Town of New Hartford, NY Article II Sewer Connection Regulations

[Adopted 6-16-1971 by L.L. No. 2-1971]

§ 98-17 Permit required; fee.

[Amended 8-1-1984 by L.L No. 12-1984; 9-16-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987; 1-15-2003 by L.L. No. 1-2003]

Before connecting to the sanitary sewer system, a property owner must obtain a permit given by the Town Board and issued by the Town Engineer upon payment of the sewer permit fee established and set forth in Chapter 118 (Zoning) of the Code, Article XV (Miscellaneous Provisions), § 118-93 (Fees), Subsection D (Miscellaneous), Subsection (9), Sewer permits. All permits must include a sketch showing the location of the building and sewer connection. Permits may be obtained at the office of the Town Engineer during regular working hours, located in the Sanger Public Works Garage, 220 Campion Road, New Hartford, New York. Permits may be revoked by the Town Board at any time if the rules and specifications are not adhered to or otherwise violated.

§ 98-18 Contractors bond, insurance, required approvals.

A. Bonds. All contractors engaged in connecting house materials with the sanitary sewers, who perform any work within the right-of-way, shall file a bond in the amount of $5,000 with the Town Engineer to indemnify the Sewer District of the Town against all loss, cost, damage or expense sustained or recovered on account of any negligence, omission or act of the applicant for such a permit, or any of his, their or its servants or agents, arising or resulting directly or indirectly by reason of such permit or consent or of any act, construction or excavation done, made or permitted under authority of such permit or consent. All bonds shall contain a clause that permits given by the Town Board may be revoked at any time for just cause.

[Amended 9-16-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987]

B. Insurance.

[Amended 4-18-1979 by L.L. No. 2-1979; 8-1-1984 by L.L. No. 12-1984; 9-16-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987]

(1) Before commencing work, the above contractor shall file with the Town Engineer insurance certificates for the following:

(a) Public liability limited to $50,000 for injuries and including wrongful death to each person and limited to $100,000 on account of each occurrence.

(b) Property damage for $100,000 for damages on account of any occurrence and $300,000 in the aggregate.

(c) An umbrella or equivalent insurance certificate providing for $2,000,000 in addition to that coverage provided for in Subsection B(1)(a) and (b) above; provided, however, that, in lieu of the same, an initial policy in said amount will be accepted.

(2) The policies shall cover motor vehicle operations and the use of explosives and blasting. All insurance policies must provide for five days' notice to the Board before cancellation and must cover all liabilities of the Town Board and be in a satisfactory form approved by the Board.

C. Wherever it is necessary to enter upon or excavate any highway or cut any pavement, sidewalk or curbing, permission must be obtained from the Superintendent of Highways, if a Town highway is involved; from the County Department of Public Works, if a county highway is involved; and from the New York State Department of Transportation, if a state highway is involved.

§ 98-19 Disposal of surface or rain water.

No connection will be permitted for draining roof water, surface water from roads, driveways, lawns or cellar drains, including sump pumps or other ponded water, into the sanitary sewers within the Sanitary Sewer District. Under no conditions will a permit be issued for such a connection. Surface water and cellar drains may be connected to the storm sewer, if one exists, or it may be discharged into the open highway ditch.

§ 98-20 Independent connections required for each lot.

[Amended 4-19-2006 by L.L. No. 1-2006]

Each parcel of land upon which a building exists must have its own independent connection with the road sanitary sewer. No multiple connections involving two or more property owners will be permitted without the recommendation of the Sewer Superintendent and concurrence by the Town Board.

§ 98-21 Maintenance of connections; costs.

[Amended 4-19-2006 by L.L. No. 1-2006]

A. Normal maintenance of the sewer lateral from the house to the sanitary sewer main shall be the responsibility of the property owner. Normal maintenance shall include, but not be limited to, investigation of the lateral for the location and/or cause of complete or partial blockages; the removal of grease, tree roots, and the build up of other material not readily dissolvable in water; and the repair or replacement of the lateral as required to maintain a smooth and unobstructed flow of sewerage from the structure which it serves to the sewer main.

B. The Town shall:

(1) Repair or replace only that portion of the sewer lateral within the pavement limits should excavation within the pavement limits be required to remedy a lateral deficiency; and

(2) Provide pavement restoration, as required.

C. The Town shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the property owner related to investigation of the lateral for blockages, the removal from the lateral of foreign material, and/or the repair/replacement of the lateral outside the pavement limits.

§ 98-22 Supervision of work.

All work shall be done under the supervision and in accordance with the directions of the Inspector designated by the Town Board.

§ 98-23 Performance of work.

All work must be performed by either an experienced plumber or experienced and qualified pipelaying contractor.

§ 98-24 Specifications.

All connections with sanitary sewers shall be made in accordance with the following specifications:

A. Connections shall be made at openings provided in the sewer. The location of the openings may be obtained at the office of the Town Engineer. Where no opening exists, permission must be obtained from the Town Inspector to cut into the sewer. If required, a wye must be inserted as directed by the Inspector. If a wye is not used, a sewer branch connector must be used. This connector must be equal in quality to one manufactured by the Pioneer Foundry and Mfg. Co. and can be obtained from local building supply dealers. All work must be done in accordance with the Inspector's instructions. Any breaking of the sewer pipe caused by such cutting, which shall be done by means of a rotary cutter, must be replaced at the expense of the installer. No connection into the sewer shall project beyond the face of the inside wall of the sewer. All cut-ins shall be encased in one to two to four concrete.

[Amended 9-16-1987 by L.L. No. 4-1987]

B. Before connecting to any sanitary sewer laterals, the installer shall make sure that they are free and clear of sand, mud, rocks and roots from the point of connection to the main sewer.

C. All pipes shall be laid with the ends abutting with bell ends uphill and on a true line and grade. Minimum grades shall be at least 1/4 inch per foot. All pipes shall be clear of dirt or other foreign materials as the work progresses.

D. Whenever it is necessary to leave the work, the end of the pipe shall be securely closed with a tightly fitting cover or plug. Any earth or other materials entering the main sewer through the open end of any laterals or pipe shall be removed at the installer's expense. No tunneling will be permitted except where permission has been obtained from the Inspector, in which case his directions must be carefully followed.

E. All trenches must be properly protected by sufficient sheeting and bracing. Where pipes pass under walls of buildings, a relieving arch shall be constructed to prevent settlement of the masonry over the pipe. Where trenches cross roadways or sidewalks, substantial bridges shall be constructed across the trench to accommodate traffic. The installer shall erect and maintain barricades, signs, red lights and other safeguards necessary to effectively prevent injuries to persons.

F. Pipes and fittings.

(1) Connections to the sewer must be made with cement asbestos pipe meeting ASTM Specifications C-644, Type II, mandrel-made and autoclave-cured, minimum class 2400 or service weight cast-iron soil pipe, except where the pipe passes through the wall of a building it shall be extra-heavy cast-iron soil pipe, and the pipe shall extend at least three feet beyond the outside of the wall. The minimum diameter of the pipe shall be four inches. Where cast-iron pipe is used, the joints shall be made with either oakum and molten lead, caulked and smoothly faced or commercially manufactured preformed joints.

(2) In addition to those requirements set forth above, the substitution and use of polyvinyl chloride (PVC) sewer pipes and fittings, Type PSM, meeting and/or exceeding all requirements of ASTM Specification D3034, latest edition, shall be allowed. Pipe standard must be minimum SDR-35. Joints shall be ring-tite joints conforming to ASTM D-1869 and to the manufacturer's installation instructions. Where PVC pipe is used, at joints or connections with other types of pipe, the joint shall be encased in Class B concrete. In addition thereto, when PVC-type pipe is used, the pipe shall be covered with hand-placed and compacted sand or other suitable material at least six inches above the pipe, in addition to the provisions of Subsection G below.

[Added 8-6-1980 by L.L. No. 1-1980]

G. The pipe shall be laid on a well-compacted bed of sand or other suitable material at least six inches below the pipe unless specified by the Inspector. All loose ground must be removed from the trench. The bed material must also encase the pipe at least 1/2 of its diameter after it is laid. Only approved gasket-type joints, fittings and adapters shall be used.

H. All fittings in sanitary sewers shall be recessed drainage fittings with smooth continuous linear surfaces to the flow or drainage and shall conform in all respects to their respective grades of pipe. Changes in direction of flow shall be made by the proper use of fittings which may be forty-five-degree wyes, short sweeps, sixths, eights or sixteenths bends, or an approved combination thereof. The use of quarter bends is not permitted.

I. Cleanouts.

(1) Adequate cleanouts shall be installed not over 75 feet apart so that at all times the curved route of flow can be rodded or cleaned mechanically. The risers on all cleanouts shall be four-inch cast iron with a four-inch screw-type opening accessible for cleaning and flushing. At the time of filing for a permit, a sketch must be submitted showing the building and the proposed connection to the sewer with dimensions and sizes of all pipes and fittings.

(2) On each lateral connection made in all the sewer districts in the Town of New Hartford, a cleanout shall be installed at the property line which consists of a Y-45 Riser end cap. The pipe will be totally exposed so a photograph may be taken. No connections shall be allowed which in any way provide for the flow of surface drainage water into the Town of New Hartford sewer system. All contractors must contact the Town of New Hartford Sewer Department after obtaining a permit and before commencing any site work for the sewer connection for specific instructions.

[Added 8-1-1984 by L.L. No. 12-1984]

J. Traps may be used. Where a trap is installed it shall be located within the property line and, whenever practical within the building, on the building drainpipe within two feet of the exterior wall where the sewer leaves the building. It shall be located on the sewer side of all connections and shall be equipped with a cleanout on the sewer side of the trap.

K. No cellar drains, sump pumps or roof drains shall be connected to the sanitary sewer.

L. The fill over and around the pipe up to a depth of one foot over the top of the pipe must be carefully selected material, free from clay or large stones. It shall be deposited in well-compacted layers not exceeding 12 inches in depth. No trench shall be backfilled until the work has been inspected and approved by the Town Inspector.

M. Where the trench passes beneath a roadway pavement, the refilling and repaving shall follow the directions of the Town, county or state highway officials. Outside the limits of the pavement, the surface of the trenches, after being backfilled and compacted, shall be finished off in a smooth and workmanlike manner. All settlements occurring after the trenches have been backfilled must be filled by the installer or owner. Should he fail to do so, the refilling will be done by the proper highway department and the cost of the work charged to the owner.

§ 98-25 Penalties for offenses.

[Amended 8-20-1980 by L.L. No. 2-1980]

Any person committing an offense against any provision of this article shall, upon conviction thereof, be guilty of a violation pursuant to the Penal Law of the State of New York, punishable by a fine not exceeding $250 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 15 days, or by both such fine and imprisonment. The continuation of an offense against the provisions of this article shall constitute, for each day the offense is continued, a separate and distinct offense hereunder.

§ 98-26 Application of provisions to existing systems.

The provisions, rules, regulations and specifications contained in this article shall apply to all existing sanitary sewer systems and sanitary sewers located within the Town, whether in existence at the time of the passage of this article or created and constructed thereafter.