This article shall be known as the "Sewer Use
Ordinance." The rules and regulations herein ordained, wherever applicable,
shall be taken to be and considered a part of the contract with every
person using the sanitary sewer system of the Borough who shall be
bound by the definitions, terms and conditions set forth in this chapter
and any supplements and amendments hereto.
As used in this article, the following terms
shall have the meaning indicated:
That part of the lowest 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
three feet outside the building wall.
That part of the drainage system which extends from the end
of the building drain and conveys its discharge to a public sewer,
private sewer, individual sewage-disposal system, or other point of
disposal.
The Water and Sewer Department of the Borough.
The waterborne wastes derived from ordinary living processes.
Any person actually owning any property or premises, which
is or can be prospectively supplied with water, or the owner's duly
authorized agent.
A dwelling, single or multifamily, or a building occupied
for industry, business or other purposes by one or more persons, together
with the land appurtenant thereto and such outbuildings as are used
in connection therewith or any part of a building with the land appurtenant
thereto when sold as a separate unit.
Common sewer directly controlled by a public authority.
A sewer which carries sewage and excludes storm, surface
and groundwater.
Any liquid waste containing animal or vegetable matter in
suspension or solution, and may include liquids containing chemicals
in solution.
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
A pipe which conveys sewage containing human or animal waste
to the building drain or building sewer.
Liquid waste and industrial waste.
A pipe which conveys only waste.
The building drain of any premises in which
plumbing fixtures are installed shall be connected to a public sewer
system if available. A public sewer system shall be deemed available
to a premises if a property line of such premises is within 200 feet.
All connections must be watertight.
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any
connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public
sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit
from the Borough Construction Official in addition to a street opening
permit where applicable.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1368]
A.
All costs and expense incident to the installation
and connection of the building sewer to the public sewer system shall
be borne by the property owner. The property owner shall indemnify
the Borough for any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly
be caused by the installation and connection of the building sewer.
B.
The property owner is responsible for all maintenance
and repair of, or removal of any blockage within, the sewer line between
the building and the public sewer system.
C.
When a new building is connected to the public sewer,
any abandoned building sewer connected to the public sewer must be
plugged at the public sewer connection.
Not more than one building shall be connected
with the sewer through a single connection.
The size, slope alignment, materials of construction
of a building sewer, and the methods to be used in excavating, placing
of the pipe, jointing, testing, and backfilling the trench, shall
conform to the requirements of the Uniform Construction Code and any
subcodes thereof, or other applicable rules and regulations of the
Borough.
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall
be brought to the building at an elevation below the first floor.
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 drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged
to the building sewer.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1368; Ord. No. 1665]
No roof drainage, sump pumps, cellar drainage,
industrial process water, surface water, waste from hydrants or groundwater
from underwater drainage fields shall be permitted to discharge into
the sewer system. No cesspool or septic tank shall be allowed to discharge
into the sewer system. All rain leaders must discharge above ground.
Except as herein provided, no person shall discharge
or cause or allow to be discharged any of the following described
waters or wastes to or in any public sewer:
A.
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than
150° F.
B.
Oils, fats or grease except as may result from household
use. The owners of any installation, except private dwellings, from
which oils, fat and grease are liable to be discharged into the sanitary
sewer shall, at their own expense, install and properly maintain a
grease trap of a type approved by the Department.
C.
Any gasoline, motor oil, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil
or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
D.
Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal,
glass, rags, feathers, tar, wood or other solid or viscous substance
capable of causing obstructions to the flow in sewers or other interference
with the proper operation of the sewage treatment plant.
E.
Any water or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or
higher than 8.5 or having other corrosive property capable of causing
damage or hazard to structures or equipment and personnel of the sewage
works.
F.
Any waters or waste containing a toxic or poisonous
substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage
treatment process or constitute a hazard in the receiving waters of
the plant.
G.
Any waters or waste containing suspended solids of
such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required
to handle such material at the sewage treatment plant.
H.
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable
of creating a public nuisance.
I.
Any waste, liquid, solid or other substance, the discharge
of which is prohibited by the Middlesex County Utilities Authority
or which will not be accepted by the Middlesex County Utilities Authority.
A.
The amount of rental fee or charge to be paid by the owner of any
premises or lot within the Borough for the use of the sanitary sewers
shall be determined by the amount of water consumed in said premises
or lot. If the premises or lot has a separate lawn meter, then the
water measured by the lawn meter shall not be utilized in determining
the amount of water consumption for purposes of this section.
[Amended 2-2-2016 by Ord.
No. 16-1900]
B.
For any premises or lot not using the sanitary sewer system of the Borough, but the system of an adjoining municipality, the rental fee or charge to be paid by the owner shall be determined by § 328-38A.
C.
For any premises in the Borough which does not pay
water rental to the Borough by reason of the fact that it obtains
its water from private supply, the Superintendent of the Department
shall, at the expense of the owner of the premises, cause to be installed
at the intake of the water supply of the premises a meter for the
purpose of measuring the amount of water used therein, which amount
shall constitute the measure of the sewage flow from the premises
for use of which a rental fee or charge is payable.
Any owner of any premises in the Borough discharging
sewage into the sanitary sewers of the Borough, either directly or
indirectly, in which premises water is so utilized in manufacturing,
industrial or process cooling or other processes, that some of it
after use is not discharged into the Borough sewage system, either
directly or indirectly, may apply to the Superintendent of the Department
to have the water entering the premises and not discharged into the
sewage system, deducted from the aggregate water consumption on which
the sewer rental charge is determined. In the event of such application
by the owner of the premises, the Superintendent of the Department
may permit such owner to install a separate meter, under conditions
satisfactory to the Superintendent, to measure the water entering
the premises but not discharged into the sewage system. The amount
as so determined shall not be included in the water consumption to
which the sewer service charge or rental fee as herein provided shall
be applied.
[Amended by Ord. No. 1193; Ord. No. 1232; Ord. No. 1276; Ord. No. 1334; Ord. No. 1403; Ord. No. 1439; Ord. No. 1460; Ord. No. 1487; Ord. No. 1528; Ord. No. 1568; Ord. No. 1628; 5-2-2006 by Ord. No. 1683]
A.
Sewer rental shall be paid quarterly for the use of the sanitary
sewers connected to any premises or lot in the Borough of Highland
Park, in accordance with the following rates and classifications:
[Amended 2-17-2009 by Ord. No. 09-1754; 5-15-2018 by Ord. No. 18-1960]
(1)
Residential users. Residential users shall include all single family
and multifamily domestic dwellings. For each 1,000 cubic feet of water
consumed therein during the billing period, the rate shall be as listed
below, consisting of the amounts necessary to cover the Middlesex
County Utilities Authority (MCUA) operation and maintenance costs,
MCUA debt service costs and the costs of maintenance, repair, replacement
and operation of the sanitary sewer system of the Borough of Highland
Park.
(2)
Commercial users. Commercial users shall include all nondomestic
users discharging less than 25,000 gallons per day of equivalent waste.
For each 1,000 cubic feet of water consumed during the billing period,
the rate shall be as listed below, consisting of the amounts necessary
to cover the Middlesex County Utilities Authority (MCUA) operation
and maintenance costs, MCUA debt service costs and the cost of maintenance,
repair, replacement and operation of the sanitary system of the Borough
of Highland Park.
(3)
Industrial users.
(a)
Industrial users shall include all non-domestic users discharging
the equivalent of 25,000 gallons or more of waste water per day. Such
users shall be required to sample at least monthly for the characteristics
of the discharge (B.O.D. and S.S.). For each 1,000 cubic feet of water
consumed during the billing period, the rate shall be as listed below,
consisting of the amounts necessary to cover the Middlesex County
Utilities Authority (MCUA) operation and maintenance costs, MCUA debt
service costs and the costs of maintenance, repair, replacement and
operation of the sanitary sewer system of the Borough of Highland
Park.
(b)
If the B.O.D. as measured exceeds 200 mg per liter, there shall
be an excess charge of $0.035 for each pound of B.O.D. in excess of
200mg per liter as determined from the sampling. If the S.S. as measured
exceeds 240mg per liter there shall be an excess charge of $0.025
for each pound of S.S. in excess of 240mg per liter as determined
from the sampling.
(4)
Rates. The rate charged for all sewer rentals for each consumer shall
be as follows:
[Amended 12-18-2018 by Ord. No. 18-1979; 12-17-2019 by Ord. No. 19-1993; 10-19-2022 by Ord. No. 22-2060]
|
Amount
(cubic feet)
|
Rate
|
|---|---|
|
0 to 799
|
$35.64 flat charge
|
|
800 to 999
|
$45.80 flat charge
|
|
1,000 to 3,499
|
$55.42 per 1,000 cubic feet
|
|
3,500 and up
|
$59.29 per 1,000 cubic feet
|
B.
For those houses, tenements, buildings, factories or lots not using the sanitary sewer system of the Borough, but the system of an adjoining municipality, the rental shall be at the same rate prescribed in Subsection A of this section above subject to a valid agreement with the adjoining municipality pursuant to N.J.S.A. 40:63-68.
C.
Any flows or strengths which are not chargeable to
a particular user shall be charged to all users proportionately on
the basis of flow.
[Added 9-8-2009 by Ord. No. 09-1769]
In addition to all other charges and fees prescribed in this
subsection, a fee of $1,600 shall be charged for a sewer connection.
A.
Each user shall be notified, at least annually, as
an enclosure to a regular bill, of the rate and charges for wastewater
treatment representing operation and maintenance costs of the Middlesex
County Utilities Authority.
