[HISTORY: Adopted by the Borough Council of the Borough of
Ambridge as indicated in article histories. Amendments noted where
applicable.]
[Adopted 11-26-1975 by Ord. No. 935]
There is imposed an annual rental or charge upon the owners
of residential, commercial and industrial properties coming within
the tolerances for sewage discharge, as will be determined and regulated
from time to time by the Borough, and served or to be served by the
sewer system leased to the Authority.
[Amended 3-31-1978 by Ord. No. 956; 6-29-1984 by Ord. No. 1016]
The said annual sanitary sewer rental to be charged to properties located in the Borough for the discharging of sanitary sewage into said sewer system shall be as hereinafter set forth. Schedule of rates for sanitary sewer rentals using volume amounts as determined in § 225-4 below.
A.
Quarterly quantity charges.
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For the first 3,000 gallons or less per quarter
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$9.45/quarter
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For the next 97,000 gallons/quarter
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$1.20 per 1,000 gallons
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For the next 100,000 gallons/quarter
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$0.95 per 1,000 gallons
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For the next 100,000 gallons/quarter
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$0.70 per 1,000 gallons
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For all amounts in excess of 300,000 gallons/quarter
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$0.68 per 1,000 gallons
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Provided, however, that no bill will be rendered for less than
minimum charge as indicated below.
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B.
Minimum charges.
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Size of Meter
(inches)
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Minimum Quarterly Charge
| |
|---|---|---|
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3/4
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$9.45
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1
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$18.90
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1 1/4
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$28.35
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1 1/2
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$37.80
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2
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$66.15
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3
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$151.20
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|
4
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$264.60
| |
|
6
|
$604.80
| |
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8
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$1,077.30
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10
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$1,685.48
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C.
Industrial plants shall be charged a minimum sewage service rate
of $2.97 per quarter per employee based upon the average number of
persons employed during the preceding quarter. In no case shall the
average number of employees for any quarter be less than 90% of the
average number of persons employed during the preceding 12 quarters.
D.
Sewer service charges to schools shall be a minimum of $3.55 per
pupil and faculty member per year based on the number of students
and faculty members in attendance during the normal school period.
E.
Penalty. Upon failure to pay any bill rendered within 24 days after
date of billing, a penalty of 10% will be added to the current charge.
The annual sewer rentals imposed under § 225-2 above shall be paid quarterly in accordance with billings for sewage services shall be rendered by the Borough or its agent. The Borough or its agent may assign different quarterly billing periods to different users. If the quarterly bill of any such user shall cover a period in which less than a full quarter of sewer service shall be rendered, such quarterly bill shall be computed on a per diem pro rata basis.
A.
The volume of water to be used for billing sewer rentals to users
of the sewer system shall include any and all metered water purchased
from the Water Authority or any water obtained from another source
as determined by:
B.
Exclusion from the sewer system of noncontaminated wastewaters and
waters used solely for cooling purposes may be required by the Borough,
or such exclusion may be optional with the user if not required by
the Borough. When such waters are excluded, the sewer rental shall
be based on total water consumption, less water excluded, at the rates
stipulated above. Water excluded may be determined from meters installed
and maintained by the user, from estimates or measurements made by
the Borough, or the user may elect to measure the volume of wastes
actually discharged to the sewer system as provided for below.
C.
The Borough may require an industrial establishment or the industrial establishment may elect to install, place and maintain a meter approved by the Borough for measuring wastewaters discharged into the sewer system, in which case the sewer rental shall be based on the actual quarterly volume of wastes discharged into the sewer system subject to the minimums established in § 225-2; said rentals shall be computed at the rates as stipulated above. Any premises used wholly or in part for the manufacture, processing, cleaning, laundering or assembly of any product, commodity or articles shall be classed as an industrial establishment.
D.
Industrial establishments discharging sewage and/or wastes into the
sewer system with an average suspended solid content greater than
250 parts per million and a chlorine demand in excess of 15 parts
per million shall pay a strength of waste surcharge of 0.1% for each
part per million by which the suspended solid of the waste exceeds
250 parts per million plus 0.5% for each part per million by which
the chlorine demand exceeds 15 parts per million. Surcharges shall
be applicable to billing for sewer rentals stipulated above. The strength
of waste to be used for establishing the amount of surcharge will
be determined at least once annually either by:
(1)
Suitable sampling and analysis of the wastes for a three-day period
during which time the strength of waste being discharged or production
is at a maximum.
(2)
Relating production and waste strength at the time of sampling to
waste strength at maximum production.
(3)
From estimates.
(4)
From known relationships of products produced to strengths of waste
for those industries where such factors have been established.
E.
Additional classifications and sewer rentals or modifications of
the above schedule of sewer rentals may be established by the Borough
from time to time as deemed necessary.
A.
The sewer rental hereby imposed shall be effective January 1, 1976, and thereafter shall be charged and billed quarterly. Such bills shall be due and payable within 24 days of the date on which such bills are rendered. Where a single meter is used by two or more dwelling units, premises, properties or establishments, the minimum rentals will be charged for each dwelling unit or the total water metered shall be proportioned equally and the sewer rentals charged to each dwelling unit shall be computed at the rate under § 225-2 above.
B.
The Borough or its agent shall have access at all times to industrial
establishments and any meters used for establishing or determining
water consumption water excluded from the sewer system or sewage and/or
wastewaters discharged into the sewer system. Industries shall install
fine screens to remove husk, hull, vegetable skins and peelings, threads,
lint, grease and any and all materials considered by the Borough to
overload, impair the efficiency of, or cause difficulties in the operation
of its sewers, treatment plant, or other sewer facilities.
C.
The Borough reserves the right to refuse connection of the sewer
system, or to compel discontinuance of use of a sewer, or compel pretreatment
of industrial wastes by any industry in order to prevent discharge
to the sewer system deemed to be harmful to the sewer system or deemed
to have a deleterious effect on the sewage treatment or sludge-handling
process.
D.
Industries discharging wastes in excess of 50,000 gallons per day,
having large variations in the rate of waste discharged, shall install
suitable holding tanks for equalizing the rate of waste discharge
uniformly over the entire 24 hours of the day. The peak rate of discharge
for any such industry shall not exceed 150% of the average discharge
at any time.
[Amended 4-23-2002 by Ord. No. 1170]
No property owners shall connect or cause to be connected rain
leaders (downspouts), springs, french drains, area drains or swimming
pool drains to the sanitary sewers of the structure, and all fresh
air vents leading from the structure shall be so elevated or offset
as to assure that no stormwater drains into the same.
The owner or owners of property and tenants are responsible
for the payment of all sewer rental charges. Any sewer rental charge
not paid on or before 30 days after the due date shown on the statement
for such sewer rental or charge shall be a lien on the property charged
with the payment thereof. Such sewer rental charge, if not paid after
30 days' notice, may be collected by action of assumpsit or by distress
of personal property on the premises or by a lien filed in the nature
of a municipal lien.
Borough Council may designate any person, firm or corporation
as the sewer rental collector.
The funds received by the Borough from the collection of charges
or rentals herein provided for shall be deposited to the credit of
the sewer system fund for the purpose of defraying the expense of
the Borough in the operation, maintenance, repair, alteration, inspection
or other expenses in relation to said sanitary sewer system and for
such payments as the Borough may be required to make pursuant to the
terms of the agreement of lease dated as of March 1, 1963, with the
Authority and any supplement hereto.
The rentals or charges hereby imposed shall become effective
as of January 1, 1976.
Any or all of the obligations, duties, functions and rights
of the Borough and the Authority as provided for in this article may
be assigned or transferred from the Borough to the Authority or from
the Authority to the Borough, to the extent permitted by law, by the
terms of any properly executed management or service agreement relating
to the sewer system between the Borough and the Authority in effect
at any time during the validity of this article.
[Adopted 4-23-2002 by Ord. No. 1170]
The Ambridge Municipal Authority is hereby authorized and directed
to conduct periodic smoke and/or dye tests and any other appropriate
tests or inspections, without cost to the residents of the Borough
of Ambridge, of all existing sewer systems and structures in the Borough
of Ambridge within the Ambridge Municipal Authority drainage basin
for compliance with the Borough of Ambridge Code and other laws pertaining
to sewer systems and structures.
The proper officers, officials and employees of the Borough
of Ambridge are hereby authorized to conduct periodic smoke and/or
dye tests and any other appropriate tests or inspections of all other
existing sewer systems and structures in the Borough of Ambridge for
compliance with the Borough of Ambridge Code and other laws pertaining
to sewer systems and structures.
Prior to the sale of any structure in the Borough of Ambridge,
every owner of land within the Borough of Ambridge shall submit to
smoke and/or dye testing by either the Ambridge Municipal Authority
or the Borough of Ambridge. Testing will not be required when the
owner, lessee or occupier of the land produces a valid document of
certification issued by the responsible official of the responsible
agency. Such certification shall be sufficient proof of compliance
for purposes of this section of the Borough of Ambridge Code for a
period of one year from the date of issuance.
The cost of the testing will be borne by the property owner
at a fee that shall be set, from time to time, by resolution of the
Borough Council or the Ambridge Municipal Authority. Fees shall be
set at a level that covers the cost and administration of the testing
program, but at no greater amount than necessary to cover these costs.
When illegal stormwater or surface water connections have been
discovered, the property owner shall be required to remove the illegal
connection prior to the closing of the sale on the property, or if
due to inclement weather conditions, the owners cannot undertake such
construction, the owner shall be obliged to follow the policies and
procedures that Borough Council has adopted for such situations.
In the event the necessary remedial work would create severe
economic hardship for the owner, lessee or occupier of the premises,
application may be made to the Ambridge Municipal Authority and/or
Borough of Ambridge, as the case may be, for an extension or a transfer
of the responsibility to the new owners. Said transfer may only be
granted upon agreement by the new owners.
In the event the owner, lessee or occupier of the premises who
has established severe economic hardship is unable to effectuate the
necessary remediation within the time permitted, including any extension
thereof, the Ambridge Municipal Authority and/or the Borough of Ambridge
may, but is not required to, undertake to have the necessary remediation
completed at the expense of the owner, lessee or occupier of the premises
and to make any necessary arrangements for the payment of said work
by the owner, lessee or occupier of the premises on an installment
basis, which arrangement shall be mutually satisfactory to the owner,
lessee or occupier. The owner, lessee or occupier in these circumstances
must agree, in writing, to the filing of a municipal claim against
the offending property.
A "severe economic hardship" shall be defined as any person
or persons who qualify as having a level of income considered to be
a low/moderate income under federal guidelines.
All inspections will be made between the hours of 7:00 a.m.
and 5:00 p.m. and upon seven days' written advance notice.
Any person, firm or corporation who shall violate any provision
of this article, upon conviction thereof, shall be sentenced to pay
a fine of not more than $1,000 plus costs and, in default of payment
of said fine and costs, to a term of imprisonment not to exceed 30
days. Each day that a violation of this article continues or each
section of this article which shall be found to have been violated
shall constitute a separate offense.
