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Should the Township Engineer, Utilities Manager or Township Representative declare any grinder pump or pressure line to be a nuisance, the owner shall have 10 days within which to abate and appropriate legal proceedings may be initiated by the Township to abate the nuisance. If the owner fails to abate the nuisance, Dover Township shall have the right to make the necessary repairs and assess the cost of doing so against the property involved as a municipal lien according to the procedures established by law for the filing and collection of municipal claims and liens.
(Ord. 2005-08, 10/24/2005)
All grinders pumps and sewer lines shall be owned and maintained by the Township except where the pumps and lines are located outside the Township right-of- way and are on private property where the Township shall control the type of pumps and conditions of use pursuant to the provisions of this Part. The Township shall have the right to abate any nuisance or public health hazard that may occur in any privately owned pressure lines or grinder pump units should the owner fail to do so, at the owner’s sole cost and expense.
(Ord. 2005-08, 10/24/2005)
For a violation of any provision of this Part 1J, enforcement shall be brought before a magisterial district judge in the same manner provided for the enforcement of summary offenses under the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. Upon conviction thereof, a violator shall be subject to a criminal fine not to exceed $1,000 per violation plus costs, to a term of imprisonment to the extent allowed by law for the punishment of summary offenses, or to a term of imprisonment for the failure to pay a fine pursuant to the Pennsylvania Rules of Criminal Procedure. A separate offense shall a rise for each day or portion thereof in which a violation is found to exist for each Section of this Code or other ordinance which is found to have been violated.
(Ord. 2005-08, 10/24/2005)
K. Inspection
Act 537 - the Act of January 24, 1966, P.L. 1535, as amended, 35 P.S. § 750.1 et. seq., known as the “Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act.”
Authorized agent - a certified sewage enforcement officer, code enforcement officer, professional engineer, plumbing inspector, or any other qualified or licensed person who is delegated by the Township to carry out the provisions of this Part 1K within specified limits.
Board - the Board of Supervisors, Dover Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
Code Enforcement Officer (CEO) - an authorized agent of the Township to administer and enforce other ordinances in the Township.
Department - the Department of Environmental Protection of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (DEP), or successor agency.
Malfunction - the condition occurring when an on-lot system causes pollution to ground or surface waters, contamination of private or public drinking water supplies, nuisance problems or is a hazard to public health. Any treatment tank or holding tank observed to be leaking, or any instance where sewage is backing up into a building connected to the system is considered a malfunction. Any component in a treatment tank or septic system that is broken or deteriorated is considered a malfunction. Systems shall be considered to be malfunctioning if any of the conditions noted above occur for any length of time during any period of the year.
Manifest - York County Sludge/Septage Manifest and Report.
Person - an individual, group of individuals, a partnership, firm, association, or any other entity.
Pumping certification - a properly executed York County Solid Waste and Refuse Authority Sludge/Septage Manifest.
Qualified pumper/hauler - person or organization licensed by the York County Solid Waste Authority to conduct septage pumping and hauling within York County.
Rehabilitation - work done to modify, alter, repair, enlarge, or replace an existing on-lot disposal system, or component thereof.
Septage- any substance pumped out of a sewage system.
Sewage enforcement officer (SEO) - an official of the local agency who reviews permit applications and sewage system planning modules and issues permits as authorized by the act and conducts the investigations and inspections that are necessary to implement the Act and regulations thereunder.
Sewage system - an on-lot sewage disposal system which uses a system of piping, tanks or other facilities for collecting, treating or disposing of sewage into a soil absorption area or spray field, by retention in a retaining tank or by means of conveyance to another site for final disposal.
Township - Dover Township, York County, Pennsylvania.
Any word or term not otherwise defined in this Part shall have the meaning as set forth in 25 Pa.Code § 73.1, as may be amended.
(Ord. 2005-05, 10/10/2005, § 2)
1. An initial inspection and subsequent periodic inspections of a sewage system shall be conducted when a sewage system is pumped. Inspections shall be conducted by a qualified pumper/hauler for the purpose of determining the functional status of a sewage system. The individual property owner shall contact and make arrangements directly with the pumper/hauler for the inspection of a sewage system.
2. The qualified pumper/hauler shall complete Sections A thru E of the York County Sludge/Septage Manifest and Report. The owner shall provide a copy of the said report to the Township within 30 days of the inspection.
3. An authorized agent of the Township shall inspect a sewage system known to be, or suspected to be malfunctioning. Should the said inspection reveal that the sewage system is malfunctioning, the Township's authorized agent shall take action to require the correction of the malfunction.
A. An authorized agent of the Township may inspect any sewage system at any time upon reasonable notice to the owner or occupant of the property. "Reasonable notice" shall mean at least 24 hours advance notice, either oral or written, except in cases of emergency where an imminent health hazard exists.
B. An authorized agent of the Township shall have the right to enter upon land for the purpose of inspections as described above.
C. Inspections by an authorized agent of the Township may include a physical tour of the property, the taking of samples from surface water, wells or other ground water sources, the sampling of contents of the sewage system itself and/or the introduction of a traceable substance into the interior plumbing of the structure served to ascertain the path and ultimate destination of wastewater generated in the structure.
(Ord. 2005-05, 10/10/2005, § 3)
1. The Township shall notify all owners of property served by a sewage system that their system must be pumped by the end of the calendar year in which the letter is received. The Township shall follow a schedule whereby one fourth of all the owners of properties within the Township served by a sewage system are notified annually of the pumping requirement, such that all owners are notified once every 4 years. The property owner must have the sewage system pumped within the time specified in the Township's letter, unless the owner can provide the Township with pumping certification indicating that the sewage system was pumped in the 1 year prior to the date of the Township's letter. A copy of the fully completed manifest shall be furnished to the Township within 30 days of the date of the pumping.
2. Commencing from the date of pumping as prescribed paragraph .A above, removal of septage or other solids from a sewage system shall be performed at least once every 4 years thereafter. The property owner shall furnish a copy of the manifest to the Township within 30 days of the date of the pumping.
3. The Township may allow a sewage system to be pumped out at less frequent intervals when the owner can demonstrate to the Township that the sewage system can operate properly without the need for pump-out for a period longer than 4 years. In no case shall such period extend beyond 8 years. The Township SEO shall determine if an extension of time should be granted and the length of the extension. In making his determination, the Township SEO shall take into account the sewage permit issued for the installation or rehabilitation of the sewage system, reports of inspection and maintenance of the sewage system, and other relevant information. The Township SEO shall conduct an on-site inspection. The number of years between pumping shall be determined from the Penn State Fact Sheet F-161, "Septic Tank Pumping," provided the inspection findings and all other information is satisfactory. The applicant shall pay a fee established by Township resolution for this request. The applicant shall receive a decision within 60 days of accumulation of all necessary information by the Township.
4. A sewage system shall be deemed to be pumped when all organic solids are removed and the total average liquid depth remaining in the tank is less than 1 inch.
5. The Township may require additional maintenance activity as needed including, but not limited to, cleaning and unclogging of piping; service of mechanical equipment; removal of obstructing roots or trees; and/or the diversion of surface water away from the absorption area.
6. The required frequency of pumping may be increased at the discretion of the Township, if:
A. A sewage system is found to be malfunctioning.
B. A sewage system is found to be undersized.
C. The treatment tanks are filled with solids in excess of one-third of the liquid depth of the tank or with scum in excess of one-third of the liquid depth of the tank.
D. The hydraulic load on the system increases significantly above average.
E. A garbage grinder is used in the building.
F. Other good cause can be shown.
7. Any person owning a building served by sewage system containing an aerobic treatment tank shall follow the operation and maintenance recommendations of the equipment manufacturer. In no case may the service or pumping interval for aerobic treatment tanks exceed that required for septic tanks.
8. Any person owning a structure served by a cesspool shall have that system pumped according to the schedule prescribed for septic tanks.
9. Holding tanks shall be pumped out at intervals that prevent the overflow, leakage, back-up, and other malfunctions characteristic of an overloaded system.
10. Each time a treatment tank or other sewage system is pumped, the contracted pumper shall provide to the owner of the system a fully completed and signed manifest.
11. The owner of a property upon which a sewage system is constructed shall maintain the area around such system so as to provide convenient access for inspection, maintenance, and pumping; and divert surface water and downspouts away from the absorption area and sewage system components.
12. Tanks shall only be pumped from/through the manhole/access port, i.e., the largest tank opening. Tanks shall not be pumped from/through the observation port.
13. The owner of a property upon which a sewage system is constructed shall, at all times, operate and maintain the sewage system in such condition as will permit it to function in the manner in which it was designed and to prevent the unlawful discharge of sewage.
(Ord. 2005-05, 10/10/2005, § 4)
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