[HISTORY: Adopted by the Board of Trustees of the Village of Hudson Falls as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where applicable.]
GENERAL REFERENCES
Excavations — See Ch. 98.
Sanitary standards — See Ch. 157.
Stormwater management; erosion and sediment control — See Ch. 171.
Storm sewers — See Ch. 172.
Water — See Ch. 209.
[Adopted 8-18-1986 as Ch. 55, Art. I, of the 1968 Code]
A. 
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meanings of terms used in this article shall be as follows:
BOD (denoting "biochemical oxygen demand")
The quantity of oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedure in five days at 20° C., expressed in parts per million by weight.
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 the inner face of the building wall.
BUILDING SEWER
The extension from the building drain to the public sewer or other place of disposal.
COMBINED SEWER
A sewer receiving both surface runoff and sewage.
COMMISSIONER
The Commissioner of Streets of the Village of Hudson Falls or his duly authorized deputy, agent or representative.
GARBAGE
Solid wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food and from the handling, storage and sale of produce.
INDUSTRIAL WASTES
The liquid wastes from industrial processes, as distinct from sanitary sewage.
NATURAL OUTLET
Any outlet into a watercourse, pond, ditch, lake or other body of surface or ground water.
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.
PROPERLY SHREDDED GARBAGE
The wastes from the preparation, cooking and dispensing of food that have been shredded to such 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 public authority.
SANITARY SEWER
A sewer which carries sewage and to which storm- , surface and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
SEWAGE
A combination of the water-carried wastes from residences, business buildings, institutions and industrial establishments, together with such ground- , surface and stormwaters as may be present.
SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT
Any arrangement of devices and structures used for treating sewage.
SEWAGE WORKS
All facilities for collecting, pumping, treating and disposing of sewage.
SEWER
A pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
STORM SEWER or STORM DRAIN
A sewer which carries storm- 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.
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, deposit or permit to be deposited in any insanitary manner upon public or private property within the Village of Hudson Falls or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Village any human or animal excrement, garbage or other objectionable waste.
B. 
It shall be unlawful to discharge to any natural outlet within the Village of Hudson Falls or in any area under the jurisdiction of said Village any sanitary sewage, industrial wastes or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with subsequent provisions of this article.
C. 
Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.
D. 
The owner of all houses, buildings or properties used for human occupancy, employment, recreation or other purpose, situated within the Village and abutting any street, alley or right-of-way in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sanitary or combined sewer of the Village, is hereby required, at his expense, to install suitable toilet facilities therein and to connect such facilities directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this article within 90 days after the date of official notice to do so, provided that said public sewer is within 100 feet of the properly line.
A. 
Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available under the provisions of § 160-2D, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the provisions of this section.
B. 
Before commencement of construction of a private sewage disposal system, the owner shall first obtain a written permit signed by the Commissioner. The application for such permit shall be made on a form furnished by the Village, which the applicant shall supplement by any plans, specifications and other information as are deemed necessary by the Commissioner. A permit and inspection fee of $5 shall be paid to the Village Treasurer at the time the application is filed.
C. 
A permit for a private sewage disposal system shall not become effective until the installation is completed to the satisfaction of the Commissioner. He shall be allowed to inspect the work at any stage of construction, and in any event the applicant for the permit shall notify the Commissioner when the work is ready for final inspection and before any underground portions are covered. The inspection shall be made within 48 hours of the receipt of notice by the Commissioner.
D. 
The type, capacities, location and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall comply with all recommendations of the Department of Public Health of the State of New York. No permit shall be issued for any private sewage disposal system employing subsurface soil absorption facilities where the area of the lot is less than 15,000 square feet. No septic tank or cesspool shall be permitted to discharge to any public sewer or natural outlet.
E. 
At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private sewage disposal system, as provided in § 160-2D, a direct connection shall be made to the public sewer in compliance with this article, and any septic tanks, cesspools and similar private sewage disposal facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable material.
F. 
The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the Village.
G. 
No statement contained in this section shall be construed to interfere with any additional requirements that may be imposed by the Health Officer.
A. 
No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Commissioner.
B. 
There will be no water and sewer hookups installed after November 1 of each year, unless it is an emergency. Hookups will start April 1 of each year or when the frost is out of the ground.
[Added 11-10-1986 by resolution]
C. 
There shall be two classes of building sewer permits: for residential and commercial service; and for service to establishments producing industrial wastes. In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the Village. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Commissioner. A permit and inspection fee of $5 for a residential or commercial building sewer permit and $15 for an industrial building sewer permit shall be paid to the Village Treasurer at the time the application is filed.
D. 
All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the Village from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
E. 
A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except 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.
F. 
Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Commissioner, to meet all requirements of this article.
A. 
The building sewer shall be cast-iron soil pipe, American Society for Testing and Materials specifications (A74-12) or equal, or other suitable material approved by the Commissioner. Joints shall be tight and waterproof. Any part of the building sewer that is located within 10 feet of a water service pipe shall be constructed of suitable material approved by the Commissioner. Cast-iron pipe with leaded joints may be required by the Commissioner where the building sewer is exposed to damage by tree roots. If installed in filled or unstable ground, the building sewer shall be of cast-iron soil pipe, except that nonmetallic material may be accepted if laid on a suitable concrete bed or cradle as approved by the Commissioner.
B. 
The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the Commissioner, but in no event shall the diameter be less than four inches. The slope of such four-inch pipe shall be not less than 1/4 inch per foot.
C. 
Whenever possible, the building sewer 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 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.
D. 
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.
E. 
All excavations required for the installation of a building sewer shall be open trenchwork unless otherwise approved by the Commissioner. Pipelaying and backfill shall be performed in accordance with American Society for Testing and Materials specifications (C12-19), except that no backfill shall be placed until the work has been inspected.
F. 
Jointing materials and methods.
(1) 
All joints and connections shall be made gastight and watertight.
(2) 
Cast-iron pipe joints shall be firmly packed with oakum or hemp and filled with molten lead, Federal Specification QQ-L-156, not less than one-inch deep. Lead shall be run in one pouring and caulked tight. No paint, varnish or other coatings shall be permitted on the jointing material until after the joint has been tested and approved.
(3) 
All joints in vitrified clay pipe or between such pipe and metals shall be made with approved hot-poured jointing material or cement mortar as specified below.
(4) 
Material for hot-poured joints shall not soften sufficiently to destroy the effectiveness of the joint when subjected to a temperature of 160° F. nor be soluble in any of the wastes carried by the drainage system. The joint shall first be caulked tight with jute, hemp or similar approved material.
(5) 
Cement joints shall be made by packing a closely twisted jute or oakum gasket of suitable size to fill partly the annular space between the pipes. The remaining space shall be filled and firmly compacted with mortar composed of one part portland cement and three parts mortar sand. The material shall be mixed dry; only sufficient water shall be added to make the mixture workable. Mortar which has begun to set shall not be used or retempered. Lime putty or hydrated lime may be substituted to the extent of not more than 25% of the volume of the portland cement that may be added.
(6) 
Other jointing materials and methods may be used only by approval of the Commissioner.
G. 
The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made at the Y-branch, if such branch is available at a suitable location. If the public sewer is 12 inches in diameter or less and no properly located Y-branch is available, the owner shall, at his expense, install a Y-branch in the public sewer at the location specified by the Commissioner. Where the public sewer is greater than 12 inches in diameter and no properly located Y-branch is available, a neat hole may be cut into the public sewer to receive the building sewer, with entry in the downstream direction at an angle of about 45°. A 45° ell may be used to make such connection, with the spigot end cut so as not to extend past the inner surface of the public sewer. The invert of the building sewer at the point of connection shall be at the same or at a higher elevation than the invert of the public sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall be made, and the connection made secure and watertight by encasement in concrete. Special fittings may be used for the connection only when approved by the Commissioner.
The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Commissioner when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Commissioner 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 Village.
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 combined sewers or storm sewers or to a natural outlet approved by the Commissioner. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the Commissioner, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet.
C. 
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 waste which may contain more than 100 parts per million by weight of fat, oil or grease.
(3) 
Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas.
(4) 
Any garbage that has not been properly shredded.
(5) 
Any ashes, cinders, sand, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works.
(6) 
Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 9.0 or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works.
(7) 
Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constituting a hazard to humans or animals, or to create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.
(8) 
Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
(9) 
Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance.
D. 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors.
(1) 
Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the Commissioner, 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 Commissioner and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.
(2) 
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.
E. 
When installed, all grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.
F. 
The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having a five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than 300 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 Subsection C above having an average daily flow greater than 2% of the average daily sewage flow of the Village shall be subject to the review and approval of the Commissioner. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Commissioner, the owner shall provide, at his own expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to 300 parts per million and the suspended solids to 350 parts per million by weight or reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in Subsection C above or control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the Commissioner, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.
G. 
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.
H. 
When required by the Commissioner, 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 Commissioner. 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.
I. 
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in Subsections C and F above shall be determined in accordance with Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in Subsection H above or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole. In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the building sewer is connected.
J. 
No statement contained in this section shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the Village and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the Village for treatment, subject to payment therefor by the industrial concern.
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 municipal sewage works. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of disorderly conduct.
The Commissioner and other duly authorized employees of the Village 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.
A. 
Any person found to be violating any provision of this article, except § 160-9, shall be served by the Village 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.
B. 
Any person who shall continue any violation beyond the time limit provided for in Subsection A above shall, upon conviction thereof, be fined in an amount not exceeding $250 or imprisonment for a period not exceeding 15 days, or both, for conviction of a first offense; for conviction of a second offense, both of which were committed within a period of three years, punishable by a fine of not less than $250 nor more than $500 or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 30 days, or both; and upon conviction for a third offense or subsequent offense, all of which were committed within a period of five years, punishable by a fine of not less than $500 nor more than $750 or imprisonment for a period not to exceed 60 days, or both. Each day in which any such violation shall continue shall be deemed a separate offense.
[Amended 3-16-1992 by L.L. No. 4-1992; 8-14-2000 by L.L. No. 9-2000; 10-12-2004 by L.L. No. 6-2004]
C. 
Any person violating any of the provisions of this article shall become liable to the Village for any expense, loss or damage occasioned the Village by reason of such violation.
[Adopted 8-18-1986 as Ch. 55, Art. III, of the 1968 Code]
No oil or grease from automobiles or from other heavy machinery shall drain or be allowed to drain into any portion of the sewer system of the Village of Hudson Falls, New York, or into any private sewer or drain connected with said sewer system of said Village whereby it reaches said Village sewer system.
[Amended 3-16-1992 by L.L. No. 4-1992; 8-14-2000 by L.L. No. 9-2000]
Any violation of the provisions of this article shall subject the offending person to a penalty of not less than $500 nor more than $750 or imprisonment for not more than 15 days, or both, for each offense; and, in addition to such penalty, a violation of this article shall constitute disorderly conduct, and any person violating the same shall be a disorderly person.