dangerous
nature and detrimental to the operation of the system of sewers and
the disposal works until a written permit has been obtained naming
the conditions under which such connections may be made by the Director
of Public Works and the President of the Council.
[Amended 10-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-16]
B.
It shall be unlawful for any person to throw or deposit
or to be caused to be thrown or deposited in any fixture, vessel,
receptacle, inlet or opening connected directly or indirectly with
any public sewer any garbage, vegetable parings, ashes, rags, hair
or any other matter or anything whatsoever except feces, urine, liquid
house slops and thin toilet paper; newspapers and paper heavier than
toilet paper are never to be used.
C.
It shall be unlawful to discharge into the public
sewers any surface water or rain, snow, groundwater, spring or old
well.
D.
The Borough Council may at any time in its discretion, stop and prevent the discharge into the sewers, directly or indirectly, any substance liable to injure the sewers or to obstruct the flow or hinder the operation of the sewage purification plant, and the Borough Council may, without notice, cut off or disconnect any sewer, where the owner or tenant fails to obey the terms of §§ 235-1 to 235-7 and 235-9 without redress.
E.
It shall be unlawful to trespass on Borough property
upon which is located the disposal works, pumping station and dam.
F.
It shall be unlawful to use a terra-cotta house sewer
larger than six inches in diameter unless a special permit is granted
therefor, by the Borough Council, after all reasons for the request
for the larger pipe are made known and a full record made of the same
in the minutes.
[Amended 10-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-16]
Whenever the conditions of the excavation warrant
the use of a joint other than cement for making the house sewer watertight,
the plumber shall use a special joint compound, such as posit, pine
tar and cement, properly prepared, or other material satisfactory
to the Director of Public Works, the cost of which must be borne by
the plumber doing the work.
[Amended 10-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-16]
Before a sewer permit is issued to any manufacturing
firm, individual, corporation or other party having or using substances
on their premises objectionable for discharging into the sewer or
treatment at the disposal plant, they, he or it shall indicate by
their petition for a permit just what they propose to discharge into
the sewers, and in all cases when a permit is so issued, it will only
be issued with the understanding that said party's pipeline shall
discharge into a manhole, or, if the distance to a manhole makes it
inconvenient or expensive, then the party shall construct a manhole
on its premises at its expense, which shall always be accessible for
inspection by the Borough's Director of Public Works after which the
nearest Y-branch can be used.
[Amended 10-10-1990 by Ord. No. 90-16]
Any person, firm or corporation who or which shall violate any of the provisions of §§ 235-1 through 235-7 shall, upon conviction thereof before any District Justice, be sentenced to pay a fine of not more than $1,000 and costs of prosecution and, in default of payment of such fine and costs, to imprisonment in the county jail for not more than 30 days, provided that each day's continuance of a violation of any of the provisions of this article shall constitute a separate offense.
