[Added 1-2-1996; amended 6-3-1997; 12-2-1997]
No person shall connect a building sewer to the public sewer, increase the flow of his existing sewer connection or change the use of any property connected to the sewer without first receiving a connection permit from the Superintendent and paying the appropriate connection fee, if any.
[Amended 9-21-2010 by Ord. No. 2010-05]
The Town Council shall establish sewer connection fee rates by ordinance as required by Charter § C-30-A.
[Amended 6-18-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-01]
All persons required by this chapter to obtain a connection permit shall apply to the Superintendent on forms provided by the Superintendent. Said application shall state the name and service address of the owner, the proposed use of the property, and the estimated volume of the waste, a copy of any required building permit, the diameter of the proposed sewer service connection and such other information as the Superintendent may reasonably deem necessary to administer this chapter. The Superintendent shall either approve or deny the application within 30 days of the receipt of a complete application. The permit shall not be issued until the connection fee, if any, has been paid.
[Amended 6-18-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-01]
The daily design flow of the proposed facility shall be determined by the Superintendent with reference to the following:
A. 
New facility. For any new facility, the Superintendent shall determine the daily design flow by referring to the following table and assuming the maximum estimated population. In cases where the proposed use is not listed, the Superintendent shall make his/her determination of a reasonable design flow after consultation with the Maine Department of Human Services and any other appropriate authorities or references. The design flows for facilities shall be based on the resultant daily flows of wastewater as determined from the following table:
Design Flows for Facilities
Type of Facility1
Gallons Per Day Design Flow
Single-Family Residential
Each one- or two-bedroom unit
180 per unit
Each additional bedroom
90 per bedroom
Multiple Residential
Boardinghouses (includes meals)
50 per bedroom
Rooming houses (without meals)
40 per bedroom
Transient accommodations with
  Shared bathrooms
60 per bedroom
  Private bathrooms
100 per bedroom
Mobile home parks
225 per site
Multifamily homes (except retirement homes)
  One-bedroom unit
120 per unit
  Two-bedroom unit
180 per unit
  Three-bedroom unit
270 per unit
Multifamily homes (retirement homes limited to persons older than 50 years)
  Each one- or two-bedroom unit
120 per unit
Commercial Establishments
Airports5
5 per passenger
Beauty salon5
10 per customer
Bottle club2
10 per 15 square feet
Bowling alley
75 per lane
Bus service areas5
5 per person
Factories and plants5
  Without showers
15 per person
  With showers
25 per person
Laundry, self-service
400 per washer
Offices or research laboratories5
15 per person
Restaurants
  Eat in with conventional utensils2
30 per 15 square feet
  Eat in with disposable utensils2
15 per 15 square feet
  Twenty-four-hour operation2
50 per 15 square feet
  Takeout only3
8 per 15 square feet
Retail4
6 per 100 square feet
Service station6
125 per vehicle
Taverns2
20 per 15 square feet
Tennis or racquetball courts
300 per court
Theaters
5 per seat
Visitor center5
6 per visitor per day
Work or construction camps (semipermanent)
  With flush toilets
50 per bed
  Gray water only
35 per bed
Institutional
Assembly halls or public buildings
5 per seat
Churches
5 per seat
Hospitals
150 per bed
Institutions (other than hospitals)
100 per bed
Mouse production area
1.76 per square foot
Nursing homes
100 per bed
Schools (boarding)
75 per bed
Schools (day)5
  Elementary
7 per student plus 15 per employee
  Junior high
9 per student plus 15 per employee
  High school
12 per student plus 15 per employee
Seasonal Commercial
Camps5
  Day (no meal served)
10 per person
  Day (only lunch served)
15 per person
  Resort (limited plumbing)
50 per bed
Fairgrounds, parks and picnic areas
10 per person
(with bath, showers and toilets)5
Swimming pools and bathhouses5
10 per person
Campgrounds
  No sewer hookups
50 per site
  With sewer hookups
75 per site
NOTES:
1For facilities that constitute a composite of one or more of the following types of facilities, the design flow shall be calculated by adding the design flow for each type of facility that comprises the entire facility.
2Square feet refers to the square feet of dining area as defined by this chapter.
3Square feet refers to square feet of serving area.
4Square feet refers to square feet of gross leasable area as defined by Chapter 125, Land Use.
5Estimated maximum occupancy per day, as shown on land use ordinance permit, application or site plan.
6Per vehicle that can be fueled simultaneously.
B. 
Increase of volume or change of use of existing facility. For the expansion of a facility or use, increase of sewage discharge or the change of use of a property, the Superintendent shall determine whether the proposed design flow will increase over the current flow, the current flow being the highest design flow based on the actual use of the property in the past two years. The Superintendent shall first calculate the proposed design flow, using the method outlined in this section, and then subtract therefrom the current design flow which shall be calculated using the same method used to calculate the proposed design flow. The resulting number shall be the design flow on which a determination of sewer capacity shall be based.
[Amended 6-18-2013 by Ord. No. 2013-01]
The Superintendent or Code Enforcement Officer may inspect any system for which a permit is granted pursuant to this chapter to ensure continued compliance with the same. Upon the finding of a violation, such official shall take all necessary enforcement action.
This chapter may be enforced under 30-A M.R.S.A. § 4452 and Chapter 125, Article X of the Bar Harbor Code.
[Amended 10-21-2008 by Ord. No. 2008-04]
The Town Council may, upon written application of an aggrieved party received by the Planning Department within 30 days of the Superintendent's decision on a connection permit, hear appeals from said decision. All appeal procedures shall be as provided by Chapter 125, Land Use, § 125-103, Administrative appeals, except that "Superintendent" shall be substituted for "Code Enforcement Officer," "Chapter 165, Article IV, of the Bar Harbor Code" shall be substituted for "this chapter,” and “Town Council” shall be substituted for “Board of Appeals.”
A connection permit shall expire and all fees shall be forfeited 18 months from the date the permit was issued if within such time the new building sewer is not connected to the public sewer, the flow of the existing sewer connection is not increased, or the use of the property has not changed, as provided in the connection permit application.
Within 18 months from the date of issuance the Finance Director may refund to the permittee the connection fee paid, less an administrative fee of $100, upon the return of the unused connection permit. A permit shall be considered unused if, within 18 months from the date the permit was issued, the new building sewer is not connected to the public sewer, the flow of the existing sewer connection is not increased, or the use of the property has not changed, as provided in the connection permit application. Upon payment of the refund, the sewer connection permit shall become null and void.
The Superintendent shall deny a sewer connection permit if the sewer lines or any pump stations serving the subject property have insufficient capacity to carry the proposed flow or if the proposed project will provide sewage which would cause the wastewater treatment plant to receive influent in excess of its design capacity for flow, biochemical oxygen demand or other design parameter.