[Adopted 9-28-1961 by Ord. No. 14]
A. 
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
AUTHORITY
Highland Sewer and Water Authority, as presently or hereafter constituted.
BUILDING
Any structure, occupied or vacant, erected and maintained for continuous or periodic occupation, occupancy or use by a human being or animals, or from which structure sanitary sewage or industrial wastes, or both thereof, is or may be discharged; but the term "building" shall not include such a structure which is abandoned for use or occupancy.
BUILDING DRAIN or HOUSE DRAIN
The part of the lowest lateral piping of the building drainage system which receives the sewage or discharge of solid wastes, or other drainage pipes inside the walls of a building, and conveys it to the sewer system.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the preparation and disposing of food, and from the handling and storage or sale of produce.
INSPECTOR
The person appointed by the Authority to inspect sewage works, including public and semiprivate sewers, and including also the inspection of building sewers and other connections between occupied homes and other buildings and the public sewers.
PERSONS
Includes natural persons, partnerships, organizations, corporations and associations.
PREMISES ACCESSIBLE TO THE SEWER SYSTEM
Any real estate which adjoins, abuts or is adjacent to the sewer system upon which is erected a building which might be connected to that system by construction of a building sewer of not more than 150 feet in length, or any real estate upon which is erected a building which might be connected to that system by construction of a building sewer of not more than 150 feet in length.
PUBLIC SANITARY SEWER
A sanitary sewer which has been constructed or is owned by the Authority, or has been constructed by private parties and has been accepted by the Authority as a sanitary sewer.
REGULATIONS OF THE AUTHORITY
Such rules and regulations as the Authority may from time to time adopt or promulgate with respect to any matter affecting the maintenance and operation of the sewer system and the Johnstown Municipal Authority's sewage disposal system.
SERVICE AGREEMENT
The service agreement, dated as of September 1, 1961, between the Township of Richland and Highland Sewer and Water Authority.
SEWAGE
A combination of water-carried wastes from all residences, public and commercial buildings, apartments, institutions and industrial establishments.
SEWER
All sanitary sewers, all lateral sewer service connections, connecting sewers and trunk lines included in the sewer system or sewage disposal system.
SEWER SERVICE AGREEMENT
The sewer service agreement, dated December 31, 1960, between the Township of Richland and the Johnstown Municipal Authority.
SEWER SYSTEM
The existing sanitary sewer facilities within the service area of the Authority with all renewals, replacements, additions, extensions and enlargements from time to time made with respect thereto; but does not include storm sewers.
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN
A sewer which carries storm- or surface water and drainage; but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Richland, of the County of Cambria, Pennsylvania.
B. 
The term "shall" is mandatory; and the term "may" is permissive.
All persons owning improved property within the Township of Richland, which abuts on or adjoins any street or right-of-way in which there is now or shall hereafter be a public sewer, shall, at their own expense, within 90 days after the effective date of this article or within 90 days after the construction of a new public sewer, make connection with said sewer in the manner prescribed by this article or in accordance with the regulations of the Authority for the purpose of discharging into such sewer such drainage or waste as is specified in this article, or may from time to time be specified by the rules and regulations of the Johnstown Municipal Authority or the Authority.
From and after the effective date of this article, it shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or to permit to be discharged into any sewer any roof or surface water or the flow from any groundwater collection system, or any matter determined by the regulations of the Authority to be dangerous or harmful to, or the discharge of which, into a sewer, would adversely affect, the sewer system or the functioning thereof or the process of sewage treatment and disposal; or to discharge or permit the discharge into any sewer any industrial or process wastes which are not preliminarily treated in the manner from time to time prescribed by the regulations of the Authority, in order to make them reasonably harmless to the sewer system and to the process of sewage treatment and disposal.
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm, association or corporation to discharge or to permit the discharge or infiltration into any sewer which is connected directly or indirectly with the Authority's sewer system of any of the following substances:
A. 
Mineral acids; waste acid; pickling or plating liquors from the pickling of or plating of iron, steel, brass, copper or chromium; or any other dissolved or solid substances which will endanger health or safety, interfere with the flow in sewers, attack or corrode sewers or sewage structures or equipment or otherwise interfere with the operation of the sewers or other facilities of the Johnstown Municipal Authority and/or the Authority.
B. 
Cyanides or cyanogen compounds capable of liberating hydrocyanic gas on acidification.
C. 
Fats, entrails, hair, blood, paunch manure and the like from meat processing plants, rendering plants and similar industries and establishments.
D. 
Gas tar; phenols; residues from petroleum storage, refining or processing; fuel or lubricating oil; gasoline; naphtha; benzene; or explosive or inflammable liquids, solids or gases.
E. 
Ashes, cinders, sand, mud, lime or acetylene sludges, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, wood, plastics, sawdust, paunch manure, hair, hides, dead animals, spent mash and grain, pulp wood from food processing, water or wastes containing grease in excess of 100 parts per million or any other solids or viscous substances capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the Johnstown Municipal Authority's or the Authority's facilities.
F. 
Sludges or other materials from septic tanks or similar facilities or from sewage or industrial waste treatment plants; provided, however, that until September 1, 1962, but not thereafter, the discharge of such sludges and other materials may be permitted subject to existing legal restrictions and subject also to regulations and orders of the Johnstown Municipal Authority, the Cambria County Health Department and the Authority.
G. 
Garbage, whether ground or not, except properly shredded garbage in a private dwelling, apartment, building, hotel, commercial restaurant or retail food store, resulting from the proper use of a garbage grinder or disposer of a type approved by the Johnstown Municipal Authority, the Cambria County Health Department and the Authority, and maintained in good operating condition; provided, however, that no retail food store shall operate more than one grinder or disposer and said grinder or disposer shall not be greater than three horsepower in size and, when so required by the Johnstown Municipal Authority, shall be equipped with an approved water meter and limited in use to the consumption of an average of not more than 1,500 gallons of water per day; and provided, further, that the foregoing restrictions shall not apply to any existing installation in a retail food store of a garbage grinder or disposer larger than three horsepower in size, until such time as the equipment now in use can no longer be kept in good operating condition by ordinary maintenance and repair, at which time such larger than three horsepower grinder or disposer shall be abandoned and shall not be renewed or replaced.
H. 
Water or wastes having a pH lower than 5.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the Johnstown Municipal Authority and/or the Authority.
When connection has been made with the public sanitary sewer, the owner of such property shall forthwith abandon all privy vaults, cesspools and septic tanks existing on said premises and shall use them no longer. Any and all connections between the cesspool or septic tank and the building which has been served shall be destroyed in such manner that sanitary sewage would not enter therein; and it shall be unlawful to connect any privy vault, cesspool, septic tank or any other type of disposal receptacle or structure to any public sanitary sewer of the Authority.
A. 
Prohibited materials and actions.
(1) 
The following seepage and water shall be and is hereby prohibited:
(a) 
Basement seepage and groundwater seepage or any other uncontaminated seepage of water discharged into the sewer system.
(b) 
Downspout, roof drainage, surface or areaway drainage discharged into the sewer system.
(2) 
Each property owner whose property is presently connected to the sewer system shall immediately remove any connection of the aforesaid type of basement seepage, ground water drainage, downspout, roof drainage, and drainage from surface or areaway, and shall adequately and properly plug his house sewer system to prevent any further entrance of such drainage.
(3) 
Each user of the sewer system, before connections are made thereto, shall provide in his house sewer system, outside the building walls, a trap with a fresh air vent on the house side, in accordance with the standards approved by Highland Sewer and Water Authority.
(4) 
No cross connection shall be made between the sewer system and the potable water system, whereby vacuums or backsiphonage could permit sanitary wastes to enter the potable water system. No cross connection shall be made between the sewer system and storm drains or storm sewers.
(5) 
In general, industrial wastes will be considered harmful to the sewer system which may cause any of the following damaging effects:
(a) 
Chemical reaction, either directly or indirectly, with the materials of construction of the sewer system or Johnstown Municipal Authority's sewage disposal system in such a manner as to impair the strength or durability of said sewage structure.
(b) 
Mechanical action that will destroy said sewage structures.
(c) 
Destruction of the hydraulic capacity of said sewage structures.
(d) 
Impairment of the normal methods of inspection of said sewage structures.
(e) 
Damage to public health and safety.
(f) 
Obnoxious conditions inimical to the public interest.
B. 
No statement contained in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between the Johnstown Municipal Authority and/or the Authority and any person, whereby any industrial wastes or garbage may be admitted to the sewer system either before or after pretreatment by the producer of such industrial wastes.
No person, firm, association or corporation shall make or cause to be made any connection of his property with any public sanitary sewer until he has fulfilled all requirements of the Highland Sewer and Water Authority for securing a permit, and the payment of the necessary tappage or connection fees prescribed by the rules and regulations of the Highland Sewer and Water Authority. In all work contemplated, he shall be under the direct supervision and inspection of the inspector for the Highland Sewer and Water Authority.
If the owner or owners of any building or buildings shall neglect or refuse to comply with the provisions of this article, the Township of Richland and/or the Authority shall serve a written notice upon the owner or owners, or upon the tenants of the property in possession of the premises if said owner or owners cannot be found on said premises, requiring the owners to comply with the provisions of this article in every respect within 90 days after the service of such notice; and if said owner or owners shall neglect or refuse to comply with said notice, the Township of Richland and/or the Authority may perform or cause to be performed such work and labor and furnish or cause to be furnished such materials as may be necessary to comply with the provisions of this article, at the cost or expense of such owner or owners, together with 10% additional thereof, and all service and expense incidental thereto, which sum shall be collected from said owner or owners for the use of the Township of Richland and/or the Authority, as the case may be, as debts are, by law, collectible; or, in their discretion, the Township of Richland and/or the Authority may have its proper officers file a municipal lien or claim against said premises as provided by the act of the Assembly in such cases made and provided.
[Amended 1-4-2000 by Ord. No. 272]
Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article shall, upon being found liable therefor in a civil enforcement proceeding commenced by the Township before a District Justice, pay a fine of not more than $600, plus all court costs, including reasonable attorney's fees, incurred by the Township in the enforcement of this article. No judgment shall be imposed until the date of the determination of the violation by the District Justice. If the defendant neither pays nor timely appeals the judgment, the Township may enforce the judgment pursuant to the applicable Rules of Civil Procedure. Each day a violation exists shall constitute a separate offense. Further, the appropriate officers or agents of the Township are hereby authorized to seek equitable relief, including injunction, to enforce compliance herewith. In the case of firms or associations, the penalties may be imposed upon the partners or members thereof, and in the case of corporations, upon the officers thereof.