327 IAC 5-10-7 Connection and regionalization

Sec. 7. (a) If the commissioner finds it is in the interest of the health, safety, convenience, and welfare of the residents of any area, any person, publicly or semipublicly owned sewage treatment systems may be ordered to connect to and/or receive and treat sewage from any other person or from an industry, shopping center, mobile home park, school, or housing development when such service and use will not result in irreparable injury to the receiving equipment or make impossible the rendering of the service previously rendered to the users of such equipment. The persons involved shall negotiate the terms for such connection and service, in accordance with the terms of IC 13-18-15. (b) Any new school, mobile home park, motel, motor court, or motor hotel shall dispose of sewage through the use of a public sewerage system if the sewerage system is available within a reasonable distance from the facility. (c) Any existing school, mobile home park, motel, motor court, or motor hotel with a direct discharge of sewage, as authorized by an NPDES permit shall connect to a public sewerage system, discontinue the direct discharge, and abandon their wastewater treatment plant if a public sewerage system becomes available at any time within a reasonable distance from the facility. In this instance, "reasonable distance" is related to cost. The intent of this provision is to encourage the entities mentioned in this section to compare the cost of connecting to a sewerage system against the cost to build or upgrade and operate a sewage treatment plant.