[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Health[1] of the Township of Bridgewater 7-26-1961 by Ord. No. 61-1; amended in its entirety by the Township Council 4-1-1985 by Ord. No. 85-10. Subsequent amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Building construction — See Ch. 62.
Drainage — See Ch. 81.
Excavations — See Ch. 89.
Land use — See Ch. 126.
Sanitation — See Ch. 170.
Sewers and sewage disposal — See Ch. 175.
Water connections — See Ch. 210.
Individual and semipublic water supply — See Ch. 212.
[1]
Editor's Note: Under the present form of township government, there
is no longer a Board of Health. The legislative functions of the Board of
Health are now performed by the Township Council.
Unless otherwise stated in this chapter, the latest revised regulations
of "Standards for the Construction of Individual Subsurface Sewage Disposal
Systems" (N.J.A.C. 7:9-2.1 through 7:9-2.97) shall apply to all individual
subsurface sewage disposal systems that are designed and constructed in the
Township of Bridgewater, notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained
in this chapter.
A.
No person shall locate, construct or alter any individual
sewage disposal system until a permit shall have been issued by the Board
of Health.
B.
The Board of Health may issue a permit if an application
for the same is accompanied by a certificate made by an engineer, licensed
to practice professional engineering in New Jersey, stating that the design
of the individual sewage disposal system, as proposed, is in compliance with
the code.
A.
New individual disposal systems shall not be placed in
operation, nor shall new dwellings or buildings or additions thereto be sold
or occupied, which must rely on such a system for sewage disposal, until the
Board of Health shall have issued a certificate indicating the disposal system
has been located and constructed in compliance with the terms of the permit
issued and the requirements of the aforesaid code. Issuance of such certificate
shall not be required for alterations to an existing individual sewage disposal
system.
B.
The Board of Health may issue such a certificate if an
engineer licensed to practice professional engineering in New Jersey submits
a statement in writing, signed by him, to the Board of Health that the disposal
system has been located and constructed in accordance with the terms of the
permit issued and the requirements of the aforesaid code.
C.
An as-built sketch plan showing the exact location of
the individual sewage disposal system shall be submitted to the Board of Health
by the design engineer before a certificate of compliance can be issued.
A.
Permit to conduct a percolation test.
(1)
A permit shall be obtained from the Board of Health before
a soil characteristics test, as prescribed in this section, can be conducted.
A nonreturnable fee of $20 per test per individual lot or proposed lot must
accompany the application.
(2)
The permit shall be valid for one test series on each
building lot.
B.
Test validity. Soil characteristics test results shall
remain valid for five years and will be invalid thereafter.
C.
Procedures for conducting soil percolation tests.
(1)
A series of four percolation tests shall be performed
at the site of each disposal area. The four test holes shall be uniformly
distributed throughout the disposal area. Preliminary tests for subdivisions
shall be made in the same manner. Test hole locations for all soil characteristics
tests are subject to the approval of the administrative authority or its duly
appointed representative.
(2)
Reports shall be furnished to the administrative authority
for final approval indicating the percolation test results as the average
percolation rate for the four test holes in minutes per inch, the date of
the test, the effect of recent rain or lack of rain, the apparent moisture
of the soil prior to the test, the depth to groundwater when encountered,
the number of preliminary tests made to determine apparent saturation, the
type or types of soil encountered, together with the thickness of each layer,
and all other factors affecting percolation test results.
D.
Filing of percolation report. The engineer who performs
the soil characteristics tests shall provide the Board of Health with a copy
of the test results within 10 days after the tests are conducted. Test results
which are submitted after the aforesaid 10 days shall not be acceptable.
E.
Rejection of percolation tests and/or soil log information.
A proposed site for an individual subsurface disposal system shall be rejected
for any one of the following reasons:
(1)
A percolation rate greater than 60 minutes per inch.
(2)
An impervious formation (soil, shale or rock with a percolation
rate exceeding 120 minutes per inch) was encountered within eight feet of
the existing grade.
(3)
Groundwater and/or indications of high seasonal groundwater
elevations were found less than six feet from the existing grade.
F.
Alternate designs other than conventional septic systems.
(1)
If a percolation test and/or soil log was rejected pursuant to § 173-4, a licensed engineer may submit to the Board of Health an alternate design for an individual subsurface system. The Board will review the plan and approve or disapprove the plan within 90 days after it is submitted. All decisions will be rendered during a public meeting of the Board of Health.
(2)
Upon approval of an alternate design by the Board, the
following statement shall be recorded by the applicant on the property deed:
"Due to the unique soil drainage characteristics of this property, the residence
located thereon is served by a sewage disposal system that has been classified
as an alternate design by the Township of Bridgewater Board of Health. An
alternate design sewage system shall be defined as any system (other than
the conventional septic system) which has been recognized by competent engineering
authorities as an effective alternate to the conventional septic system but
which has not as yet been proven effective for at least five years of continuous
use in the Township of Bridgewater."
(3)
No permit for the construction of the alternative sewage
system shall be issued until proof has been provided that the above statement
has been filed as required with the office of the Somerset County Clerk.
(4)
The owner of any property on which a specially designed
septic system has been constructed shall give notice, in writing, of the existence
of such system to any prospective buyer of the property prior to the execution
of the contract of sale. Such notice shall be included in the listing agreements
and shall be included in the contract of sale and the deed.
A.
Select fill to be used under disposal field. Whenever
shale soil structures are encountered and/or a percolation rate of 10 minutes
per inch or faster is identified, a minimum of four feet of filtering media
or select fill must be placed under the entire disposal field.
B.
Specifications of select fill:
(1)
Sandy soil (material with a silt and clay content not
less than 10% by weight nor more than 20% by weight, of the portion of the
soil finer than two millimeters). This portion of the fill should not be less
than 85% by weight of the total recommended fill material.
(2)
Coarse fragments (1/4 inch or larger in
diameter). This portion of the fill should not exceed 15% by weight of the
total recommended fill material.
(3)
Silt and clay are soil particles that are smaller than
0.05 millimeters. Sand is smaller than 2.0 millimeters but larger than 0.05
millimeters.
(4)
Four feet of select fill under the disposal field will
also be required where the groundwater is elevated.
C.
Impervious formation less than 10 feet: fill required.
D.
Minimum design rate for all septic systems. All proposed
new individual subsurface sewage disposal systems shall be designed at a minimum
percolation rate of 21 to 25 minutes per inch.
E.
Permanent markers for septic tank and distribution box.
The location of the access opening for the septic tank and distribution box
must be permanently identified at finished grade.
F.
Scarifying side wall and bottom areas of disposal field.
Before placement of filter material, all side wall and bottom areas of the
disposal field shall be scarified.
The Board of Health may order all further work in and about any individual
sewage disposal system, which is being erected or installed in violation of
the code, to be stopped forthwith, except such work as shall be necessary
to remedy such violation and, thereafter, the work continued without any violation
of any of the provisions of the code and after issuance of any such order
and the service of a copy thereof upon any person connected with or working
in and about the erection or installation of any such disposal system or any
part thereof, no further work shall be done except as aforesaid.
The following fees and charges are herewith established:
No person shall:
A.
Locate, construct or alter any individual sewage disposal
system until a proper sewage/septic system permit shall have been lawfully
issued pursuant to this chapter; or
B.
Place in operation a new or newly altered individual
sewage disposal system or sell or occupy a new dwelling or building or occupy
an addition to an existing dwelling or building which must rely on or is served
by a new or newly altered individual sewage disposal system until a proper
certificate of compliance (septic connection) shall have been lawfully issued
pursuant to this chapter; or
C.
Willfully violate the terms and conditions of any stop
order or special order issued pursuant to this chapter; or
D.
In any other manner, not hereinbefore specified, willfully
disregard, ignore or violate this chapter.
Any person who violates any section or provision of this chapter shall
be subject to a penalty of up to $200 per day. Each day that a violation continues
shall constitute an additional, separate and distinct offense.
