CHAPTER
SEWER ORDINANCE Adopted , 20
An ordinance to promote the general welfare, to prevent disease and to promote health, and to
provide for the public safety by regulating the use of public and private sewers and drains, private sewage
disposal, the installation and connection of building sewers, and the discharge of waters and wastes into the
public sewer systems, and providing penalties for violations thereof in the City of , County of , State of .
ARTICLE I - DEFINITIONS
Unless the context specifically indicates otherwise, the meaning of terms in this ordinance will be
as follows:
Section 101 - "A.S.T.M." shall mean American Society for Testing and Materials.
Section 102 - "B.O.D." (denoting Biochemical Oxygen Demand) shall mean the quantity of
oxygen utilized in the biochemical oxidation of organic matter under standard laboratory procedures in five
(5) days at twenty (20) degrees Centigrade, expressed in milligrams per liter (Mg/L).
Section 103 - "Builder" shall mean any person, persons, or corporation who undertake to
construct, either under contract or for resale, any habitable building.
Section 104 - "Building Drain" shall mean the part of the lowest horizontal piping of a drainage
system, which receives the discharge from soil, waste, and other drainage pipes inside the walls of the
building and conveys it to the building sewer beginning eight (8) feet outside the inner face of the building.
Section 105 - "Building Sewer" shall mean the extension from the building drain to the public
sewer or other place of disposal.
Section 106 - "City" shall mean the City of , .
Section 107 - "City Council" shall mean the duly elected officers of the City of or their
authorized deputy or representative.
Section 108 - "Contractor" shall mean any person, firm, or corporation approved by the City
Council to do work in the City of .
Section 109 - "D.E.P." shall mean Department of Environmental Protection.
Section 110 - "Developer" shall mean any person, persons, or corporation who undertake to
construct simultaneously more than one housing unit on a given tract or land subdivision.
Section 111 - "Garbage" shall mean solid wastes from the retail preparation, cooking, and
dispensing of food and from the retail handling, storage, and sale of produce.
Section 112 - "Industrial Wastes" shall mean the liquid wastes from industrial processes as distinct
from sewage.
Section 113 - "Manager" shall mean the City Manager of or the individual designated by the
City Council to perform this function, or the authorized deputy, agent or representative of this individual.
Section 114 - "Natural Outlet" shall mean any outlet into a watercourse, ditch, pond, lake, or other
body of surface or ground water.
Section 115 - "Owner" shall mean any individual, firm, company, association, society, or group
having title to real property.
Section 116 - "Person" shall mean any individual, firm, company, association, society or group.
Section 117 - "pH" shall mean the logarithm of the reciprocal of the concentration of the hydrogen
ions in grams-ionic weight per liter of solution, and is a term used to express the relative acidity or
alkalinity of a substance or solution.
Section 118 - "Property Line" shall mean curb line if the building sewer is to connect with the
public sewer in a public street. "Property Line" shall bean the edge of a sewer right-of-way in those
instances where the buildings sewers connect to the public sewer in a right-of-way.
Section 119 - "Properly Shredded Garbage" shall mean the wastes from the preparation, cooking,
and dispensing of food or produce that has been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried
freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half
(1/2) inch in dimension.
Section 120 - "Public Sewer" shall mean a sewer in which all owners of abutting property have
equal rights and which is controlled by public authority.
Section 121 - "Sanitary Sewer" shall mean a sewer, which carries sewage, and to which storm,
surface, and ground waters are not intentionally admitted.
Section 122 - "Sewage" shall mean a combination of the water carried wastes from residence,
business buildings, institutions, and industrial establishments, together with such ground, surface, and
storm water that may be present.
Section 123 - "Sewage Treatment Plant" shall mean any arrangement of devices and structures
used for treating sewage and industrial wastes.
Section 124 - "Sewer" shall mean a pipe or conduit for carrying sewage.
Section 125 - "Sewage Works" shall mean all municipal facilities for collecting, conveying,
pumping, treating, and disposing of sewage and industrial wastes.
Section 126 - "Shall" is mandatory; "May" is permissive.
Section 127 - "Standard Methods" shall mean the latest edition of the publication, Standard
Methods for the Examination of Water and Wastewater, published by A.P.H.A., A.W.W.A., and W.P.C.F.
Section 128 - "State Plumbing Code" shall mean the State of Maine Plumbing Code, as amended,
from time to time.
Section 129 - "Storm Sewer" or "Storm Ditch" shall mean a pipe or conduit, which carries storm
and surface waters and drainage but excludes sewage and industrial wastes.
Section 130 - "Superintendent" shall mean the individual retained or designated by the Manager or
City Council to supervise and oversee the operation and maintenance of the municipal sewer system and
treatment facilities.
Section 131 - "Suspended Solids" shall mean solids that either float on the surface of, or are in
suspension in water, sewage or other liquids, and which are removable by laboratory filtering in accordance
with "Standard methods".
Section 132 - "Watercourse" shall mean a channel in which a flow of water occurs, either
continuously or intermittently.
ARTICLE II - USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS REQUIRED
Section 201 - It shall be unlawful to discharge to any watercourse, either directly or through any
storm sewer within the City or to any area under the jurisdiction of the City, any sewage, industrial wastes,
or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with federal,
state, and local laws.
Section 202 - Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful to construct or maintain any
privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, leaching pit, or other facility intended or used for the disposal of
sewage.
Section 203 - The owner of any house, building, or property used for human occupancy,
employment, recreation, or other purpose, situated within the City and abutting on any street, alley, or
right-of-way, in which there is now located, or may be in the future located, a public sanitary sewer of the
City is hereby required, at his expense, to install suitable toilet facilities therein, and to connect such
facilities to the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of this local law, within ninety (90)
days after the date of official notice to do so; provided that said public sewer is located within two hundred
(200) feet of the facility to be served by said sewer and the facility can be served by gravity flow. Any
building sewer which in connected to a public sewer in existence at the time of adoption of this ordinance
must be reconnected to any new sanitary sewer line which is constructed within two hundred (200) feet of
the facility to be served when the owner is given official notice by the City to connect to the new sanit ary
line. Provided, however, that where excavation of the public highway is otherwise prohibited by state law
or regulation, or where unusual hardship exists due to the presence of ledge or incompatible elevations, or
where the structure to be served has public road frontage and is more than two hundred (200) feet from the
sewer, the City Council may grant exceptions upon specific application of the owner or lessee of such
properties, with such conditions as the said City Council may impose. The turning of a building sewer to
reconnect to a new public sanitary sewer shall not be considered a hardship under this ordinance.
ARTICLE III - PRIVATE SEWAGE DISPOSAL
Section 301 - Where a public sanitary or combined sewer is not available under the provisions of
Section 203, the building sewer shall be connected to a private sewage disposal system complying with the
provisions of this article and the State Plumbing Code.
Section 302 - Construction of private sewage disposal systems shall comply in all respects with
requirements of the State Plumbing Code. In addition, a written notice shall be filed with the
Superintendent on a form furnished by the City, giving notice and details of said installation.
Section 303 - The type, capacities, location, and layout of a private sewage disposal system shall
comply with all recommendations of the Department of Human Services, Bureau of Health, State of .
Section 304 - The owner shall operate and maintain the private sewage disposal facilities in a
sanitary manner at all times, at no expense to the City.
Section 305 - At such time as a public sewer becomes available to a property served by a private
sewage disposal system, as provided in Section 203, connection shall be made to the public sewer in
compliance with this ordinance, and any septic tanks, cesspools, or similar private sewage disposal
facilities shall be abandoned and filled with suitable material.
Section 306 - No statement contained in this article shall be construed to interfere with any
additional requirements that may be imposed by the Health Officer.
ARTICLE IV - BUILDING SEWERS AND CONNECTIONS
Section 401 - No person shall uncover, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance
thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Superintendent.
Section 402 - There shall be two (2) classes of building sewer permits - (1) for residential service,
and (2) for commercial, industrial, and other non-residential 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
Superintendent. *Sewer Connection fees shall be as follows and paid to the City Treasurer at the time an
application is filed: Residential $350; Additional Units $25 each; non-residential $350; Additional units
$50 each.
Section 403 - A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building
except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available
or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court, yard, or driveway, in which
case the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole
considered as one building sewer.
Section 404 - Existing building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when
they are found, on examination and test by the Superintendent, to meet all the requirements of this
ordinance.
Section 405 - The building sewer shall be ductile iron, asbestos cement, plastic pipe, or other
suitable material approved by the Superintendent. The quality and weight of materials shall conform to the
specifications of the State Plumbing Code. All joints shall be tight and waterproof. Where the building
sewer is exposed to damage by tree roots or is installed in filled or unstable ground, the Superintendent
shall have the authority to stipulate such special pipe materials or installation provisions, as he deems
necessary for the circumstances.
Section 406 - The size and slope of the building sewer shall be subject to the approval of the
Superintendent, but in no event shall the diameter be less than four (4) inches. The slope of a four (4) inch
pipe shall not be less than one-quarter (1/4) inch per foot. The slope of a six (6) inch pipe shall not be less
than one-eighth (1/8) inch per foot.
Section 407 - Whenever possible the building sewer shall be brought to the building at an
elevation below the basement floor. No building sewer shall be laid parallel to or within three (3) feet of
any bearing wall, which might thereby be weakened. The depth shall be sufficient to afford protection from
frost. The building sewer shall be laid at uniform grade and in straight alignment insofar as possible.
Changes in direction shall be made only with approved pipe and fittings.
Section 408 - In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the
public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such drain shall be lifted by approved artificial means and
discharged to the building sewer.
Section 409 - The type of pipe and installation of joints and connections of building sewers shall
be in conformance with the State Plumbing Code in all respects. Other jointing materials and methods ma y
be used only upon written approval of the Superintendent.
Section 410 - The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall be made with the
wye branch or its equivalent. When connecting a four (4) inch diameter building sewer to any public sewer
eight (8) inches in diameter or less, or when connecting a six (6) inch diameter building sewer to any public
sewer twelve (12) inches in diameter or less, a wye branch must be installed in a location specified by the
Superintendent. Where the public sewer has a greater than the maximum diameter for installation of a wye
branch as specified above or no properly located wye branch is available, a neat hole may be cut into the
upper quadrant of the public sewer to receive the building sewer with entry to be made in the downstream
direction at an angle of approximately forty-five (45) degrees, again in a location specified by the
Superintendent. A properly sized wye saddle shall be inserted into the hole so as not to extend past the
inner surface of the public sewer. A smooth, neat joint shall be made and the connection made secure and
watertight by encasement in concrete or as otherwise approved. Special fittings may be used for the
connection only when approved the Superintendent. Section 411 - The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the Superintendent when the
building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. No public sewer shall be
disturbed except under the supervision of the Superintendent.
Section 412 - All excavation work for building sewer installations shall meet the following
conditions:
A. The traveling public shall be adequately protected.
1. At least one-way traffic shall be maintained at all times.
2. Work shall be signed, barricaded, lighted, and traffic officers will be supplied when
necessary.
B. Construction methods shall be such that excessive size of excavation and excessive
destruction of pavement will be avoided. Bituminous concrete pavements shall be cut in advance along the
proposed edges of the excavation. Trenches showing a tendency to collapse shall be supported by
substantially placed sheeting.
C. Special backfill of suitable material may be used in the trench, immediately around the
pipe. Otherwise, all material used for backfill shall be the same as or equivalent to that removed from e ach
layer of excavation. Where nature of the highway base material is not readily determined, backfill shall be
clean gravel. The top eighteen (18) inches of any trench through paving shall be clean gravel. (At its option,
in the interest of good public relations, the contractor or owner may place a temporary cold mix bituminous
pavement.)
D. Backfill material shall be uniformly distributed in layers of not more than eight (8) inches
and thoroughly compacted by use of approved mechanical compactors before successive layers are placed.
Water shall be added when necessary to increase the moisture content of the backfill material in order to
obtain adequate compaction. Puddling or jetting of backfill will not be allowed. Backfill materials shal l be
free from large clods of earth, free from stones and rock fragments over 50 lbs., and free from frozen
materials.
E. Surplus material shall be removed from the site and the area shall be left in a clean,
presentable condition.
F. Permanent pavement shall be replaced by the City of .
G. The City reserves the right, after due notice in writing to the contractor or owner:
1. To provide such supervision and inspection as it may deem necessary.
2. If the excavation is improperly and unsatisfactorily backfilled, to re-excavate and backfill
as may be necessary.
3. If the area is improperly and unsatisfactorily cleaned up, to clean up the area.
4. To charge the owner or contractor the cost of all work performed under reservations (1, 2,
and 3 above).
H. Sidewalks, parks, and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be
restored in a manner satisfactory to the Street Commissioner.
Section 413 - Any building sewer serving a school, hospital, or similar institution or public
building, or serving a complex of commercial or industrial buildings, or which, in the opinion of the
Superintendent, will receive sewage or industrial wastes of such volume or character that frequent
maintenance of said building sewer is anticipated, then such building sewer shall be connected to the public
sewer through a manhole. If required, a new manhole shall be installed in the public sewer and the location
of this manhole and the building sewer connection to it or to an existing manhole shall be as specified by
the Superintendent.
Section 414 - All costs and expense incident to the installation, connection, and maintenance of
the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or
damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
Section 415 - Where permitted by the plumbing codes or other appropriate laws or regulations of
the State of Maine, other types of material and construction methods may be used notwithstanding any
provisions of this ordinance to the contrary.
Section 416 - No person shall dismantle or move any building having a building service entrance
into a public sewer without first having sealed the area of the entrance of the service into such building with
a masonry plug. If upon examination by the Superintendent, the sewer service is found to be unserviceable,
the owner shall remove such service and seal it at the public sewer.
ARTICLE V - SEWER EXTENSIONS
Section 501 - For gravity sewer extensions requested by individual homeowners, the City will
participate with the homeowners on a 50/50 basis. In such cases, each homeowner along the proposed
extension must agree to connect to the sewer and to pay his proportionate share. Such extension shall not
exceed four hundred (400’) feet in length. The City will not participate with this cost sharing formula
where ledge or rock excavation is involved. The cost of rock or ledge excavation must be borne by the
owner or developer.
Section 502 - For those sewer extensions, which are to serve subdivisions on new streets, the City
will not participate in the financing of the sewer extensions.
Section 503 - All extensions to the sanitary sewer system owned and maintained by the City shall
be properly designed in accordance with the Recommended Standards for Sewage Works, as adopted by
the Board of State Sanitary Engineers. Plans and specifications for sewer extensions shall be submitted
to and approval obtained from the Superintendent before construction may proceed. The design of sewers
must anticipate and allow for flows from all possible future extensions or developments within the
immediate drainage area.
Section 504 - Sewer design shall be in accordance with the following provisions: Pipe material
shall be either asbestos-cement conforming to ASTM. Specifications C-428, Type II, or ductile iron or
plastic pipe meeting the same standard, or reinforced concrete conforming to ASTM specification C-76. No
standard strength clay pipe or non-reinforced concrete pipe shall be used. Minimum internal pipe diameter
shall be eight (8) inches. Joints for each kind of pipe shall be designed and manufactured such that "O" rink
gaskets of the "snap-on" type are employed. Gaskets shall be continuous, solid and natural or synthetic
rubber and shall provide a positive compression seal in the assembled joint such that the requirements of
Section 505 are met. Joint preparation and assembly shall be in accordance with the manufacturer’s
recommendations. Wye branch fittings shall be installed for connection to building sewers in accordance
with section 411. Trench widths as measured just above the crown of the pipe shall not exceed the internal
diameter of the pipe plus three (3) feet. Pipe shall be firmly and evenly bedded on a minimum of six (6)
inches of screened gravel or bank run sandy gravel with stone size not exceeding one (1) inch. Pipe
thickness and field strength shall be calculated on the following criteria: Safety Factor
Load Factor
Weight of Soil 120 lbs./cu. ft.
Wheel Loading 16,000 lbs.
Utilizing the above information, design shall then be made as outlined in Chapter IX of the Water
Pollution Control Federation Manual of Practice No. 9, "Design and Construction of Sanitary and Storm
Sewers".
Manholes shall be constructed at all changes in slope or alignment or at intervals of three hundred
(300) linear feet. The manholes shall be constructed with a poured three thousand (3,000) psi concrete base
eight (8) inches thick, steel troweled concrete or mortar bench walls and inverts and precast four (4) foot
diameter concrete manhole barrel sections with tapered top sections, as specified by ASTMC-478. The
manhole frame and cover shall be the standard design of the City and shall be set with no less than two (2)
courses of brick underneath to allow for later adjustment in elevation. All joints shall be sealed against
infiltration.
Section 505 - All Public sewers shall satisfy requirements of a final exfiltration test before they
will be approved and sewage flow accepted from them by the City. Testing methods and standards shall be
prepared by the Superintendent, and adopted by the City Council. Such methods may be altered as required,
and as technical changes dictate.
Section 506 - All extensions of public sewers constructed at the expense of the property owner,
builder, or developer, after approval by the Superintendent, and acceptance by the City Council, shall
become the property of the City and shall thereafter be maintained by the City. Said sewers, after thei r
acceptance by the City, shall be guaranteed against defects in the materials or workmanship for eighteen
(18) months, the guarantee being in a form provided by the City. At the sole discretion of the City, a
completion bond or certified check may be demanded as part of the guarantee.
Section 507 - No builder or developer shall be issued a building permit for a new dwelling or
structure requiring sanitary facilities within the City of , unless a suitable and approved method of waste
disposal is proposed.
ARTICLE VI - USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS
Section 601 - No person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any storm water, surface water,
ground water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, cooling water, or unpolluted industrial process water, to
any sanitary sewer except that, at certain locations within the City where adverse drainage condit ions exist,
cellar drainage overflows may be connected to the sanitary sewer, provided that a check valve is installed
in the drainage line and an illuminated light indicating an operating sump pump installed in the outside of
the building, said connection to be approved or disapproved by the Superintendent, and in the case of
disapproval subject to appeal to the City Council.
Section 602 - Storm water and all other unpolluted drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as
are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved in writing
by the. Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon written approval of
the Manager, to a storm sewer or natural outlet, provided, however, that said discharge shall be in
accordance with all State regulations.
Section 603 - Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged
any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:
A. Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty (150) degrees
Fahrenheit.
B. Any Water or waste, which may contain more than one hundred (100) milligrams per
liter of fat, oil, or grease.
C. Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil, lubricating oils, or other flammable or explosive
liquids, solids or gases.
D. Any garbage that has not been properly shredded.
E. Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics,
wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in
sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works.
F. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 6.5 or higher than 8.5 or having any other
corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment, and personnel of the
sewage works.
G. Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity to injure
or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals, or create any
hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant.
H. Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that
unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant.
I. Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance.
Section 604 - Grease, oil and sand interceptors or traps shall be provided when, in the opinion of
the Superintendent, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in
excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand, and other harmful ingredients; except that such
interceptors shall not be required for private living quarters or dwelling units. All interceptors shall be of a
type and capacity approved by the Superintendent and shall be located so as to be readily and easily
accessible for cleaning and inspection.
Grease and oil interceptors or traps shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of
withstanding abrupt and extreme, changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction,
watertight, and equipped with easily removable covers which, when bolted in place, shall be gastight and
watertight.
Section 605 - Where installed, all grease, oil, and sand interceptors or traps shall be maintained by
the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.
Section 606 - The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having (a) a 5-day
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD) greater than three hundred (300) milligrams per liter; or (b)
containing more than three hundred fifty (350) parts per million by weight of suspended solids; or (c)
containing any quantity of substance having the characteristics described in Section 603; or (d) having an
average daily flow greater than two (2%) percent of the average daily flow of the City shall be subject to
the review and approval of the Superintendent. Where necessary, in the opinion of the Superintendent, the
owner shall provide at his expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to (a) reduce the
Biochemical Oxygen Demand to three hundred (300) milligrams per liter; or (b) reduce suspended solids to
three hundred fifty (350) milligrams per liter; or (c) reduce objectionable characteristics to within the
maximum limits provided for in Section 603; or (d) control the quantities and rates of discharge of such
waters or wastes. Plans, specifications, and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary
treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the Superintendent and the Department of
Environmental Protection of the State of . No construction of such facilities shall be commenced until
said approvals are obtained in writing. Section 607 - Where preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they
shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.
Section 608 - When required by the Superintendent, the owner of any property served by a
building sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control structure in the building sewer to
facilitate observation, sampling, and measurements of wastes. Such structure, when required, shall be
accessible and safely located and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the
Superintendent. The structure and all necessary measuring and sampling equipment shall be installed by the
owner at his expense, and controlled and maintained by the owner, but shall be open to inspection by the
Superintendent.
Section 609 - All measurements, tests, and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to
which reference is made in Sections 603 and 606 shall be determined in accordance with "Standard
Methods for the Examination of Water and Sewage", and shall be determined at the control manhole
provided for in Section 608, or upon suitable samples taken at said controls structure. Records of the
measuring and sampling shall be those prescribed by the Superintendent and shall be available to the
Superintendent for his inspection.
Section 610 - For industrial wastes of unusual volume, strength of character, special agreements,
as determined by the City in accordance with Federal and State regulations, shall be required between the
City and the industry concerned providing for the acceptance of such wastes in the municipal system.
ARTICLE VII - PROTECTION FROM DAMAGE
Section 701 - No person shall maliciously, willfully, or negligently break, damage, destroy,
uncover, deface, or tamper with any structure, appurtenance, or equipment which is part of the municipal
sewage works. Any person violating this provision shall be subject to immediate arrest under charge of
disorderly conduct.
Section 702 - A contractor must present a certificate showing proof of liability insurance before a
permit will be issued for construction of building sewers, sewer extensions, or private sewage disposal.
ARTICLE VIII - POWERS AND AUTHORITY OF INSPECTORS
The Superintendent and others duly authorized employees of the City bearing proper credentials
and identifications shall be permitted to enter upon all properties for the purpose of inspection, observation,
and measurement sampling and testing in accordance with the provisions of this ordinance.
ARTICLE IX - PENALTIES
Section 901 - Any person found to be violating any provision of this ordinance except Section 701
shall be served by the City with written notice stating the nature of the violation and providing a reasonable
time limit for the satisfactory correction thereof. The offender shall, within the period of time stated in sa id
notice, permanently cease all violations.
Section 902 - Any person who fails to comply with the provisions of this ordinance other than
those provisions pertaining to the payment of charges for services established herein, shall, upon
conviction, be subject to a fine not exceeding one hundred dollars ($100.00) for each offense. The
continued violation of any provision of any section of this ordinance, other than those pertaining to the
payment of charges for services established herein, shall constitute a separate offense for each and every
day such violation of any provision hereof shall continue.
Section 903 - As an alternative, upon violation of this ordinance, the proper authorities of the City,
in addition to other remedies, may institute any appropriate action or proceedings including an injunction to
prevent such unlawful use, construction, or maintenance of cesspools, septic tanks, sewage disposal
systems, pipes or drains, to restrain, correct or abate such violation, or to prevent the occupancy of any
building structure or land where said violations of this ordinance are found.
Section 904 - Any person violating any of the provisions of this ordinance shall become liable to
the City for any expense, loss, or damage occasioned the City by reason of violation.
ARTICLE X - SEWER SERVICE CHARGE
Section 1001 - The source of the portion of the revenue to retire debt services, for capital
expenditures of the public sewer works and for operation and maintenance, after an annual appropriation
from the City tax levy of an amount not more than 38.5% of said debt service, to support the sewer system,
shall be a Sewer Service Charge assigned to owners of property within the limits of the City whose
residence or place of business is connected to the public sewer system.
Section 1002 - Sewer Service Charge rates shall be determined by the City Council on a year to
year basis, and in general, such charges will be determined on a rate structure based on water consumption.
Those nonresidential users not served by the water utility shall be charged on volume as determined by a
meter installed and maintained by the owner, but open to inspection by the Superintendent. Those
residences which are served by wells shall be charged on a flat fee basis, to be determined from time to
time by the City Council. The sewer service charge shall be computed and billed at quarterly inte rvals
throughout the calendar year and shall be due and payable as of the date of the bill. All such charges not
paid within 90 days of the date of a bill for same shall accrue interest thereon at a rate of interest equal to
that determined from time to time, by the Treasurer of the State of Maine with respect to unpaid real e state
taxes; and said interest shall be retroactive to the date of the bill. The City Treasurer shall be responsibl e for
and shall have the authority to collect and bill said charges.
Section 1003 - A special Sewer Service Charge shall be assigned to any industrial firm or
organization the strength or other characteristic of whose waste varies significantly from that of normal
domestic sewage. In general, such charges will be based on equitable prorating of costs for conveying and
treating such waste, taking into account, but not necessarily limited to, the effect of volume, B.O.D.,
suspended solids, settleable solids, chlorine demand, toxicity, and pH. Pretreatment by the industry may
also be a requirement if necessary to make the waste compatible with flow in the sewer system. The Ci ty
Council, after appropriate study and advice from the Superintendent, shall assign a Special Sewer Service
Charge to the industrial firm by separate agreement with said firm. The applicable portions of the preceding
sections as well as the equitable rights of the public shall be the basis for such an arrangement.
Section 1004 - INDUSTRIAL COST RECOVERY - In addition to the special Sewer Service
Charge, which is concerned solely with the cost to the City for debt service, capital expenditures, operati on,
and maintenance of the Public Sewage Works, there shall be a special charge to non-governmental users of
the Public Sewage Work identified in the Standard Industrial Classification Manual, 19 , prepared by the
Federal Government Office of Management and Budget, as amended and supplemented, under the
following divisions:
Division A - Agriculture, Forestry and Fishing
Division B - Mining
Division D - Manufacturing
Division E - Transportation, Communications, Electric, Gas and Sanitary Services
Division I - Services
A user in the Divisions listed may be excluded if it is determined that it will introduce primarily
segregated domestic wastes or wastes from sanitary conveniences. Any facility whose nature is within one
or more of the above Divisions, which is connected to the Public Sewage Works, and which is discharging
or is connected with the intent of discharging to the Public Works significant quantities of process,
industrial or other wastes not of a domestic or sanitary nature, shall be subject to the special charge to be
established by separate agreement between said user and the City for the purpose of recovering that
portions of Federal Grants expended in aid of the construction of Public Sewage Works, under programs
administered by the United States Environmental Protection Agency, allocable to the treatment of wast es
from such users in accordance with the following provisions:
A. Each year during the industrial cost recovery period, each industrial user of the treatment
works shall pay its share of the total grant amount divided by the recovery period.
B. The industrial cost recovery period shall be equal to thirty (30) years or the useful life of
the treatment works, whichever is less.
C. Payments shall be made by industrial users no less often than annually. The First
payment by an industrial user shall be made no later than one year after such user begins use of the
treatment works.
D. An industrial user’s share shall be based on all factors, which significantly influence the
cost of the treatment works. Factors such as strength, volume, and delivery flow rate characteristics shall be
considered and included to insure a proportional distribution of the grant amount allocable to industrial use
to all industrial users of the treatment works. As a minimum, and industry’s share shall be based on its flow
versus treatment works capacity except in unusual cases.
E. If there is a substantial change in the strength, volume or delivery flow rate
characteristics introduced into the treatment works by an industrial user, such user’s share shall be adjusted
accordingly.
F. If there is an expansion or upgrading of the treatment works, each existing industrial
user’s share will be adjusted accordingly.
G. An industrial user’s share shall not include any portion of the grant amount allocable to
unused or unreserved capacity.
H. An industrial user’s share shall include any firm commitment to the grantee of increased
used by such user.
I. An industrial user’s share shall not include an interest component.
Section 1005 - The City Council reserves the right from time to time to change Sewer Service
Charges originally or previously assigned to any property owner.
Section 1006 - All property owners outside the city limits, who, by their own request are served by
sanitary sewers, must pay a Sewer Service Charge established by the City Council.
Section 1007 - *Each sewer charge, together with accrued interest, levied pursuant to this
ordinance, is hereby made a lien on the real estate served or benefited by the sewer; and if not paid within
ninety (90) days of the due date, may be collected by the City Treasurer pursuant to the provisions of Title
, Section , , and Title , Section as amended.
Section 1008 - ABATEMENTS - Abatements for use of water for lawn sprinklers, garden hoses, swimming
pools or other uses of significant volumes of water which do not enter the public sewer, may be made on
application to the City. The adjusted billing determined shall not be less than the highest billing or adjusted
billing during the previous three quarters. No more than two (2) adjustments can be given in one (1)
calendar year.
Section 1009 - INTEREST ON UNPAID BILLS - There shall be charged, in addition to the rates herein
established, interest at the annual rate of eighteen (18%) percent on all sewer use fees which are not paid on
the due date shown on the bill except that such interest so charged shall be excused unless notice of lien
claim for non payment of sewer use fees is mailed in accordance with these regulations.
ARTICLE XI - ACCEPTANCE OF SEPTIC TANK WASTES AT SEWAGE TREATMENT PLANT Section 1101 - Septic tank wastes pumped from septic tanks within the corporate limits of the City
of will be accepted for treatment at the sewage treatment plant.
Section 1102 - The fee for treating these wastes shall be established from time to time by the City
Council.
Section 1103 - When a septic tank pumping service pumps out a septic tank, the service shall
obtain, on a form provided by the City, the signature of the property owner, affixed also with the signature
of the pumping service representative, certifying that the septic tank which was pumped was located in the
City of . No septic sludge will be accepted at the treatment plant unless this certification accom panies
the septic sludge load.
ARTICLE XII - LICENSE
Section 1201 - Each and every plumber, contractor or excavator, or other person, firm, or
corporation other than the property owner himself, will be required to secure a license issued by the City
Clerk before he will be permitted to do any work in the City insofar as this ordinance is concerned. The
initial fee shall be ten ($10.00) dollars, renewable annually for a fee of two ($2.00) dollars.
Section 1202 - As part of the application to do work in the City, the applicant may be required to
present a license bond written by an indemnity or bonding company lawfully doing business in the State of
in a form provided by the bonding company.
Section 1203 - If, in the opinion of the City Council, the work performed by the contractor within
the City violates the provisions of this ordinance or any other ordinance of the City or if the contractor’s
work is, in the opinion of the City Council, substandard, then in that event the City Council may revoke the
license for the contractor to do the work in the City.
ARTICLE XIII - VALIDITY OF ORDINANCE
Section 1301 - All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are hereby repealed.
Section 1302 - The validity of any section, clause, sentence or provision of this ordinance shall not
affect the validity of any part of this ordinance which can be given without such invalid part or parts.
ARTICLE XIV - ORDINANCE IN FORCE
This ordinance shall be in full force and effect from and after its passage, approval, and recording.
Adopted , 20 with amendments to , 20
