[Adopted 9-6-1963 by Ord. No. 7]
As used in this article, the following terms shall have the meanings indicated:
PERSON
Includes any individual or individuals, partnerships, association or corporation singular or plural, including the responsible officers of any such association or corporation.
WATER OF THE STATE
Includes all streams, springs and all bodies of water, whether the same be surface or subterranean, including percolating as well as subterranean streams, whether natural or artificial, within the geographic limits of the township.
A. 
A permit shall be required to erect artesian wells, wells, septic tanks, seepage pits and other disposal systems, and the same shall be constructed in accordance with requirements as herein set forth and in accordance with such requirements of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Health. The request for said permit shall be accompanied by a plot plan, upon which plot plan there shall be shown all proposed structures for sewage disposal and water supply.
B. 
No newly constructed septic tank, seepage pit or other sewage disposal system, or artesian wells for drinking water, shall hereafter be covered and/or used until same has been inspected and approved by the Building Inspector of the Township of Bern, and a use permit is issued by the Building Inspector. Use permits shall be issued by the Building Inspector only after owner has complied with all requirements listed under § 138-4.
C. 
No newly constructed wells shall hereafter be covered and/or used until same have been inspected and approved by the Building Inspector of the Township of Bern, and a use permit is issued by the Building Inspector. Use permits shall be issued by the Building Inspector only after owner has complied with all requirements listed under § 138-7.
D. 
Fees for such permits as are required under these regulations shall be in accordance with a schedule of fees adopted by the Board of Supervisors by resolution from time to time and, upon adoption of same, are incorporated herein by reference and shall become part thereof.
Percolation tests shall be required and be performed by a duly licensed engineer licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and said engineer shall, as part of said percolation tests, submit the required tile field needed for adequate and proper disposal.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 1 of Article II, regarding privies, which immediately followed this section was deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
All receptacles of whatever nature or kind for disposal of sewage shall be constructed and maintained in such a manner which shall not permit access to the contents thereof by flies, mosquitoes or other insects and rodents.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Section 3 of Article II, regarding discharges on the surface of the ground or water, which immediately followed this section, was deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
B. 
Overflowing of sewage disposal systems will not be permitted.
C. 
The transportation of human excrement shall be effected in watertight containers with tight-fitting covers.
D. 
No human excrement shall be placed on the surface of the ground, buried or otherwise disposed of where it is likely to gain access to any water of the state, and the same may not be used as fertilizer for the fertilization of crops to be consumed by human beings.
E. 
Toilet accommodations.
(1) 
Sufficient and suitable free toilet accommodations, well-lighted and ventilated and separated for each sex, shall be provided at all public buildings, public markets, public playgrounds, public swimming pools, camp meeting grounds, county fairs and such other places as are frequented by the public generally.
(2) 
The word "public," as herein employed, shall mean any building or ground where occupant thereof invites the general public to frequent and use the same, whether said grounds or building are publicly or privately owned.
(3) 
The construction of said toilet accommodations shall be in accordance with the requirements as set forth herein.
F. 
No person shall permit to be discharged into any street, gutter, public roadway or upon the surface of the ground any water or sewage.
G. 
It shall be unlawful to hereafter construct any sewage disposal system other than a type approved herein.
A. 
No garbage, offal, pomace, dead animals, decaying matter or organic waste substances of any kind shall be thrown or disposed of upon the surface of the ground or in any street or highway. The transportation of any such matter aforedescribed shall be effected in such vehicles or containers as shall prevent any spillage therefrom and shall be cleaned at sufficient intervals to prevent obnoxious odors.
B. 
Manure and synthetic compost shall not be allowed to accumulate in any place where it can prejudicially affect any source of drinking water.
C. 
The carcass of any dead animal not slaughtered for food shall be removed and disposed of by burial, incineration or other sanitary method within 24 hours after death. If the carcass is buried, it shall be placed so that every part shall be covered by at least two feet of earth and at a location not less than 100 feet from any water of the state and not subject to overflow by said water. In all cases of death from communicable disease, the carcass shall be thoroughly enveloped in unslaked lime.
D. 
No person shall allow any noxious gases that are deleterious or detrimental to public health to escape into the air or any substance that is deleterious or detrimental to public health to accumulate upon premises or be thrown or allowed to be discharged into any street, roadway or public place or be thrown or allowed to be discharged into any stream or other water of the state.
No person shall maintain, or permit to be maintained, any pond, privy vault, cesspool, well, cistern, rain barrel or other receptacle containing water in such a condition that mosquitoes breed therein or become a menace to the public health.
No owner or occupant of any premises shall maintain any well, spring, cistern or other source of water supply used for drinking or household purposes which is polluted or which is so situated or constructed that it may become polluted in any manner that may render such water supply injurious to health, unless such water is properly treated to render it fit for human consumption.[1]
[1]
Editor's Note: Original Article VI, regarding surface refuse, which immediately followed this section was deleted at time of adoption of Code (see Ch. 1, General Provisions, Art. I).
A. 
Connection to a sanitary municipally owned sewage system shall, when the main of such sewage system lies in the bed of the street, be made by a cast-iron pipe to the curb of said street and shall have root-tight joints.
B. 
All tile shall be laid on a bed of stone not less than 12 inches deep and covered with six inches of stone one inch or 3/4 inch. All tile fields shall be laid with a fall of two inches in 50 feet tile field to be at a minimum of 14 inches to a maximum of 48 inches, as required in accordance with the results of percolation tests.
A. 
Septic tanks shall be made of concrete, steel or other approved material in accordance with American Society for Testing Materials specifications. Steel septic tanks shall be coated on the inside and outside with a bituminous or approved material. All septic tanks shall be located at least 10 feet from the building they are to accommodate and 10 feet from bordering property lines.
B. 
Size and capacity.
(1) 
The size and capacity of septic tanks shall be determined by the number of bedrooms, as set forth in the following table, and in all cases shall be the minimum capacity; each additional bedroom above four shall have an additional capacity of 150 gallons.
Number of Bedrooms
Minimum Liquid Capacity
2
600
3
750
4
900
(2) 
In all cases there shall be, leading from said septic tank, a minimum of 200 lineal feet of tile field. Where percolation is poor, the number of feet of tile shall be determined by the engineer.
C. 
Septic tanks shall be so constructed that at least 12 inches of air space is permitted above the flow line.
Distribution box shall be a minimum of 18 inches wide, 48 inches long and 24 inches high and shall have at least four outlets to disposal field. Distribution box connections to either septic tank or other approved sewage disposal receptacle shall be constructed of four-inch pipe of cast iron, vitrified clay or other approved material and shall be root-tight jointed. Distribution box shall have removable top and shall be reasonably watertight. All lines leading from distribution box to field shall be solid line.
The location of the disposal field shall be at a safe distance from the water supply, 25 feet from any streams, 20 feet from any dwelling, 10 feet from any trees and at least 10 feet from any property line and at least five feet apart.
All wastewaters or overflow from a disposal system must be kept underground and shall never surface or be connected to any storm sewers, creeks, streams, watercourses or drainage ditches.
Plans for disposing of sewage waste for manufacturing plants, schools, apartments, commercial building, churches, etc., showing method, capacity and construction, after being approved by the proper state authority, must be submitted to Township Engineer and Planning Commission for approval.
No receptacle for the disposal of sewage by more than one family shall be permitted, except in multiple housing where plans for disposal facilities shall first be submitted to the township for their approval; said plans and design for disposal facilities shall be prepared by a licensed engineer licensed by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.
A. 
Water closets.
(1) 
For places of assembly there shall be one water closet for every 100 persons or fraction thereof, but not less than one of each sex.
(2) 
In schools and other educational buildings, there shall be at least one water closet for every 25 persons.
(3) 
In every other building, there shall be at least one water closet for every 15 occupants.
B. 
Toilet rooms.
(1) 
Water closets and urinals shall be placed in rooms or compartments which are devoted exclusively to toilet facilities.
(2) 
In every water closet or urinal compartment hereafter constructed or installed, except in dwellings and multifamily houses, the entire floor and the side walls to a height of not less than four feet shall be made waterproof with cement, tile, marble, slate or other approved material impervious to water.
(3) 
The partitions enclosing toilet rooms shall be solid, except for the entrance door, and shall extend from the floor to the ceiling. Partitions separating water closets or urinals within a toilet room shall not extend to the ceiling, but shall be so constructed as to permit circulation of air throughout the toilet room.
C. 
Bathrooms and water-closet compartments. Every bathroom and every room containing one or more water closets or urinals shall be ventilated by one or more windows opening on a street or on a court conforming to the requirements of this article; or by a separate duct or incombustible and noncorrodible material, not less than 72 square inches in cross section, extending independently of any other duct to and above the roof; or by a ventilating skylights or by an approved means of mechanical ventilation as prescribed in this article.
D. 
Mechanical ventilation.
(1) 
When mechanical ventilation is required, or is permitted as an alternative, the system shall be designed and constructed in accordance with generally accepted good practice to provide the necessary changes of air, but not less than prescribed in this section.
(2) 
Except as otherwise specifically prescribed by law or in duly promulgated rules, the recommendations of the American Society of Heating and Ventilating Engineers shall be deemed to be generally accepted good practice.
(3) 
Bathroom and toilet rooms. For bathrooms and toilet compartments, not less than two cubic feet of air per minute for each square foot of floor shall be provided.
E. 
Wherever toilet facilities are required hereunder, there shall also be provided a hand washbowl, together with soap and disposable paper towels for washing and drying of hands; said hand bowl shall be of porcelain or other noncorrosive material.
The minimum charge for all permits issued under this article shall be $5. When septic tanks are included, this five-dollar fee shall include all septic tanks up to and including one-thousand-gallon capacity. An additional charge of $1 will be made for each one-thousand-gallon additional unit or fraction thereof installed. Exception to the above shall be that a fee of $1 shall be charged for permit issued covering artesian wells and wells.
Drainage and sewerage work must not be covered or concealed in any manner until after it is inspected and approved. Notice must be given to the inspector when the work is sufficiently advanced for such inspection, when it shall be the duty of the proper officer to inspect the same within 24 hours after receipt of said notice. When the work has been completed, inspected and approved, a use certificate shall be issued. No new installation shall be put into service prior to the issuance of the certificate.
Unless otherwise specifically provided herein, these rules and regulations shall be enforced by such officer of the Township of Bern as may be designated by the Board of Supervisors by resolution to be adopted by said Board of Supervisors.
[Amended 3-5-2002 by Ord. No. 195-2002]
This article shall be enforced by action brought before a District Justice in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. Any person who violates or permits the violation of this article shall, upon conviction in a summary proceeding, be punishable by a fine of not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for a term not exceeding 90 days. Each day or portion thereof that such violation continues or is permitted to continue shall constitute a separate offense. Each section of this article that is violated shall also constitute a separate offense.