No septic tank, leaching pit, chemical toilet,
privy, pipe or other means for the disposal or discharge of sewage
or sink wastes shall be installed anywhere in the Town of Niskayuna,
except as herein provided.
No installation of any septic tank, leaching
pit, chemical toilet, privy, pipe or other means for the disposal
or discharge of sewage or sink wastes shall be begun, nor shall the
construction or erection of any structure intended for human occupancy
be commenced, until an application duly filled out, in duplicate,
on forms supplied by the Sanitary Inspector and drawings showing the
intended location of the disposal system proposed to be used in connection
with such structure shall have been filed in the Town Clerk's office
and approved in the manner hereinafter prescribed.
[Amended 3-25-1952]
A fee of $20 shall be paid to the Town Clerk
simultaneously with the filing of the application.
The Town Board of Health shall appoint one or
more competent Sanitary Inspectors, who shall be responsible to the
Town Board of Health for the performance of the duties hereinafter
mentioned and whose appointment shall be held at the pleasure of the
Town Board of Health (bonded).
A. It shall be the duty of the Sanitary Inspector to:
(2) Promptly investigate, before and after installation,
any proposed disposal device indicated in said application.
(3) See that the provisions of this regulation are observed.
(4) Issue to the applicant a certificate of approval permitting
the use of such installations that conform to the provisions of this
regulation.
B. No such installation shall be covered until it has
been inspected and approved.
C. One copy of the application shall be retained by the
Inspector with a duplicate of the certificate of approval issued,
in case such certificate of approval is issued, and with the reason
for declining to issue a certificate of approval, provided that one
is not issued. The second copy of the application shall be given to
the applicant with the certificate of approval or a written statement
of his reasons for declining to issue the same.
If the Sanitary Inspector declines to approve
any proposed installation, the applicant may appeal to the Town Board
of Health, whose approval or rejection shall be final.
The following regulations shall govern the construction
and installation of such utilities as are required by this Article:
A. Independent system.
(1) The drainage and plumbing system of each new building
and of new work installed in an existing building shall be separate
from and independent of that of any other building, except as provided
below, and every building shall have an independent connection with
a public or private sewer when available.
(2) Where one building stands in the rear of another building
on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed
to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway,
the house sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear
building and the whole will be considered as one house sewer.
B. Old house sewers. Old drains may be used in connection
with new buildings or new plumbing only when they are found, on examination
and test, to conform in all respects to the requirements governing
new drains, as prescribed in this Article. If the old work is found
defective, the proper administrative authority shall notify the owner
to make the necessary changes to conform with this Article.
C. Connections with cesspools. The connection of any
drainage system of any building to a cesspool or septic tank is prohibited
where a public sewer is accessible. In locations not served by sanitary
sewers and where there is no piped water in the street, the installation
of wells, privies, cesspools and septic tanks may be permitted. In
general, the basis of design and installation of these rural conveniences
shall conform to New York State Department of Health, Bulletin No.
26, entitled "Rural Water Supply and Sewage Disposal Systems," latest
edition, or its subsequent revision.
D. Prohibitions.
(1) No person shall make or cause to be made or maintain
any connection with any stormwater drain or with any stream or watercourse
within the limits of the Town of Niskayuna for the removal of sewage
from any premises.
(2) No person shall cause or allow any surface water from
the ground, cellar or the roof of any house or building to enter any
pipe or drain that discharges into any fixture or trap connected with
the public sewer.
(3) No water supply pipe shall be placed in, through or
across any septic tank field.
E. Material and fall. All house sewers from buildings
discharging into public sewers, cesspools, vaults or septic tanks
shall be not less than four inches in diameter of cast iron solidly
laid on a true grade of 1/4 inch per foot and as nearly as possible
in a straight line.
F. Permit required. No person shall hereafter construct
any privy vault or cesspool or septic tank within the limits of the
Town of Niskayuna without a special permit from the Sanitary Inspector.
G. Cesspools. No person shall build or maintain any cesspool
or septic tank within 100 feet of any well or within 20 feet of any
street line, dwelling, house, shop, factory, store or public building
without special permission in writing from the Sanitary Inspector.
[Amended 3-25-1952]
H. Privy closets. No person shall build any privy closet,
except with a watertight vault, or maintain any privy within 25 feet
of any street line, dwelling, house, shop, factory, store or public
building or within 50 feet of any well without special permission
from the Sanitary Inspector.
I. Excavation. Each system of piping shall be laid in
a separate trench, provided that drainage trenches may be benched
not less than 18 inches for lighter piping, if not in violation of
any Town regulation prescribed for its installation. Where a double
system of drainage is installed, the sanitary and surface house drains
may be laid side-by-side in one trench.
J. All house sewers from buildings discharging into public
sewers shall be of cast-iron pipe of the required size, quality and
extra heavy weight. All joints for bell and spigot cast-iron pipe
shall be filled with oakum and molten lead and hand caulked so as
to make them air- and water tight. The quantity of lead used shall
be 12 ounces of fine soft lead for each inch of diameter of the pipe.
K. Where the water system is to be connected to any public
water supply obtaining its water from the City of Schenectady, all
plumbing must be done by a plumber licensed to do business in the
City of Schenectady, and the plumber performing said work shall also
sign a bond with the Town of Niskayuna in an amount and as to its
sufficiency as required by the Town Board of the Town of Niskayuna.
L. Where a realty map has been approved by the State
of New York for septic tank installation and minimum plans for field
are also shown on said map, the proposed installation shall not be
below the minimum as shown on said map.
M. Violations. Any violation of this regulation, either
by the occupancy of a structure without a duly authorized certificate
of approval or by the installation or use of a septic tank, leaching
pit, chemical toilet, privy or discharge pipe without compliance with
the terms and provisions of this regulation, is hereby declared to
be a misdemeanor and shall render the owner of the land whereon the
same was installed or the tenant or the person so installing the same,
or any other person guilty of a violation thereof, to a fine not to
exceed the sum of $50 or to imprisonment for a period of not more
than 30 days, or both.