HomeMy WebLinkAboutMercersburg Sewage Ordinance 04-02-12,09:42AM; ;717-328-3117 # 3/ 6
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ORDINANCE 4-2
[Formerly Ordinance 100]
REQUIRING THAT ALL OCCUPIED BUILDINGS IN THE BOROUGH OF
MERCERSBURG, FRANKLIN COUNTY, PA. , BE CONNECTED WITH THE SANITARY
SEWER COLLECTION SYSTEM; MAKING IT UNLAWFUL TO CONSTRUCT OR
MAINTAIN PRIVIES, CESSPOOLS, SEPTIC TANKS, OR OTHER DEVICES FOR
RECEIVING SEWAGE OR CONDUITS FOR THE DISCHARGE OF SEWAGE EXCEPT
IN TO SAID SANITARY SEWERS; PROVIDING FOR RULES AND REGULATIONS.
REQUIRING PLUMBING PERMITS; PRESCRIBING PENALTIES; AND GRANTING
EASEMENTS, RIGHTS OF WAY AND OTHER RIGHTS ON, OVER AND UNDER THE
STREETS AND AlLEYS OF SAID BOROUGH.
WHEREAS, the Council of the Borough of Mercersburg, Franklin
County, Pa. , in order to promote and benefit the people of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and of said Borough, by ordinance
duly enacted pursuant to the Municipality Authorities Act of
1945, P. L. 382 as amended, caused to be organized
Mercersburg Borough Authority and by said ordinance designated
that the project to be undertaken by said Authority is "to
' acquire, hold, construct, improve, operate, own, lease either in
the capacity of lessor or lessee sewers, sewer systems or parts
thereof and sewage treatment works, including works for treating
and disposing of industrial waste, for the Borough of Mercersburg
and for such other territory as it may be authorized to serve;"
and
WHEREAS, in carrying out the project so designated said
Authority Proposes to construct a sewer collection system and
sewage treatment plant together with appurtenant facilities (the
"Sewer System") in and for said Borough of Mercersburg and lease
the same to said Borough pursuant to which lease the Borough will
operate and maintain said Sewer System; and
WHEREAS, Borough Council in order to promote the health,
safety and welfare of the people of said Borough and of the
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the purity of its water,
believing that the use thereof is unsafe and unsanitary, deems it
advisable to prohibit certain use of privies, cesspools, septic
tanks or similar receptacles for receiving sewage within said
Borough in that such use encourages the spread of disease and
impairs public health, and to require connections to be made to
said Sewer System when construction thereof has been completed by
said Authority;
BE IT ENACTED AND ORDAINED by the Council of the Borough of
Mercersburg, Franklin County, Pa. , and it is hereby enacted and
ordained by Authority of the same as follows:
Section 1. Definitions:
a "Authority" means and refers to Mercersburg Borough Authority
as presently or hereafter constituted, which has been
created by said Borough Council and to which has been
referred by said Borough Council the specific project of
sewers.
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b "Industrial Waste" means and refers to the liquid, gaseous or _
solid waste from industrial processes as distinct from
domestic sewage.
c "Lateral" means and refers to that part of the Sewer System
extending from a public main or street sewer to curb line or
property line if there is no curb, and where the main or
street sewer line is laid under a sidewalk, the word
"lateral" shall mean and refer to the "Y" connection from
the main or street sewer line.
d "Occupied building" means and refers to any structure erected
and intended for continuous or periodic habitation,
occupancy or use by human beings or animals and from which
structure sewage and industrial waste, or either thereof, is
or may be discharged.
e "Person" shall include individuals or natural persons,
artificial persons existing only in contemplation of law,
and shall be construed to include associations, partner-
ships, limited partnerships, joint stock companies and
corporations.
f "Property accessible to the Sewer System" means and refers to
real estate which adjoins, abuts on, or is adjacent to, the
Sewer System.
g "Sewage" means and refers to the normal water carried household
and toilet wastes from residences, business buildings,
institutions and industrial establishments. -)
h "'Sewer System" means and refers to the sanitary sewer
collection system and sewage treatment plant together with
appurtenant facilities about to be constructed in and for
the Borough of Mercersburg and any improvements, additions
or extensions that hereafter may be made thereto by the
Authority or the Borough or to any part or parts of any or
all thereof.
i "Borough" means and refers to the Borough of Mercersburg,
Franklin County, Pa. , or the duly constituted and elected
municipal authorities thereof.
Section 2 . Whenever the Sewer System is completed and ready
for public use it shall be the duty of the Borough to cause
notice of the fact to be given by advertisement published once in
one newspaper of general circulation in the Borough, and such
advertisement shall state that said sewer may be used by all
property owners in the Borough subject to the payment of any
connection charges and of annual sewer rentals in amounts as may
from time to time be fixed by the Borough.
Section 3 .
a All persons owning any occupied buildings now erected upon
property accessible to the Sewer System shall at their own
expense connect such building with the Sewer System within
sixty days after the date of publication specified in
Section 2 .
b All persons owning any property accessible to the Sewer System
upon which a building is hereafter erected shall, at the J
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time of the erection of such building and at their own
expense, connect the same with the Sewer System.
c All persons owning any occupied building upon property which
hereafter becomes accessible to the sewer system shall, at
their own expense, connect such building with the Sewer
System within sixty days after notice to do so from the
Borough.
Section 4. It shall be unlawful for any person owning any
property accessible to the Sewer System to erect, construct or
use or maintain or cause to be erected, constructed, used or
maintained, any privy, cesspool, sinkhole, septic tank or other
receptacle on such premises for receiving sewage, after the
expiration of the particular period specified in Section 3
hereof, or otherwise at any time to erect, construct, use or
maintain any pipe, conduit, drain or other facility for the
discharge of sewage except into the Sewer. system.
Section 5. Any person who erects, constructs, uses or
maintains a privy, cesspool, sinkhole or septic tank on any
property accessible to the Sewer System in violation of this
ordinance, shall be deemed and shall be declared to be erecting,
constructing and maintaining a nuisance, which nuisance the
Borough is hereby authorized and directed to abate in the manner
provided by law.
Section 6. No connection shall be made to the Sewer System
~"1 except in compliance with the ordinances and resolutions as well
as such Rules and Regulations as may, from time to time, be
enacted, adopted, approved or promulgated by the Borough.
Section 7. After the expiration of the particular periods
specified in Section 3 of this ordinance, if any owner of an
occupied building on property accessible to the Sewer System
shall have failed to connect such property with the Sewer System
as required by said Section 3, the Borough shall cause to be
served on the owner of such property, so failing to connect to
said Sewer System and also upon the occupants of the building in
question, a copy of this ordinance and a written or printed
notice requiring such connection to be made, and such notice
shall further state that its requirements shall be complied with ,
within sixty days from the date thereof.
Section 8. Persons, firms and corporations desiring to do
plumbing intended to be connected to the Sewer System shall
obtain from the Secretary of Borough Council in the form to be
provided, a permit entitling the applicant to engage in regular
or particular word during the calendar year in which the permit
is granted, for which permit a fee of five ($5.00) Dollars shall
be charged therefore. The permit thus granted is revocable at
will of said Borough Council and the permit is renewable from
year to year by endorsement or by exchange for a new permit at
the discretion of the Secretary of said Borough. No plumbing or
connections shall be made without this permit.
Section 9. Any person, firm or corporation which, for a
period of at least one year previous to the passage of this
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ordinance has been regularly engaged in the plumbing business in
the Borough, shall be deemed competent to hold a permit; and all
other persons, firms or corporations, desiring to do plumbing.
business in said Borough, or to do a particular piece of work to
be connected with the Sewer System shall exhibit such evidence of
competency as said Borough from time to time may require.
Section 10. Any plumber, or other person who shall neglect
or refuse to take out a permit or comply with the provisions of
this ordinance, or fail to make the reports herein designated,
shall not be deemed competent to perform any work intended to be
connected with the sewers, and no work performed by such plumbers
or other persons shall be connected with any sewers.
Section 11. The provisions of this ordinance are declared to
be for the health, safety and welfare of the citizens of the
Borough and persons violating any provisions of this ordinance
upon conviction before the Burgess or any Justice of the Peace of
Franklin County, shall be fined seventy-five ($75. 00) Dollars and
costs. Each 90 day period during which such violation of such
provision shall continue shall be deemed to be a separate
offense.
Section 12. Borough hereby grants to Authority all and every
easement, right of way and any and all other rights necessary or
desirable on, over or under the streets, sidewalks and alleys in
the Borough for the purpose of constructing the Sewer System
therein.
I)
Section 13. If any provisions, sentence, clause, section or
part of this ordinance is for any reason found to be
unconstitutional, illegal or invalid, such unconstitutionality
illegality or invalidity shall not affect or impair any of the
remaining provisions, sentences, clauses, sections or parts of
this ordinance. It is hereby declared as the intent of the
Borough Council that this ordinance would have been enacted had
such unconstitutional, illegal or invalid provision, sentence,
clause, section or part not been included herein.
Section 14 . All ordinances or parts of ordinances in
conflict, or inconsistent herewith be and the same are hereby
repealed absolutely.
Section 15. This ordinance is hereby declared to be urgent ,
for the preservation of the peace, health and comfort of the
people of the Borough and shall take effect and be in force
immediately after its passage.
PASSED FINALLY AND DULY ENACTED AND ORDAINED into an
ordinance this 14th day of March, 1955.
C. C. Glazer
President of Borough Council (Borough Seal)
Attest:
Edwin C. Baker,
Secretary
Read and approved this 14th day of March, 1955.
J. L. Walker
Burgess.