[Adopted 4-24-1978]
[Amended 5-23-1983]
As used in this article, unless a different meaning clearly appears from the context, the following words shall have the meanings indicated:
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND (BOD)
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20° C. expressed in milligrams per liter.
BUILDINGS
Structures of all types, whether enclosed or not, such as sheds, pits, platforms, etc., which are connected, directly or indirectly, to the Township's lines.
CHLORINE DEMAND
The difference between the amount of chlorine applied to a treated supply and the amount of free combined or total available chlorine remaining at the end of the contact period.
RATES and SERVICE CHARGES
Rents, rates, fees or other charges and service charges for the use or services of the sewerage system, and such terms shall be interchangeable and shall apply to all customers of the Township sewerage system.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
The total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of or is in suspension in water, wastewater or other liquids and that is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Waste Water of the American Public Health Association, Washington, D.C., and referred to as "nonfilterable residue."
TOWNSHIP
The Township of Cranbury, a municipal corporation of the County of Middlesex and State of New Jersey.
TOWNSHIP'S LINES
Mains, laterals, manholes, pipes and appliances of the sanitary sewerage system of the Township.
[Amended 12-23-1991 by Ord. No. O-11-91-26]
A. 
All quarterly rates and service charges by the Township shall be billed for the calendar quarter. The said rates and service charges shall be due and payable quarterly on February 1, May 1, August 1, and November 1. The base quarterly service charges shall be payable in advance. That amount of the quarterly service charge based on consumption shall be based on the previous quarters' actual or estimated sewer-related water consumption.
[Amended 12-22-2008 by Ord. No. 12-08-20]
B. 
If bills are not paid within 30 days after the billing date, interest shall be calculated from the first day of the applicable billing quarter at the rate of 18% per annum on the unpaid balance.
C. 
No adjustment for minimum quarterly charges shall be made for new installations connected between regular billing dates.
D. 
The quarterly service charges of the Township shall not be adjusted or apportioned for a vacancy in all or part of a building or structure during a portion of a year.
E. 
Sewer bills shall be payable at the location designated on the bill.
F. 
Where a bill has been estimated, due to the inability of the Water Department to obtain access to the meter, appropriate adjustment will be made for the difference between the estimated and actual use of water when the next regular water meter reading is obtained.
G. 
Sewer charges are a lien against the real estate served by the Township sanitary sewer.
H. 
Failure to receive a bill is no cause for nonpayment of a sewer charge.
The following rents, rates, fees or other charges are hereby fixed and officially established as the service charges by the Township for direct or indirect connection with and the use and service of the sewerage system of the Township, and the same shall be charged and collected by the Township in accordance with the following schedule which is hereby prescribed.
[Amended 5-23-1983; 4-23-1990 by Ord. No. O-03-90-09; 3-25-1991 by Ord. No. O-02-91-05; 4-22-1991 by Ord. No. O-03-91-10; 6-27-1994 by Ord. No. 05-94-11; 7-9-2007 by Ord. No. 06-07-09; 6-8-2009 by Ord. No. 05-09-08; 5-28-2013 by Ord. No. 05-13-15; 12-9-2024 by Ord. No. 11-24-15]
The following are rates applicable to buildings or facilities connected to the sewerage system:
A. 
For residential single-family units and each single-family apartment dwelling in multiple-family structures, the quarterly service charge shall be $47.50, plus $8.96 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed.
B. 
For lodging accommodations in hotels, motels or rooming houses, not including accessory uses, such as restaurants, etc., the quarterly service charge shall be $47.50 per equivalent domestic consumption unit, as said term is defined in § 124-38 below, plus $8.96 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed.
C. 
For each commercial, professional, institutional, public or other user not classified in Subsection A or B above, the quarterly service charge shall be $47.50 per equivalent domestic consumption unit, as said term is defined in § 124-38 below, plus $8.96 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed.
D. 
Surcharge.
(1) 
For industrial users discharging other than domestic wastes into the system, a surcharge shall be imposed based upon the loading characteristics of the waste in excess of the following maximum amounts:
(a) 
BOD: greater than 200 parts per million.
(b) 
Suspended solids: greater than 250 parts per million.
(c) 
Chlorine demand: greater than 15 parts per million.
(2) 
The charge for said loading characteristics in excess of the above maximums are as follows:
(a) 
BOD: $376.28 per ton per quarter.
(b) 
Suspended solids: $207.80 per ton per quarter.
(c) 
Chlorine demand: $15.02 per short hundred weight per quarter.
(3) 
The loading characteristics shall be determined based on actual samples taken periodically of the sewage emanating from the industrial user. The Township reserves the right to require such users to install, at their own cost, sampling manholes or pits for the purpose of providing access to the sewage waste for obtaining samples. The costs of all sampling, including the cost of the recovery of the sample and the testing thereof shall be borne by the sewer user.
A. 
All water consumption readings shall be those obtained by the Township from its water utility. If a customer obtains its water supply from a private well or an unmetered public water supply, then the user shall install a meter at its own cost, the type and location of which is to be approved by the Township. ln the event that the user fails to install such a meter within 30 days after receiving notice from the Township, then the user shall pay a charge based upon the Township's estimate of water consumption, which estimate shall be conclusive and binding upon the user.
B. 
In the event that estimated water consumption readings should prove to be inaccurate, the Township reserves the right to recalculate prior annual service charges with the difference charged to or credited to the customer.
C. 
Separate water meters for measurement of water usage not discharged into Township sewer system.
[Amended 10-23-1978]
(1) 
Any customer who uses substantial quantities of water not discharged into the Cranbury Township sewer system shall have the option of installing, at his own cost, a separate meter to measure water usage not discharged into the sewer system.
(2) 
Application for a separate water meter shall be made to the Township Sewer Department on forms provided, together with an application fee of $10 and a meter installation fee of $50 for all meters up to and including two inches in size. At the time of application, the applicant shall indicate whether he will furnish the separate meter and outside reading device, or request the Water Department to furnish the meter and reading device, in which case the costs of said meter and equipment will be charged to the applicant, at the cost as acquired by the Water Department.
(3) 
Meters.
(a) 
Meters shall be of the standard type currently in use by the Township Water Department and of the specific styles manufactured by Neptune Meter Company with outside reading devices of A.R.B. Systems Equipment (Automatic Reading Billing Systems).
(b) 
Meter sizes for each specific use and application shall be determined by the Water Department after application for a separate meter service.
(c) 
Special meters and equipment may be furnished either by the Water Department, with all costs for same to be charged to the customer at costs certified by the Water Department, or may be furnished and supplied by the customer. The Township Water Department, however, reserves the right to reject any meter not meeting the Water Department standards and accuracy requirements.
(4) 
All piping and plumbing work to accommodate the special meter shall be done by the applicant's plumber, at the expense of the applicant requesting a special meter. Work shall comply with the Township Plumbing Code and Water Department regulations and shall be subject to inspection and approval by the Township Water Department. The Water Department shall only install the special meter and outside reading device after final inspection of plumbing modifications. Meter idlers or spacers to provide proper spacing and piping alignment will be provided by the Water Department for temporary installation in the piping line until the separate special meter is installed.
(5) 
Testing and replacement of special water meter.
(a) 
The Township Water Department or Sewer Department shall have the right to remove and make periodic tests of any special meter at no cost to the customer. If the tested special meter fails to register accurately within 3%, the customer shall, upon notice, repair or replace the meter to provide proper accuracy.
(b) 
Should the customer feel that the meter is not registering properly and requests testing, the Sewer Department will have the Water Department remove, test and certify the test results, at full cost to the customer.
(c) 
Inaccurate special meters shall be repaired or replaced on notice from the Sewer and/or Water Department, or sewer billing charges shall not be based on the separate special water meter measurements.
(d) 
All costs for repair or replacement of special meters shall be the customer's expense.
(e) 
In the event that prior charges were based on inaccurate meter readings, or in the event that the customer fails to repair or replace the special meter, the Township Sewer Department reserves the right to recalculate prior charges with the difference charged or credited to the customer.
(6) 
Access and protection.
(a) 
The Sewer and Water Departments shall have access at all reasonable hours, 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., to premises connected to the water and sewer systems for the purposes of inspecting and reading meters and associated equipment.
(b) 
Customers shall take all proper precautions to protect meters and equipment from damage of any nature and shall be liable for damages or loss resulting from failure to properly care for and protect same.
(7) 
In the event that the customer wishes to discontinue use of the special meter, written notice shall be given to the Township Sewer and Water Departments.
(8) 
Charges.
(a) 
Regular quarterly charge of $3 added onto sewer bill for special meter reading, administrative costs and calculation of separate billings for water and sewer services.
(b) 
Five dollars for special reading of separate meter for computation of sewer billing at times other than regular quarterly water meter readings (i.e., for house sales and title closings). This is in addition to the added charge required for reading and providing separate billing for the regular water meter.
(c) 
Permit application fee for special meter: $10.
(d) 
Meter installation fee for all meters up to and including two inches in size: $50. Meters larger than two inches: at cost certified by the Water Department for time and materials.
(e) 
Meter equipment and reading device furnished by the Township Water Department: at cost certified by the Water Department for equipment.
A. 
In the event that a quarterly service charge with regard to any parcel of real property owned by any person, corporation or other entity, other than the state or any subdivision thereof, shall not be paid as and when due as hereinabove stated, the unpaid balance thereof and all interest accruing thereon shall be a lien on such parcel, and all such liens shall become enforceable with and as any other municipal lien on real property in the municipality, in addition to the other remedies of civil suit or foreclosure or any other remedies which may be available and provided by and under the laws and statutes of the State of New Jersey in such case made and provided.
B. 
In the event that the quarterly service charge of the Township with regard to any parcel of real property shall not be paid as and when due, the Township may enter upon such parcel and cause the connection thereof to be cut and shut off until such service charge and any subsequent service charge with regard to such parcel and all interest accrued thereon, together with a reconnection fee, shall be fully paid to the Township. The Township may also avail itself of any and all other remedies which may be available and provided under the laws and statutes of the State of New Jersey in such case made and provided. The reconnection fee shall be in the amount of all labor, materials and administrative costs incurred by the Township for reconnection, but in no event shall such fee be less than $25.
C. 
All rights and remedies provided in this article and in any amendments or modifications hereof and supplements hereto for the collection and enforcement of rates and service charges and all other fees and charges shall be cumulative and concurrent with and in addition to those provided and authorized in and by the laws and statutes of the State of New Jersey in each such case made and provided.
[Added 5-23-1983]
The rates in § 124-32 are deemed to be sufficient to fairly apportion the cost of treatment of any extraneous flows coming into the Cranbury Township sewer system.
[1]
Editor's Note: Former § 124-35, Disposal of septic system waste, was repealed 6-23-1980.
[Added 5-23-1983]
The Township Committee shall review the rates set by this Article III on at least a biannual basis to determine their adequacy to meet the costs of operating the sewer system, the debt service on the sewer system and contractual obligations with other municipalities. Said biannual review shall specifically study the adequacy of the rates for the renewal and replacement of the Cranbury Township sewer system.
[Added 5-23-1983; last amended 12-9-2024 by Ord. No. 11-24-15]
The owners of every property making connection, either directly or indirectly, to the Cranbury Township sewer system shall pay a connection charge of $3,417 per dwelling unit at the time of connection. The owners of properties other than residential properties shall pay a connection fee of $3,417 per equivalent domestic consumption unit. For the purposes of this section, an equivalent domestic consumption unit is any use which has water usage or sewer flows of up to 50,542 gallons per year. Any estimate of flows over 50,542 gallons per year or multiple thereof shall be billed as one full additional dwelling unit.
[Added 10-23-2006 by Ord. No. 10-06-24]
Pursuant to the New Jersey Municipal and County Sewerage Act, N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11, the connection fees set forth hereinabove will be waived for any unit reserved for occupancy by low- or moderate-income households, provided said unit is constructed by a corporation which is: 1) organized pursuant to the New Jersey Nonprofit Corporation Act, N.J.S.A. 15A:1-1 et seq.; and 2) actively engaged in constructing or rehabilitating housing units for occupancy by low- or moderate-income households.