There is hereby established and imposed an annual sewer rental or charge for the use, operation, maintenance and construction of the sewers and sewerage system and sewage disposal facilities of the City, upon the owners of properties served thereby, at the rates hereinafter set forth in this article.
[Amended 6-12-2018 by Ord. No. MC-5118]
A. 
The sewer rental hereby established and imposed shall be an annual charge based upon the water consumption of the properties served, as measured by either the quantity or charges for water supplied for the then-current calendar year as hereinafter set forth.
B. 
Any property found to be connected to a City sewer main which has not been previously billed shall be back charged for service as follows:
Customer Type
Back Billing Period
(months)
Residential
12
Commercial
24
[1]
Editor's Note: A schedule of quarterly fixed charges and usage charges for residential and commercial service is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[Last amended 11-24-1999 by Ord. No. MC-3534]
A. 
For properties using City water meter rates, the sewer rental for all water and waste discharge into the sewer system shall be 65% of the charge for water, other than special annual demand charges or special demand charges, provided for in Chapter 840, Water, § 840-23 et seq., of the Code of the City of Camden.
B. 
For industrial and commercial establishments using City water meter rates, the owner shall choose, install, calibrate and maintain a sewer meter of his choice. The property owner shall also pay for and provide access for meter to be read. The sewer rental for water and waste discharge into the sewer system shall be 65% of the charge for water provided for in Chapter 840, Water, § 840-23 et seq., of the Code of the City of Camden.
[1]
Editor's Note: A schedule of quarterly fixed charges and usage charges for residential and commercial service is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[Last amended 6-27-1996 by Ord. No. MC-3225[2]]
For a property which has not installed a water meter and is using City water at a flat rate or appliance rates, the sewer rental shall be 65% of the charges for water.
[1]
Editor's Note: A schedule of quarterly fixed charges and usage charges for residential and commercial service is included as an attachment to this chapter.
[2]
Editor's Note: This ordinance also provided that "the rates set forth in this ordinance shall be retroactively applied starting from April 1, 1996, and shall be included in all bills mailed in July 1996."
[Amended 3-10-1972 by Ord. No. MC-649; 12-27-1973 by Ord. No. MC-795; 4-8-1982 by Ord. No. MC-1848; 4-14-1983 by Ord. No. MC-1936]
A. 
For a property which uses water from a source or sources other than the City's water supply system and the quantity of said water is metered, the sewer rental shall be computed on the same basis as if the quantity of such water was purchased from the City of Camden at the metered rates as provided in the Code of the City of Camden.
B. 
For a property which uses water from a source or sources for which there is no charge at meter, flat or appliance rates and discharges all or part of said water or waste into the City sewer system, the sewer rental or charge for such water or waste discharge into the sewer system shall be computed on the same basis as if the quantity of such water was purchased from the City of Camden at the metered rates as provided for in the Code of the City of Camden.
[1]
Editor's Note: A schedule of quarterly fixed charges and usage charges for residential and commercial service is included as an attachment to this chapter.
A. 
For a property which uses water from a source or sources for which there is no charge, either at metered or at flat or appliance rates, there shall be a sewer rental separate from and in addition to any sewer rental based on the consumption of water from such source or sources for which it is charged metered or flat or appliance rates. Such separate or additional sewer rental shall be measured by the quantity of water used from the source or sources for which there is no charge, either at metered or at flat or appliance rates, which is discharged into the City's sewers from said property.
B. 
The owner of each such property shall install, without cost to the City, a meter or meters to measure the quantity of water received from such source or sources for which there is no charge and discharged into the City's sewers. No meters shall be installed or shall be used for such purposes without the approval of the Director of Public Works. The Department of Finance in the Department of Administration and Finance shall certify to the Bureau of Revenue Collections in the Department of Administration and Finance the quantity of water used by said property for which there is no charge and discharged into the City's sewers; and the sewer rental based upon such quantity of water shall be the same in amount as is required to be paid by the owners of metered property receiving the same quantity of water from the City's water supply system. If the owner of said property fails to install an approved meter or meters, said Department of Finance, when requested by said Bureau of Revenue Collections, shall make and furnish to said Bureau of Revenue Collections an estimate of the quantity of such water used by said property and discharged into the City's sewers from said property.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766; 12-10-2019 by Ord. No. MC-5232]
[1]
Editor's Note: A schedule of quarterly fixed charges and usage charges for residential and commercial service is included as an attachment to this chapter.
A. 
Additional charges for imposition of additional burden on system; pretreatment; tests; refusal to allow connection to system.
(1) 
In cases where the character of sewage or industrial wastes discharged from any building or premises is such that it imposes an additional burden upon said sewerage system or sewage disposal facilities above that imposed by the average sewage entering said sewerage system or sewage disposal facilities, such additional cost necessitated thereby shall be an additional charge over the rates hereinabove set forth.
(2) 
The City may, if it deems it advisable, compel such building or premises to treat such sewage or industrial wastes in such manner as shall be specified by said City before discharging the same into said sewerage system.
(3) 
The City shall, at all reasonable times, have the right to enter upon premises connected to said sewerage system for the purpose of making tests of the quantity and quality of the sewage or industrial wastes discharged from said property into said sewerage system.
(4) 
The owner of such property shall, at his own cost and expense, install approved facilities for obtaining samples of such sewage or industrial wastes.
(5) 
The City shall have the right to refuse any person the right to connect to said sewerage system if, in the opinion of the City, the sewage or industrial wastes to be discharged into said sewerage system is detrimental to the health, safety or welfare of the City or it may elect to exclude such sewage or industrial wastes from its facilities.
B. 
Any person discharging into the public sewer any wastes containing more than 2,500 pounds of suspended solids per million gallons of waste (300 parts per million) shall, in addition to any other sewer rent or charge, pay an additional sewer rent or surcharge at the rate of $83.85 per 2,000 pounds of solids in excess of 2,500 pounds of suspended solids per million gallons of waste.
[Amended 3-10-1972 by Ord. No. MC-649; 12-27-1973 by Ord. No. MC-795]
C. 
The strength of any sewage or wastes shall be determined at such time or times, place or places, selected by the City and in such manner as the City may elect. The strength of the sewage or wastes determined by the City shall be used for establishing the amount of the additional sewer rental or surcharge.
D. 
The City may, if it deems it advisable, compel the owner of any property served by a private sewer or sewers carrying industrial wastes to install a suitable manhole or manholes in the private sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of the combined sewage or wastes discharged from said premises. Such manhole or manholes, when required to be installed, shall be accessibly and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the Director of Public Works. The manhole or manholes shall be installed by the owner of the property at his sole cost and expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times. In the event that no special manhole has been constructed and if other facilities for measuring and sampling sewage or wastes are not available, the control manhole shall be considered to be the downstream manhole in the public sewer nearest the point at which the private sewer is connected.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766; 12-10-2019 by Ord. No. MC-5232]
E. 
All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of sewage and wastes to which reference is made in this section shall be determined in accordance with the latest edition of Standard Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage, as prepared, approved and published jointly by the American Public Health Association and the American Water Works Association and shall be determined upon suitable samples taken at manhole or manholes provided for in Subsection D of this section.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766; 12-10-2019 by Ord. No. MC-5232]
Whenever a property upon which a sewer rental is hereby imposed uses water for an industrial or commercial purpose such that the water so used is not discharged into the sewerage system of the City, the quantity of water so used and not discharged into the City's sewers shall be excluded in determining the sewer rental of said property, provided that the quantity of water so used and not discharged into the City's sewers is measured by a device or devices, meter or meters, approved by the Director of Public Works, and installed without cost to the City or is determined by other means approved by said Director of Public Works, upon recommendation of said Division of Finance and the water supply is metered and the owner pays for the water at meter rates. The sewer rental based upon the consumption of City water to be paid by the owner of said property shall be computed at the rates hereinabove provided for less the quantity not discharged into the City's sewers.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766; 12-10-2019 by Ord. No. MC-5232]
All meters or other measuring devices installed or required to be used under the provisions of this article shall be under the custody and control of the Department of Public Works. The owner of the property upon which any such measuring device is installed, which shall be at said owner's expense, shall be responsible for its maintenance and safekeeping, and all repairs thereto shall be made at the owner's cost, whether such repairs are made necessary by ordinary wear and tear or other causes. Bills for such repairs, if made by the City, shall be due and payable at the same time, be collected in the same manner and be subject to the same penalties and consequences as are the bills for water under Chapter 840, Water, of this Code (§ 840-1 et seq.).
All sewer rentals and charges shall be due and payable at the same time that water rentals are due and payable and, upon nonpayment thereof, shall be subject to the same interest, penalties and consequences as in the case of the charges for water under Chapter 840, Water, of this Code (§ 840-1 et seq.). Said payments shall apply to all properties subject to the payment of sewer rents and charges, without regard to the source of water used by them.
[Amended 8-13-1981 by Ord. No. MC-1766]
Subject to and in accordance with § 7-24 of this Code, the Bureau of Revenue Collections within the Department of Finance is hereby charged with the duty of collecting all sewer rents and charges.
No sewer rental is hereby imposed on properties outside the City from which sewage and other wastes are discharged into the sewers of the City under an agreement between the City and any other municipality of the State of New Jersey or any individual or corporation, nor upon properties within the City not receiving sewer service from the City's facilities.