[HISTORY: Adopted by the Township Committee
of the Township of Waterford: Art. I, 12-8-1976 as Ord. No. 76-6; amended
in its entirety 6-27-1979 by Ord. No. 79-12 (Ch. 98, Art. I, of
the 1974 Code). Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Municipal Utilities Authority — See
Ch. 66.
Property maintenance — See Ch.
220.
[Adopted 12-8-1976 as Ord. No. 76-6; amended
in its entirety 5-25-2022 by Ord. No. 2022-10]
This article shall be captioned "Connecting to the Township
Sewer System." If your property is located within 150 feet of the
Municipal sewer main, connection to the municipal sewer system is
required as per Township ordinance as follows. The measurement of
the 150-foot distance shall be from any part of the property line
which would allow for the connection to the Township's sewer
line.
A. All new construction of every house, building or structure and the
owner of every house, building or structure hereafter to be constructed,
which may be occupied or used by human beings, located on a street
along the line of a sanitary sewer main, now or hereafter constructed
or acquired in the Township where the property line of the lot contains
such house, building or structure within 150 feet of said sanitary
sewer main, shall within 120 days after the date on which sewer service
is made available to said house, building or structure, cause all
toilets in such house, building or structure to be connected along
with any sewerage facilities emanating or to emanate from house, building
or structure, to the Township sanitary sewer system in accordance
with the rules and regulations of the Township which are on file in
the office of the Township Clerk.
B. The connection from the house, building or structure into the Township
sewer main is the sewer later. Property owners are required to keep
clear, maintain and repair the sewer lateral from the sewer main to
their house, building or structure.
C. All presently existing houses, buildings or structures, which may
be occupied or used by human beings located on a street along the
line of a sanitary sewer main where such house, building or structure
is within 150 feet of a sanitary sewer main, shall not be required
to connect to the Township Sanitary Sewer System unless the septic
system fails and is required to be replaced, or for a documented public
health/safety reason requiring connection to the Township Sanitary
Sewer System.
D. Notice of the availability of sewer service shall be given by the
Waterford Township Clerk's Office. The notice shall be served
upon the owners of said properties personally or by leaving the same
at their usual place of abode with a member of the family over the
age of 18 years, or if such mode of service cannot be effected, then
by mailing a copy of said notice to said owner or owners by certified
mail addressed to said owner or owners at said property or properties
or at the property owners usual place of abode.
E. To apply for a sewer connection, the owner of the property must come
to the Township Clerk's office at the Township Municipal Building
at 2131 Auburn Avenue, Atco, New Jersey, fill out the application
and pay the presently assessed connection fee and an application fee.
(1) You are also required to complete an application for the Camden County
Municipal Utilities Authority (CCMUA). These applications are available
through the CCMUA. After completing the Township connection application,
you must mail or take your application copies (yellow and pink) with
your Township payment receipt and your CCMUA application to the Camden
County Municipal Utilities Authority, 1645 Ferry Avenue, Camden, New
Jersey 08104 for further processing.
(2) When your application is reviewed and approved by the CCMUA, you
will receive notification via mail from the CCMUA with instructions
to apply for your permit at the Waterford Township Clerk's Office.
When you receive your permit, your registered plumber may then begin
the connection to the Township Sewer System.
(3) Quarterly billing for sewer will begin once connection is made by
your plumber and the Township's Plumbing Inspector and the Public
Works Department Inspector approve the connection and notice is provided
to the Township's Billing Department.
F. Optional connection fee payment plan. The optional connection fee
payment plan shall only apply to residential property uses and the
following nonprofit organizations identified as properties utilized
for an active church, fire company or ambulance squad. The residential
use shall not apply to apartment units unless the apartment is located
in a single-family residential dwelling. This agreement shall provide
for a time payment for a period of 24 months from the date when service
was first noticed as available to the applicant and provide for equal
quarterly payments until paid in full.
(1) Interest at 6% per annum on the balance due shall be added to each
quarterly payment. Payment plans becoming delinquent shall automatically
terminate with the entire balance becoming immediately due and payable.
In addition, a lien shall be placed on the property pursuant to applicable
statutes for the balance due until paid in full.
(2) Timely connection. In the event an applicant does not connect to
the Township sewer collection system within the time provided by the
Township, a payment plan shall not be provided, or, in the event a
payment plan has been provided, it shall be cause for automatic rescission.
G. Failure of property owner to connect to sewer system. In the event
a property owner fails to connect into the Township's Sewer System
after receiving written notice from the Township pursuant to this
Chapter of the Waterford Township Code, the following procedure shall
be implemented:
(1) A final notice shall be mailed to the property owner advising of
the failure to comply with connecting into the Township sewer system
in accordance with the previous notice and that the property owner
must complete this connection within 30 days from the date of the
final notice. If the property owner fails to comply and make the connection
into the sewer system as required, the Township shall assess the duly
promulgated connection fee then in effect to the property owner and
submit a bill to the property owner for payment. The Township shall
also commence billing the annual sewer service charge to the property
owner from the date on which the connection was to be made to the
Township's Sewer System, treating the property as if the connection
had been made. Any unpaid connection fee or sewer bill shall become
a lien on the property in accordance with applicable legal procedure.
H. Property connecting to Township sewer system but user charges not
assessed. In the event a property is connected into the Township sewer
system in accordance with Township requirements, but user charges
have not been assessed to the property for use of the system, the
following procedure shall be implemented:
(1) Written notice shall be mailed to the property owner stating that
the owner has received the benefit of using the sewer system without
being billed for said service. A bill for that use from the date of
connection shall be enclosed identifying the manner of calculation.
The property owner shall be provided the option to either pay the
bill in full within 30 days, or enter into an installment payment
agreement with the Township to pay the past due bill in four equal
quarterly installments, interest free, in the agreement format approved
by the Township. If the bill remains unpaid or the property owner
fails to enter into the authorized installment payment agreement,
the unpaid bill shall then become a lien against the property in accordance
with applicable legal procedure.
I. Overpayments. All overpayments, of sewer service charges or connection
fees shall be applied as a credit against future sewer system bills
unless the Township Governing Body in exercising its discretion determines
otherwise.
J. Pinelands. Mandatory connections are not applicable to Pinelands
zoning designations restricting connection into the public sewer system
unless in an area already serviced by the Township's public sewer
system or through other applicable exceptions.