Legal Documents of Bulls Gap

1. Application for service.
   1. There shall be two (2) classifications of service:
      1. Residential; and

      2. Service to commercial, industrial and other nonresidential establishments.

         In either case, the owner or his agent shall make application for connection on a special form furnished by the town.  Applicants for service to commercial and industrial establishments shall be required to furnish information about all waste producing activities, wastewater characteristics and constituents. The application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information  considered pertinent in the judgment of the superintendent. Details regarding commercial and industrial permits include but are not limited to those required by this ordinance.  Service connection fees for establishing new sewer service are paid to the town.  Industrial user discharge permit fees may also apply. The receipt by the town of a prospective customer's application for connection shall not obligate the town to render the connection.  If the service applied for cannot be supplied in accordance with this chapter and the city's/town's rules and regulations and general practice, or state and federal requirement, the connection charge will be refunded in full, and there shall be no liability of the town to the applicant for such service.

   2. Users shall notify the town of any proposed new introduction of wastewater constituents or any proposed change in the volume or character of the wastewater being discharged to the system a minimum of sixty (60) days prior to the change.  The town may deny or limit this new introduction or change based upon the information submitted in the notification.
2. Prohibited connections.  No person shall make connections of roof downspouts, sump pumps, basement wall seepage or floor seepage, exterior foundation drains, area way drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.  Any such connections which already exist on the effective date of this ordinance shall be completely and
       permanently disconnected within sixty (60) days of the effective day of this ordinance.  The owners of any building sewer having such connections, leaks or defects shall bear all of the costs incidental to removal of such sources.  Pipes, sumps and pumps for such sources of ground water shall be separate from the sanitary sewer.
3. Physical connection to public sewer.

   1. No person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof.  The town shall make all connections to the public sewer upon the property owner first submitting a connection application to the town. 

      The connection application shall be supplemented by any plans, specifications or other information considered pertinent in the judgment of the superintendent. A service connection fee shall be paid to the town at the time the application is filed.

      The applicant is responsible for excavation and installation of the building sewer which is located on private property.  The town will inspect the installation prior to backfilling and make the connection to the public sewer.

   2. All costs and expenses incident to the installation, connection, and inspection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner including all service and connection fees.  The owner shall indemnify the town from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.
   3. 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, courtyard, or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer. Where property is subdivided and buildings use a common building sewer are now located on separate properties, the building sewers must be separated within sixty (60) days.
   4. Old building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and tested by the superintendent to meet all requirements of this chapter.  All others may be sealed to the specifications of the superintendent.
   5. Building sewers shall conform to the following requirements:
      1. The minimum size of a building sewer shall be as follows: Conventional sewer system   four inches (4").
      2. The minimum depth of a building sewer shall be eighteen inches (18").

      3. Building sewers shall be laid on the following grades: four inch (4") sewers - one-eighth inch (1/8") per foot.

         Larger building sewers shall be laid on a grade that will produce a velocity when flowing full of at least two feet (2') feet per second.

      4. Building sewers shall be installed in uniform alignment at uniform slopes.
      5. Building sewers shall be constructed only of polyvinyl chloride pipe Schedule 40 or better.  Joints shall be solvent welded or compression gaskets designed for the type of pipe used.  No other joints shall be acceptable.
      6. Cleanouts shall be provided to allow cleaning in the direction of flow. A cleanout shall be located five feet (5') outside of the building, as it crosses the property line and one at each change of direction of the building sewer which is greater than forty-five degrees (45̊) degrees.  Additional cleanouts shall be placed not more than seventy-five feet (75') apart in horizontal building sewers of six inch (6") nominal diameter and not more than one hundred feet (100') apart for larger pipes.  Cleanouts shall be extended to or above the finished grade level directly above the place where the cleanout is installed and protected from damage.  A "Y" (wye) and 1/8 bend shall be used for the cleanout base.  Cleanouts shall not be smaller than four inches (4"). Blockages on the property owner's side of the property line cleanout are the responsibility of the property owner.
      7. Connections of building sewers to the public sewer system shall be made only by the town and shall be made at the appropriate existing wyes or tee branch using compression type couplings or collar type rubber joint with stainless steel bands.  Where existing wye or tee branches are not available, connections of building services shall be made by either removing a length of pipe and replacing it with a wye or tee fitting using flexible neoprene adapters with stainless steel bands of a type approved by the superintendent.  Bedding must support pipe to prevent damage or sagging. All such connections shall be made gastight and watertight.
      8. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved pump system according to § 18-107 and discharged to the building sewer at the expense of the owner.
      9. The methods to be used in excavating, placing of pipe, jointing, testing, backfilling the trench, or other activities in the construction of a building sewer which have not been described above shall conform to the requirements of the building and plumbing code or other applicable rules and regulations of the town or to the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications by the ASTM.  Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the superintendent before installation.
      10. An installed building sewer shall be gastight and watertight.
   6. All excavations for building sewer installation 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 town.
   7. No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, exterior foundation drains, areaway drains, basement drains, sump pumps, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.
   8. Inspection of connections.
      1. The sewer connection and all building sewers from the building to the public sewer main line shall be inspected before the underground portion is covered, by the superintendent or his authorized representative.
      2. The applicant for discharge shall notify the superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer.  The connection shall be made under the supervision of the superintendent or his representative.
4. Maintenance of building sewers.
   1. Each individual property owner shall be entirely responsible for the construction, maintenance, repair or replacement of the building sewer as deemed necessary by the superintendent to meet specifications of the town. Owners failing to maintain or repair building sewers or who allow stormwater or ground water to enter the sanitary sewer may face enforcement action by the superintendent up to and including discontinuation of water and sewer service.
   2. The town may inspect the facilities of any user to ascertain whether the purpose of this chapter is being met and all requirements are being complied with.
   3. The point of division between the building sewer and the town owned sewer tap or service connection shall be at the property line, right-of-way line, property line sewer cleanout, or such point in this general area as identified by the superintendent. The town owned tap or service line connection cannot extend onto private property except that minimal distance to the edge of right-of-ways, easements, or that distance necessary to cross other town utility lines and provide a location unencumbered by other underground town utilities where the user can make a connection to the building sewer without risk of damage to those other town utilities.
5. Sewer extensions.  All expansion or extension of the public sewer constructed by property owners or developers must follow policies and procedures developed by the town.  In the absence of policies and procedures the expansion or extension of the public sewer must be approved in writing by the superintendent or manager of the wastewater collection system.  All plans and construction must follow the latest edition of Tennessee Design Criteria for Sewerage Works, located at http://www.state.tn.us/environment/wpc/publications/.  Contractors must provide the superintendent or manager with as-built drawing and documentation that all mandrel, pressure and vacuum tests as specified in design criteria were acceptable prior to use of the lines.  Contractor's one (1) year warranty period begins with occupancy or first permanent use of the lines.  Contractors are responsible for all maintenance and repairs during the warranty period and final inspections as specified by the superintendent or manager.  The superintendent or manager must give written approval to the contractor to acknowledge transfer of ownership to the town.  Failure to construct or repair lines to acceptable standards could result in denial or discontinuation of sewer service.

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