Chapter 212

 

 

SEWER USE CHARGE SYSTEM

 

 

[HISTORY: Adopted 2-22-1999 by the Special Town Meeting of the Town of Somers, effective 3-20-1999.[1] Amendments noted where applicable.]

 

 

GENERAL REFERENCES

 

Sewers -- See Ch. 155.

Water -- See Ch. 204.

 

 

~ 212-1. Use charge levied.

 

  In accordance with the provisions of Section 7-255 of the Connecticut General Statutes, as amended, a use charge shall be levied annually on all properties connected to any town-owned community sewage system, as hereinafter set forth.

 

 

~ 212-2. Prohibited discharges.

 

  Section 155-9A of Chapter 155, Sewers, prohibits discharge of anything other than sanitary sewage to the sewer system.

 

 

~ 212-3. Applicability.

 

  The use charge shall apply to all connected properties, without exception (including municipally-owned and other tax-exempt properties), and shall recover all costs of operation and maintenance of the sewage system.

 

 

~ 212-4. Liability for payment and interest.

 

  Owners of property against which the use charge is levied shall be liable for payment and for interest on delinquent payment from the due date until such charge is paid in full. Interest shall be computed in the manner provided in Sections 7-258 and 12-146 of the Connecticut General Statutes.

 

 

~ 212-5. Due dates for payments.

 

  Payment of the initial charge is due at the time a user first connects to the sewage system and shall be calculated on a pro-rata basis from the date of connection through the following October 1. Subsequent use charges are due and payable in full on October 1 of each year.

 

 

~ 212-6. Basis for charge.

 

            A.        The annual charge for each property shall be based upon the average discharge represented by a single-family dwelling unit, 225 gallons of sanitary wastes per day. Charges for most types of property are shown in the Table of Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDU's).[2]

 

            B.         The number of equivalent dwelling units for properties not identified either in the table or formula listing shall be the Sewer Commission's[3] estimate of sewage discharge divided by 225 gallons per day per equivalent dwelling unit.

 

            C.        In computing an individual use charge, the number of equivalent dwelling units (EDU's) shall be rounded to the nearest hundredths for use in the following formula:

 

                                    Use Charge = #EDU's x Base Rate Per EDU

 

            D.        The base rate to be charged per equivalent dwelling unit shall be established annually by the Sewer Commission using the projected operations and maintenance budget divided by the anticipated number of equivalent dwelling units which will be using the system during the year. (The charge derived from this calculation will be rounded to the nearest cent.)

 

 

~ 212-7. Base unit charge.

 

  The base unit charge for one equivalent dwelling unit shall be $46.40 and fractional units a portion thereof and amended annually per ~ 212-6D of these regulations.

 

 

~ 212-8. Building conversions/changes of use.

 

            A.        When any structural, mechanical or physical change is made or proposed to be made to a building which allows the occupancy to increase, or the activities within the building to expand or alter such that, when the building is fully utilized, the net sewage discharge will increase, the owner shall make an application for such change to the Somers Water Pollution Control Authority which will assign a new use charge based on ~ 212-11 of these regulations.

 

            B.         All properties which are approved for a building conversion/change of use, shall be charged a one-time change of use fee equal to $2,500 times the net change in the EDU rate established for the property.

 

 

~ 212-9. Connection fee.

 

  Any new service connection to an existing sewer main shall be charged a one-time connection fee of $2,500 per EDU as determined by ~ 212-11 of these regulations.

 

 

~ 212-10. Collection of revenues.

 

  The Somers Water Pollution Control Authority may designate the Town Tax Collector or any bonded person as its agent for the collection of fees or charges levied under this chapter.

 

 

~ 212-11. Table of Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDU's)

 

1/3 EDU          Each room of a rooming house or boardinghouse

 

2/3 EDU          Each room of a hotel or motel

 

1 EDU             Single-family home

                        Each unit of a multifamily home

                        Each unit of an apartment house

                        Church (or other place of worship) or rectory

                        Photographer's business

                        Florist's business

                        Commercial parking garage

                        Warehouse

                        Fire station

                        Each operator in a barbershop

                        Dairy bar with window service only

                        Post office with fewer than 12 employees

                        Business office with fewer than 12 employees

                        Factory/light industry with no showers and fewer than 12 employees

                        Factory/light industry with showers and fewer than 10 employees

                        Mercantile store with fewer than 12 employees

                        Supermarket with fewer than 12 employees

                        Package store

                        Police station (add 1/5 of an EDU for each cell)

                        Luncheonette (seating capacity of 15 or less and paper service only)

 

11/3 EDU        Billiard parlor

                        Hall or place of public assembly (without bar license)

                        Doctor's or dentist's office

                        Bakery

                        Fish or meat market

                        Each operator in a beauty salon

 

12/3 EDU        Service station or auto dealership

                        Drive-in restaurant

                        Drugstore

 

2 EDU             Funeral parlor/mortuary

 

31/2 EDU        Restaurant, bar or nightclub (with capacity for fewer than 100 persons)

                        Lodge hall (with bar license)

 

Key to abbreviations:

 

            gpd -- gallons per day

            DU -- dwelling unit

            EDU -- equivalent dwelling unit (representing an average

            discharge rate of sanitary sewage at 225 gpd)

            #EDU -- number of equivalent dwelling units

 

            A.        Factory, without showers, 12 or more employees:

 

                        (0.142 gallons) x (# square feet floor space) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            B.         Factory, with showers, 10 or more employees:

 

                        (0.18 gallons) x (# square feet floor space) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            C.        Bowling alley:

 

                        (# alleys) x (75 gpd/alley) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            D.        Drive-in theater:

 

                        (# car stalls) x (5 gpd/car stall) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            E.         Movie house:

 

                        (# seats) x (2 1/2 gpd/seat) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            F.         Nursing home or rest home:

 

                        (# beds) x (100 gpd/bed) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            G.        Tourist home:

 

                        (# bedrooms) x (100 gpd/bedroom) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            H.        Residential school:

 

                        (# pupils and employees) x (75 gpd/person) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            I.          Nonresidential school (elementary, junior high and senior high only):

 

                        (# pupils and employees) x (15 gpd/person) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            J.          Office building, 12 or more employees:

 

                        (0.142 gallons) x (# square feet floor space) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            K.        Mercantile store or supermarket, 12 or more employees:

 

                        (0.18 gallons) x (# sq. ft. floor space) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

            L.         Restaurant, bar or nightclub, more than one-hundred-person capacity:

 

                        (capacity) x (8 gpd/person capacity) ? (225 gpd/DU) = #EDU

 

 


[1] Editor's Note: This ordinance superseded former Ch. 212, Sewer Use Charge System, adopted 3-27-1978 by the Sewer Commission (now Water Pollution Control Authority) of the Town of Somers.

 

[2]Editor's Note: The Table of Equivalent Dwelling Units (EDU's) is included at the end of this chapter.

 

[3]Editor's Note: Pursuant to Section 7-246 of the Connecticut General Statutes, the title "Sewer Commission" has been changed to "Water Pollution Control Authority."