[Adopted 10-5-1964 by Ord. No. 271, approved 10-6-1964; amended in
its entirety 5-7-1974 by Ord. No. 398, approved 5-7-1974 (Ch. 124, Art.
II, of the 1975 Code)]
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meanings indicated:[1]
The Borough of Bridgeport, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
The group of elected officials acting as the governing body
of the Borough.
Any structure or any portion thereof 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, and which contains plumbing connected to or intended
to be connected to a public sewer. Hotels, motels and boardinghouses
or rooming houses shall be included in this definition.
Any structure intended to be used wholly or in part for the
manufacturing, fabricating, processing, cleaning, laundering or assembly
of any product, commodity or article.
Any solid, liquid or gaseous substance or waterborne wastes
or form of energy rejected or escaping from any industrial, manufacturing,
trade or business process or from the development, recovery or processing
of natural resources, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation
or group.
Each room, group of rooms or enclosure, whether or not in
the same building or structure, connected directly or indirectly to
the sewer system and occupied by a family, by a group of persons living
together or by a person living alone.
The normal water-carried household and toilet wastes from
residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments.
All temporary and permanent facilities at any time and from
time to time owned by the Authority or leased to and operated by the
Borough and used or usable for or in connection with the collection,
treatment and disposal of sanitary sewage.
Keystone Water Company, formerly Norristown Water Company,
its successors and assigns.
There is hereby imposed upon each property served
by the sewer system and having the use thereof a quarterly sewer rent
or charge, payable as hereinafter provided, for the use, whether direct
or indirect, of the sewer system, based on the schedules of classifications
and rates or charges hereinafter set forth.
A.
All persons owning property connecting to the sewer
system and served with metered water service shall pay sewer rental
for sanitary sewage services based on the quantity of water used,
ascertained and evidenced by the meter readings of water meters installed
and maintained by the water supplier for the purpose of measuring
water purchased from the water supplier and such other meters as may
be installed pursuant to any provisions of this article, and subject
to the minimum charges as set forth in the current fee resolution.[1]
[Amended 8-12-1975 by Ord. No. 419, approved 8-15-1975; 9-9-1980 by Ord. No.
458, approved 9-9-1980; 12-11-1984 by Ord. No. 481, approved 12-11-1984; 1-12-1988 by Ord. No.
502, approved 1-12-1988; 12-13-1988 by Ord. No. 505, approved 12-13-1988]
[1]
Editor's Note: The current fee resolution
is on file in the office of the Borough Secretary and may be inspected
during regular business hours.
B.
Rates for combined units.
(1)
In the case of a combination of two or more private
dwelling or living units having the use of the sewer system and supplied
with water through one water connection, each and every such private
dwelling or living unit shall be charged the foregoing minimum charge
the same as if each such unit had a direct and separate water connection.
The charges in excess of such minimum shall be determined by dividing
the total of water consumed, as shown by the meter readings, by the
number of units using such single water connection and applying the
above rate schedules to the quantity so determined.
(2)
In the case of a combination of two or more private dwelling or living units in combination with one or more commercial or industrial establishments having the use of the sewer system and supplied with water through one water connection, each and every such commercial and industrial establishment shall be charged in accordance with the schedule appearing in § 442-10C, and each dwelling unit shall be charged in accordance with § 442-10A.
C.
Special facilities and equipment service charges.
A quarterly service charge on all commercial, industrial and municipal
services shall be levied in accordance with the following schedule.
All applicable sewer rent charges provided under this article shall
be payable as well as special charges provided hereunder:
(1)
Commercial premises: $15 per service.
(2)
Industrial premises: $20 per service.
(3)
Municipal premises: $15 per service.
(4)
Specific equipment:
(a)
Launderette: $2.50.
(b)
Apartment house laundry room: $5 per washing
machine.
(c)
Domestic or kitchen food grinders: $4 per grinder.
(d)
Commercial food waste grinders: $10 per grinder.
(e)
Garages, filling stations, gas stations, and
car-washing facilities with grease or oil traps: $5 per trap.
(f)
Individual car wash: $5 per drain used for car
wash.
(g)
Commercial car wash: $15 per car-wash shed.
A.
Each industry or commercial establishment shall be
subject to a surcharge on the wastewater discharge whenever such waste
is in excess of the strength of sanitary sewage as measured by biochemical
oxygen demand (BOD), suspended solids (SS) or chlorine demand (Chl.D).
B.
The strength of waste to be used for surcharge computation applicable to each industry or commercial establishment shall be determined in a manner acceptable to the Borough Council and may be adjusted annually. The equivalent volume adjusted for strength shall be determined in accordance with procedures set forth in Article III of this chapter, as amended. The equivalent volume so determined shall be the basis for computing the flow base charges applicable under § 442-10.
A.
Methods of measuring volume:
(1)
Whenever a person purchasing all water used from the
water supplier discharges sanitary sewage into the sewer system, the
volume of water consumed, as determined from meter readings of the
water supplier, shall be used in computing the sewer rental.
(2)
In cases where private dwelling or living units or
commercial or industrial establishments have sources of water supply
in addition to or other than the water supplier, those private dwelling
or living units or commercial or industrial establishments may provide
a meter on such additional or other source supply. The total amount
of water consumed, as shown by these meter readings, will be used
in computing the sewer rental.
(3)
In cases where private dwelling or living units or
commercial or industrial establishments use water from the water supplier
and/or from an independent supply for industrial or recreational purposes,
such that the water so used is not discharged entirely into the sewer
system, the quantity of water used to determine the sewer rental shall
be computed by one of the following methods:
(a)
Method No. 1. By placing a meter or measuring
device on the sewer connection. The readings from this meter or measuring
device shall be used in computing the sewer rental.
(b)
Method No. 2. By placing a meter or measuring
device on the effluent not discharging into the sewer system. The
readings from this meter or measuring device will then be deducted
from the total water meter readings, and the remainder will be used
in computing the sewer rental.
B.
Determination of volume by Borough Council: When, in the opinion of the Borough, it is not practical to install meters or measuring devices to determine the sewer rental under either Subsection A(2) or (3), above, the Borough may determine, in such manner and by such method as it may prescribe, the total amount of wastewater discharged into the sewer system and the quantity so determined to be discharged shall be used to determine sewer rental. Any dispute as to the estimated quantity shall be submitted to the Borough Council after notice of the estimate to the property owner. The decision of the Council on the matter shall be final for the current year.
C.
Measuring devices: All meters and other measuring
devices not provided by the water supplier, but which may be used
under the provisions of this chapter, shall be furnished and installed
by the property owner and shall be under the control of the Council
and may be tested, inspected or repaired by Borough employees whenever
the Council deems it necessary. The owner of the property upon which
a measuring device is installed shall be responsible for its maintenance
and safekeeping, and all repairs thereto shall be made at the property
owner's expense, 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 at the same time and collected
in the same manner as are bills for sewer services. Such bills from
and after their due date shall constitute a lien upon the property
upon which such measuring device is installed.
D.
Meter reading: The Council shall have the right to
read all meters or measuring devices, and they shall be available
to Borough employees for meter readings at any reasonable time.
Industrial waste may be discharged into the
sewer system only with the written consent of, and pursuant to written
agreement with, the Borough and provided that rules and regulations,
which may from time to time be adopted by the Borough and prescribed
for the pretreatment of industrial waste, are fully complied with
to the satisfaction of the Borough.
No person shall discharge into the sewer system
any roof water, surface or underground drainage water, stormwater
or any exhaust steam or any oils, tar, grease, gas, benzene or other
combustible gases or liquids or any garbage (unless treated in an
approved manner), offal, insoluble solids or other dangerous or harmful
substances which would adversely affect the functioning of the sewer
system or the processes of sewage treatment.
All sewer rentals imposed under this article
will be billed for past sewer service. All sewer rentals will start
on January 1, 1965, with the first billing by bills dated and payable
on April 1, 1965. All subsequent bills will be dated quarter-annually
and will be due and payable on their respective dates.
A.
The charges for sewer service shall be subject to
a five-percent penalty if not paid within 30 days after they are due.
If not paid within 60 days after becoming due, the bill plus penalty
shall be at interest from the due date at the rate of 1/2% per month
or fraction thereof until paid, and the Borough shall have the right
to cut off sewer service until the delinquent bills against the same
and the cost of cutting off and restoring service shall have been
paid.
[Amended 8-12-1975 by Ord. No. 419, approved
8-15-1975]
B.
All persons connected to the sewer system must give
the Borough their correct addresses. Failure to receive bills will
not be considered an excuse for nonpayment, nor will it permit an
extension of the period during which bills are payable at face.
C.
Payments made, as evidenced by the United States postal
service postmark, on or previous to the end of the period during which
the bills are payable at face will be deemed to be a payment within
such period.
D.
All sewer rentals, together with all penalties thereon,
not paid on or before the end of six months from the date of each
bill shall be deemed to be delinquent. All delinquent sewer rentals
and all penalties thereon shall be a lien on the property served and
shall be entered as a lien against such property in the Office of
the Prothonotary of Montgomery County and shall be collected in the
manner provided by law for the filing and collection of such liens.
[Amended 8-12-1975 by Ord. No. 419, approved
8-15-1975]
The funds received by the Borough from the collection
of sewer rentals and charges and all penalties and interest thereon,
as herein provided for, shall be segregated and kept separate and
apart from all other funds of the Borough, and shall be used only
for the purpose of defraying the expenses of the Borough in the operation,
maintenance, repair, alteration, inspection, depreciation or other
expenses in relation to such sewer system and for such payments as
the Borough may be required to make under any lease or agreement it
may enter into in connection with, or the financing of, the sewer
system, in accordance with the provisions of the Act of May 2, 1945,
P.L. 382, as amended.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Said Act was repealed 6-19-2002
by P.L. 287, No. 22. See now 53 Pa.C.S.A. § 5601 et seq.,
for disposition of its subject matter.
The Borough reserves the right to and may from
time to time adopt, revise, amend and readopt such rules and regulations
as it deems necessary and proper for the use and operation of the
sewer system, and all such rules and regulations shall be and become
a part of this article.
