921.05 BUILDING SEWERS AND CONNECTIONS.

   (a)   No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Service Director. A licensed sewer tapper making application for a permit shall have the owner's authority to make such application and shall be deemed the owner's agent.

   (b)   No temporary or accommodation connections or taps to a sanitary sewer within the City shall be permitted to serve property located outside of the sewer district in which such sewer is located. The Service Director shall have no authority to authorize or permit a connection or tap of the type or character referred to in this section without the expressed approval of Council.

   (c)   No permit shall be issued allowing connections to be made with any public sewer, to serve or drain any lots or lands, where the owners or former owners of which for any reason have not paid or have refused to pay the portion of the cost of such public sewer allocated by Council to such lots or lands or who have not paid all assessments levied against such lots or land for sanitary or drainage purposes, or any lots or lands which have not been assessed for such sewer or drainage unless the owner thereof shall pay to the City such unpaid assessments. Money so paid shall be placed to the credit of an appropriate sewer fund.
(Ord. 95-142. Passed 9-19-95.)

   (d)   There shall be two classes of building sewer installation permits: For residential and commercial service, and for industrial service. In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the City. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications, or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the Service Director. A permit fee of fifty dollars ($50.00) for a residential or commercial building sewer permit and one hundred dollars ($100.00) for an industrial building sewer permit shall be paid to the Director of Finance at the time the application is filed. The permit shall be issued by the Service Director after the required fee for the tap has been deposited with the Director of Finance and may be revoked for violation of any provisions of this chapter or failure to comply with the reasonable rules, regulations and orders of the Service Director adopted pursuant hereto.

(Ord. 2005-036. Passed 11-22-05.)

   (e)   All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify and save harmless the City of Norwalk from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

   (f)   A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building. This section shall not apply to buildings which perform related functions as part of an industrial complex.

   (g)   Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Service Director, to meet all requirements of this chapter.

   (h)   In those cases where the City constructs and installs a sanitary sewer lateral at its cost of less than 500 feet in length, abutting less than a total of ten property owners and where the installation of the "short" sewer lateral has been demanded and required by Health Board regulation, the sanitary sewer connection permit fee for each abutting property owner shall be equal to the pro rata cost of installation of the "short" sewer lateral.

   (i)   The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the Service Director, but in no event shall the diameter be less than six inches. The slope of such six-inch pipe shall not be less than 1.04% or one-eighth inch per foot.

   (j)   Building sewers which are directly or indirectly connected into the public sewer system shall conform to the City of Norwalk specifications and standards detail drawings.

   (k)   In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, wastewater carried by such a drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and discharged to the building or public sewer.

   (l)   The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Service Director twenty-four hours before the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer to insure inspection on the following day. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the Service Director or his representative.

   If the construction is backfilled or otherwise covered before such inspection, the Service Director may require the fill or cover to be removed at the expense of the permittee or person making such tap. Such expense if not otherwise paid, shall be an obligation under the bond provided for in 921.08.

   (m)   All excavations for building sewer installations shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the Service Director.

   (n)   No person, authorized and licensed under this chapter to make openings, taps or connections with sewers, drains or drainage facilities or provide septic tank cleaning or repair services, shall allow his name to be used by another for the purpose of obtaining permits, or of doing any work under a license issued to him.

   (o)   Each person who makes openings, taps or connections with or constructs sewers or drains upon or over public streets or property, shall keep in repair and good order the whole of the work executed by him, until the same is accepted by the Service Director or his authorized representative, which acceptance shall be given in writing, and if deemed necessary by the Director may be deferred until the expiration of one year after the completion of the work.

   (p)   In case it is necessary to connect a drain or sewer pipe with a public sewer or drainage facility when no junction is left in the same, the new connection with the public sewer or drainage facility shall be made only when a representative of the City, designated by the Service Director, is present to see the whole of the work performed.

   (q)   The owner shall maintain and repair private sewers lying within the right-of-way limits of dedicated public streets and alleys.

   (r)   The Service Director is hereby authorized to make and enforce such regulations as may be necessary or proper in respect to or to provide for:

      (1)   The safe, economical and efficient management and protection of the public sanitary, combined or storm sewer system, facilities and appurtenances;

      (2)   The treatment, pumping and disposal of wastewater, wastes, storm waters and any pumping, transmission or facilities therefor;

      (3)   The construction, repair, maintenance and use of the public sewer system, facilities, appurtenances and connections thereto, including the materials used in and methods employed in the performance of work pertaining thereto;

      (4)   Such applications, permits, bonds and other forms or documents as may be necessary or convenient to the discharge of his duties and responsibilities in respect to and the enforcement of the provisions of this Council pertaining to the subject matter hereof.

   Such rules and regulations when approved by Council shall be enforced to the same extent as the provisions of this chapter or other legislation enacted by Council and violation thereof shall be punished as provided in Section 921.18.

(Ord. 95-142. Passed 9-19-95.)

   (s)   The following license fees and permit fees are hereby imposed and shall be collected pursuant to the provisions of this chapter:

   Sanitary sewer or combined sewer tapper's license: $100.00 per year

   Sanitary sewer or combined sewer tapper's license renewal: $25.00 per year

   Each such license or renewal thereof shall be valid until December 31 of the year in which issued unless sooner terminated or revoked as provided herein.

(Ord. 2005-036. Passed 11-22-05.)

   (t)   For grease, oil, petroleum products, inorganic material and other materials as listed in the Ohio Building Code such as sand, grit, etc., interceptors shall be provided when in the opinion of the Service Director they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing floatable grease in excessive amounts or any flammable wastes, sand, or other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters of dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the Service Director and shall be located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection. In the maintaining of these interceptors the owner(s) shall be responsible for the proper removal and disposal by appropriate means of the captured material and shall maintain records of the dates, and means of disposal which are subject to review by the Service Director. Any removal and hauling of the collected materials not performed by the owner(s)' personnel must be performed by currently licensed waste disposal firms.

   (u)   Construction of Public Sewers and Building Sewers.

      (1)   Pipe specifications. Unless approved by the Engineer, the following materials shall be used in constructing public sewers and building sewers:

         A.   Clay-Vitrified Clay extra strength C-700 having a premium seal joint conforming to C-425.

         B.   ABS-Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene ASTM D 2680, having a premium seal joint constructed of chemically welded solid ABS couplers on the exterior of the joint.

         C.   PVC-Polyvinyl chloride plastic thick wall ASTM 3034 having an SDR of 35 or less and having a premium seal joint either chemically welded or having an elastomeric gasket joint, PVC pipe other than listed above shall be permitted only when approved by the Engineer. The approval will be subject to depth of installation, trench width, soil conditions and locations of the pipe. PVC pipe shall be acceptable for building sewers and public sewers.

      (2)   Installation. The requirements for bedding, haunching, initial backfilling and backfilling shall be in accordance with standard detail drawings on file with the City Engineer.

         A.   Bedding. A minimum layer of six inch bedding consisting of #57 granular bedding material shall be provided upon a stable undisturbed subgrade. If an unstable subgrade is encountered, the Engineer shall determine the method of building required subgrade support.

         B.   Haunching. After the pipe has been placed on the approved bedding material #57 granular material shall be placed around the sides of the pipe from the undisturbed trench wall to the pipe. Under no circumstances shall the maximum allowable trench width for the type, size and depth of pipe be exceeded. Unless otherwise approved or ordered, the maximum allowable trench widths measured at the top of the pipe shall be twenty-seven inches for six and eight inch diameter pipe, thirty inches for ten inches diameter pipe, thirty-three inches for twelve inch diameter pipe.

         C.   Initial backfill. After the haunching of the pipe has been completed, the pipe shall be covered with #57 granular material to the plane, six inches above the top of the pipe.

         D.   Backfill. Upon completion of the initial backfill, the best excavated material shall be used for backfilling the trench. Trash, boulders, frozen soil, etc., shall not be used as backfill material. If the pipe is laid under a pavement or berm area, the pipe shall be backfilled with approved granular material, a minimum of six feet beyond the edge of the berm or edge of pavement in absence of a berm.

      (3)   Submission of Plans. Upon completion of construction, drawings shall be corrected to represent the "record" elevations, grades and sizes. One reproducible print shall be supplied to the City Engineer and one copy shall be supplied to the Service Director.

   (v)   Sanitary sewers in buildings to be demolished shall be permanently sealed, in a manner acceptable to the Service Director before demolition is started.

   (w)   Prior to commencing any construction of public or building sewers a minimum of twenty-four hours notice shall be given to the office of the Service Director. No construction of sewers shall be allowed on legal holidays, Saturdays, Sundays or after 4:30 p.m. unless written permission is obtained from the Service Director. The Service Director may require the payment by the contractor or inspection costs for work performed on days and at times listed in the written permission.

   (x)   No sewer pipes for a water closet or any other connection shall be allowed inside any house or building unless proper means are provided for the ventilation of such pipe or sewer so as to effectually prevent sewer gas from entering the house or building.

   (y)   It shall be a minor misdemeanor for the owner of any property abutting upon any public sewer, or which is drained or may be drained by any public sewer, to construct, cause or suffer to be constructed from his property or any part thereof any drain or sewer to connect with any public sewer unless there is provided for and attached to the drain or sewer a good and sufficient trap.

   (z)   The Service Director shall cause to be taken up or removed any drain or sewer constructed in violation of subsection (y) hereof so far as the same is within the limits of any public property, thereby disconnecting such sewer or drain from any public sewer, unless the owner or person benefitted by the drain or sewer provides a trap therefor. The costs and expenses of removal shall constitute a charge against the owner of and be a lien upon the property intended to be drained by such drain or sewer, and if not paid upon demand therefor made by the Director of Finance the same shall be certified to the Huron County Auditor to be placed upon the duplicate, or shall be otherwise collected.

   (aa)   Authority for Control of Wastewater Dischargers. The City of Norwalk has the right to contract for the treatment or disposal of wastes:

      (1)   If any waters or wastes are discharged or are proposed to be discharged to the public sewers, which contain the substances or possess the characteristics enumerated in subsections (aa) and (t) hereof and which in the judgment of the Engineer, may have a deleterious effect upon the wastewater facilities, processes, equipment or receiving waters, including violation of applicable water quality standards, or which otherwise create a hazard to life or constitute a public nuisance, the Engineer may:

         A.   Reject the wastes;

         B.   Require pretreatment to an acceptable condition for discharge to the public sewers;

         C.   Require control over the quantities and rates of discharge; and/or

         D.   Require payment to cover the added cost of handling and treating the wastes under the provisions of Section 921.07.

            (Ord. 95-142. Passed 9-19-95.)

      (2)   All industrial wastes discharged to the public sewers by major contributing industries shall as a minimum meet the national pretreatment standards or best practical control technology currently available for incompatible pollutants as published in Title 40 Code of Federal Regulations Part 128 unless the City is committed, in its NPDES permit, to remove a specified percentage of the incompatible pollutant. In those instances the applicable pretreatment standards may be correspondingly reduced to levels determined by the Engineer, or his duly authorized representative or State regulatory agencies.

      (3)   If the Engineer requires pretreatment or equalization of waste flow, the design and installation of the plants and equipment shall be subject to the review and approval of the Engineer and State regulatory agencies and subject to the requirements of all applicable codes, ordinances and laws.

   (bb)   All new and existing dischargers shall provide a sample manhole as per Section 921.14(a)(2)M., as required by the City.

   (cc)   All Floor Drains or Building Drains shall be connected to the sanitary sewer system.

(Ord. 91-110. Passed 10-1-91.)