It is the judgment of the Township that the
charges provided for herein are reasonable and necessary at the present
time to pay the expenses for operation and maintenance of the sewerage
system, including reserves, insurance, extension and replacements
and to pay punctually the principal of and interest on Township bonds
issued to finance construction and to maintain such reserves therefor
as may be required and as are determined necessary and desirable by
the Township. A portion of the charges provided for herein shall be
used to establish a replacement cost fund for the replacement of major
equipment, including but not limited to pumping systems, utilized
in the sewerage system. Such a fund will be established upon the recommendation
of the Township Engineer based upon the expected useful life of any
major equipment utilized in the sewerage system and the expected replacement
cost thereof.
It is the determination of the governing body
that such income and expenses shall be kept separate and apart from
the local municipal budget and shall be collected in a separate sewer
utility fund for the purposes of this article.
The Township shall review not less than every
two years the wastewater contribution of users and user classes, the
total cost of operation and maintenance of the sewerage system and
the Township user charge system and revise the charges for users or
user classes to accomplish the following:
A. Maintain the proportional distribution of operation
and maintenance cost among users and user classes as required herein.
B. Generate sufficient revenue to pay the total operation
and maintenance costs necessary for the proper operation and maintenance,
including a replacement of the sewerage system.
C. Apply excess revenues collected from a class of users
to the cost of operation and maintenance attributable to that class
for the next year and adjust the rate accordingly.
For the purposes of this article, the following
words, terms and phrases shall have the meanings given herein:
BOD (denoting "biochemical oxygen demand")
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation
of organic matter under laboratory procedure in five days at 20°
C., expressed in parts per million (ppm) by weight.
COMMERCIAL USER
Any nonresidential user which discharges segregated domestic
wastes or water from sanitary conveniences.
CURB VENT or CLEANOUT
The area along the service line where a lateral connects
with a line running from the owner's premises. Said point is the area
where municipal responsibilities end and owner responsibilities begin.
The curb vent or cleanout shall usually be located adjacent to the
curb abutting a street servicing the owner's premises.
EMPLOYEE
One who works 20 hours or more per week.
GARBAGE
Solid waste from the preparation, cooking and dispensing
of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce. "Properly
shredded garbage" shall mean garbage which has been shredded so that
no garbage particles will be greater than 1/2 inch in any dimension.
INDUSTRIAL USER
Any nonresidential user, identified in the Standard Industrial
Classification Manual, 1972, Office of Management and Budget, under
Divisions A, B, D and E, which discharges industrial process waters
into the Township's sanitary sewage collection system.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE
The liquid wastes from industrial processes as distinct from
sanitary sewage.
INFILTRATION
Water other than wastewater that enters a sewerage system,
including sewer service connections, from the ground through such
means as defective pipes, pipe joints, connections or manholes. "Infiltration"
does not include and is distinguished from inflow.
INFLOW
Water other than wastewater that enters a sewerage system,
including sewer service connections, from sources such as roof leaders,
cellar drains, yard drains, area drains, foundation drains, drains
from springs and swampy areas, manhole covers, cross-connections between
storm sewers and sanitary sewers, catch basins, cooling towers, stormwaters,
surface runoff, street wash waters or drainage. "Inflow" does not
include and is distinguished from infiltration.
R.T.M.U.A.
Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority.
THREE BRIDGES SEWER AREA
That area of the Township of Readington, including the Village
of Three Bridges, whose sewage collection system is serviced by the
R.T.M.U.A.
TOWNHOUSE/CONDOMINIUM
A building which contains two or more separate living quarters
where the ownership of each separate living quarter is held by a different
person, corporation or partnership.
WHITEHOUSE SEWER AREA
That area of the Township of Readington, including the Village
of Whitehouse and Whitehouse Station, whose sewage collection system
is serviced by Readington-Lebanon Sewerage Authority.
[Amended 3-7-1983]
If the use of the schedule in §
187-5D results in fractional units, the number of units shall be increased to the next whole unit. No rate shall be billed on the basis of less than a minimum of one full unit. Any user being charged at a rate of more than 10 units may, on application to the Township and upon approval of such application by the Township, install a sewage meter to measure continuously the flow of sewage for the purpose of determining the number of gallons of effluent per day produced by the user, thereby determining the appropriate sewer rental unit. The application shall be accompanied by a review fee of $100. The cost of the installation shall be borne by the owner, who will and shall grant to the Township, its agents and officers the right of access to such meter at all reasonable times and the right to inspect all flow records at reasonable times.
All charges for service after the initial billing
shall be billed quarter annually as follows: for the first quarter,
covering the months of January, February and March, on March 1; for
the second quarter, covering the months of April, May and June, on
June 1; for the third quarter, covering the months of July, August
and September, on September 1; and for the fourth quarter, covering
the months of October, November and December, on December 1.
Sewer charges are based upon estimated annual
operating and capital costs as well as the treatment costs in the
Three Bridges Sewer Area to R.T.M.U.A. and in the Whitehouse Sewer
Area to the Readington-Lebanon Sewerage Authority and may be changed
from time to time as the needs generated by such costs may require.
Where premises or a building is occupied by
more than one commercial or industrial establishment or by a combination
of both types of establishment, the charge will be determined by applying
the aforesaid rates to each commercial and industrial establishment
located therein. Where premises or a building contains a dwelling
unit or units in combination with or in addition to commercial or
industrial establishments, the charge will be determined by applying
the aforesaid rates to each dwelling unit and commercial or industrial
establishment located therein.
The Township reserves the right to sample all
commercial and industrial wastes which are anticipated to have organic
loadings, suspended solid loadings and chlorine demand in excess of
standards established for the Three Bridges Sewer Area by the R.T.M.U.A.
and for the Whitehouse Sewer Area by the Readington-Lebanon Sewerage
Authority.
A surcharge will be added for all industrial
or commercial wastes which exceed the aforesaid standards established
by the R.T.M.U.A. for the Three Bridges Sewer Area and by the Readington-Lebanon
Sewerage Authority for the Whitehouse Sewer Area.
Industrial wastes subject to surcharges shall
pay under the schedule established for the Three Bridges Sewer Area
by the R.T.M.U.A. and for the Whitehouse Sewer Area by the Readington-Lebanon
Sewerage Authority.
In addition to any testing or sampling required
under the terms of this article, any applicable federal or state regulations
or code or any other applicable law or regulation, the Township may,
in its discretion, require periodic testing or sampling of any user
of the Township's sewerage system if, in the opinion of the Township,
such testing or sampling is necessary in light of the nature or quantity
of that user's sewage discharge, the number or type of employees or
occupants of the premises, the nature of the use or operation of the
premises or other factors which in the Township's opinion require
further analysis or evaluation as to the nature of the effluent being
discharged into the Township's system.
Any user whose effluent is tested or sampled
pursuant to the terms of this article, applicable regulation, code,
permit or law will be charged by the Township for the sampling in
accordance with the following rates:
A. One twenty-four-hour composite BOD: $125.
B. One twenty-four-hour composite suspended solids: $125.
C. One twenty-four-hour composite chlorine demand: $20.
D. Meter installation, removal and chart analysis: $525.
E. Meter rental, per 24 hours: $12.
Under no circumstances will any of the following
be discharged into the sanitary sewers of the Township of Readington,
directly or indirectly:
B. Any toxic substances, such as gasoline, benzine, naphtha,
fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
C. Any liquid having a temperature higher than 150°
F.
D. Any liquid containing more than 100 parts per million
of fat, oil or grease, or other matter containing any ashes, cinders,
sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics
or wood.
E. Any solid or viscous substance capable of causing
obstructions or other interference with the proper operation of the
R.T.M.U.A. sewage treatment plant or the sewage collection system.
F. Any liquid having a pH, as determined by the Township
Engineer, R.T.M.U.A. or Readington-Lebanon Sewerage Authority, lower
than 6.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property
capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel,
or material that would be harmful to the treatment of sewage.
G. Ground garbage, except the residue from the preparation,
cooking and dispensing of food that has been shredded to such degree
that all particles will be carried freely in suspension under flow
conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle
greater than 1/2 inch in any dimension.
[Amended 11-7-1994]
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate
any provision of this article or fail to comply therewith shall severally,
for each and every such violation and noncompliance, forfeit and pay
a penalty of $1,000 for the first conviction and $5,000 for each conviction
thereafter. The imposition of the foregoing penalty shall not bar
the right of the governing body to specifically enforce the provisions
of this article. All cost to the Township caused by any such violation
shall be borne by the violator.
The cost of operation and maintenance for all
flow indirectly attributable to users which arises out of infiltration/inflow
shall be distributed among all users of the system in the same manner
as the cost of operation and maintenance among users or user classes
is distributed for their actual use.
The Township shall notify each user at least
annually with a regular bill of the rate in that portion of the user
charges which is attributable to wastewater treatment services.
Upon connection to the Township's sanitary sewer
system, then the individual sewage disposal facility serving such
premises shall be abandoned and (other than concrete septic tanks)
such facility shall be filled with suitable material and inspected
by the Township's Code Enforcement Office.
All connections with a sewer lateral shall be
made in a careful and workmanlike manner in accordance with the provisions
of the Plumbing Code of the Township of Readington. Except as herein
provided, the Plumbing Code of the Township of Readington shall in
all cases prevail, and application for a plumbing permit to install
the sewer lateral shall be made through the Plumbing Inspector of
the Township of Readington.
Bills for sewer service shall be rendered with
the tax billing procedure presently employed by the Township. Bills
remaining unpaid for more than 45 days after the billing date of such
bill shall accrue interest from the billing date at the maximum rate
permitted for nonpayment of real property taxes pursuant to N.J.S.A.
54:4-67, which at the present time is 8% on the first $1,500 of delinquency
and 18% on any amount in excess of $1,500, or at such greater rate
of interest as may hereafter be permitted by future amendment to the
foregoing statute.
[Added 9-4-1984; amended 3-2-1998]
A. Upon the effective date of this section, there shall
be charged and collected for each sewer rental unit (sometimes hereinafter
referred to as "unit") for each connection with the sanitary sewer
system of the Township of Readington a fee of $640. For the purposes
of this article, "sanitary sewer system" refers to users both in the
Readington Lebanon Sewerage Authority sewer service area and in the
Raritan Township Municipal Utilities Authority sewer service area.
Said payment shall be due and payable to the Township at the time
an application is made for a permit and prior to the time that the
connection or tie-in is made. No person, firm, or other entity shall
install or make connection to the sanitary sewerage system without
first paying the aforesaid fee.
[Amended 12-19-2011 by Ord. No. 21-2011]
B. Service charges; payment due.
[Amended 12-19-2011 by Ord. No. 21-2011]
(1) The
above connection fee shall be in addition to any annual sewer use
charge and the following sewerage services charges for review of the
plans and inspection:
(2) Payment
of the review and inspection fees shall be due and payable to the
Township at the time an application is made for a permit and prior
to the time that the connection or tie-in is made.
C. The above connection fee shall apply to all new connections
made after the effective date of this article, except for those entities
which have entered into an agreement with the Township for payment
in lieu of the connection fee.
D. In accordance with N.J.S.A. 40A:26A-11 and any other
applicable statutory authority, the Township shall recompute the connection
fee at the end of each budget year (but not later than 90 days therefrom)
if it is determined after public hearing that the fee should be revised.
In accordance with the statutory requirements, connection charges
shall not exceed the actual cost of the physical connection plus an
amount representing a fair payment towards the cost of the system
to the Township and shall be computed as follows:
(1) The amount representing all debt service, including
but not limited to sinking funds, reserve funds, the principal and
interest on bonds and the amount of any loans and interest thereon
paid by the Township, as the case may be, to defray the capital cost
of developing the system as of the end of the immediately preceding
budget year, shall be added to all capital expenditures made by the
Township, not funded by a bond ordinance or debt for the development
of the system as of the end of the immediately preceding budget year.
(2) Any gifts, contributions or subsidies to the Township,
as the case may be, received therefrom and not reimbursed or reimbursable
to any federal state, county or municipal government or agency or
any private person and that portion of amounts paid to the Township
by a public entity under a service agreement or service contract shall
then be subtracted.
(3) The remainder shall be divided by the total number
of service units served by the authority at the end of the immediately
preceding fiscal year of the authority, and the results shall then
be appointed to each new connector according to the number of service
units attributed to that connector to produce the connector's contribution
to the cost of the system. In attributing service units to each connector,
the estimated average daily flow of sewage for the connector shall
be divided by the average daily flow of sewage for the average single-family
residence in the Township's sewer service area to produce the number
of service units to be attributed.
(4) The connection fee combined with the sewerage services
charges of the Township shall be such that the revenues to the Township
as a result of the sewerage facilities shall be adequate to pay the
expenses to the Township of the operation and maintenance of the sewerage
facilities, including improvements, extensions, enlargements and replacements
to sewerage facilities, reserves, insurance, principal and interest
on any bonds, and to maintain reserves or sinking funds therefor as
may be required under the bond covenants or any contracts or as may
be deemed necessary or desirable.
E. The public hearing shall be held at least 20 days
after notice is mailed to the Clerk of any other municipality serviced
by the Readington-Lebanon Sewerage Authority and the Raritan Township
Municipal Utilities Authority and after publication of notice of any
proposed adjustment of the service charges and of the time and place
of the public hearing in at least two newspapers of general circulation
in the area serviced by the Authority.
F. The revised connection fee shall apply to those who
subsequently connect to the system in that budget year.
[Added 11-2-1987 by Ord. No. 11-87;
amended 9-17-2001 by Ord. No. 17-2001; 4-21-2003 by Ord. No. 4-2003]
A. Order of priority; reserves.
(1) By existing joint agreement with the Readington Lebanon
Sewerage Authority, the Township of Readington has a total sewer allocation
of 935,000 gpd. Upon study by the Township, there is a limited amount
of sewer capacity in Readington Township at the present time. Any
remaining capacity from Readington's portion of its allotted capacity
in the Readington Lebanon Sewerage Authority sewer service area shall
be allocated in the following order of priority, subject to availability:
(a)
First, to those projects which will enable the
Township to meet its future Mount Laurel affordable housing obligations;
and
(b)
Secondly, to remedy those properties within
the sewer service area which constitute an "emergency" due to failing
septic systems.
(c)
To all other requests for properties located within the sewer
service area, in the order received.
[Added 10-2-2017 by Ord.
No. 13-2017]
(2) The Township reserves the right to keep that portion
of sewerage capacity needed for "reserve" to meet NJDEP requirements.
B. Applications for sewer capacity.
[Amended 10-2-2017 by Ord. No. 13-2017]
(1) Allocations
for sewer capacity from Readington's allocated portion of sewer capacity
shall be made by the Readington Township Committee upon written agreement
to be entered into with the applicant, after the allocation request
has been reviewed and a favorable recommendation has been made by
the Readington Township Sewer Advisory Committee.
(2) All
requests for sewer allocation shall be made utilizing the Township's
application form and considered according to the criteria which the
Township hereby adopts as follows.
(3) Fees
for sewer allocation request.
(a) There shall be a nonrefundable application fee of $100 for sewer
allocation requests to cover administrative costs, payable at the
time the application is made.
(b) There shall be an escrow fee of $1,000 to cover the engineering review
of submitted documents, confirm that the site is located within the
sewer service area, has access to a sewer main and for the purpose
of providing a recommendation to the Sewer Advisory Committee.
C. In the case of those development projects which have
not received an approval by the appropriate township board having
jurisdiction at the time a request for gallonage is made, allocation
agreements shall provide that if the applicant does not make formal
application to the appropriate township board within two years of
approval of the allocation, then the Township Committee may, in its
discretion, terminate the agreement. If within two years after preliminary
approval, construction has not commenced, the Township Committee may,
at its discretion, terminate the agreement. The agreement may be extended
upon application to the Township if there is a showing of good cause,
at the option of the Township Committee.
D. Applicants who received capacity allocations under this section shall enter into a sewer plant expansion developer contribution agreement which is intended to cover the Township's share of the portion of the costs of expanding the RLSA treatment plant until such time as those costs have been satisfied. The contribution is a one-time fee of $18.83 per gallon. Those entering into a developer contribution agreement shall not be required to pay the Township's sewer hook-up fee normally required under §
187-25 of the Code. Those applicants who have undeveloped lots shall also enter into an allocation agreement, which may be a separate document or contained within the developer contribution agreement. The allocation agreements will provide, as in the past, that the applicant will pay for the allocation on a per unit basis representing 1/3 of the user charge for the first year; 2/3 of the user charge for the second year; and 100% of the user charge for the third year and thereafter. In the event of a termination of the allocation agreement by the Township, none of the user charges paid by the applicant will be reimbursed. In the event the Township's costs of the expansion of the sewer plant have been satisfied and developer contribution agreements are no longer required, then the user fees paid to the Township pursuant to an allocation agreement shall not relieve the applicant of the responsibility to pay connection fees pursuant to the terms of this article.
E. Allocation of sewer capacity may not be transferred
from the owner without prior approval of the Readington Township Committee,
upon review and recommendation of the Readington Township Sewer Advisory
Committee.