SEWER EXTENSION POLICY

POLICY for the CONSIDERATION of EXTENSIONS TO THE SEWER SYSTEM OF THE WELLS SANITARY DISTRICT

GENERAL POLICY STATEMENT:

In order for the Wells Sanitary District to carry out its purpose of insuring the proper removal and disposal of sewage and wastes and wastewaters within the District, to insure proper  operation and maintenance of public sewers and sewage treatment plant, to provide adequate record keeping of sewers, drains, connections and appurtenances thereto, and to generally benefit the health, safety and welfare of the  public in dealing with wastewater management and water resource protection.

1.It shall be the goal of the Wells Sanitary District that sanitary sewers and their appurtenances within the Wells Sanitary  District shall be public sewers, owned and maintained by the District.

New Sewers:

It is the intent of this policy that, whenever possible and practical, and when consistent with other policies and procedures of the District, NEW sewers which serve more than one property, along with pump  stations and other appurtenances to such sewer expansions, should become part of the public sewer system to ensure that long-range planning and maintenance can best serve the public.

When a PROPOSED NEW private sewer is intended to be accepted and owned by the District, it shall be built  and installed as an "approved private sewer" and the District's "Developer's Contract" procedure shall be used.

A  proposal that a new sewer line be a "private sewer" is generally counter to the intent of this policy. However, there may be circumstances in which a "private sewer" is justified. The burden of persuasion that must be met for such an exception to this policy is that the factors favoring such a private sewer must substantially outweigh the underlying purposes and intent of this policy statement.

Existing Sewers:

In furtherance of this policy goal, and in order to protect the public in the event of a malfunction, assist the District in making planning decisions and in anticipation of the possibility of future conversion to public sewers, any existing private sewers should be adequately documented in records of the District, in a manner prescribed by the Superintendent or Trustees from time to time.

In the event of a proposal from an owner or form the District that a private sewer be constructed or that an existing private sewer become a public sewer, the Trustees shall evaluate each such proposal on a case-by-case basis, taking into account such factors as:

Protection of the environment, water quality, and the health and safety of the public.

The standards of quality to which the sewer was or would be constructed and installed.

The desire of the owner, those with  property interests in the sewer, and others, to have it become public.

The history of maintenance and reliability of the sewer.

The ability and likelihood of the owner of owners to adequately maintain the sewer.

 The present and future costs to the District, including any contribution from the owner or other sources of funds.

Such other information or data presented to or sought by Trustees that will assist in furthering the  intent of this policy.

Under the Sanitary District enabling legislation, the Trustees have full discretion to manage and operate the District, including any exceptions to this policy for good cause.  If an application is denied or approved, the Trustees shall, upon request, state the reasons, and any affected party shall have recourse by the appeal process, on the basis of abuse of discretion of the Trustees in their decision.

2.It is the policy of the Wells Sanitary District that any proposed extensions to the public sanitary sewer system be evaluated for approval, priority, timing and financing by using such information and factors as the following:

whether there are areas in which there is a high incidence of septic system failure  which is adjacent to the existing sewer;

whether there are areas in which there is a high incidence of septic system failure  resulting in risk to ground water or  runoff contamination, even if not adjacent to the existing sewer;

whether there are areas in which the cost of the extension is being paid by the developer, or other economic  factors make it advantageous for the District to add an extension desirable for other reasons as well;

whether there are areas shown on the District's Master Plan which  have not yet been built;

whether there is currently a high density of development which is adjacent to the existing sewer;

whether there are areas  designated on the Town of Wells Comprehensive Plan as    high density development areas;

 whether there are areas where the majority of the property  owners affected request or agree to the extension;

whether there is available capacity to accommodate an expansion;

 whether there is a funding available for the project;

whether the DEP has or likely will approve the extension

Such other information or date presented to or sought by the Trustees that will  assist in furthering the intent of this policy.

It is the intent of this policy statement to be a giude to the District and the public in planning, and to protect the water supplies, groundwater, marshes and shell fisheries.

Under the Sanitary District enabling legislation, the Trustees have full discretion to manage and operate the District, including and exception to this policy for good cause. If an application is denied or approved, the Trustees shall, upon request, state the  reasons, and affected party shall have recourse by the appeal process, on the basis of abuse of discretion of the Trustees in their decision.

 

DEFINITIONS: For purposes of this policy statement. the following terms shall have the meanings set forth in the Sewer Use Ordinance:

PUBLIC SEWER shall be used only with the respect to the main line of pipe or conduit, owned, controlled and maintained by the District for the conveyance of waste or sewage from several properties, and shall not be understood to include building sewers or connections between the public sewer and individual properties, which building sewers are maintained by the owners of the properties using them.

BUILDING SEWER shall mean a pipe connecting a public sewer witha building for the purpose of conveying sewage of any kind formsaid  building to the public sewer.  Building sewers, after completion of construction of a building sewer lateral (as defined in ARTICLE II- SECTION 25, shall be maintained by the owners of the property served shall be constructed  by said property owner.

BUILDING DRAIN shall mean that part of the lowest horizontal piping of a sanitary waste-water system which recieves the dischare form soil, waste and other sanitary pipes inside the walls of the building and conveys it to the biulding sewer outside of the building wall.

BUILDING SEWER LATERAL shall mean a pipe or conduit laid incidental to the original construction of a public sewer, from that public sewer to some point at the  side of the street, highway, or simular location, and there capped, having been provided and intended for extension and for use at some time thereafter as part of a building sewer as defined in ARTICLE II - SECTION 24. When a building sewer lateral has been connected with and extended for the purpose of installing a building sewer, the lateral shall become and thereafter be a part of such building sewer, to be maintained as provided for building sewers.

SANITARY SEWER shall mean a sewer intended to convey only sanitary sewage, or, if so stipulated with respect to the particular sewer. sanitary sewage plus industrial or other waste. but excluding storm, surface and ground waters.

Additional definitions and comments for purposes of these statements are;

PRIVATE SEWER is any sewer, pre-existing or newly constructed, which is not owned or maintained by the Wells Sanitary District, and which serves or is  intended to serve, more then one property

APPROVED PRIVATE SEWER shall mean any sewer which is designed and built to the standards used by the District for its sewer lines, and which can be used in the same manner as a sewer line  of the District, but which has not been taken, accepted, owned or maintained by the District since the time of its construction, and for which the builder, or its heirs or assigns, currently services, maintains and repairs the  private sewer.

NOTE: A sewer line, regardless of its size, length or number of separate sources of wastewater served, which exclusively serves one property, is considered herein to be a "building sewer". Such a "building sewer" becomes a "private sewer" at such time that it begins to serve more than one property.

(ADOPTED 7/27/89)