[Adopted 2-14-1977 by L.L. No. 3-1977 (Ch.
124 of the 1975 Code)]
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
No new or replacement septic tank, seepage pit,
tile field, pipe or other means for the disposal or discharge of sewage
or sink wastes shall be installed anywhere in the Town of Blooming
Grove outside the Village of Washingtonville except as herein provided,
notwithstanding any discharge approval or plan approval which may
have been granted by county, state or federal governments.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
A.
Construction plans.
(1)
No installation of any septic tank, seepage pit, tile
field, pipe or other means for the disposal or discharge of trade
wastes, industrial wastes, sewage, excreta, kitchen wastes, sink wastes
or laundry wastes shall be begun, nor shall the construction or erection
of any structure intended for human occupancy be commenced, until
an application, on forms supplied by the Town Engineer, design plans,
including plans for a reserve area permitting a 50% expansion of the
system, and drawings showing the intended location of the sewage disposal
system proposed to be used shall have been prepared and certified
by a professional engineer licensed in the State of New York and filed
with the Town Engineer. No work shall be begun until the drawings
and application are approved by the Town Engineer, who shall note
this approval on the applicant's copy.
(2)
Minor repairs or replacement of components in an otherwise
properly operating disposal system may be permitted by the Town Engineer
without certified plans, provided that such repair or replacement
may be accomplished without adversely affecting proper operation of
the sewage disposal system.
(3)
A fee to be determined from time to time by resolution
of the Town Board shall be paid to the Town Engineer at the time of
the filing of the application.[1] No building permit shall be issued until the Town Engineer
has approved for construction an application and plans for the sewage
disposal system.
[1]
Editor's Note: The Fee Schedule is on file
in the town offices.
(4)
An applicant may appeal an adverse determination of
the Town Engineer by applying for a waiver from the County Department
of Health.
B.
As-built plans. After a sewage disposal system is
completely installed, as-built plans prepared, certified and sealed
by a professional engineer licensed in the State of New York shall
be submitted to the Town Engineer for approval. No sewage disposal
system shall be put into use until the Town Engineer has issued a
certificate of compliance approving the as-built plans.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
It shall be the general duty of the Town Engineer:
A.
To promptly investigate the proposed installation
and approve or disapprove the application; and, if approved, to so
note on the original and applicant's copy and issue said permit to
applicant, which permit shall be prominently displayed on or near
the work site.
B.
To see that the provisions of this article are observed.
C.
After final inspection of the site and approval of
the as-built plans, to note approval on the original and on the applicant's
copy of the permit.
A.
The minimum separation distances from wastewater sources
shall be in accordance with the State Sanitary Code.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
B.
In the case of an existing lot not adjoining any vacant
lot in the same ownership, an applicant may apply to the County Department
of Health for a waiver of the above referenced separation distance
requirements.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
No person, firm or corporation either as owner,
lessee or tenant of any property, dwelling, building or place shall
construct or maintain any seepage pit, septic tank, sewage disposal
system, pipe or drain so as to expose or discharge the contents or
other liquid or matter therefrom to the atmosphere or on the surface
of the ground or so as to endanger any source of drinking water, nor
shall any such person, firm or corporation discharge into any watercourse,
storm drain or body of water any sewage or sewage effluent from a
seepage pit, septic tank, sewage disposal system, pipe or drain, except
as permitted under the provisions of the Public Health Law or Environmental
Conservation Law.
A.
The water carriage system is a system of piping through
which all sewage and domestic liquid wastes are conveyed by the flow
of water from the point or origin in a place of human habitation to
the point of disposal.
B.
All such sewage disposal systems shall be installed
in accordance with the requirements of the Department of Health.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
C.
The plans will be examined on the basis of the sewage
flows noted in the following table:
Gallons per day per person
| |
---|---|
Camps
|
25 to 75
|
Small dwellings
|
75 (150 per bedroom)
|
Large dwellings, boarding schools, etc.
|
75 to 100
|
Institutions
|
75 to 125
|
Day schools
|
15
|
Factories
|
25
|
D.
No septic tank shall be installed unless it shall
have a net capacity below the flow line of at least 750 gallons. Septic
tanks shall have an effective liquid depth of at least four feet and
a length of at least twice and not more than four times the width.
A tank of such capacity installed to serve a residence shall be considered
adequate for a two-bedroom house.
Table 1 Minimum Capacities of Septic Tanks
Serving Individual Dwellings
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987] | |
---|---|
Number of Bedrooms
(gallons)
|
Liquid Volume
|
3 or less
|
1,000
|
4
|
1,200
|
5 or more
|
1,250
|
E.
Metal septic tanks are prohibited.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
F.
Any materials used in septic tank construction other
than concrete shall be of similar structural strength and working
operation and shall require the approval of the Town Engineer.
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
G.
Wherever septic tanks are approved for installation
to service business or commercial buildings, a tank of 750 gallon
net capacity shall be considered adequate for 15 employees and shall
be increased by 25 gallons for each additional employee.
H.
Where wastes contain oil, such wastes shall first
pass through an approved oil separator (minimum capacity 25 gallons)
placed at an easily accessible location.
I.
Drains through the foundation shall be of four-inch
cast-iron soil pipe laid at a minimum slope of 1/4 inch per foot and
shall extend a distance of at least 10 feet from the foundation to
the installed septic tank. The house sewer shall be vented through
the roof with at least a three-inch vent so that full circulation
of air is established at all times. If kitchen or other plumbing fixtures
are vented into the house sewer, the vent shall be increased to a
four-inch pipe through the roof. No roof leaders or floor or cellar
drains are to drain to septic tanks. Septic tank effluents shall be
disposed of by discharging to subsurface tile systems, seepage pits,
sand filter or by such other means as approved, in writing, by the
Town Engineer. Sewer lines to septic tanks and from septic tanks to
the leaching system shall be made watertight and protected from damage
by roots and other causes.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
A.
All tests shall be made within the area of the proposed
sewage disposal system. At least two soil percolation tests shall
be made in separate test hold locations and at least one test pit
dug in the area proposed for the sewerage disposal system.
B.
All soil test results shall be certified by a professional
engineer licensed in the State of New York.
[Added 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
C.
The procedure noted below shall be followed in performing
a soil percolation test:
(1)
Dig a hole with vertical sides and approximately 12
inches wide. If a tile trench field is being considered, the depth
of the percolation test holes shall be between 24 and 30 inches below
the final ground surface. If a seepage pit is under construction,
then percolation tests should be run at 1/2 the depth and at the full
estimated depth of the seepage pit. Small stones shall be placed in
the bottom of the test hole to reduce scouring and silting action.
(2)
Fill the test hole with water and allow it to completely
seep away. This in known as "presoaking" and must be done 24 hours
before the test and again at the time of the test. After the water
has seeped away, remove any loose soil that has fallen from the sides
of the hole.
(3)
Pour clean water into the hole, with as little splashing
as possible, to a depth of six inches.
(4)
Observe and record the time in minutes required for
the water to drop one inch (from the six-inch to the five-inch mark.)
(5)
Repeat the test (a minimum of three times) until the
time for the water to drop one inch for two successive tests gives
equal results. The last test will then be taken as the stabilized
rate of percolation, and the time recorded for this test will be the
design basis for determining the square footage of leaching or absorption
areas required for a subsurface leaching system.
(6)
Percolation tests shall not be made in frozen or newly
made fill. In fill areas, tests may be made after a six-month settling
period or after other suitable stabilization. Test pits shall be excavated
at least two feet below the elevation of the proposed disposal system.
A soil log shall be maintained and depths to groundwater and rock
noted.
A.
Subsurface tile field shall be used where the more
porous natural earth is close to the surface where it is desired to
give private water supplies the maximum protection and where the porosity
shall not be less than one inch fall to 60 minutes.
B.
Dosing tanks shall be used in systems with over 500
feet of tile and shall be equipped with automatic siphons and have
a dosing capacity equal to 60% to 75% of the interior capacity of
the pipe in the portion of the subsurface tile system which is dosed
at one time. Where the total length of the tile laterals exceeds 1,000
feet, the dosing tank shall be provided with two siphons, each serving
1/2 the tile field and dosing in alternation. Standard siphons must
be used, but alternating service shall be specified. If inadequate
head is available to permit the use of siphons, a pump shall be substituted
for each siphon.
C.
Main distributors shall have diameters of not less
than four inches and be laid with tight joints on uniform slopes.
Where a dosing tank is used, the slope shall be 0.5% or 1/16 of an
inch per foot. Lateral distributors comprising the tile field shall
be four inches in diameter and shall be laid in trenches not less
than 24 inches wide and not less than 18 inches, nor more than 24
inches deep, depth less than 24 inches being preferable. The bottom
of the trenches and lateral distributors must be on a slope of 1/16
inch per foot or 1/32 inch per foot. The spacing between lateral distributors
shall be at least six feet. Where excessive slopes are encountered,
drop manholes shall be used on main distributors. Distributors shall
be agricultural drain tile, clay tile, bituminous fiber, rigid plastic
or corrugated plastic pipe. When perforated pipes are used, the holes
shall be placed down in such a manner that the liquid will escape
at an equal rate along the entire lateral. If the laterals are constructed
of agricultural drain tile or vitrified clay pipe they shall be laid
upon open joints 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch wide and protected with strips
of tar paper or other approved material laid over the top and 2/3
around the circumference of the pipe. All laterals shall be surrounded
by graded gravel or broken stone 3/4 to 1 1/2 inches in size
from a level of at least six inches below the bottom of the pipe to
a level of at least two inches above the top of the pipe. Before backfilling,
a single layer of building paper or a thick mat of hay or straw shall
be placed on top of the gravel or broken stone and across the full
width of the trench. The placing of distributors or laterals over
water service lines is prohibited. Curtain drains of suitable depth
and location shall be provided to intercept surface and groundwater,
and the tile field system shall be protected from damage by roots.
D.
Laterals shall not be nearer than 100 feet to any
lake, stream, watercourse or other body of water, unless approved
by the Orange County Department of Health, and must not be laid in
swampy soil or in soil that cannot adequately drain. The bottom of
tile field trenches shall be at least two feet above the maximum groundwater
table and at least two feet above solid rock or other impervious formation.
E.
A distribution box or chamber must be provided, into
which the septic tank effluent discharges and from which the sewage
enters the subsurface disposal field lines. The inlet pipe should
enter at the end of the box two inches above the outlets. The sides
of the box shall extend 12 inches above the invert of the inlet pipe,
and the box shall be provided with a removable cover. The cover of
the box shall be placed no more than 12 inches below the surface of
the ground. Drainage lines shall be constructed with inverts at the
bottom level of the box or one inch above the bottom, and all shall
be set at the same elevation. They shall run straight, all horizontal
bends shall be avoided and they should be made with tight joints.
When set at the same elevation and operating under the same head,
pipes all of the same size shall receive an equal flow. The box need
not be more than 18 inches in width, nor longer than is necessary
to accommodate the drain lines. Baffles shall be installed when directed
by the Town Engineer. When a series of distribution boxes are used,
the invert of the pipe leaving a box to carry effluent to the next
box shall be at least 1 1/4 inches higher then the invert of
the laterals from that same box.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
F.
Tile field trenches shall be of approximately equal
length. The length of an individual trench shall not exceed 60 feet
to 100 feet where dosing siphons are used. The minimum total length
of tile field shall be 200 feet. The length of tile trenches shall
be calculated using the data contained in Table 2.
Table 2
Tile Fields
Allowable Sewage Application
| |
---|---|
Percolation Time for One-Inch Fall
(minutes)
|
Sewage Application
(gallons per square foot per day)
|
0 to 5
|
1.20
|
6 to 7
|
1.00
|
8 to 10
|
.90
|
11 to 15
|
.80
|
16 to 20
|
.70
|
21 to 30
|
.60
|
31 to 45
|
.50
|
46 to 60
|
.45
|
A.
Seepage pits may be installed where the top soil is
underlain with sand, gravel or similar natural porous material. They
shall be made of durable material and construction and of such proportions
that the side area is approximately three times the bottom area. The
flow of settled sewage to the seepage pits shall provide equal distribution
to each pit, the minimum distance between center of pits shall be
at least three times their diameter.
B.
The bottom of the seepage pits shall be at least two
feet above the maximum groundwater table and at least three feet above
solid rock or other impervious formation. A minimum of two pits shall
be installed and the distance between any two pits shall be at least
two times the larger pit diameter.
C.
The leaching area required for such installations
shall be determined by the results of percolation tests in accordance
with Table 3, but no permit will be issued for a seepage pit unless
the character of the soil in which it is to be located is such that
groundwater flow appears to be away from any adjoining property within
50 feet and away from any source of water supply. No permit shall
be issued for any seepage pit where, in the judgment of the Town Engineer,
such installations shall be dangerous to adjoining property.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
D.
Details for seepage pits shall be submitted with the
application and shall be subject to approval by the Town Engineer.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
E.
Effective leaching area shall be calculated as the
outside area of the pit below the inlet. The bottom area is not considered
in these calculations.
F.
A test showing a rate of percolation slower than one
inch in 60 minutes indicates that disposal of sewage by the subsurface
method is not suitable and that other methods of disposal are required.
Table 3
Seepage Pit
Allowable Sewage Application
| |
---|---|
Percolation Time for 1 inch
(minutes)
|
Sewage Application
(gallons per square foot per day)
|
0 to 5
|
1.20
|
6 to 7
|
1.00
|
8 to 10
|
.90
|
11 to 15
|
.80
|
16 to 20
|
.70
|
21 to 30
|
.60
|
31 to 45
|
.50
|
46 to 60
|
.45
|
[Amended 10-13-1987 by L.L. No. 8-1987]
A.
Evapotranspiration-absorption systems, fill or built-up
systems, aerobic digestion systems and sand filter systems may be
installed as replacement systems only, provided that such system is
designated and installed in accordance with state regulations and
specifications contained in, 10 NYCRR Appendix 75-A and is approved
by the Town Engineer.
B.
New installation of the above systems is allowed only
upon approval from the Department of Health.
A.
Nonwater carriage disposal is defined as a device
for the disposal of human excreta in a pit of the earth where water
carriage systems of disposal cannot be provided.
B.
Privies shall be permitted for temporary use in construction
work; and, all privies in existence at the time of the adoption of
this article shall not be affected by this article so long as they
do not constitute a public or private nuisance or any form of health
menace.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
Nothing contained in this article shall be construed
to permit the installation or maintenance of disposal facilities which
are or may become a nuisance. Upon completion of a sewage disposal
system, an as-built drawing shall be prepared and submitted to the
Town Engineer.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
The Town Engineer may at any time by inspection
determine that existing sewage disposal facilities on a property are
inadequate or do not function properly, or that there in not available
an adequate supply of water for use in connection therewith. In such
cases, the Town Engineer shall notify the owner of said premises,
in writing, of such fact, and a copy of such notice shall be the sent
to the Town Clerk. Upon receipt of such notice, it shall be the duty
of the owner, within 10 days, to make application to the Town Engineer
for a permit for reconstruction or alteration to be completed within
30 days after receipt of said notice. Unless such required reconstruction
or alteration shall have been completed within the 30 days, it shall
be unlawful and improper to use said premises for human occupancy
until such required reconstruction or alterations shall have been
completed, inspected and approved, as for new installations. The fee
for reconstruction or alteration permits shall be the same as that
for a new installations.
A.
Any violation of this article either by the occupancy
of a structure without a duly authorized certificate of approval or
by the installation or use of a septic tank, seepage pit or discharge
pipe, without compliance with the terms and provisions aforesaid or
failure to comply with any notice, directive or order of the Town
Engineer, or any other violation of any terms and provisions of this
article is hereby declared to be a misdemeanor and shall render the
owner of the land whereon the same was installed, the occupant of
said land, the person so installing the same or any other person who
performs work thereon in violation of this article punishable by imprisonment
not exceeding 15 days and/or a fine not to exceed the sum of $1,000.
[Amended 1-25-1999 by L.L. No. 1-1999]
B.
Each weeks' continued violation after notice thereof
shall constitute a separate additional violation.
In the event of any violation of this article,
the Town Board shall have the right to maintain an action or proceeding
in the name of the Town in a court of competent jurisdiction to compel
compliance with or to restrain by injunction, the violation of this
article, notwithstanding that this article provides for penalties
and other punishment for such violation.