Disclaimer: The ordinances listed on this website are for the convenience of residents or other interested persons.  If there is any discrepancy in the information between this website and the original ordinances on file at the Township office, the original ordinances in the Township office take precedence.

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Ordinance #22 - SEWER USE ORDINANCE

     An Ordinance of Harford Township of the County of Susquehanna, Pennsylvania, requiring all owners of improved property to connect such improved property to the new public sewer collection system being constructed by Harford Township; regulating the manner by which such connections are made; adopting certain rules and regulations and prescribing penalties for violations.      The Harford Township Board of Supervisors, State of Pennsylvania, enacts and ordain as follows:

ARTICLE I

DEFINITIONS

1. "Biochemical oxygen demand" (BOD) shall mean the quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five (5) days c, expressed in milligrams per liter.
   


2. "Building drain" shall mean the part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage system which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the building sewer, beginning five (5) feet (1.5 meters) outside the inner face of the building wall.
   


3. "Contractor" shall mean Harford Township and/or Harford Township's duly appointed builder of the wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
   


4. "Easement" shall mean an acquired legal right for the specific use of land owned by others.
   


5. "Engineer" shall mean the Harford Township duly appointed representative responsible for the design and construction supervision of the wastewater collection and treatment facilities.
   


6. “Floatable Oil”, is oil, fat, or grease in a physical state such that it will separate by gravity from wastewater by treatment in an approved pretreatment facility. A wastewater shall be considered free of floatable fat if it is properly pretreated and the wastewater does not interfere with the collection system.
   


7. “Garbage” shall mean the animal and vegetable waste resulting from the handling, preparation, cooking, and serving of foods.
   


8. “Grinder Pump” shall mean a pumping unit and tank which shall pump sanitary sewage from a “person’s” property to the “Sanitary Sewers”.
   


9. “Industrial Wastes” shall mean the wastewater from industrial processes, trade, or business as distinct from domestic or sanitary wastes.
   


10. “Lateral” shall mean that part of the sewage system extending from the discharge of the septic tank to the main “Sanitary Sewer”.
    


11. “Low Pressure Sanitary Sewer” shall mean a sewer that carries liquid and water carried wastes from residences, commercial building, industrial plant, and institutions together with minor quantities of ground, storm and surface waters that are not admitted intentionally.
    


12. “Natural Outlet” shall mean any outlet, including storm sewers and combined sewer overflows, into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface groundwater.
    


13. “May” is permissive.
    


14. “Person” shall mean any individual, company, association, society, corporation or any other group or entity.
    


15. “pH” shall mean the logarithm of the reciprocal of the hydrogen-ion concentration. The concentration is the weight of hydrogen ions, in grams, per liter of solution. Neutral water, for example, has a pH value of 7 and a hydrogen ion concentration of 10.7.
    


16. “Properly shredded garbage” shall mean the wastes from the preparation, cooking, and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater that ½ inch (1.27 centimeters) in any dimension.
    


17. “Public Sewer” shall mean a common sewer controlled by a governmental agency of a public utility.
    


18. “Sewage” is the spent water of a community. The preferred term is wastewater.
    


19. “Shall” is mandatory.
    


20. “Slug” shall mean any discharge of water or wastewater which in concentration of any given constituent or in quantity of flow exceeds for any period of duration longer than fifteen (15) minutes more than five (5) times the average twenty four (24) hour concentration of flows during normal operation and shall adversely affect the collection system and/or performance of the wastewater treatment works.
    


21. “Storm Drain” (sometimes termed “storm sewer”) shall mean a drain or sewer for conveying water, groundwater, subsurface water, or unpolluted water from any source.
    


22. “Superintendent” shall mean the superintendent of wastewater facilities, and/or wastewater treatment work, Harford Township’s authorized deputy, agent, or representative.
    


23. “Suspended Solids” shall mean total suspended matter that either floats on the surface of, or is in suspension in, water, wastewater, or other liquids, and that is removable by laboratory filtering as prescribed in “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater”, and referred to as non-filterable residue.
    


24. “Township” shall mean Harford Township a Pennsylvania Municipality.
    


25. “Unpolluted Water” is water of quality equal to or better than the effluent criteria in effect or water that would not cause violation of receiving water quality standards and would not be beneficial by discharge to the sanitary sewers and wastewater treatment facilities provided.
    


26. “Wastewater Facilities” shall mean the structures, equipment, and processes required to collect, carry away, and treat domestic and industrial wastes and dispose of the effluent.
    


27. “Wastewater” shall mean the spent water of a community, from the standpoint of source, it may be a combination of liquid and water carried wastes from residences, commercial buildings, industrial plants, and institutions.
    


28. “Wastewater Treatment Works” shall mean an arrangement of devices and structures for treating wastewater, industrial wastes, and sludge. Sometimes used as synonymous with “waste treatment plant” or “wastewater treatment plant” or “water pollution control plant”.
    


29. “Watercourse” shall mean a natural or artificial channel for the passage of water either continuously or intermittently.

ARTICLE II

     It shall be unlawful for any person to place, deposit, or permit to be deposited in any unsanitary manner on public or private property within the township or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Township, any human or animal excrement, garbage, or objectionable waste.

    The owner(s) of all houses, buildings, or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation, or other purposes with water service, situated within the Township and abutting on any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is now located, or may in the future be located, a public sanitary sewer of the Township is hereby required to connect directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance, provided they are within 600’ of the public sanitary sewer main line.

ARTICLE III

     Where a public sanitary sewer is not available under the provisions of Article II, the building sewer shall be connected to a private wastewater disposal system complying with the provisions of this article. Before commencement of construction of private wastewater disposal system, the owner(s) shall first obtain a written permit signed by the superintendent. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the Township, which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications, and other information as are deemed necessary by the superintendent. A permit and inspection fee of $500.00 dollars shall be paid to the Township at the time the application is filed.

      A permit for a private wastewater disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the superintendent. The superintendent shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction, and, in any event, the applicant for the permit shall notify the superintendent when the work is ready for final inspection, and before any underground portions are covered. The inspection, and before made within 48 hours of the receipt of notice by the superintendent.

    The type, capacities, location, and layout of private wastewater disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the Department of Environmental Resources of the state of Pennsylvania. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any natural outlet.

      At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private wastewater disposal system, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer within sixty (60) days in compliance with this ordinance, and any septic tanks, cesspools, and similar private wastewater, disposal facilities shall be cleaned of sludge and filled with suitable materials.

      The owner(s) shall operate and maintain the private wastewater disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the Township.

      No statement contained in this article shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the health officer.

ARTICLE IV

USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS

Section 1:   No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharges any polluted waters such as storm water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, or cooling water to any sewer.

Section 2:   Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the superintendent and other regulatory agencies. Unpolluted cooling water or process waters may be discharged, on approval of the superintendent, to a storm sewer or natural outlet.

Section 3:   No person(s) shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewers:

1. Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
   


2. Any waters containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids, or gases in sufficient quantity, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, to injure or interfere with any waste treatment process that constitute a hazard to humans or animals, create a public nuisance, or create any hazard in the receiving waters of wastewater treatment plant.
   


3. Any waters or waste having a pH lower than 5.5 or having any other corrosive properly capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the wastewater works.
   


4. Solid or viscous substance in quantities or of such size capable of causing obstruction of the wastewater facilities such as, but not limited to, ashes, bones, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rages, feathers, tar plastics, wood unground garbage, whole blood, paunch manure, hair and fleshing, entrails and paper dishes, cups, milk containers, etc., either whole or ground by garbage grinders.

Section 4:   The following described substances, materials, waters, or waste shall be limited in discharges to municipal systems to concentrations or quantities which will not harm either the sewers, wastewater treatment process, or equipment, will not have an adverse effect on the receiving stream or will not otherwise endanger lives, limb, public property, or constitute a nuisance.

    The superintendent may set limitations lower than the limitations established in the regulations below if in his opinion such more severe limitations are necessary to meet the above objectives. In forming his opinion as to the acceptability, the superintendent will give consideration to such factors as the quantity of subject waste in relation to flows and velocities in the sewers, materials of construction of the sewers, the wastewater treatment process employed, capacity of the wastewater treatment plant, degree of treatability of the waste in the wastewater treatment plant, and other pertinent factors. The limitations or restrictions on materials or characteristics of waste or wastewaters discharges to the sanitary sewer which shall not be violated without approval of the Superintendent are as follows:

1. Wastewater having a temperature higher than 150 degrees farenheight (65 degrees Celsius).
   


2. Wastewater containing more than 20 milligrams per liter of petroleum oil, nonbiodegradeable cutting oils, or product of mineral oil origin.
   


3. Wastewater from industrial plants containing floatable oils, fat or grease.
   


4. Any garbage that has not been properly shredded. Garbage grinders may be connected to sanitary sewers from homes, hotels, institutions, restaurants, hospitals, catering establishments, or similar places where garbage originates from the preparation on the premises served by caterers.
   


5. Any water or wastes containing iron, chromium copper, zinc, and similar objectionable or toxic substances to such degree that any such material received in the composite wastewater at the wastewater treatment works exceeds the limits established by the superintendent for such materials.
   


6. Any waters or wastes containing odor-producing substances exceeding limits which may be established by the superintendent.
   


7. Any radioactive wastes or isotopes of such half-life or concentration as may exceed limits established by the superintendent in compliance with applicable state or federal regulations.
   


8. Quantities of flow, concentrations, or both which constitute a “slug” as defined herein.
   


9. Waters or wastes containing substances which are not amenable to treatment or reduction by the wastewater treatment processes employed or are amenable to treatment only to such effluent cannot meet the requirements of other agencies having jurisdiction over discharge to the receiving waters.
   


10. Any water or wastes which, by interaction with other water or wastes in the public sewer system, release obnoxious gases, from suspended solids which interfere with the collection system, or create a condition deleterious to structures and treatment processes.

Section 5:   If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharges to the public sewers, which waters contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in Section 4 of this Article, and which in the judgment of the superintendent, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment, or receiving waters, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the superintendent may:

1. Reject the wastes.
   


2. Required pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers.
   


3. Require control over the quantities and rates or discharge and/or,
   


4. Require payment to cover added cost of handling and treating the wastes not covered by existing taxes or sewer changes under the provisions of Section 10 of this Article.

     When considering the above alternatives, the superintendent shall give consideration to the economic impact of each alternative on the discharger. If the superintendent permits the pretreatment or equalization of waste flows, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the superintendent.

Section 6:   Grease, oil, and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the superintendent, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts, as specified in Section 4(c), or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units.
     All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the superintendent, and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors the owner(s) shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal which are subject to review by the superintendent. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by owner(s)’ personnel mush be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.

Section 7:   Where pretreatment of flow-equalizing facilities are proved or required for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner(s) at his expense.

Section 8:   When required by the superintendent, the owner of any property serviced by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable structure together with such necessary meters and other appurtenances in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the superintendent. The structure shall be installed by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.

Section 9:   The superintendent may require a user of sewer services to provide information needed to determine compliance with this ordinance. These requirements may include:

1. Wastewater discharge peak rate and volume over a specified time period.
   


2. Chemical analyses of wastewaters.
   


3. Information on raw materials, processes, and products affecting wastewater volume and quality.
   


4. Quantity and disposition of specific liquid sludge, oil, solvent, or other materials important to sewer use control.
   


5. A plot plan of sewers of the user’s property showing sewer and pretreatment facility location.
   


6. Details of wastewater pretreatment facilities.
   


7. Details of systems to prevent and control the losses of materials through spills to the municipal sewer.

Section 10:   All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of wastes and waters to which reference if made in this ordinance shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of “Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater”, published by the American Public Health Association. Sampling methods, location, times, durations, and frequencies are to be determined on an individual basis subject to approval by the superintendent.

Section 11:   No statement contained in this article shall be constructed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the Township and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the Township for treatment.

ARTICLE V

BUILDING SEWER CONNECTIONS,
INSTALLATION OF GRINDER PUMPS
AND LATERAL CONNECTIONS
TO THE LOWER PRESSURE SANITARY SEWERS

     Harford Township shall be responsible for the entire construction and installation of all grinder pumps and appurtenances, laterals, low pressure sanitary sewers and the wastewater treatment facilities, including all necessary installations on private and public property. 1. Each homeowner shall be responsible for their individual hookup to the grinder pump provided the homeowner has granted an easement for construction.

      If the homeowner does not grant an easement for construction, he/she is still required to connect to the sewer system. The Township will provide the grinder pump, and lateral pipe, the homeowner will be required to grant an easement for inspection, operation, and maintenance of the lateral and grinder pump. The homeowner must notify the Township 24 hours before the lateral pipe and grinder pump is to be backfilled so that an inspection can be made. If no Township inspector is present to certify that the construction methods meet Township specifications, the Township may make the homeowner re-excavate the installation for inspection.

      After project completion, Harford Township shall be responsible for the entire construction and installation of all new grinder pumps and appurtenances, laterals, and low pressure sanitary sewers.

Section 1:   No unauthorized person(s) shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb, any public sewer or appurtenance thereof, without first obtaining permission from the superintendent and/or engineer.

Section 2:   All costs and expenses incidental to the installation of the grinder tank and lateral connection to the main sanitary pumps and laterals shall be borne by Harford Township. The owner(s) shall indemnify the Township from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of grinder pump and lateral connection to the low pressure sanitary sewer.

Section 3:   A separate and independent grinder pump and lateral sewer shall be provided for each building; but, the Township does not and will not assume any obligation or responsibility for damage caused by or resulting from any such single connection aforementioned.

Section 4:   Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the superintendent and/or engineer to meet all requirements of this ordinance.

     Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to the building sewer elevation below the basement floor or meet existing building sewer elevation. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building shall be listed by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.

     No person(s) shall make connection of roof downspouts, foundation drains, areaway drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.

     The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the Township, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the ASTM and the WPCF Manual of Practice No..9. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight and verified by proper testing. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the superintendent before installation.

     The connection and testing shall be made under the supervision of the superintendent or his representative.

     All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways, and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the Township.

ARTICLE VI

POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS

Section 1:   No person(s) shall maliciously, willingly, or negligently break, damage, destroy, deface, or tamper with any structures appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the wastewater facilities. Any person(s) violating this provision shall be subject to the appropriate criminal charge.

ARTICLE VII

POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS

Section 1:   The superintendent and/or engineer and other duly authorized employees of the Township bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all properties for purpose of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling, and testing pertinent to discharge to the community system in accordance with the provision of this ordinance.

Section 2:   The superintendent and/or engineer or other duly authorized employees are authorized to obtain information concerning industrial processes which have a direct bearing on the kind and source of discharge to the wastewater collection system. The industry may withhold information considered confidential. The industry must establish that the revelation to the public of the information in question might result in an advantage to competitors.

Section 3:   While performing the necessary work on private properties referred to in Article VII, Section 1, above, the superintendent or duly authorized employees of the Township shall observe all safety rules applicable to the premises established by the company, and the company shall be held harmless for injury or death to the Township employees, and the Township shall indemnify the company against loss or damage to its property by Township employees and against liability claims and demands for personal injury or property damage asserted against the company and growing out of the gauging and sampling operations, except as such may be caused by negligence or failure of the company to maintain safe conditions as required in Article V, Section 8.

Section 4:   The superintendent and/or engineer and other duly authorized employees of the Township bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter all private properties through which the Township holds an easement for the purposes, but not limited to, inspection, observation, measurements, sampling, repair, and maintenance of any portion of the wastewater facilities lying within said easement. All entry and subsequent work, if any, on said easement, shall be done in full accordance with the terms of the easement pertaining to the private property involved.

ARTICLE VIII

PENALTIES

Section 1:   Any person found to be violating any provision of this ordinance except Article VI shall be served by the Township with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in such notice, permanently cease all violations.

Section 2:   Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Article VIII, Section 1, shall be guilty of a misdemeanor, and on conviction thereof shall be fined in the amount not exceeding $100.00 for each violation. Each day in which any such violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate offense.

Section 3:   Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall become liable to the Township for any expenses, loss, or damage occasioned the Township by reason of such violations.

ARTICLE IX

VALIDITY

Section 1:   All ordinances or parts of ordinance in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.

Section 2:   The invalidity of any section, clause, sentences, or provision of this ordinance shall not affect the validity of any other part of this ordinance which can be given effect without such invalid part or parts.

ARTICLE X

ORDINANCE IN FORCE

SECTION 1:   This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, approval, recording, and publication as provided by law.

RESOLUTION DULY ENACTED this 29th day of July, 1993 by the Board of Supervisors of the Township of Harford, Susquehanna County, Pennsylvania, in lawful session duly assembled.

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Harford is a rural township in Susquehanna County, located in the heart of northeast Pennsylvania's Endless Mountains.

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