Sewage Treatment Plants Regulations - Singapore Statutes Online

Water Pollution Control and Drainage Act

(CHAPTER 348, Section 71)

Sewage Treatment Plants Regulations

Rg 5

REVISED EDITION 1990

(25th March 1992)

[1st August 1976]

Citation

1. These Regulations may be cited as the Sewage Treatment Plants Regulations.

Definitions

2. In these Regulations, unless the context otherwise requires —

“capacity of a sewage treatment plant” means the volume (in cubic metres) of the liquid contents for which the sedimentation tank of the plant is constructed and includes the volume of a sludge compartment thereof;

“maintenance”, with its grammatical variations and cognate expressions and in relation to a sewage treatment plant, means the periodical supervision and inspection, the taking and testing of samples of effluent, the cleaning, desludging, greasing, oiling or adjusting thereof, or the carrying out of minor repairs;

“major repair” means a structural or other alteration, renewal or repair to a sewage treatment plant or part thereof or to a sewer draining into the plant, the costs and expenses for which is estimated by the Director to exceed $50;

“owner”, in relation to a sewage treatment plant, means the owner of the premises on which the plant stands or the owner of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained;

“sewage treatment plant” includes a privately owned septic tank, owned by a person other than the Government, and any other plant for the treatment of nightsoil and sewage.

Maintenance of privately owned sewage treatment plants

3.—(1) The Director may maintain privately owned sewage treatment plants as he thinks fit.

(2) The appropriate monthly fee specified in the Schedule shall be payable to the Director for the maintenance of a private sewage treatment plant under paragraph (1).

(3) The fee prescribed by paragraph (2) for the maintenance of a sewage treatment plant shall be payable 6 months in advance by the owner or owners of the premises on which the plant stands or for the use of which the plant is maintained and shall not include the cost of any electricity or fuel consumed by the plant or the costs and expenses for any major repair.

(4) Where a sewage treatment plant is maintained for the use of premises which are owned by more than one person, the fee for the maintenance of the sewage treatment plant under paragraph (1) shall, subject to paragraph (5), be payable by the owners of those premises in such proportions as the Director thinks fit.

(5) In apportioning the fee payable for the maintenance of a sewage treatment plant under paragraph (4), the Director may require the owner of any unoccupied premises for the future use of which the plant is maintained to pay such portion of the fee as the Director thinks fit.

(6) Notwithstanding this regulation, where the owner of the premises on which a sewage treatment plant stands or for the use of which the plant is maintained has agreed in writing with the Director to pay the fee, or part thereof, prescribed by paragraph (2), for the maintenance of the plant under paragraph (1), the Director may require the owner to pay that fee, or part thereof and the remainder to be paid by another person or persons in accordance with this regulation, as the case may be.

(7) In apportioning the fee payable by the owner or owners under paragraphs (4) and (5), any fraction of a dollar shall be ignored.

Major repairs to sewage treatment plant

4.—(1) Where the Director carries out a major repair to a privately owned sewage treatment plant, the costs and expenses for the repair shall be payable to the Director by the owners of those premises for the use of which the plant is maintained in such proportion as the Director thinks fit.

(2) The Director may before carrying out any repair to a sewage treatment plant under paragraph (1) require the owners of those premises for the use of which the plant is maintained to deposit with him a sum estimated to be the costs and expenses for the repair in such proportion as the Director thinks fit.

Director may take control, etc., of a sewage treatment plant

5. The Director may, pursuant to section 21 of the Act, take over the control, supervision, maintenance and repair of a sewage treatment plant after all major repairs thereto have been carried out and paid for pursuant to regulation 4.

Director may carry out repairs

6.—(1) The Director may carry out such repair to the sewer draining into a sewage treatment plant as he considers necessary; and the costs and expenses of the repair shall be payable to the Director on completion of the repair by the owners of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained in such proportion as the Director thinks fit.

(2) The Director may before carrying out any repair to a sewer under paragraph (1) require the owners of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained to deposit with him a sum estimated to be the costs and expenses for the repair, in such proportions as the Director thinks fit.

Connection of private plant to public sewer

7.—(1) When a public sewer becomes available, the owner of the premises on which a sewage treatment plant stands, or the owners of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained shall, if required by the Director, disconnect and divert the drain-line from the plant and connect it to the public sewer; and the costs and expenses of the connection to the public sewer shall be borne by the owner of the premises on which the plant stands or, as the case may be, by the owners of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained in such proportion as the Director thinks fit.

(2) A sewage treatment plant, from which a drain-line is disconnected under paragraph (1) and which is rendered useless thereby, shall be demolished to the satisfaction of the Director by the owner of the premises on which the plant stands, or the owners of those premises for the use of which the plant is maintained, who has been required to connect the plant to a public sewer under paragraph (1).

(3) Where a sewage treatment plant is to be demolished under paragraph (2) by the owners of the premises for the use of which the plant is maintained, the costs and expenses for the demolition shall be payable by the owners in such proportion as the Director thinks fit.

Compliance with regulation 7

8.—(1) The Director may by notice in writing require the owner of the premises on which a sewage treatment plant stands or the owners of those premises for the use of which the plant is maintained to comply with regulation 7 within such reasonable time as may be specified in the notice.

(2) If the person to whom a notice is given or directed under paragraph (1) fails to comply with a requirement of the notice, the Director may, pursuant to section 39 of the Act and with one or more persons authorised by the Director in that behalf, enter the premises, on which the plant stands or for the use of which the plant is maintained, and do the works required by the notice and recover from that person the costs and expenses incurred in so doing or a part thereof and recover the remainder thereof from the other person or persons liable to pay the costs and expenses under regulation 7.

Interference with maintenance

9. No person shall interfere with the maintenance of a sewage treatment plant by the Director under regulation 3, or permit or employ a person to interfere with such maintenance.

Penalty

10. Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with these Regulations shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $5,000 and in the case of a continuing offence to a further fine of $100 for every day or part thereof during which the offence continues after conviction.

[G.N. Nos. S 145/76; S 125/78; S 313/81; S 277/83]

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