(A) Words used in the singular include the plural and words used in plural include the singular. The word “building” shall be construed as if followed by the words “or parts thereof.” The word “may” is permissive; the words “shall” and “will” are mandatory.
(B) For the purpose of this subchapter, the following definitions shall apply unless the context clearly indicates or requires a different meaning.
ABSORPTION AREA. A component of an individual or community sewage system where liquid from a treatment tank seeps into the soil; normally consisting of an aggregate-filled area containing piping for the distribution of liquid and soil or a sand/soil combination located beneath the aggregate.
AEROBIC UNIT. A mechanically aerated treatment tank that provides aerobic biochemical stabilization of sewage prior to its discharge to an absorption area.
ALTERNATE SEWAGE SYSTEM. A system employing the use of demonstrated technology in a manner not specifically recognized by the DEP.
APPLICANT. A landowner or landowner’s agent who has filed an application for a sewage management permit.
BCDH. The acronym for the County Department of Health, the local agency in the County of Bucks responsible for enforcing the rules and regulations of the DEP regarding sewage facilities, specifically Act 537 and 25 Pa. Code Chapters 71, 72 and 73 promulgated thereunder.
BMA. The acronym for the Bedminster Municipal Authority, a municipal corporation formed under the auspices of the Municipality Authorities Act, 53 Pa.C.S. §§ 5601 et seq., that operates public water and sewer systems within Bedminster Township.
BOARD. The Board of Supervisors of Bedminster Township.
BUILDING. Any structure, either temporary or permanent, having walls and a roof, designed or used for the shelter of any person, animal or property, and occupying more than 120 square feet of area.
COMMUNITY ASSOCIATION. A for-profit or non-profit corporation controlled by a board of directors that administers by-laws and rules and regulations governing all lots and/or common areas in a residential or nonresidential development and whose creation and operation falls under the Uniform Condominium Act, 68 Pa.C.S.A. §§ 3101 et seq., or the Uniformed Planned Communities Act, 68 P.S. §§ 5101 et seq.
COMMUNITY SEWAGE SYSTEM. A publicly or privately owned system of piping, tanks and/or other facilities used for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature from two or more lots, buildings, dwelling units and/or establishments, or from a lot/building/establishment that produces more than one EDU of sewage or industrial waste and disposes of this sewage in whole or in part into the soil, into any waters of the commonwealth, or by means of conveyance to another site for final disposal.
CONSTRUCTION ESCROW. A contract, deed, bond or other written agreement between the township and a landowner or developer involving financial security deposited with a third party (usually a bank or bonding company) for the purpose of guaranteeing that the construction of a sewage system is completed and properly done.
DEP or PaDEP. The acronym for the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection which is a cabinet level agency with broad authorities granted by legislation to protect the state’s many environmental resources. The DEP is responsible for overseeing the plans, designs and construction of wastewater treatment facilities throughout the commonwealth, particularly those which are part of the Federal Construction Grants Program or Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537), 35 P.S. §§ 750.1 et seq., planning process.
DEVELOPER. Any landowner or landowner’s agent who proposes a subdivision, land development and/or installation of a sewage system.
EDU. The acronym for EQUIVALENT DWELLING UNIT. A measurement of sewage approximating the amount produced by one dwelling unit in 24 hours and equaling 400 gallons per day.
ELEVATED SAND MOUND. A type of above-ground sewage system consisting of a level layer of sand between the surface of the natural soil and an aggregate distribution area to ensure adequate absorption of sewage effluent.
ESTABLISHMENT. Any business, institution, commercial activity or event.
EXPERIMENTAL SEWAGE SYSTEM. Any method of sewage disposal not described in the Pa. Code Title 25 rules and regulations which is proposed for the purpose of testing and observation.
FINANCIAL SECURITY. Restricted or escrow accounts in federal or common chartered lending institutions with offices in the county or irrevocable letters of credit issued by such institution.
GREENHOUSE SYSTEM. A sewage disposal system consisting of a series of treatment tanks designed and optimized to remove pathogens, organic matter, nitrogen and phosphorus using natural wetland processes. The planted tanks are located in a greenhouse ensuring year-round treatment.
HOLDING TANK. A water-tight receptacle, whether permanent or temporary, that receives and retains sewage and is designed and constructed to facilitate ultimate disposal of the sewage at a DEP approved facility.
INDIVIDUAL SEWAGE SYSTEM. A system of piping, tanks and/or other facilities that collects and treats sewage from a single dwelling unit or an establishment that produces one EDU of sewage or less and disposes of this sewage in whole or in part into the soil, into any waters of the commonwealth, or by means of conveyance to another site for final disposal.
INDUSTRIAL WASTE. Any liquid, gas, solid, radioactive substance or other substance that is not sewage and is a byproduct of any manufacturing, industrial or other similar operation. The term shall include all such substances whether or not generally characterized as waste. Substances whose proposed or actual disposal via a sewage system violates state or federal statutes, rules or regulations shall not fall under this definition.
IRSIS (INDIVIDUAL RESIDENTIAL SPRAY IRRIGATION SYSTEM). An individual sewage system, permitted under § 7 of the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537), 35 P.S. §§ 750.1 et seq., that serves a single dwelling and treats and disposes of sewage using a system of piping, treatment tanks and soil renovation through spray irrigation.
LAND DEVELOPMENT.
(a) The improvement of one lot or two or more contiguous lots, tracts or parcels of land for any purpose involving:
1. A group of two or more residential or nonresidential buildings, whether proposed initially or cumulatively, or a single nonresidential building on a lot or lots regardless of the number of occupants or tenure; or
2. The division or allocation of land or space, whether initially or cumulatively, between or among two or more existing or prospective occupants by means of, or for the purpose of streets, common areas, leaseholds, condominiums, building groups or other features.
(b) A subdivision of land.
LANDOWNER. The legal beneficial or equitable owner or owners of land, including the holder of an option or contract to purchase (whether or not such option or contract is subject to any conditions), a lessee (if he or she is authorized under the lease to exercise the rights of the LANDOWNER) or any other person having a proprietary interest in land.
LARGE VOLUME ON-LOT SEWAGE SYSTEM. A sewage system with design capacity to discharge sewage flows in excess of 10,000 gallons per day. These systems require a clean streams permit issued by PaDEP.
LOT. A part of a subdivision or a parcel of land used as a building site or intended to be used for building purposes, whether immediate or future, that would not be further subdivided at the present time.
MAINTENANCE ESCROW. Financial security accompanied by a written promise, that together guarantee the proper care, operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of a sewage system for a specified period of time. Such financial security shall also cover the township’s costs for administration, future compliance monitoring and enforcement of this subchapter.
MANAGEMENT AGENCY. An entity, either private or public, formed for the purpose of managing water and/or waste water facilities. Types of MANAGEMENT AGENCIES include municipal authorities, municipal governing bodies, private corporations, private engineering or technical service firms and the like.
MUNICIPALITY. A city, incorporated town, township or borough.
NONSEWERED APPROACH. A method of limiting the expansion of centralized sewage systems by encouraging OLDS wherever feasible and economical.
OFFICIAL ACT 537 PLAN. A comprehensive plan for the provision of adequate sewage systems adopted by a municipality or municipalities possessing authority over the provision of such systems and submitted to and approved by the DEP as provided by the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (Act 537), 35 P.S. §§ 750.1 et seq., and 25 Pa. Code Chapter 71, Rules and Regulations, promulgated thereunder.
OLDS (ON-LOT DISPOSAL SYSTEM). A system of piping, tanks, and/or other facilities used for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage into the soil. Individual OLDS serve only a single dwelling unit or lot or an establishment that produces one EDU of sewage or less; while community OLDS serve two or more lots, buildings, dwelling units and/or establishments or a lot/building/establishment that produces more than one EDU of sewage.
OLDS MANAGEMENT PROGRAM. A method of managing OLDS that has as its general goal the installation of sound OLDS and the assurance that new and existing OLDS are properly operated and maintained.
O&M (OPERATIONS AND MAINTENANCE) AGREEMENT.
(a) A contract between a municipality, municipal authority and/or state agency in which the owner/operator of a sewage system guarantees the proper care, operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the sewage system.
(b) These agreements also protect the municipality, municipal authority and/or state agency from being held responsible for the care, operation, maintenance, repair and replacement of the sewage system and usually require a maintenance escrow in conjunction with their execution.
PRESSURIZED DISTRIBUTION. A network of piping within a absorption area through which treated sewage effluent is pumped to assure equal distribution throughout the absorption area.
PROOF OF PUMP-OUT. The method by which a landowner verifies that his or her OLDS has been cleaned to remove residuals. This is most easily verified by presenting a dated receipt of payment from a pumper to the township.
PUBLIC ASSURANCE PROGRAM. Part of a sewage system management program which, through a sewage system inspection process, seeks to ensure that individual and community sewage systems are operated and maintained properly.
PUBLIC SEWAGE SYSTEM. A sewage system or treatment facility owned, operated and/or maintained by a municipality or municipal authority approved by the DEP under a permit issued pursuant to the Clean Streams Law, 35 P.S. §§ 691.1 et seq., as hereafter amended, supplemented, modified or re-enacted.
PUMPER. Any sole proprietor, company, partnership or corporation which engages in cleaning any or all components of a community or individual OLDS and evacuates and transports the septage cleaned therefrom, whether for a fee or free of charge.
REPLACEMENT AREA. An area of a lot or parcel, separate from the primary absorption area, that has been tested by the BCDH and found suitable for the installation of an OLDS for potential future use in case the primary absorption area on the same lot fails. This area must be preserved and protected through the recordation of an easement or other restrictive covenant and the installation of monuments and a sign demarcating the area.
SECOND CLASS TOWNSHIP CODE. An Act governing and outlining the powers and duties for townships of the second class found at 53 P.S. §§ 65101 et seq.
SEPTIC TANK. A sewage treatment tank that provides for anaerobic decomposition of sewage prior to its discharge to an absorption area.
SEWAGE. Any substance that contains any of the waste products or excrement or other discharge from the bodies of human beings or animals; any substance harmful to the public health, to animal or aquatic life or to the use of water for domestic water supply or for recreation; or any substance which constitutes pollution under the Clean Streams Law, 35 P.S. §§ 691.1 through 691.1001.
SEWAGE ENFORCEMENT OFFICER (SEO). The official of the local agency (a municipality, any combination of municipalities, a county department of health or a joint county department of health) who issues and reviews permit applications and conducts such investigations and inspections as are necessary to implement Act 537, 25 Pa. Code Chapter 71 (relating to administration of sewage facilities program), and 25 Pa. Code Chapter 73, “Standards for Sewage Disposal Facilities.”
SEWAGE SYSTEM. A publicly or privately owned system of piping, tanks and/or other facilities used for the collection, treatment and disposal of sewage or industrial wastes of a liquid nature.
SEWER AUTHORITY. A municipal authority providing sewage facilities.
SITE. A lot or parcel of land or combination of contiguous lots or parcels of land upon which a sewage system(s) is (are) proposed to be built.
SLOW-RATE LAND APPLICATION (SRLA). A method of disposal of treated sewage effluent whereby the effluent is applied to the surface or subsurface of the soil by spray irrigation, drip irrigation or other types of land application at reduced rates.
SMALL FLOW TREATMENT FACILITY (SFTF). An individual or community sewage system designed to adequately treat sewage flows not greater than 2,000 gallons per day for final disposal using stream discharge or other methods approved by the DEP.
SPRAY FIELD. The piping, spray heads and ground surface to the outside edges of the wetted perimeter, used for the application and treatment of the sewage effluent in an IRS1S or community spray system.
STREAM DISCHARGE SYSTEM. A sewage system that ultimately disposes of treated effluent into the surface waters of the commonwealth. Such systems require a permit from the DEP.
SUBDIVISION. The division or re-division of a lot, tract, or other parcel of land into two or more lots, tracts, parcels or other divisions of land, including changes in existing lot lines for the purpose, whether immediate or future, of lease, transfer of ownership or building or lot development; provided, however, that the subdivision by lease of land for agricultural purposes into parcels of more than ten acres, not involving any new street or easement of access or residential dwellings, shall be exempted.
SUBSURFACE SYSTEM. A sewage system that employs an aggregate-filled sewage effluent absorption area installed below original soil grade level, or, in the case of an elevated sand mound, installed above original grade with ultimate percolation into the soil.
TRANSFER OF PROPERTY. The sale, donation, long-term lease (ten years or more), or other transfer of a legal interest in a tract of land from one independent person or entity to another. Does not include intra-family transfers, transfers between entities that are controlled by the same person or entity, or the transfer of easements or other property rights that do not include the right to use or install an OLDS on the tract of land.
WATERCOURSE. A permanent or intermittent stream, river, brook, creek, run, channel, swale or ditch, whether natural or human-made, for gathering or carrying surface water.
WATERS OF THE COMMONWEALTH. Rivers, streams, creeks, rivulets, impoundments, ditches, watercourses, storm sewers, lakes, dammed water, ponds, springs and all other bodies or channels of conveyance of surface and underground water or any of their part, whether natural or artificial, within or on the boundaries of the commonwealth.
WETTED PERIMETER. The area which can possibly be touched by treated effluent being sprayed by an IRSIS or community spray system.
(Ord. 207, passed 12-14-2011)