[Adopted 5-18-1995 by Ord. No. 1995-8]
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the meaning of the terms used in this article shall be as follows:
AUTHORITY
Wrightsville Borough Municipal Authority, a Pennsylvania municipal authority.
BOD (BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND)
The quantity of oxygen, expressed in ppm by weight, utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure for five days at 20° C. The standard laboratory procedure shall be that found in the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage," published by the American Public Health Association.
CHLORINE DEMAND
The quantity of chlorine absorbed in water, sewage or other liquids, allowing a residual of 0.1 ppm by weight after 15 minutes of contact.
COMMERCIAL ESTABLISHMENT
Any improved property which shall be used, in whole or in part, for sale or distribution of any product, commodity, article or service, excluding, however, churches and chapels (which shall be considered to be domestic units) and industrial establishments.
COMPOSITE SAMPLE
A combination of individual samples obtained at regular intervals over a specific time period not to exceed two hours.
DAILY AVERAGE CONCENTRATION
The concentration as determined by a twenty-four-hour composite sample.
DOMESTIC UNIT
Any room, group of rooms, building or enclosure which shall be occupied or intended for occupancy as separate living quarters by one family or other group of people living together or by individuals living alone, and also shall mean schools, churches and chapels, upon an improved property.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes resulting from preparation, cooking and dispensing of food and from handling, storage and sale of produce.
GRAB SAMPLE
An individual sample collected in less than 15 minutes.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property within Hellam Township and within the area served by the authority upon which there is erected a structure or structures intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which structure or structures sewage and/or industrial wastes shall be or may be discharged.
INDUSTRIAL ESTABLISHMENT
Any improved property which shall be used, in whole or in part, for manufacturing, processing, cleaning, laundering or assembling any product, commodity or article or from which any process waste, as distinct from sewage, shall be discharged.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
Solid, liquid or gaseous substances or forms of energy released or escaping in the course of an industrial, manufacturing, trade or business process or in the course of development, recovery or processing of natural resources, as distinct from sewage, excluding any ground, surface or stormwater.
INSTANTANEOUS MAXIMUM CONCENTRATION
The concentration not to be exceeded at any time in any grab sample.
NONRESIDENTIAL USE
All commercial establishments, industrial establishments and all other uses other than domestic units, and any combination thereof.
OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole or partial, of any improved property located within Hellam Township and within the area served by the authority.
PERSON
Any individual, partnership, company, association, society, trust, corporation or other group or entity, public or private.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions, expressed in grams per liter of solution, and indicates the degree of acidity or alkalinity of a substance.
PPM
Parts per million.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
Garbage that has been shredded to such a degree that all its particles will be carried freely under normal sewer flow conditions, with no particle greater than 1/2 inch in dimension.
SEWAGE
Normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from any improved property, excluding any ground, surface or stormwater.
SEWER
Any pipe or conduit constituting a part of the sewer system which shall be used or usable for sewage collection purposes.
SEWER SYSTEM
All authority facilities, as of any particular time, for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage and industrial wastes.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage, or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory filtration.
TOWNSHIP
Hellam Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
TOXIC SUBSTANCE
Any poisonous substance, including copper, cyanide and chromium ions.
WATER COMPANY
Any publicly or privately owned duly authorized agency, corporation, municipality, municipality authority or organization which is the approved purveyor of the public water supply within the area served by the authority within Hellam Township.
Sewer rentals and charges for use of the sewer system shall be imposed and collected by the authority in accordance with one or more resolutions of the authority.
Sewer rentals and charges imposed by the authority shall be a lien upon the improved property connected to and served by the sewer system; and such sewer rentals and charges which shall be delinquent may be filed and collected by the authority as a lien against the improved property so connected to and served by the sewer system, which lien shall be filed in the Office of the Prothonotary of York County, Pennsylvania, and shall be collected in the manner provided by law for the filing and collecting the municipal claims.
A. 
Methods of measuring volume.
(1) 
Whenever the entire water supply of an improved property which shall discharge sewage and/or industrial wastes into the sewer system shall be supplied by a water company, the volume of water furnished, as determined from meter readings of the water company, shall be used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing sewer rentals and charges, subject to adjustment, if appropriate, as provided in this article.
(2) 
Whenever an improved property which shall discharge sewage and/or industrial wastes into the sewer system shall have a source or sources of water supply in addition to or other than a water company, the owner shall provide a meter on such additional or other source or sources of water supply. The total volume of water consumed, as determined from the meter readings of the water company and the meter readings of the meter or meters on such additional or other source or sources of water supply, or the meter readings of the meter or meters on such other source or sources of water supply, as appropriate, shall be used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing the sewer rentals and charges, subject to adjustment, if appropriate, as provided in this article.
(3) 
Whenever an improved property shall use water from the water company and/or water from a source or sources of water in addition to or other than the water company, and all or part of the water so used is required to be excluded from the sewer system by the authority, the volume used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing sewer rentals and charges may, at the sole discretion or option of the authority, be adjusted by one of the following methods:
(a) 
By installing a meter or other measuring device on the connection to the sewer system. Meter readings from such meter or measuring device shall be used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing sewer rentals and charges.
(b) 
By installing a meter or other measuring device to measure the volume required to be excluded from the sewage system. The readings from such meter or measuring device shall be deducted from the total water meter readings and the remainder shall be used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing sewer rentals and charges.
(c) 
If it is not practical, in the opinion of the authority, to install a meter or other measuring device to determine continuously the volume required to be excluded from the sewer system, the authority shall determine, in such manner and by such method as it may prescribe, the percentage of metered water which is being discharged into the sewer system. The quantity of water used as the measure of discharge of sewage and/or industrial wastes in computing sewer rentals and charges shall be the percentage so determined of the quantity measured by the water meter or meters. Any dispute as to such estimated percentage shall be submitted to the authority, after notice of such estimate. The decision of the authority with respect to the matter shall be final for the then-current calendar year.
B. 
Measuring devices. Meters and other measuring devices which shall be required or permitted under this section, other than meters of the water company, shall be furnished and installed by the owner, at the owner's expense, shall be under the control of the authority and may be tested, inspected or repaired by the authority whenever necessary. The owner shall be responsible for the maintenance and safekeeping of such meter or other measuring device; and all repairs thereto shall be made at the expense of the owner, whether such repairs shall be made necessary by ordinary wear and tear or other cause. Bills for such repairs, if made by the authority, shall be due and payable immediately upon completion of such repairs and shall be collected in the same manner as quarterly bills for sewer rentals and charges.
C. 
Meter readings. The authority shall be responsible for the reading of all meters or other measuring devices required or permitted under this section, other than those owned and read by a water company and the same shall be available to the authority at all reasonable times.
A. 
Approval required for industrial wastes. The discharge into the sewer system of industrial wastes having:
(1) 
A five day BOD greater than 300 ppm by weight; or
(2) 
A suspended solids content greater than 300 ppm by weight; or
(3) 
A chlorine demand greater than five ppm; or
(4) 
An average daily flow greater than 5% of the average daily sewage flow at the sewerage treatment works of the sewer system; or
(5) 
Any quantity of substances possessing characteristics described in Subsection B of this section shall be subject to prior review and approval of the authority.
B. 
Preliminary treatment and handling of industrial wastes.
(1) 
Whenever necessary, in the opinion of the authority, the owner shall provide, at his expense, such facilities for preliminary treatment and handling of industrial wastes as may be necessary to:
(a) 
Reduce BOD to 300 ppm and suspended solids to 300 ppm by weight; or
(b) 
Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to come within the maximum limits permitted in this article; or
(c) 
Control the volume, rate of discharge, and/or quality over a twenty-four-hour day and a seven-day week.
(2) 
Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed facilities for preliminary treatment and handling of industrial wastes shall be submitted to the authority and no construction of any such facility shall be commenced until such plans, specifications and other pertinent information first shall have been submitted to the authority and until approval thereof first shall have been obtained from any governmental regulatory body having jurisdiction.
(3) 
Whenever facilities for preliminary treatment and handling of industrial wastes shall have been provided by the owner, which shall be satisfactory to the authority, such facilities continuously shall be maintained, at the expense of the owner, in satisfactory operating condition; and the authority shall have access to such facilities at reasonable times for purposes of inspection and testing.
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff or subsurface drainage into any sewer.
B. 
Except as otherwise provided in this article, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described wastes or waters into the sewer system:
(1) 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 120° F. or less than 32° F.
(2) 
Any water or waste containing more than 70 ppm by weight of fats, oils or greases.
(3) 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas which, by reason of its nature or quality, may cause fire or explosion or which may be injurious to any person or to the sewer system or the operation thereof.
(4) 
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, shall be capable of creating a public nuisance or hazard to life or of preventing entry into any sewer or into the sewage treatment works of the sewer system for maintenance and repair.
(5) 
Any garbage, except properly shredded garbage.
(6) 
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, hay, straw, scraps, shavings, metal, glass, rags, bones, feathers, tar, plastic, wood, paunch manure, butcher's offal, whole blood, bentonite, lye, building material, rubber, leather, porcelain, china, ceramic wastes or any other solid or viscous substance which shall be capable of causing obstruction to the flow in any sewer or other interference with the proper operation of the sewer system.
(7) 
Any water or waste having a pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any corrosive or scale-forming property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or bacterial action of the sewer system or to personnel engaged in the operation and maintenance thereof.
(8) 
Any water or waste containing any toxic substance in quantity sufficient to constitute a hazard to humans or animals or to interfere with the biochemical processes of the sewerage treatment works of the sewer system or that will pass through the sewerage treatment works of the sewer system in such condition so that it will exceed state, federal or other validly existing requirements for the receiving system.
(9) 
Any water or waste containing total solids greater than 300 ppm or having suspended solids greater than 150 ppm of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense shall be required to handle such water or waste at the sewerage treatment works of the sewer system.
(10) 
Any toxic radioactive isotopes.
(11) 
Any drainage from building construction.
(12) 
Any pathological matter originating from doctor's offices, hospitals, laboratories, etc.
(13) 
Wastes containing any of the following substances in solution or in suspension in concentrations exceeding those shown in the following table:
Daily Average Concentration
Instantaneous Maximum Concentration
Substance
(24-hour composite)
(mg/L)
(Grab sample)
(mg/L)
As
0.5
1.0
B
5.0
10.0
Cd
0.5
1.0
Cr+6
0.05
0.1
Cr
0.6
1.2
Cu
0.8
1.6
CN
0.15
0.3
H2S
—
10.0
Fe
25.0
25.0
Pb
0.5
1.0
Hg
0.003
0.006
Ni
1.0
2.0
NQ
—
10.0
Phenolics
0.3
0.6
Ag
1.0
2.0
SO2
—
10.0
Zn
1.0
2.0
(14) 
Any other toxic substance that will pass through the sewage works and exceed state or federal environmental quality standards or cause an adverse effect on the sewage treatment processes or the quality of the treatment plant effluent.
C. 
Changes are imposed upon and shall be collected from the owner of each improved property which shall be connected with the sewer system from which there shall be discharged, directly or indirectly, into the sewer system a substance or quantity of a substance in violation of the provisions of this section if different from the owner and whether or not the unlawful discharge shall emanate from an improved property. The charge shall be the amount of the cost, expense, loss or damage to the sewer system of the authority as a result, directly or indirectly, of the discharge, including by way of example and not limitation, physical damage to the sewer system or any component part, the cost of labor, equipment rental and materials used in the repair or replacement of the damaged components upon the authority or its agents, officers and employees, damages to third parties, and costs incident to litigation, civil or criminal, or the preparation, defense or settlement of the litigation.
D. 
Nothing contained in this section shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between the authority and any person whereby industrial wastes of unusual strength or character may be admitted into the sewer system by the authority, either before or after preliminary treatment.
A. 
Required survey data. Any person desiring to make a connection to the sewer system through which industrial wastes shall be discharged into the sewer system shall file with the authority an "Industrial Wastes Questionnaire," to be furnished by the authority, which shall supply pertinent data, including estimated quantity of flow, to the authority with respect to industrial wastes proposed to be discharged into the sewer system.
B. 
Control manholes.
(1) 
Any person who shall discharge industrial wastes into the sewer system, when required by the authority, shall construct and thereafter properly shall maintain, at his or her own expense, a suitable control manhole to facilitate observation, measurement and sampling by the authority.
(2) 
Any such control manhole, when required by the authority, shall be constructed at an accessible, safe, suitable and satisfactory location in accordance with plans approved by the authority prior to commencement of construction.
C. 
Sewage sampling. Industrial wastes being discharged into the sewer system shall be subject to periodic sampling, inspection and determination of character and concentration. Such sampling, inspection and determination shall be made by the authority as frequently as may be deemed necessary. Representative samples for a full working day shall be obtained by taking hourly samples and compositing them in accordance with the flow at the time of sampling. Sewage sampling facilities shall be accessible to the authority at all times. Due care shall be exercised in the collection and preservation of all samples to insure preservation thereof in as nearly the natural state as possible, including refrigeration of all samples which are intended for analysis by biochemical methods. The owner of any improved property from which such industrial wastes are discharged into the sewer system shall be responsible for payment of, or reimbursement to the authority for all costs incurred in connection with such periodic sampling, inspection and determination of character and concentration of such wastes, together with such charges as may be established by resolution of the authority, from time to time, in connection with the administration and enforcement of this section.
D. 
Analysis.
(1) 
The authority shall be responsible for analysis of samples of industrial wastes.
(2) 
Laboratory methods used in the analysis of samples of industrial wastes shall be those set forth in the latest edition of "Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage" as published by the American Public Health Association; provided, however; that alternate methods for the analysis of industrial wastes may be used, subject to mutual agreement between the authority and the person discharging such industrial wastes into the sewer system.
E. 
Changes in types of wastes. Any owner of an improved property who is discharging industrial wastes into the sewer system and who contemplates a change in the method of operation which will alter the type of industrial wastes at the time being discharged into the sewer system shall notify the authority, in writing, at least 10 days prior to consummation of such change.
The authority shall have the right to access at reasonable times to any part of any improved property served by the sewer system as shall be required for purposes of inspection, measurement, sampling and testing and for performance of other functions relating to services rendered by the authority through the sewer system.
The Township and the authority reserve the right to adopt, from time to time, such additional rules and regulations as they shall deem necessary and proper in connection with the use and operation of the sewer system, all of which rules and regulations shall be, shall become and shall be construed as part of this article.
[Amended 9-5-1996 by Ord. No. 1996-6;2-6-1997 by Ord. No. 1997-1]
A. 
Hellam Township police officers, the appropriate enforcement officers of Hellam Township, or other appropriate officer or officers of Hellam Township, shall have the power to enforce the provisions of this article.
B. 
Penalty for violation. Any person who violates or permits a violation of this article shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding brought before a Magisterial District Judge under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure, be guilty of a summary offense and shall be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000, plus all costs of prosecution, including, but not limited to, attorneys' fees, and in default of payment thereof, shall be imprisoned for a term not to exceed 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense, and each section of this article that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense.
It is declared that the enactment of this article is necessary for the protection, benefit and preservation of the health, safety and welfare of the inhabitants of Hellam Township.