[Added 12-1-1986 by L.L. No. 1-1986]
A.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections,
disconnections or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer,
storm sewer, building sewer or appurtenance thereof without first
obtaining a written permit from the City Engineer.
B.
In all cases the owners or their agents must make
application on a special form furnished by the City Engineer. A permit
application shall be supplemented by any plans or specifications or
other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the City
Engineer.
[Amended 10-21-1991 by L.L. No. 6-1991; 7-6-2009 by L.L. No. 5-2009; 8-15-2016 by L.L. No. 2-2016]
Each application for a permit shall be accompanied
by a check or other form of payment acceptable to the City of Watertown,
in the amount as established at least annually by the Watertown City
Council through a budget resolution that adopts a City Fees and Charges
Schedule. Said schedule shall be available to the public at the office
of the Watertown City Clerk.
All costs and expenses incident to the installation,
connection, disconnection, repairs or renewals of building sewers
shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify and save harmless
the City of Watertown from any damage that may, directly or indirectly,
be occasioned by the installation, connection, disconnection, repair
or renewal of any sewer connection.
A.
A separate and independent sanitary building sewer
shall be provided for every building. Only sanitary and/or industrial
sewage lines shall be connected to this sanitary building sewer.
B.
A separate and independent storm building sewer shall
be provided for every building. Any stormwater, surface water, groundwater,
roof runoff, subsurface drainage water, footing drain water, under-the-floor
drain water or other unpolluted waters shall discharge into the storm
building sewer. The independent storm building sewer shall be connected
to either an adequate dry well or a public sewer as determined by
the City Engineer.
A.
All building sewers from buildings that are demolished
shall be excavated and plugged at the street margin, unless otherwise
directed by the City Engineer, and shall be inspected by the City
Engineer and the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector before it is covered.
B.
Old building sewers may be reconnected for use in
connection with new buildings only when they are found on examination
and test by the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector to meet with all requirements
of this Article. When old building sewers are used, they shall be
considered as a new connection, and the required permit shall be obtained
and the specified permit and connection fees shall be paid.
A.
The sanitary building sewers shall be standard strength
cast-iron soil pipe or polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sewer pipe in accordance
with ASTM Specification D3034-SDR35. Stronger pipe classifications
shall be used where so ordered by the City Engineer.
B.
The storm building sewers shall be of extra strength
concrete pipe, ASTM Specification C14-59, or PVC plastic sewer pipe
in accordance with ASTM Specification D3034-SDR35.
C.
Vitrified clay sewer pipe and asbestos cement house
connection pipe shall not be used for any building sewers, except
for minor repairs on existing vitrified clay lines and then only with
special approval by the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector.
D.
All pipe joints shall be tight and waterproof, and
all sanitary building sewers shall be located in a separate trench
at least 10 feet from the nearest water service. In cases where the
sanitary building sewers must be laid at a distance less than 10 feet
from a water service pipe, approval must be obtained from the Plumbing
and Sanitary Inspector, and the building sewers shall be constructed
of cast-iron with mechanical joints.
E.
If any building sewers are installed on fill or unstable
ground, the pipe shall be laid on a suitable concrete bed or cradle,
as approved by the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector.
F.
All cast-iron building sewer pipe shall have a maximum
length of five feet between joints.
A.
The size and slope of the building sewers shall be
subject to the approval of the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector, but
in no case shall the diameter be less than four inches. The slope
of such four-inch pipe shall be at least one-fourth (1/4) inch per
foot unless special approval is obtained from the Plumbing and Sanitary
Inspector.
B.
Whenever possible, the building sewers shall be brought
to the building at an elevation below the basement floor. No building
sewer shall be laid parallel to or within three feet of any bearing
wall which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient
to afford protection from frost. The building sewers shall be laid
at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible. Changes
in direction shall be made only with properly curved pipe and fittings.
C.
Buildings in which any drain is too low to permit
gravity flow.
(1)
In all buildings in which any sanitary building drain
is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, the sanitary
sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial
means and discharged to the sanitary building sewer.
(2)
In all buildings in which any storm building drain
is too low to permit gravity flow, the stormwater carried by such
drain shall be lifted by a separate pumping system and discharged
to the separate and independent storm building sewer.
D.
All excavations required for the installation of building
sewers shall be open trench work unless otherwise approved by the
Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector. Pipelaying and backfill shall be
performed in accordance with appropriate specifications for the type
of piping that is being used, except that no backfill shall be placed
until the work has been inspected by the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector.
E.
Joints.
(1)
All joints and connections shall be made gastight
and watertight.
(2)
Cast-iron pipe joints shall be either mechanical joint
or of the push-on rubber gasket-type joint. Lead or other hot-poured
joints shall not be allowed except in special cases where necessary
to adapt to existing pipe. In such instances, prior approval of the
Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector must be obtained.
(3)
PVC pipe joints shall be of the elastomeric gasket-type
with integral bell and gasket as specified by the pipe manufacturer
for this service. Solvent cement joints may be used for special applications,
but prior approval of the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector must be
obtained.
(4)
All connections between pipes of unlike materials
shall be made by the use of special manufactured adapters as approved
by the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector.
A.
The connection of the building sewer into an existing
public sewer shall be made at the street margin if possible. If lateral
connections have not previously been provided to the margin, building
sewers will be constructed from the existing public sewers to the
street margin by the Department of Public Works, upon submittal of
a proper request by the property owner. The method of connection of
the laterals to the public sewer will depend upon the type of sewer
materials used, and in all cases, shall be approved by the City Engineer.
B.
The cost of connecting all building sewers from the
public sewers to the street margin shall be at the property owner's
expense and shall be constructed by the City unless decided otherwise
by the Superintendent.
C.
The cost of constructing the building sewers from
the street margin across private property to the point of termination
shall be at the property owner's expense by either private contract
or by the City. The City shall not be required to do such construction
as it will depend upon the availability of City forces. The final
decision shall be at the discretion of the Superintendent.
A.
The applicant for the building sewer permits shall
notify the City Engineer and the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector when
the building sewers are ready for inspection and connection to the
public sewers. The connection shall be made under the supervision
of the Plumbing and Sanitary Inspector or his representative.
B.
When trenches are open for the laying of sewer lateral
pipes, such trenches shall be inspected by the Plumbing and Sanitary
Inspector and the City Engineer before the trenches are filled. The
person performing such work shall notify both inspectors when the
laying of the pipe is completed. The filling of a trench before inspection
is made will subject the owner to whom the permit is issued to a penalty
of $25 for each offense and the person performing the work to a penalty
of $500 for each offense.
In the case of a violation of any of the rules
and regulations of this Article by a plumber, his journeyman plumber
or other persons in his employ, the plumber's license shall be suspended
or revoked by the Examining Board of Plumbers of the City for a period
of no less than one year.
All excavations for building sewer installations
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 City.
