FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
As a customer of the Bordentown Sewerage Authority you will be provided with quality sewer service designed to protect the environment. We have tried to anticipate some of the questions and concerns of our customers. For answers to questions not addressed in our FAQs, please feel free to email the Bordentown Sewerage Authority.
Location:
Black’s Creek Wastewater Treatment Plant office is located at 954 Farnsworth Avenue in Bordentown Township. Our driveway is on the right side just before you reach 206. The Administration Building is located at the end of the long driveway.
To read an overview of the entire collections system, click here.
Rate and Billing Information:
Our customers are billed on the 15th of January, April, July and October.
Your sewer bill is comprised of two charges, a service charge and a consumption charge. The base rate for the service charge will be billed in advance each quarter at the rate of $94.06 per unit. A single family home is considered to be one unit. There is also a charge of $3.23 per 1,000 gallons of water consumed based on your water bill. IF YOUR HOME IS BRAND NEW you will be “pro-rated” from the date of connection/settlement up to the current billing date.
All bills, contrary to public opinion, are due upon presentation. However, as a courtesy, you are given until the 21st of the following month (grace period) before late charges are assessed. Any payment not received in our office by the 21st of the next month will be subject to a 1 – 1/2% late charge.
For payment information please click here.
Senior Citizen Discount:
The Bordentown Sewerage Authority offers a discount to qualifying seniors. Please visit your tax office for an application.
I like to pay my bill in person but work during the Authority’s normal office hours, is there another alternative?
Payments can be made through the payment receiving box at the Authority’s office entrance. Anytime the gates are open payments may be made through this box. However, enclose only checks or money orders with your payment stub – don’t put cash in this box. Plant operations personnel are working seven days a week from 7:30 AM – 4:00 PM allowing access to the payment box.
What should I do if I have drain problems?
This is a common problem for homeowners. Any time you even think a drain, toilet, etc. may not be working as good as it used to, call the Authority. Quick, immediate action may be needed to avoid a backup of sewage into your home or your neighbors, and a slow drain may be the first indication of a developing problem. The Authority provides this FREE service of checking out a problem, 24 hours a day. During normal working hours call the Authority directly at 609-291-9105. At all other times call your local police (Bordentown City 609-298-0101 and Bordentown Township 609-298-4300) and they will contact Authority personnel who are on call. Please don’t hesitate to call at any time.
Whose responsibility is it for cleaning my line?
Authority rules specifically state – the homeowner is responsible for the cleaning of his/her service lateral all the way to the point of connection to the sewer main in the street. This includes repetitive need for problems such as roots and grease. But remember, call the Authority at the first sign of a problem, perhaps it is the Authority’s problem and not yours. This will possibly save you the expense of a professional drain cleaning when it wasn’t your problem. Authority personnel will advise you if the problem is yours.
Whose responsibility is it to replace my service lateral?
Replacement of the service lateral is the homeowner’s responsibility in all areas except paved street areas. If the Authority verifies a service lateral has completely failed (not just in need of repetitive cleaning) replacement will be done by Authority personnel in all paved street areas. This alleviates the great expense for the homeowner of street reconstruction.
I am having repairs done to my sewer pipe, what is required as far as permits needed?
Who do I contact? The Authority requires notification prior to the commencement of such work for two purposes. Present day piping specifications will need to be communicated to the plumber/homeowner doing the work and an inspection of the work before the new pipe is buried must be scheduled. The Authority requires no permits or fees for this service. However, the local plumbing inspector’s office should be contacted, as their requirements do differ from the Authority’s.
Why is it illegal for my sump pump to be connected to the sewer pipe?
Sump pumps are most commonly used to pump ground water (and sometimes rain water) from basements. This water is not contaminated and therefore does not need to be treated before being discharged to the environment. When this water is put into the sewer system it becomes sewage and has to be treated when it arrives at the treatment plant. During wet weather conditions, the Authority experiences tremendous increases in flow at the treatment plant. Increased flows translate into increase costs. Any reduction in flow, in this case sump pumps, helps keep treatment costs down and therefore ultimately, your sewer bill.
What is a below grade fixture?
A below grade fixture is any plumbing fixture installed below street level. Below grade fixtures could lead to a sewerage backup into your home. A backwater/check valve needs to be installed to prevent backups into your home.
Holiday Observations:
Our offices will be closed in observance of the following holidays:
January 1st – New Year’s Day
3rd Monday in January – Martin Luther King Day
3rd Monday in February – President’s Day
Friday before Easter – Good Friday
4th Monday in May – Memorial Day
July 4th – Independence Day
1st Monday in September – Labor Day
2nd Monday in October – Columbus Day
November 11th – Veteran’s Day
1st Tuesday in November – Election Day
4th Thursday in November – Thanksgiving Day
Friday after Thanksgiving – Thanksgiving Friday
December 24th & 25th – Christmas Eve & Christmas Day