[Adopted 2-8-2007 by Ord. No. 829]
Unless the context specifically and clearly indicates otherwise, the meanings of terms used herein shall be as follows:
ACT 537 PLAN
The Township's Official Plan as defined in the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act, Act of January 24, 1966, P.L. 1535 (1965), No. 537, as amended, 35 P.S. §§ 750.1 through 750.20a ("Sewage Facilities Act" or "Act 537").
AUTHORITY
The Whitemarsh Township Municipal Authority, as presently or hereafter constituted, which has been created by the Township Board of Supervisors (the "Board") and to which has been referred by the Board the specific project, inter alia, of sewers.
DEPARTMENT
The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
GRINDER PUMP
Any electric-motor-driven, submersible, centrifugal capable of macerating all material found in normal domestic sanitary sewage, including a reasonable amount of objects such as plastics, sanitary napkins, disposable diapers, rubber and the like, to a fine slurry and pumping this material through a small diameter discharge.
IMPROVED PROPERTY
Any property within the Township upon which there is erected a structure intended for continuous or periodic habitation, occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which structure sewage shall or may be discharged.
LOW-PRESSURE SYSTEM
A grinder pump or grinder pumps and the associated force mains, low-pressure laterals and/or additional equipment associated therewith.
OFFICIAL PLAN REVISION
A change in the Township's Act 537 Official Plan to provide for additional, newly identified future or existing sewage facilities needs, which may include one or more of the following:
A. 
UPDATED REVISIONA comprehensive revision to an existing Official Plan required when the Department or the Township determines the Official Plan or one or more of its parts is inadequate for the existing or future sewage facilities needs of the Township or its residents or landowners.
B. 
SPECIAL STUDYA study, survey, investigation, inquiry, research report or analysis, which is directly related to an updated revision. The studies provide documentation or other support necessary to solve specific problems identified in the update revision.
C. 
REVISION FOR NEW LAND DEVELOPMENTA revision to the Township's Official Plan resulting from a proposed subdivision as defined in Act 537.
PROPERTY OWNER
Any person vested with ownership, legal or equitable, sole or partial, of any property located in the Township.
SEWAGE
Any substance that contains any of the waste products or excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings or animals and any noxious or deleterious substance being harmful or inimical to the public health, or to animal or aquatic life or to the use of water for domestic water supply or for recreation or any substance which constitutes pollution under the Clean Stream Law, as amended, 35 P.S. §§ 691.1 through 691.1001.
The connection of existing properties or proposed land development to an existing or proposed sewage system through the use of a low-pressure system shall occur only after either:
A. 
An Official Plan revision to the Township's Act 537 plan designating the proposed properties to be served by low-pressure system has been approved by both the Authority and the Department; or
B. 
A Department-approved exemption from the Official Plan revision has been obtained by the property owner.
A. 
The Township and the Authority are hereby authorized and empowered to adopt such rules and regulations concerning sewage which are deemed necessary from time to time to effect the purposes herein. All such rules and regulations adopted by the Township or the Authority shall be in conformity with the provisions herein, all other applicable Township ordinances and regulations, and all applicable laws, rules and regulations, including, but not limited to, applicable rules and regulations of administrative agencies for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
B. 
The Township, in cooperation with the Authority, is hereby authorized and empowered to undertake within the Township the control of procedures for the installation, use and maintenance of low-pressure systems.
C. 
The Township, in cooperation with the Authority, is hereby authorized to undertake such actions as are necessary, including, but not limited to, entering into agreements with property owners that assure proper operation and maintenance of the low-pressure systems within the Township's borders.
The Township 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, operation and maintenance of low-pressure systems within the Township, and all such rules and regulations shall become a part of this Article VI.
A. 
Each property owner whose improved property is served by a low-pressure system shall have full responsibility for providing, maintaining, operating, repairing and replacing the low-pressure system.
B. 
All low-pressure systems, and the associated installation, operation, service and replacement thereof, shall comply with all applicable rules and regulations of the Township and/or the Authority as are established from time to time by the Township and/or the Authority.
C. 
The Township, in cooperation with the Authority, shall maintain control over the type of grinder pumps and associated force main components used so that full service capability is available locally and on short notice.
D. 
Each property owner whose improved property is served by a low-pressure system shall use the grinder pump in a manner fully consistent with the manufacturer's instructions and shall avoid introducing into the low-pressure system bulky paper or plastic materials, including, but not limited to, items designated as biodegradable in septic tanks, that may damage the impellers or the grinder pump.
E. 
Within 24 hours of discovery of a malfunction and/or inoperation of a grinder pump or the associated low-pressure system, each property owner whose improved property is served by the grinder pump shall close the low-pressure system and cease operations until such time as the grinder pump and associated low-pressure system has been fully restored to operational status. Each property owner shall have an alarm panel inside the improved property that notifies the property owner of any inoperation or malfunction of the low-pressure system.
F. 
Twenty-four-hour emergency replacement units for grinder pumps serving individual residential dwelling units will be provided by the Township, or its designated representative, at the property owner's sole cost and expense. Installation of the temporary replacement grinder pump shall be the property owner's sole responsibility and shall be at its sole cost and expense.
G. 
Except as set forth in § 95-46F, regarding the provision of twenty-four-hour emergency replacement grinder pumps provided at the property owner's sole cost and expense, neither the Township nor the Authority shall have any responsibility for the purchase, operation, repair, maintenance or replacement of the grinder pump or any portion of the low-pressure system.
H. 
Each property owner who desires to install a low-pressure system to service its improved property shall execute a low-pressure sewer system operations and maintenance agreement with the Township, in recordable form, setting forth the rights, duties and obligations of the property owner with respect to the low-pressure system.
I. 
In addition to the foregoing, where the low-pressure system is intended to be shared between two or more property owners, the property owners shall submit to the Township a declaration of easements, covenants and restrictions, in recordable form, setting forth the agreement of each benefited property owner with respect to the installation, use and maintenance of the low-pressure system, which agreement shall bind all future property owners. The Township shall not issue a permit on behalf of the Authority for installation of the low-pressure system until evidence is presented, in a form satisfactory to the Township and the Authority, that the low-pressure system has been approved by all applicable agencies and that the declaration of easements, covenants and restrictions has been recorded in the Office of the Recorder of Deeds, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania.
J. 
The Township shall have the right, but not the obligation, to enter onto any property to inspect, maintain, service, repair or replace any low-pressure system. The cost of such maintenance, service, repair or replacement shall be assessed against the property owner and shall become a lien on said property. The Township, at the time of entering upon any such property, shall file a notice of lien upon said property in the office of the Prothonotary of Montgomery County. If the property owner fails to satisfy the lien within 30 days of the filing date of the notice of lien, the Township may seek to execute on the lien and/or proceed to collect the amount due by commencing an action in assumpsit.
In addition to any other remedies provided herein, any violation of § 95-46, above, shall constitute a nuisance which may be abated by the Township or the Authority by seeking mitigation of the nuisance, use of statutory enforcement procedures and/or such other appropriate equitable or legal relief from a court of competent jurisdiction as the Township determines is necessary to adequately abate the nuisance.