[Adopted 12-2-1991 by Ord. No. 8-91]
Those rules and regulations are established to:
A. 
Require the use of public sewers.
B. 
Prohibit the discharge of sewage and waste into the sewerage system in excess of its carrying capacity.
C. 
Prohibit or regulate the discharge of sewage, industrial wastes or other wastes which may cause maintenance and/or operating difficulties of the sewers or other structures and equipment appurtenant to the sewerage system.
D. 
Require the treatment before introduction to the sewerage system of such wastes as may otherwise impair the strength and/or durability of structures appurtenant to the system by direct or indirect chemical action or which may adversely affect normal treatment processes at sewage treatment plants.
E. 
Establish the characteristics of the sewage and industrial wastes that are prohibited from discharge into the public sewers.
F. 
Establish the design standards, materials and methods of construction for connecting to the public sewer.
G. 
Establish the fees for permit application and connection to the public sewer.
A. 
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meanings of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
BIOCHEMICAL OXYGEN DEMAND
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidization of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20° C., expressed in parts per million by weight.
BOROUGH
The Borough of Riverdale, New Jersey.
BUILDING DRAIN
That 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 feet outside of the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the building sewer lateral or other place of disposal.
BUILDING SEWER LATERAL
That part of the sewer system extending between the public sewer and the curbline.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
GREASE INTERCEPTOR
A receptacle designed to collect and retain grease and fatty substances normally found in kitchen or similar wastes. It is installed in the drainage system between the kitchen or other point of production of the waste and the building sewer.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The liquid wastes from industrial processes as distinct from sanitary sewage.
INTERCEPTOR
A receptacle designed and constructed to intercept or separate and prevent the passage of oil, grease, sand or similar materials into the drainage system to which it is directly or indirectly connected.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface water or groundwater.
PERSON
Any individual, firm, company, association, society, corporation or group.
pH
The logarithm of the reciprocal of the weight of hydrogen ions in grams per liter of solution.
PLUMBING INSPECTOR
A person licensed and authorized to inspect plumbing pursuant to the provisions of N.J.S.A. 26:1A-38 to 26:1A-44 and N.J.S.A. 26:3-20 and in the employment of the Riverdale Board of Health.
PRBRSA
Pequannock River Basin Regional Sewerage Authority.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
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 than 1/2 inch in any dimension.
PUBLIC SEWER
A sewer in which all owners of abutting properties have equal rights and which is controlled by a public authority.
SAND INTERCEPTOR
An interceptor designed primarily for sand.
SANITARY SEWAGE (domestic or home sewage)
Wash water, water-carried animal waste, culinary wastes and liquid waste containing human excreta and other matter, flowing in or from a building drainage system or sewer originating in a dwelling, business building, factory or institution.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which stormwaters, surface waters and groundwaters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such groundwaters, surface waters and stormwaters as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
SEWERAGE SYSTEM
A system of sewers and appurtenances for the collection, transportation and pumping of sewage and industrial wastes.
SEWER ENGINEER
A registered professional engineer licensed in the State of New Jersey and employed by the Borough of Riverdale.
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN
A sewer which carries stormwaters and surface waters and drainage but excludes sewage and polluted industrial wastes.
SUSPENDED SOLIDS
Solids that either float on the surface of or are in suspension in water, sewage or other liquids and which are removable by laboratory filtering.
TBA
Pequannock, Lincoln Park and Fairfield Sewerage Authority.
WATERCOURSE
A channel in which a flow of water occurs, either continuously or intermittently.
B. 
Shall is mandatory; may is permissive.
A. 
It shall be unlawful for any person to place or deposit in an unsanitary manner upon public or private property within the Borough of Riverdale or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Borough any human or animal excrement, garbage or other objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the Borough of Riverdale or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Borough any sanitary sewage, industrial wastes or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article or in accordance with the Sanitary Code of the Riverdale Board of Health.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 176, Sanitary Standards.
A. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any stormwater, surface water, groundwater, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling water or unpolluted industrial process waters to any sanitary sewer.
B. 
Stormwater and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as storm drains or storm sewers or to a natural outlet. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the Sewer Engineer, to a storm drain or natural outlet.
C. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged to any public sewer:
(1) 
Gasoline, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil, lubricating oils and greases, flammable or explosive liquids, solids or gases, paint and lacquers.
(2) 
Improperly shredded garbage.
(3) 
Abrasives, ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood or paunch manure.
(4) 
Solid or viscous substances which are capable of causing obstructions in sewers or interference with the proper functioning of the treatment processes.
(5) 
Wastes containing viable pathogenic bacteria other than those normal to domestic sewage.
(6) 
All wastes containing corrosive matters or toxic or poisonous substances in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with the sewage treatment process or create any hazard to sewers, structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage treatment works.
(7) 
Any noxious or malodorous solids, liquids or gases, which either singly or by interaction with other substances are capable of creating a public nuisance and hazard to life or preventing entry into sewers for their maintenance and repair.
(8) 
Any radioactive isotopes, without obtaining a special permit from the Borough.
(9) 
All waters, wastes or deleterious substances which shall be excluded from discharge to intercepting or trunk sewers of the PRBRSA as defined by existing or future regulations of the PRBRSA and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the PRBRSA and as defined by existing or future regulations of the TBA and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the TBA.
D. 
Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:
(1) 
Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than 150° F.
(2) 
Any water, or wastes which may contain more than 100 parts per million, by weight, of fat, oil or grease.
(3) 
Any water or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.5 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
(4) 
Any water or wastes having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 350 parts per million by weight.
(5) 
Any water or wastes containing more than 350 parts per million, by weight, of suspended solids.
(6) 
Any waters, wastes or deleterious substances which require pretreatment or dilution before introduction to intercepting or trunk sewers of the PRBRSA as defined by existing or future regulations of the PRBRSA and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the PRBRSA and as defined by existing or future regulations of the TBA and existing or future agreements between the Borough and the TBA.
A. 
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 350 parts per million by weight; or containing more than 350 parts per million, by weight, of suspended solids; or containing any quantity of substances having the characteristics described in § 136-14D above; or having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow of the Borough shall be subject to the review and approval of the Borough.
B. 
Where necessary in the opinion of the Borough, the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatments as may be necessary to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 350 parts per million and the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight; or reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the acceptable limits provided for in § 136-14D above; or control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes.
C. 
Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the Borough and the Department of Environmental Protection of New Jersey, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.
D. 
Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
When required by the Borough, the owner of any property served by a building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the building sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the wastes. Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Borough. The manhole 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.
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in §§ 136-14C and D and 136-15A, B and C above 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, Inc.
No statement contained in §§ 136-14 through 136-17 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 to the sewerage system, either before or after pretreatment, provided that there is no impairment of the functioning of the sewerage system or any sewage treatment plant by reason of the admission of such wastes and no extra costs are incurred by the Borough with recompense by the person.
[Amended 10-3-1994 by Ord. No. 9-94; 8-4-1997 by Ord. No. 8-97; 11-3-1997 by Ord. No. 14-97; 11-7-2003 by Ord. No. 18-2003; 6-19-2006 by Ord. No. 15-2006; 7-16-2007 by Ord. No. 10-2007; 11-3-2008 by Ord. No. 13-2008; 12-15-2008 by Ord. No. 14-2008; 11-15-2010 by Ord. No. 10-2010; 4-15-2013 by Ord. No. 3-2013; 12-16-2013 by Ord. No. 18-2013; 3-7-2014 by Ord. No. 2-2014; 6-20-2016 by Ord. No. 11-2016; 7-26-2017 by Ord. No. 11-2017]
A. 
Permit required.
(1) 
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connection with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any building sewer lateral or any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Borough and, where applicable, from the PRBRSA and the TBA.
(2) 
Permit application. There shall be three classes of permits:
(a) 
Residential dwellings. (Each multifamily unit shall be deemed a separate dwelling.)
(b) 
Commercial.
(c) 
Industrial.
(3) 
Applications for permits to connect to the public sewer shall be on forms provided by the Borough. The Sewer Engineer may require supplemental plans, documents or information. Signing of the application shall constitute assent to the provisions of this article and the schedule of usage fees.
B. 
Connection fee.
(1) 
No permit shall issue until the connection fee set forth in Chapter 95 has been paid.
(2) 
The connection fee for residential connections to the public sanitary sewer system made within 12 months of notification of availability of the sewer line may be paid, at the option of the owner, by equal payments over a ten-year period. The payment of the connection fee over a ten-year period shall be conditioned upon the property owner executing documents securing the payment to the Borough as is determined by the Borough Attorney to be necessary. After the twelve-month period, the connection fees must be paid in full at the time of connection.
C. 
Mandatory connection to the sanitary sewer system.
[Amended 3-25-2020 by Ord. No. 2-2020]
(1) 
All commercial, industrial, or residential properties which contain three or more dwelling units shall connect to the sanitary sewer system within two years after being notified by the Health Officer of the availability of a public sewer within 100 feet of the property line.
(2) 
All single- or two-family residential properties shall be required to connect to the sanitary sewer system, after being notified by the Health Officer of the availability of a public sewer within 100 feet of the property line, upon failure of an individual sanitary sewerage system serving the property.
(3) 
All single- or two-family residential properties having the availability of a public sewer within 100 feet of the property line shall be required to submit an application for connection to the sanitary sewer system and pay the applicable sewer connection fee in full prior to transfer of ownership.
[Amended 11-3-1997 by Ord. No. 14-97]
All costs and expenses incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer and building sewer lateral shall be borne by the owner. The Borough must approve the location of all sewer lateral pipes and sewer mains. The owner shall indemnify the Borough for any loss or damage that may, directly or indirectly, be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building, except that, where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Plumbing Inspector, to meet all requirements of this article.
A. 
General requirements.
(1) 
The diameter of the building sewer and building sewer lateral shall not be less than four inches. The slope of such pipes shall not be less than 1/4 inch per foot. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Plumbing Inspector, if the above sizes and slope are not adequate, he shall have the right to require a larger diameter pipe or an increased slope that is adequate.
(2) 
Whenever possible, the building sewer shall be brought to a new building at an elevation below the basement floor. Building sewers for existing buildings shall be brought to the building at an elevation not exceeding that of the existing building drain. If the building sewer is brought to the existing building at a lower elevation than the existing building drain, suitable fittings and cleanouts shall be installed subject to inspection and approval of the Plumbing Inspector. No building sewer shall be laid parallel with and within three feet of any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from frost. The building sewer 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 and shall be subject to the approval of the Plumbing Inspector. Cleanouts shall be installed at all changes of directions and every 75 feet of straight run.
(3) 
In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building sewer.
(4) 
Building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be Schedule 40 PVC pipe.
(5) 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors.
(a) 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Sewer Engineer, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts or any flammable wastes, sand and 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 Sewer Engineer and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(b) 
Grease and oil interceptors shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, watertight and equipped with easily removable covers which, when bolted in place, shall be gastight and watertight.
(6) 
Where installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.
(7) 
Before any portion of the building drain outside of the house is connected to the building sewer, the owner shall prove, to the satisfaction of the Sewer Engineer, that the building drain is clean and conforms in every respect to the requirements of this article. Before any portion of the building sewer is connected to the building sewer lateral, the Plumbing Inspector shall be satisfied that the building sewer is in good order and conforms in every respect to the requirements for construction thereof.
(8) 
Where there is no existing building sewer or building sewer lateral available that connects to a public sewer, the property owner shall, prior to the issuance of a certificate of occupancy, apply to the Borough Clerk for a building sewer permit for the installation of a building sewer lateral and/or building sewer for connection to the public sewer.
(9) 
Maintenance of the public sewer and the building sewer lateral shall be performed by the Borough.
(10) 
The building sewer laterals may not be installed or the public street disturbed therefor by any person or concern who is not a responsible contractor. Such contractor shall provide the Sewer Engineer with satisfactory evidence of his capacity to perform the work.
(11) 
The connection of the building sewer lateral into the public sewer shall be made at the Y-branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If no Y-branch is available, the owner shall install a saddle on the sewer main, of such type as approved by the Sewer Engineer.
(12) 
Each sewer pipe shall be laid so as to have a continuous bearing on the bedding material, true to line and grade and in such manner as to form a close concentric joint with the adjoining pipe and to prevent sudden offsets of the flow line. As the work progresses, the interior of the pipe shall be cleared of all dirt and superfluous materials of every description. A suitable swab or drag shall be kept in the pipe and pulled forward past each joint immediately after the jointing has been completed. Trenches shall be kept free from water, and the pipe shall not be laid when the condition of the trench or the weather is unsuitable for such work. At times when work is not in progress, open ends of pipes and fittings shall be securely and satisfactorily closed so that no trench water, earth or other substance will enter the pipe or fittings.
(13) 
Excavations for building sewers and building sewer laterals.
(a) 
Excavation for building sewers and building sewer laterals shall follow lines parallel to and equidistant from the location of the pipe center line. Trenches shall be excavated to the depths and widths required to accommodate the construction of the sewers. Excavation shall not be carried below the approved grade. Any excavation made below grade, for any reason, shall be backfilled with the granular material specified hereinafter. Excavation and trenches in rock shall extend to a depth of six inches below the outside bottom of the pipe barrel and brought to required elevation with granular bedding material.
(b) 
Excavation and trenches in earth shall extend to a depth of four inches below the outside bottom of the pipe barrel and shall be brought to required elevation with granular bedding material. Where unsatisfactory material is found in earth trenches, such material shall be removed to the extent directed by the Sewer Engineer, satisfactory to the Borough Engineer.
(c) 
In backfilling trenches, loose fine earth, free from frozen clods, stones larger than two inches in greatest dimension and debris shall be used to a depth of two feet over the top of the pipe. The backfill material shall be carefully tamped under the pipe haunches, on the side and above the pipe in layers not more than six inches deep before compaction. The remainder of the trench shall contain not more than 20% stone by volume, and no one stone shall be more than six inches in its greatest dimension. This material shall be thoroughly tamped in layers not to exceed 10 inches in thickness after compaction. Backfilling and compaction up to two feet over the pipe shall be done by hand. Puddling of trench backfill will not be permitted. Compaction of each layer of backfill shall be to a density at least equal to that of the surrounding earth and to a degree which will prevent settlement of restored or proposed future pavement. The surface shall be mounded over and left in a uniform and neat condition satisfactory to the Borough Engineer.
(d) 
Excavated materials shall be piled in compact heaps, so placed as to cause the least possible inconvenience to the public. Extreme care shall be taken to prevent any dirt, stones or other undesirable material from entering the public sewer system through the building sewer during these operations.
(14) 
Safety precautions.
(a) 
Blasting operations for excavations will be subject to the approval of the Borough Engineer and shall conform to the requirements of all laws, ordinances and regulations having jurisdiction over such work.
(b) 
Trenches shall be protected by such sheeting, shoring, bracing and the like as may be required to perform the excavations, for safety, including the protection of persons, structures, utilities, etc., and to conform to existing laws. All sheeting, shoring and bracing shall be removed after the completion of backfill to the extent directed by the Sewer Engineer.
(c) 
All excavations for building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Sidewalks and other public property disturbed in the course of installing building sewers shall be backfilled within 48 hours from the beginning of excavation. Streets, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of installing building sewer laterals shall be backfilled within such reasonable period of time as may be determined by the Borough Engineer in each particular case.
B. 
Prior to backfilling any trenches or covering any sewer pipes, the applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Sewer Engineer when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the building sewer lateral. The connection to the public sewer shall be made under the supervision of the Sewer Engineer or his representative.
C. 
Building sewers and building sewer laterals shall be subject to all tests set forth in the Sanitary Code of the Borough of Riverdale.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: See Ch. 176, Sanitary Standards.
D. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any waters or wastes through any building sewer during construction of the building sewer without written approval of the Borough.
E. 
Prior to final approval and acceptance of the building sewer, a plan showing the location, depths, elevations or other information as required by the Sewer Engineer shall be furnished and placed on file at the Borough Clerk's office by the applicant.
F. 
No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any waters or wastes through any building sewer prior to final approval and acceptance by the Borough, without written approval of the Borough.
G. 
Restoration of pavements. All sidewalk and roadway pavements and curbs directly or indirectly affected, disturbed or injured in connection with the construction of building sewers shall be restored in accordance with Borough standards to a condition at least equal to that which existed prior to the start of the installation work. Pavements and curbs so restored shall be restored in accordance with Borough standards to a condition at least equal to that which existed prior to the start of the installation work. Pavements and curbs so restored shall be of the same type as that existing and shall match and line up with existing adjacent construction to the satisfaction of the Borough Engineer or his representative.
H. 
Standards for connection to Borough sewers. Technical standards for the connection to Borough sewers are hereby established as shown on plans prepared by S & E Engineers, Inc., dated 1-23-1998 and entitled "Standards for Connection to Borough Sewers" which are on file in the office of the Borough Clerk. All connections to Borough sewers shall comply with these standards.
[Added 2-18-1998 by Ord. No. 1-98]
No unauthorized person shall maliciously, willfully or negligently break, damage, destroy, uncover, deface or tamper with any structure, appurtenance or equipment which is a part of the Riverdale sewerage system. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest and, upon conviction, shall be subject to the penalties hereinafter set forth under § 136-27B hereof.
The Plumbing Inspector, Sewer Engineer and Borough Engineer and duly authorized employees of the Borough bearing proper credentials and identification shall be permitted to enter upon all properties for the purposes of inspection, observation, measurement, sampling and testing, in accordance with the provisions of this article.
If sewer user fees are not paid within 30 days of the date they are rendered, they shall be deemed delinquent and shall bear interest on the delinquent amount at a rate as established by the Borough for delinquent real estate taxes. Amounts due on the delinquent bills shall become a lien upon the real estate connected until paid, and the Borough shall have the same remedies for the collection thereof with interest, costs and penalties as it has by law for collection of taxes upon real estate.
A. 
Any person found to be violating any provision of this article, except § 136-24, which requires immediate arrest, shall be served by the Borough 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 such violations.
B. 
Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Subsection A hereof or violate any other provision hereof may, upon conviction thereof, be fined in an amount not exceeding $1,000 or be imprisoned for not more than 90 days, or both, for each such violation. Each day in which any such violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Amended 9-21-1992 by Ord. No. 4-92]