[Amended 3-22-2021 by Ord. No. 22-2021]
A. As part of all subdivision and land development plan applications, the applicant shall develop a plan for the collection, conveyance and treatment of waste-water considering the following criteria;
(1) The plan for sewage disposal shall be consistent with the most recent plans and ordinances that have been adopted by the City of Reading and with the provisions of the Pennsylvania Sewage Facilities Act (PA Act 537, as amended).
(2) The plan for sewage disposal shall consider the recommendations pertaining to land use, sewage disposal and water supply, as may be contained within the Sewage Facilities Plan (Act 537 Plan) and/or Comprehensive Plan.
(3) The plan for sewage disposal shall be consistent with all provisions specified and adopted by the City of Reading or other authorities with jurisdiction.
(4) The plan for sewage disposal shall be consistent with all pertinent design requirements specified by the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
(5) The plan for sewage disposal shall be prepared to consider all pertinent local, regional, state and federal permitting requirements.
B. All proposed land uses that are located within a designated sewer service district or planned growth area shall be required to connect to the municipal sanitary sewage disposal system subject to the following provisions:
(1) The Planning Commission shall not approve a subdivision or land development plan unless the City of Reading has reviewed such plan and determined that proposed sanitary sewer improvements are adequate and that any permits for the sanitary sewer improvements have been issued by the agencies with jurisdiction.
(2) Unless otherwise permitted or required by the City of Reading, all proposed sanitary sewer improvements shall be located, designed, constructed and installed in accordance with the sanitary sewer design standards and specifications that have been adopted by the City of Reading. Where certain standards and specifications do not exist, the engineer appointed by the City of Reading shall provide a designated requirement or alternative for the proposed sanitary sewer improvements.
(3) The applicant shall be responsible for any required off-site sanitary sewage disposal improvements that may be necessary to accommodate the wastewater flow from the development. All such off-site improvements shall be coordinated with the City of Reading.
(4) Where required, the appropriate planning modules or exemption requests shall be submitted to the City of Reading and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection for review and consideration.
(5) All uses connected to the municipal sanitary sewer system shall be subject to the sanitary sewer use and maintenance provisions of the City of Reading and the agencies with jurisdiction.
C. All proposed land uses that are located outside of a designated sanitary sewer service district or planned growth area shall be required to utilize on-lot sewage disposal technology, as the method for sewage disposal. All such on-lot sewage disposal systems shall be subject to the following provisions:
(1) The sewage enforcement officer appointed by the City of Reading shall review all subdivision or land development plans in which the proposed uses will utilize on-lot sewage disposal systems. All field testing procedures and application requirements shall be subject to the approval of the sewage enforcement officer and the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection. The City of Reading shall not approve a proposed subdivision or land development plan until the sewage enforcement officer has received a favorable recommendation for the on-lot sewage disposal system.
(2) All on-lot sewage disposal facilities shall be located, designed, constructed and installed in accordance with the standards and specifications of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection and the City of Reading.
(3) All proposed uses connected to an on-lot sewage disposal system shall be subject to all land use and maintenance provisions adopted by the City of Reading.
(4) All proposed uses connected to a holding tank shall be subject to the provisions of the City of Reading and Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection.
D. If municipal sewage disposal service is not accessible to an approved subdivision or land development, but is planned to be accessible within five (5) years of final approval, the applicant shall install an approved capped collection system within the limits of the subdivision or land development, in addition to the approved on-lot sewage facilities. The collection and conveyance system shall be capped at the limits of the subdivision or land development and the laterals shall be capped at the street right-of-way.
E. The required sewage facilities planning modules shall be reviewed and approved by Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection (PADEP) prior to final plan approval. The City of Reading may provide comments to the PADEP and/or applicant regarding the sewage facilities planning module.