[Adopted 3-4-1931 by Ord. No. 258; amended in its entirety 6-25-1953 by Ord. No.
642 (Ch. 18, Part 1, of the 1986 Code of Ordinances)]
[Amended 7-26-1962 by Ord. No. 873]
As used in this article, the following words and terms shall
be construed as follows:
The agreement dated as of July 1, 1962, between the City
and the Authority.
The Washington-East Washington Joint Authority, as presently
or hereafter constituted.
Includes natural persons, partnerships, organizations and
corporations.
Such rules and regulations as the Authority may from time
to time adopt and promulgate with respect to any matter affecting
the maintenance and operation of the sewerage system and with respect
to the collection of sewer rentals imposed by this article.
All sanitary sewers, all lateral sewer service connections
and all main collecting sewers and trunk lines included in the sewerage
system.
The existing sewerage facilities within the service area
of the Authority, together with all renewals, replacements, additions,
extensions and enlargements from time to time made with respect thereto,
but does not include stormwater sewers.
All persons owning or occupying property having connections
to the sewerage system.
The Citizens Water Company of Washington, Pennsylvania, and
any successor thereto.
All persons owning improved property within the City which abuts
on or adjoins any street or right-of-way in which there now is or
shall hereafter be a sewer shall, at their own expense, within three
months after the effective date of this article or within three months
after the construction of any new sewer, make connection with such
sewer in the manner prescribed by this article or in accordance with
the regulations of the Authority for the purpose of discharge into
such sewer such drainage or waste matter as is specified in this article
or as may from time to time be specified by the regulations of the
Authority.
From and after the effective date of this article, it shall
be unlawful for any person to discharge or to permit to be discharged
into any sewer any roof or surface water, or the flow from any groundwater
collection system, or any matter determined by the regulations of
the Authority to be dangerous or harmful to, or the discharge of which
into a sewer would adversely affect, the sewerage system or the functioning
thereof, or the process of sewage treatment and disposal; or to discharge
or to permit to be discharged into any sewer any industrial or process
waste which is not preliminarily treated in the manner from time to
time prescribed by the regulations of the Authority in order to make
them reasonably harmless to the sewerage system and to the processes
of sewage treatment and disposal.
[Amended 3-24-1954 by Ord. No. 656; 2-26-1962 by Ord. No. 866; 8-29-1973 by Ord. No. 1132; 6-2-1975 by Ord. No. 1157; 5-13-1977 by Ord. No.
1196; 9-8-1980 by Ord. No. 1268; 5-27-1982 by Ord. No. 1296; 4-26-1984 by Ord. No. 1331; 5-22-1986 by Ord. No. 1357; 5-12-1988 by Ord. No.
1938; 2-27-1990 by Ord. No. 1424; 2-27-1992 by Ord. No. 1442]
On and after March 1, 1992, all users shall pay annual sewer
rentals for the sewerage service furnished by the Authority, based
on the following schedule of rates and in accordance with the classifications
and other provisions below set forth and with the regulations of the
Authority.
A.
Basis for determination of amount of sewerage service. Except as
otherwise hereinafter provided, the amount of sewerage service furnished
to each user shall be deemed to be equal to the amount of water supplied
to such user by the Water Company; and the consumption of sewerage
service, expressed in terms of gallons per month or gallons per quarter
shall, except as otherwise hereinafter provided, be equal to the consumption
of water as metered by the Water Company.
B.
Rates for users.
(1)
Sewer rentals shall be computed by multiplying the usage in 1,000 gallons as determined in § 271-4A above by the rates that apply in Schedule I, by the rates that apply in Schedule II, and by the rates in Schedule III, and by the rates that apply in Schedule IV, and then adding the products of these four calculations for the total bill.
(2)
Sewer rentals shall be due at these monthly or quarterly rates from
all users who discharge sewage containing no process or industrial
wastes or other matter more concentrated than domestic sewage as determined
in the regulations of the Washington-East Washington Joint Authority.
|
Schedule I
Debt Service Rate
| |||
|---|---|---|---|
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Per Month
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Per Quarter
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|
Minimum charge
|
$7.62
|
$16.64
| |
|
Usage Block
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Per 1,000 Gallons
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|
First 5,000 gallons per month or 15,000 gallons per quarter,
or any part thereof
|
$1.80
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|
Next 5,000 gallons per month or 15,000 gallons per quarter,
or any part thereof
|
$1.17
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|
All usage in excess of 15,000 gallons per month or 45,000 gallons
per quarter, or any part thereof
|
$0.74
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|
Schedule II
Operation and Maintenance Rate
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Usage Block
|
Per 1,000 Gallons
| |
|
For usage of 1,000 gallons per month or quarter or any usage
in excess of 1,000 gallons per month or quarter
|
$1.16
| |
|
Schedule III
Pump or Lift Station Rate
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Per 1,000 Gallons
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|
For customers whose sewage must be pumped through the use of
a pump or lift station into the normal gravity sewage collection system
of the Authority. Per 1,000 gallons' usage
|
$0.43
| |
|
Schedule IV
Grinder Pump Rate
| ||
|---|---|---|
|
Per 1,000 Gallons
| ||
|
For customers in districts that are to be charged for the use
of sewer grinder pumps. Per 1,000 gallons' usage
|
$1.41
| |
C.
Adjustment of sewer rental for wastes stronger than sanitary sewage. For users discharging wastes having a higher concentration of settleable solids and organic matter than domestic sewage, as determined by the regulations of the Authority, the rates set forth in § 271-4B shall be adjusted for concentration in accordance with the regulations of the Authority.
D.
Users using private water supplies.
(1)
For users using water, all or part of which is from a source other than the Water Company, there shall be a sewer rental separate from and in addition to any sewer rental based upon the consumption of water from the Water Company. Such separate and additional sewer rental shall be measured by the quantity of water from the private sources which is discharged into the sewerage system and shall be at the same rate as is set forth in § 271-4B.
(2)
Each
such user shall at his own expense install a meter or meters to measure
the quantity of water received from sources other than the Water Company
which are discharged into the sewerage system. No meter shall be installed
or used for such purpose without approval of the Authority. If such
user fails to install an approved meter or measuring device, the Authority
shall determine the amount of the waste discharged to the sewerage
system and shall impose charges based upon such determination.
E.
Water not discharged into the sewerage system. Whenever a user uses
water from the Water Company, but such water is not discharged into
the sewerage system, the quantity of such water shall be excluded
in determining the sewer rental payable by such user. The quantity
of such water shall be measured by a device or devices approved by
the Authority and installed by the user and without cost to the Authority;
provided, however, that in reference to industrial and commercial
users, where in the Authority's opinion it is impractical to
install a measuring device continuously to determine the quantity
of such water, the Authority may determine said quantity in such manner
as it may prescribe.
F.
Observation facilities. Where required by the Authority, any user
other than a domestic user shall install a suitable manhole to facilitate
observation, sampling and measuring of wastes. Such manhole, when
required, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed
in accordance with plans approved by the Authority. The manhole shall
be installed by the user at his expense and shall be maintained by
him in a safe condition at all times.
G.
Inspection. The Authority or its authorized agent shall be permitted
to enter upon all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation,
measurements, sampling and testing in accordance with the regulations
of the Authority.
H.
Notice of change in character of waste. Any user who discharges industrial
or process wastes into any sewer and who shall change his methods
of operation so as to alter the type of waste previously discharged
shall notify the Authority 10 days previous to such change, in order
that the Authority may have the opportunity to sample the wastes and
determine whether or not such wastes will be injurious to the sewerage
system.
I.
User charge system; operations and maintenance. In accordance with
the Rules and Regulations of the United States Environmental Protection
Agency, Title 40, CFR 35.935-13, the user charge set forth in Schedule
II, Operation and Maintenance Rate, is subject to annual review and
revision as necessary.
The owners of properties served by the sewerage system and the
users of water in or on said properties shall be jointly and severally
liable for the payment of the sewer rentals and penalties hereby imposed.
The Authority is hereby authorized, empowered and appointed,
for and on behalf and as agent of the City, to collect the sewer rentals
and penalties hereby imposed, either from the owners of the properties
receiving sewerage service or from the users of water upon said properties,
or from both the owners and the water users; and to enforce the payment
of such sewer rentals and penalties in any manner now or hereafter
authorized by law.
The sewer rentals and penalties hereby imposed shall be a lien
on the property served, and all delinquent bills therefor shall be
entered as a lien against such property; and such lien shall be filed
in the office of the Prothonotary of Washington County, Pennsylvania,
and collected in the manner provided by law for the filing and collection
of municipal claims.
[Amended 11-17-1958 by Ord. No. 748]
It shall be unlawful for any person, firm or corporation to
place or cause to be placed any gasoline, oil, grease or volatile
liquid in any storm sewer within the limits of the City of Washington.
[Amended 11-17-1958 by Ord. No. 748; 4-24-1986 by Ord. No. 1356; 12-7-2006 by Ord. No. 1766]
A.
Any individual, person, firm, corporation or other entity who shall
violate any provision of this article shall, upon being held liable
in any civil proceeding or upon conviction thereof, be sentenced to
pay a penalty, fine or charge of no less than $100 nor more than the
maximum amount permitted by law, but not to exceed $1,000, and in
default of payment or any failure to pay any fine or penalty, upon
a summary or other criminal conviction, shall be sentenced to imprisonment
for a period not to exceed 30 days, or both.
B.
Each day that a violation of this article shall continue shall constitute
a separate offense, subject to the fines, costs, penalties and charges
set forth above for each offense.
C.
Nothing herein shall limit, prevent or preclude the City of Washington
from taking any and all legal action or exercising any other remedy
available to the City by law, including but not limited to the initiation
of civil or criminal proceedings or injunctive relief, in order to
enforce or ensure compliance with this article. As an additional remedy,
the City of Washington may abate any nuisance, dangerous or hazardous
condition by any means permitted by law, which shall include but not
be limited to an action in the Court of Common Pleas of Washington
County, Pennsylvania, for injunctive relief; the use of any City of
Washington personnel, equipment and materials or that of an authorized
agent or contractor hired by the City to remove or abate any nuisance,
dangerous or hazardous condition, and with all costs thereof or related
thereto to be charged against the property owner(s) and/or person
or entity who has violated the article or portion thereof; said costs
shall include all actual costs and expenses, including all costs of
collection and reasonable administrative costs of the City, incurred
in enforcing the provisions of the article.
