CHAPTER 2
SEWERS
ARTICLE 18. SEWER LATERAL TESTING1
SECTION:
§3799.1 Purpose, Policy And Administration
§3799.3 Approved Testing Methods
§3799.4 Requirements For Testing
§3799.5 Requirements For Testing Upon Rehabilitation Or Replacement Of The Public Sewer Main
§3799.6 Certificate Of Compliance Without Inspection
§3799.8 Time Frames To Complete Work On Sewer Lateral
§3799.1 PURPOSE, POLICY AND ADMINISTRATION
A. Purpose: The purpose of this article is to codify requirements for the inspection, testing, repair and replacement of sewer laterals within the city.
B. Policy: It is the policy of the city to reasonably prevent infiltration, exfiltration and better protect the sewer treatment plant and the environment by requiring a reasonable program of inspection, testing, and if necessary repair and replacement, of private sewer laterals.
C. Administration: The director of Ukiah public utilities shall administer these requirements and has the authority to alter or waive the requirements prescribed in this article, if such requirements are impractical, because of the nature or physical location of the sewer lateral.
D. Administrative Guidelines For Inspections And Testing: Within ninety (90) days of the adoption hereof, the director of Ukiah public utilities shall prepare and promulgate the public administrative guidelines which shall, among other things, establish the following:
1. A certification program for licensed plumbers, contractors and other qualified inspectors who will be placed on the preauthorized list and the basis for obtaining and maintaining such a certification or for decertification;
2. Standard inspection report forms and guidelines for completing and using sewer lateral inspection reports;
3. A standard notice to repair and enforcement procedures for repair and replacements;
4. A standard certificate of sewer lateral compliance. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.2 APPLICABILITY
A. This article shall apply to property located within the city and to property which is located outside the boundaries of both the city and the district which are served by the city sewer treatment plant or the city’s sewer mains.
B. This article shall not apply to properties located within the district or within both the city and the district, if the district has adopted a sewer lateral inspection program that complies with the consent decree in River Watch v. City of Ukiah and Ukiah Valley Sanitation District, U.S.Dist.Ct., N.D. Cal., C04 4518 CW.
C. All sewer laterals that have been repaired or replaced, including gravity and pressure laterals, shall be tested in accordance with the applicable provisions of this article. No person constructing, repairing or replacing a sewer lateral, shall use that lateral to introduce sewage into the public sewer until the person has complied with sections 3799.3 through 3799.6 of this article, as appropriate.
D. All sewer laterals connected to the public sewer, including sewer laterals serving residential, multi-family residential, commercial or industrial uses, shall be cleaned and tested in accordance with the appropriate provisions of sections 3799.3 through 3799.6 of this article, upon the occurrence of any of the following, unless a valid certificate of sewer lateral compliance is on file with the city:
1. Upon the occurrence of a sanitary sewer overflow from the private lateral;
2. Upon the discovery of either an illegal connection as described in section 3702.3 of this chapter or an illegal discharge as described in section 3706.4 of this chapter to the public sewer system;
3. Upon application for a building permit for work on an existing structure with a sewer service, where the value of the work, as set forth in the permit, exceeds one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000.00), provided, however, that the value of work required by the Americans with disabilities act ("ADA") or to add fire sprinklers as required by the California fire code as adopted in the city of Ukiah, shall not be included when determining whether a sewer lateral is subject to inspection and testing; provided, further, that beginning on March 7, 2009, the one hundred thousand dollar ($100,000.00) amount shall be adjusted annually by the percentage increase in the consumer price index over the same month in the previous year. "CPI" means the consumer price index for San Francisco, Oakland-San Jose, California, all items (base year 1982-1984 = 100) published by the United States department of labor, bureau of labor statistics. In the event the CPI is discontinued or otherwise not available, "CPI" shall mean comparable statistics on the purchasing power of the consumer dollar as determined by the city manager;
4. The addition of a plumbing fixture having assigned to it two (2) or more fixture units as are assigned by the California plumbing code as adopted in the city;
5. Upon a change of use of the property served from a residential to a commercial use or from a nonrestaurant commercial use to a restaurant commercial;
6. In conjunction with the replacement or rehabilitation of the public sewer main to which the lateral is connected;
7. Upon the occurrence of a qualifying sewer lateral service call; and
8. Sewer laterals serving parcels that are located within one hundred feet (100’) of any creek or stream which is declared by city council resolution to be impacted by the sewer system. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.3 APPROVED TESTING METHODS
The sewer lateral shall be inspected and tested, using the following methods as allowed by and in accordance with standards adopted by the director of Ukiah public utilities:
A. TV inspection.
B. Exfiltration testing.
C. Other similar inspection or testing methods as approved by the director of Ukiah public utilities. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.4 REQUIREMENTS FOR TESTING
A. Sewer Lateral Service Providers:
1. On and after March 7, 2008, any person or business entity providing sewer lateral service in the city of Ukiah for compensation shall file a written report with the public utilities department of each qualifying sewer lateral service call it makes in the city of Ukiah. The report shall contain the date of the call, the address where the sewer lateral is located, and a brief description of the service and of the conditions making it a qualifying sewer lateral service call.
2. The public utilities director may adopt a form for use in filing the reports.
3. Within fifteen (15) days of the receipt of a report of a qualifying sewer lateral service call for an address in the city, the public utilities director or designee shall provide written notice to the property address that a sewer lateral inspection is required. The mailing of the notice is the event giving rise to the obligation to conduct an inspection and test of the sewer lateral.
4. The public utilities director shall coordinate with the finance director to monitor whether businesses that provide septic and sewer line cleaning, plumbing and similar services which have been issued a city business license are filing reports as required by this subsection.
B. Testing Procedure:
1. Time Periods: Testing shall be completed within the time periods specified in the fourth column in the five (5) column chart contained in section 3799.8 of this article.
2. Qualified To Perform Testing: Testing shall be performed by a licensed plumber, contractor, or other person who possesses any license required by law, if any, to perform the test, and who is determined by the director of public utilities to be qualified to perform the test based on training and experience.
3. Permits And Inspection: Testing shall not commence without a valid permit issued by the city and testing may be witnessed by the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee.
4. Access: Access to the sewer lines to be tested and conditions necessary to conduct the test shall be made ready prior to scheduling a sewer lateral test.
C. Failure Of Test And Requirement For Repair: It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to repair and/or replace any sewer lateral which has been found through testing and/or inspection to exhibit conditions which would permit infiltration to enter the sewer system. Upon completion of the repair and/or replacement of the sewer lateral, reinspections shall be conducted until the sewer lateral passes the required test.
D. Property Owner Responsibility: The property owner must complete the required repair or replacement of the sewer lateral and the sewer lateral must pass a retest within the time specified in the fifth column in the table contained in section 3799.8 of this article. This deadline may be extended by the public utilities director for good cause, not to exceed ninety (90) days. If repair is not completed within the required time period, the city may complete the required repairs and may add a surcharge onto the property’s utility account until the costs are recovered in not more than five (5) years.
E. Certificate Of Sewer Lateral Compliance: Once the sewer lateral has successfully passed the testing procedure, the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee shall execute a certificate of sewer lateral compliance which shall be filed with the director of Ukiah public utilities and the director of planning and community development, and to the extent authorized by law, the Mendocino County recorder.
F. Role Of The Director Of Planning And Community Development: The director of planning and community development and the director of Ukiah public utilities, in consultation with each other, are hereby authorized to take the actions necessary to implement this section through the building permit process and to integrate its implementation with the requirements of the plumbing code as adopted in the city. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.5 REQUIREMENTS FOR TESTING UPON REHABILITATION OR REPLACEMENT OF THE PUBLIC SEWER MAIN
A. Testing Procedure: Testing may be performed in accordance with the requirements of section 3799.4 of this article or, if authorized by city council resolution, testing may be performed by the city in conjunction with its rehabilitation or replacement work. Upon completion of the testing, the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee shall issue either a certificate of sewer lateral compliance or a notice to repair.
B. Failure Of Test And Requirement For Repair: It shall be the responsibility of the property owner to repair and/or replace any sewer lateral which has been found through testing and/or inspection to exhibit conditions which would permit infiltration to enter the sewer system. Upon completion of the repair and/or replacement of the sewer lateral, reinspections shall be conducted until the sewer lateral passes the required test.
1. All repair or replacement work shall be completed by a person properly licensed to perform the work, including a licensed plumber and/or contractor and shall be completed under all appropriate permits from the city including, as appropriate, building and encroachment permits.
2. All repairs must be completed within the time specified in the fifth column of the table in section 3799.8 of this article, unless, for good cause shown, an extension is granted by the director of Ukiah public utilities, not to exceed ninety (90) days.
3. If repair is not completed within the required time period, the city may complete the required repairs and may add a surcharge onto the property’s utility account until the costs are recovered in not more than five (5) years.
4. The city council may, by resolution, prescribe alternative procedures, by which the repair or replacement work shall be performed including, but not limited to, the degree to which the city shall offer to perform all or a portion of the work or contribute towards the cost of the work, using loans or grants.
C. Certificate Of Sewer Lateral Compliance: Once the sewer lateral has successfully passed the testing procedure, the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee shall execute a certificate of sewer lateral compliance which shall be filed with the director of Ukiah public utilities, the director of planning and community development and to the extent authorized by law, the Mendocino County recorder. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.6 CERTIFICATE OF COMPLIANCE WITHOUT INSPECTION
A property owner may apply for and the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee may issue a certificate of sewer lateral compliance without inspection under the following circumstances:
A. The property owner provides evidence, satisfactory to the director of Ukiah public utilities, that the building on the property is ten (10) years old or less; or
B. The property owner provides evidence, satisfactory to the director of Ukiah public utilities, that the sewer lateral was repaired or replaced and passed inspection within the previous ten (10) years; or
C. The property owner provides evidence, satisfactory to the director of Ukiah public utilities, that the lateral has passed an inspection within the past five (5) years.
In such cases, the director of Ukiah public utilities or his/her designee shall execute a certificate of sewer lateral compliance which shall be filed with the director of Ukiah public utilities and the director of planning and community development. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.7 FEES
The city council may establish fees by resolution for administration of this article. (Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007; Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
§3799.8 TIME FRAMES TO COMPLETE WORK ON SEWER LATERAL
|
|
Time Frames To Perform Work On Sewer Lateral |
|||
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Event |
Clean And Video Inspect |
Water Test |
Repair Or Replace |
|
|
When |
Complete |
|||
|
Qualifying sewer lateral service call |
At time of service |
Inspection indicates dlamage, displacement, or deflection of lateral |
Within 7 days of service call or notice |
Within 30 days of failed water test with maximum 90 day extension for cause |
|
Sanitary sewer overflow |
Within 7 days of notice or at time of service |
Inspection indicates damage, displacement, or deflection of lateral |
Within 7 days of service call or notice |
Within 30 days of failed water test with maximum 90 day extension for cause |
|
Remodels to structure being served of $100,000.00 or greater |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
|
Addition of 2 fixture units or greater to building or site plumbing |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
|
Addition of bedroom |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
Prior to permit final |
|
Change of property use: Residential to commercial and nonrestaurant commercial to restaurant commercial |
Prior to opening under new permitted use |
Prior to opening under new permitted use |
Prior to opening under new permitted use |
Prior to opening under new permitted use |
|
Illegal connection |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 30 days of failed water test with maximum 90 day extension for cause |
|
Prohibited discharge |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 7 days of notice |
Within 30 days of failed water test with maximum 90 day extension for cause |
|
Rehabilitation or replacement of sewer main |
Within 1 year of completion of sewer main work |
Within 1 year of completion of sewer main work |
Within 1 year of completion of sewer main work |
Within 2 years of failed water test |
|
Parcel served is within 100 feet of any creek which is declared impacted by sewer system |
Within 1 year of adoption of resolution (or notice) |
Within 1 year of adoption of resolution (or notice) |
Within 1 year of adoption of resolution (or notice) |
Within 2 years of failed water test |
(Ord. 1105, §3, adopted 2008)
Ord. 1057, §2, adopted 2004; rep. by Ord. 1091, §3, adopted 2007.
See also section 3704.9 of this chapter.