Source: https://ecode360.com/30379741
Timestamp: 2019-01-21 18:05:48
Document Index: 457039219

Matched Legal Cases: ['§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504', '§ 504']

Borough of Souderton, PA Sewers
Ch 106 Pensions
Ch 113 Planning Commission
Ch 127 Purchasing
Ch 139 Regional Planning
Ch 144 Salaries and Compensation
Ch 245 Burning, Open
Ch 256 Cemeteries
Ch 263 Claims and Liens
Ch 270 Construction Codes, Uniform
Ch 277 Curfew
Ch 292 Emergency Services Reimbursement
Ch 388 Littering
Ch 415 Nuisances
Ch 430 Parades
Ch 442 Parks and Recreation Areas
Ch 449 Peace and Good Order
Ch 457 Peddling and Soliciting
Ch 471 Property Maintenance
Ch 488 Rental Property
Ch 497 Sales
Ch 504 Sewers
Ch 504 Art I Sewer Use
§ 504-1 Discharge of harmful substances into system prohibited.
§ 504-2 Sewer Committee authorized to examine wastes.
§ 504-3 List of prohibited substances; exceptions authorized.
§ 504-4 List of wastes requiring prior approval.
§ 504-5 Regulations for industrial wastes.
§ 504-6 Metering of industrial wastes required.
§ 504-7 Charges for treatment of industrial wastes.
§ 504-8 Conditions for permits; permit revocations; inspections.
§ 504-9 Permit not required for domestic sewerage from industries.
§ 504-10 Violations and penalties.
Ch 504 Art II Sewer Rental
§ 504-11 Imposition of sewer rentals or charges.
§ 504-12 Classes of service defined.
§ 504-13 Periodic sewer rental charges.
§ 504-14 Rates.
§ 504-15 Charges for commercial garbage disposal units.
§ 504-16 Additional charge for properties outside Borough.
§ 504-17 Sewer users required to meter private water supplies.
§ 504-18 Industrial wastes to meet all applicable requirements.
§ 504-19 Right of inspection reserved.
§ 504-20 When bills payable.
§ 504-21 Penalty for late payment.
§ 504-22 Penalty for failure to make payment.
§ 504-23 Right to other remedies reserved.
§ 504-24 Adjustment of rentals or charges.
§ 504-25 No rebates for partial periods allowed.
§ 504-26 Agreements with other political subdivisions not affected.
§ 504-27 Sewer permits and connection fees.
Ch 516 Skateboards
Ch 535 Solid Waste
Ch 542 Stormwater Management
Ch 549 Streets and Sidewalks
Ch 554 Subdivision and Land Development
Ch 567 Taxation
Ch 581 Vehicles and Traffic
Ch 593 Weapons
Chapter 504 Sewers
[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of Souderton as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
Article II Sewer Rental
[Adopted 12-2-1968 by Ord. No. 386 (Ch. 77, Art. I, of the 1972 Code)]
The discharge into the sanitary sewer system of the Borough of Souderton through any drain, public or private, of any substance or substances which may injure the said sewer system or any part thereof or which impairs or may impair the treatment of sewerage in the treatment plant, is hereby prohibited.
The Sewer Committee of the Borough of Souderton is hereby given the authority and is directed, in its discretion, to examine the content and character of all waste, commercial, industrial and other waste, prior to the discharge thereof into the Borough sewer system.
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling water or unpolluted industrial or commercial process water into any sanitary sewer.
The discharge of cooling water from air-conditioning units with cooling towers or recirculating systems or from air-conditioning units using flow-through or unrecirculating systems is prohibited. The sanitary sewers are not designed to handle the cooling water volumes produced by air-conditioning units. Cooling water free from bacteria and harmful chemicals may be drained into stormwater drains or other disposal areas.
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described wastes or waters to any sanitary sewer:
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 160° F.
Any water or waste containing more than 100 ppm (parts per million) by weight of fats, oils or greases.
Any liquids, solids or gases which by reason of their nature or quality may cause fire or explosion, or be in any other way injurious to persons, to the sewage works' structures or to the operation of these works.
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, is capable of creating a public nuisance or hazard to life or preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance and repair.
Any garbage that has not been comminuted or shredded by a garbage disposal unit, installed with the approval of the Sewer Committee.
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, bones, feathers, tars, plastic, wood, paunch manure, butchers' offal or any other solids or viscous substances capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage system or the sewage treatment works.
Any water or waste having a pH lower than 6.0 or higher than 9.0 or having any corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazards to structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage works.
Any water or waste containing any toxic substances in quantities sufficient to interfere with the biochemical processes of the sewage treatment works or that will pass through the sewage treatment works and exceed the state or interstate requirements for the receiving stream.
Any water or waste containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
Any toxic radioactive isotopes, without special permit.
Any water or waste that contains fluoride in excess of a concentration determined by multiplying one and 1.2 parts per million by the ratio of the average flow in the receiving stream to the design flow of the sewage treatment works.
No statement contained in this article shall be construed as prohibiting any special agreement or arrangement between the Borough and any person whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be admitted into the sanitary sewers for treatment by the Borough either before or after pretreatment.
In order to control the admission of industrial wastes, the approval of the Borough must first be obtained prior to the discharge into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having:
A five-day, twenty-degree-centigrade BOD greater than 300 parts per million.
A suspended solids content greater than 350 parts per million.
A chlorine demand greater than 15 parts per million.
An average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow at the sewage treatment works.
Any toxic substance.
Any wastes which are considered by the Borough to offer possibilities of harm to structures, processes or operation of the plant.
No factory effluents or industrial wastes, comprising wastes other than domestic, shall be discharged into the sewerage system except upon compliance with the following rules, regulations and conditions:
Each industry making application for permission to discharge industrial wastes into the sanitary sewer system shall furnish all the information necessary to determine the quantity of such waste and the nature or quality of the materials therein and other characteristics of such waste. The industry shall agree in such application to bear the cost of the original and any subsequent chemical analysis and laboratory tests.
Adequate means shall be provided at each industry's connection with the sewerage system for periodic determination of all characteristics and concentrations of wastes. Samples shall be collected in such manner as to be truly representative of the actual quality of the wastes, and standard methods of analysis as published by the American Public Health Association shall be used.
Industrial waste discharged or proposed to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system shall be subject to analysis by the Borough.
Industries shall cooperate by adopting such schedules of discharge as will minimize peak concentrations when necessary.
In the event that the materials and wastes discharged or proposed to be discharged from any industry or the chemicals in or characteristics of such wastes cause or threaten injury to the sanitary sewer system or impair the sewage treatment process or unduly increase the cost of operation thereof, said industry shall produce wastes of acceptable quality before discharge thereof into the sanitary sewer system by reducing its peak discharges, by construction of equalizing tanks, by pretreatment, by partial pretreatment, by elimination of troublesome wastes or by other approved means.
Industries applying for permits to discharge industrial wastes into the sanitary sewer system from new or existing treatment facilities are required to furnish in quadruplicate complete engineering reports, plans and specifications covering connection to the sanitary sewer system, industrial wastes treatment facilities and measuring devices. This applies also to alteration and additions to such connections or treatment facilities. Reports and supporting data herein referred to must be prepared by an engineering firm registered in Pennsylvania.
Industries will not connect to the sanitary sewer system or proceed with any construction of industrial waste treatment facilities or changes to existing waste treatment facilities unless plans and specifications covering same have been approved by the Borough.
The industry shall indemnify the Borough for any damage caused by its industrial wastes to the sanitary sewer system, its function and its treatment processes. Such indemnification shall be in strict conformance with the applicable local and state laws and shall be in effect during the life of agreements between industries and the Borough.
The Borough reserves the right to cancel any agreement between any industry and the Borough after one year. However, whenever it shall be found that a service installation or industrial waste treatment facility has been made contrary to these rules and regulations and constructed and operated in any other manner than that approved by the Borough, the service shall be disconnected and removed within 30 days. The services shall not again be supplied until the service installation and industrial waste treatment facilities are constructed and operated according to these rules and regulations and all expenses and damages shall be paid by the industry or its successors.
Each industry discharging factory effluents or industrial wastes into the sanitary sewer system shall install a suitable device for continuously indicating, recording and totalizing the flow discharged by it into the sanitary sewer system and shall submit for approval by the Borough plans for complete metering installation. All meters or the measuring devices installed or required to be used, shall be under the control of the Borough. The industry by which any such measuring device is installed, at its own expense, shall be responsible for its maintenance and safekeeping, and all repairs thereto shall be made at the industry's cost, whether such repairs are made necessary by ordinary wear and tear or other causes. Bills for such repairs, if made by the Borough, shall be due and payable within 30 days after the date of issuance by the Borough.
Charges for the treatment of industrial wastes shall be made in accordance with the rates as noted on the permit when issued by the Borough.
Before any permit shall be issued by the Borough of Souderton for the connection to and use of the sanitary sewer system by any person or corporation for use other than domestic sewerage and household wastes, such person or corporation shall enter into a written agreement with the Borough of Souderton wherein the connection charge shall be fixed and the character, quantity and rate of discharge of such waste into the said sanitary sewer system from the property shall be particularly set forth.
All manufacturing plants, bleacheries, laundries, slaughterhouses and all other industrial or commercial properties which have heretofore received connection permits for the discharge of sewerage into the Borough sanitary sewer system, and which have been, or hereafter will, discharge industrial waste, shall be subject to the requirements of this article and shall be required to secure permits and execute agreements in accordance with the provisions hereof.
All connection permits for industrial or commercial waste shall be provisional in nature and conditional upon the character and quantity of the waste proposed to be discharged, and the said Borough reserves unto itself the right to refuse to permit industrial, commercial or other waste to be discharged into the sanitary sewer system if, in the opinion of the Borough Council, such industrial, commercial or other waste would be injurious to or destructive of the physical property of the sewage and disposal system, including also unusual burdens on the process of disposal.
If, after permission to connect and discharge into the Borough sanitary sewer system, in the opinion of the Borough Council, the waste should prove to be injurious to or destructive of the physical property of said system or the processes of disposal, the Borough reserves the right for the immediate refusal to permit further discharge of said industrial waste into said sanitary sewer system and to require preliminary or further treatment as is necessary before again allowing such industrial waste to be discharged into the system.
The Borough shall have the right to inspect treatment plants and require reports on the operation of such plants and analyses of effluent, from time to time, as may be deemed necessary.
Notwithstanding any of the above requirements, any industrial, manufacturing or commercial plant may discharge normal domestic sewage from the above plants into the sanitary sewer system without the issuance of a special permit as herein provided.
[Amended 8-7-1972 by Ord. No. 408; 8-6-1979 by Ord. No. 458]
In addition to the prohibition of the use of the Souderton Borough sanitary sewer system and not in limitation of any such prohibition, any person, firm or corporation violating any of the provisions of this article or any agreement entered into pursuant to this article shall, upon conviction thereof before any Magisterial District Judge, be sentenced to pay costs and a fine not exceeding $300 or to imprisonment in the county jail for a term not exceeding 30 days, or both such fine and imprisonment. Each day a violation continues shall be considered a separate violation and may be prosecuted as such.
The penalties herein fixed may be imposed in addition to the disconnection privileges wherever the same have been provided.
[Adopted 7-6-1971 by Ord. No. 400 (Ch. 77, Art. II, of the 1972 Code)]
There is hereby imposed a sewer rental or charge for the use of the Borough sanitary sewer system, sewage treatment plant and for the collection and treatment of normal domestic sewage and household waste, payable by the owners of all property served by and of the sanitary sewers of the Borough, unless otherwise provided by special agreement with the Borough.
For the purposes of this article, the following classes of sewer service are defined:
The sanitary sewer service for a single-family unit, regardless of location or number of occupants, including single-family dwellings, multiple-family dwellings and apartments. Each family accommodation shall be considered one residential unit.
The sanitary sewer service provided to any structure intended to be used wholly or in part for the purpose of carrying on a trade, business or profession or for social amusement, religious, educational, charitable or public uses. Each separate commercial accommodation shall be considered one commercial unit.
The sanitary sewer service provided to any structure intended to be used wholly or in part for the manufacturing, fabricating, storing or warehousing, processing, cleaning, laundering or assembly of any product, commodity or article. Each separate industrial accommodation shall be considered one commercial unit.
[Amended 12-7-1992 by Ord. No. 576]
All rental and charges for sewer services shall be billed quarterly on the first day of February, May, August and November of each and every year. The rental or charge shall be for the use of the sanitary sewer system during the preceding three-month period.
[Amended 4-4-1977 by Ord. No. 442; 3-3-1980 by Ord. No. 465; 3-5-1984 by Ord. No. 501; 3-4-1985 by Ord. No. 508; 3-3-1986 by Ord. No. 517; 1-5-1987 by Ord. No. 520; 12-7-1992 by Ord. No. 576; 7-5-2005 by Ord. No. 658; 9-7-2010 by Ord. No. 695]
In order to apportion sewer rentals or charges equitably among the properties served by the Borough sanitary sewer system, the sewer rental or charges shall be fixed by making a quarterly charge based upon the metered water consumed by such unit during that same period of use. The rates are hereby established as follows:
Effective November 1, 2010 billing
Metered Volume in Cubic Feet
0 to 375 (minimum bill)
376 to 25,000
$0.046 per cf
$0.048 per cf
$0.031 per cf
$0.036 per cf
Commercial-type garbage disposal units shall be charged by said agreement with the Borough.
[Amended 4-4-1977 by Ord. No. 442]
If a property supplied with sewer service is located outside the Borough limits, the property owner thereof shall, in addition to the regular sewer rates as set forth in the preceding sections, pay a semiannual charge of 30% of each bill, unless otherwise provided by special agreement with the Borough.
Where the owner, tenant or other occupier of a residential, commercial or industrial unit using or requesting to use the sanitary sewer system has a private water supply, such owner, tenant or occupier shall, at his own expense, install and maintain a sealed water meter to such private supply. The owner or user shall pay sewer rentals or charges at the same rates as established in this article. Any property owner who shall refuse to install and maintain a water meter may be denied the use of the sanitary sewer system. Any water meter installed under the provisions of this section shall be improved by the Borough.
Any property, structure, building or lot discharging industrial waste into the sanitary sewer system shall comply with all requirements and specifications called for under the present Industrial Waste Ordinance No. 386.[1]
Editor's Note: See Article I, Sewer Use, of this chapter.
The Borough Council expressly reserves the right to inspect, test, repair or replace sewer facilities and water meters, and they shall be made available to Borough employees at reasonable times.
[Amended 3-3-1980 by Ord. No. 465]
Payment on each bill for sewer rental or charges shall be received within 30 days from the date of said bill.
If payment on each bill for sewer rental or charges is not received within 30 days from the date thereof, it shall be subject to a penalty of 10%.
If a property owner fails to make payment for the sewer rental or charges and penalty made in accordance with this article, and the said bill remains due and owing for a period of 90 days or more, the Borough Secretary shall give written notice by registered mail to the said property owner that failure to make payment of the sewer rental or charge and penalty within 15 days from the date of such notice will result in the water supply being discontinued. If, at the expiration of the time mentioned in said notice, the sewer rental or charge and penalty is not paid, the Borough may discontinue and turn off the supply of water to the property for which the bill has not been paid. Once the water supply has been discontinued and turned off, it shall not be turned on until said bill has been paid in full, as well as all charges for the cost of turning off the water supply and the estimated loss of revenues resulting from such turnoff. In any case, said charges shall not be less than $5.
Notwithstanding the provisions of the preceding section, the Borough shall have the right to collect the sewer rental or charges and penalty due and owing under the provisions of this article by filing a municipal lien or any other legal action in such case made and provided.
§ 504-24 Adjustment of rentals or charges. [1]
Where any user of the Borough sanitary sewers, sewer system or sewage treatment plant establishes that the method of determining the sewer rental or charges as set forth in this article results in an inequity to said user, said user may appeal to the Borough Council for an equitable determination of the sewer rental or charges. If the Borough Council, after hearing said appeal, determines that an inequity does exist, the Borough Council may make an equitable adjustment with regard to the method of determining the sewer rental or charges, provided that the quarterly charge shall in no event be less than the minimum quarterly charge set forth in § 504-14 of this article.
No rebate or refund for any sewer rental or charge shall be allowed for any vacancy, disconnection or other reason for a portion of any six-month period.
This article is the sole ordinance establishing rents and charges for the users of the Borough sanitary sewer system. It shall not affect nor be affected by any agreement which presently exists or which may exist in the future between the Borough and any other political subdivision.
[Added 12-5-1988 by Ord. No. 536; amended 7-7-1997 by Ord. No. 604; 7-2-2001 by Ord. No. 629; 6-13-2005 by Ord. No. 656]
No person shall make a connection to the Souderton Borough sanitary sewer system or increase the number of units connected to the sewer system as of the effective date of this section without first having obtained a permit for such connection or addition and having paid therefor a connection fee. The connection fee shall not be charged for the conveyance of the property or a portion thereof so long as the number of units or the estimated flow is not changed. The connection fee is based on the Tapping Fee Calculation Tables, dated May 24, 2005, as prepared by the Borough Engineer, and the connection fee is established as follows:
Residential unit. A connection fee in the amount of $5,540 shall be assessed for each new residential unit, regardless of the location or number of occupants. Each separate dwelling, dwelling unit, apartment, condominium, or family accommodation shall be considered one residential unit for purposes of this subsection.
Commercial, industrial and institutional units. Commercial or industrial connections or additions shall pay a connection fee based upon estimated flows expressed in "gallons per day" as reviewed and determined by the Borough Engineer. The connection fee shall be assessed at the rate of $24.10 for each gallon of wastewater estimated to be discharged per day into the sanitary sewer system.
Unit flows for tapping fee calculation. The following table shall serve as a guide for the Borough Engineer to review and determine the connection fee of various commercial, industrial and institutional units:
(gpd/unit)
Bar/cocktail area
Laundry- self service
Residence/executive suites
Movie theater (no food)
Restaurant - traditional
Restaurant - 24 hour operation
Retail store (first 10,000 square feet)
Additional 10,000 to 25,000 square feet
"Big box" >25,000 square feet
Shopping center/mall complex
Light sanitary only
Day-care schools
With cafeteria or showers
School - public/private
Without cafeteria, gym or showers
With cafeteria, gym and showers