Chapter 15.20 — SEWERS— USE REGULATIONS

Except as provided in this Chapter, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged into any public sewer or into any opening of any public sewer in the City, the following:

A.

Earth, sand, rocks, ashes, gravel, plaster, concrete, glass, metal filings or metal objects or other materials which will not be carried by the sewer stream or anything which may obstruct the flow of sewage in the sewer or any object which will cause clogging of a sewage pump or a sewage sludge pump;

B.

Any garbage which has not been first shredded so that each particle is not more than three-eighths (⅜) of an inch in any dimension or any garbage containing broken glass;

C.

Any solid or semisolid material such as garbage, trimmings, cuttings, offal, or other waste produced in the processing of meats, fruits, vegetables, foodstuffs or similar materials except garbage produced which meets the requirements of Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service;

D.

Any volatile liquids or substances which can produce toxic or flammable atmospheres in the sewer;

E.

Any compounds which may produce strong odors in the sewer or sewage treatment plant;

F.

Any stormwater or runoff from any roof, yard, driveway or street;

G.

Any materials which will cause damage to any part of the sewer system or abnormal sulphide generation or abnormal maintenance or operation costs of any part of the sewer system or which may cause any part of the sewer system to become a nuisance or a menace to public health or a hazard to workers or which will cause objectionable conditions at the final point of disposal of the sewage;

H.

Any liquid having a temperature in excess of one hundred twenty (120) degrees Fahrenheit;

I.

Unpolluted water from refrigeration systems, air conditioning systems, industrial cooling systems, swimming pools or other unpolluted water from any origin except as authorized by the General Manager;

J.

Any radioactive waste which constitutes or may constitute a public health hazard or endanger workmen charged with the maintenance of public sewers.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.1)

No building sewer shall be joined to any public sewer unless the building sewer is entirely located on the lot on which the building or structure is located unless it is impossible or impractical to make such connection. If a lot or parcel of land requiring a building sewer is so situated that access to the public sewer is not possible except across some other lot or parcel of land, a building sewer may be constructed across some other lot or parcel of land. The application for the permit shall be accompanied by a recorded easement executed by the owner of the lot or parcel of land across which access is required. The issuance of a permit to construct a building sewer across another lot or parcel of land shall not in any manner constitute an approval of the easement.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.52)

All building sewers, industrial connection sewers, private sewage disposal systems and appurtenances thereto now existing or hereafter constructed shall be maintained by the owner of the property in a safe and sanitary condition and all devices or safeguards which are required by Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service for the operation thereof shall be maintained in a good working order. The above provisions notwithstanding, the Water Department shall maintain the house connection extending from the property line to the main line sewer within the public right-of-way.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: Ord. C-6521 § 1, 1988: prior code § 7570.53)

The following requirements shall apply to building sewers in existence on the effective date of the ordinance codified in Chapters 15.04 through 15.28:

A.

If the construction of a new building sewer is to include any portion of an existing drain to a cesspool, septic tank or other means of sewage disposal, the existing drain may be included and accepted as a part of a new building sewer if the existing drain meets all of the requirements of a new building sewer as defined in Chapter 15.04 or the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service, except that the portions of the existing drain which are used and undisturbed may not be rejected for the sole reason that the materials are not new.

B.

If additions are to be made to an existing building sewer, or if alterations are to be made or are made necessary by a change or use, the building sewer shall be made to conform to the requirements of Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service which apply to new construction.

C.

No inspection and test shall be required for the undisturbed existing portion of a building sewer constructed and inspected under a permit issued by the General Manager or constructed and inspected pursuant to a permit issued in accordance with other applicable laws and ordinances in effect at the time of construction.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.54)

If an existing plumbing outlet has been installed or located or if a plumbing outlet is to be installed or located at an elevation which, in the opinion of the City Superintendent of Building and Safety, may cause the fixture to overflow by reason of backflow from a main line sewer, an approved type of backwater trap or sewer valve shall be installed between the outlet and the public sewer in such manner as to prevent sewage from flowing back or backing up into the outlet or plumbing fixture. The trap or valve shall be installed in the basement or in a box or manhole of concrete or cast iron or other material approved by the City Superintendent of Building and Safety and shall be readily accessible at all times. The trap or valve shall be placed only in the drain serving the fixture or fixtures that may be subject to overflow and no sewage from fixtures not subject to overflow shall pass through the trap or valve.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.55)

If the property owner fails to install and maintain a backwater trap or valve in good working condition when required to do so under Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 or the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service, the City Superintendent of Building and Safety may order and require the plumbing fixture to be disconnected and removed and the outlet be plugged or capped.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.56)

When a septic tank or cesspool is abandoned following the installation of a building sewer, the septic tank, cesspool, or seepage hole shall be backfilled solidly with earth to the satisfaction of the City Superintendent of Building and Safety before the final approval of the building sewer.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.57)

No person shall dump the contents of any cesspool or septic tank into a public sewer without first obtaining a permit from the General Manager authorizing such disposal. The General Manager may authorize the disposal of the contents of cesspools or septic tanks which do not contain harmful concentrations of industrial wastewater, oil, grease or other deleterious substances into a specified manhole or manholes. Such authorization will only be granted to persons engaged in the disposal of contents of cesspools or septic tanks. Such persons shall, upon request, furnish to the General Manager a statement showing the street address of each location from which the contents or effluents are to be obtained and the location of the manhole into which the discharge is to be made. The General Manager may refuse to issue a permit to any person who fails to comply with the provisions of Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 or the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service or the provisions or any permit previously issued to such person.

(Ord. C-7173 § 17 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.58)

No person shall open or enter, or cause to be opened or entered, any manhole in any public sewer for any purpose whatsoever unless the person has been authorized to open and enter the manhole.

(Prior code § 7570.60)

No person shall remove or cause to be removed, or damage or cause to be damaged, any public sewer or portion thereof, or any appurtenances thereto, or pumping plants in connection therewith, unless such person has been authorized to do so.

(Prior code § 7570.61)

No person shall discharge uncontaminated cooling water, water from pools or clear wash water that is nonseptic or incapable of becoming a nuisance into a public sewer where it is possible, in the opinion of the General Manager, to dispose of such water into a stream channel, storm drain or by other means. For the purpose of this Section, "storm drain" includes a storm drain under the jurisdiction of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works. If, in the opinion of the General Manager, no suitable means is available for the disposal of such water, on the approval of the General Manager and as permitted by Los

Angeles County, the General Manager may authorize the discharge of such water into a main line sewer if the main line sewer has sufficient capacity to handle the discharge.

(Ord. C-7173 § 18 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.66)

Any cellar drain or any drain from a shower in a basement or yard shall be protected so as to prevent the admission of sand, detritus, rain water or surface drainage into the sewer. When necessary, in the opinion of the City Superintendent of Building and Safety, such person shall install an interceptor constructed in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service.

(Ord. C-7173 § 18 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.67)

The requirements contained in Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service covering the maintenance of sanitary sewage treatment plants, sewage pumping plants, industrial wastewater pretreatment plants, interceptors, or other appurtenances shall apply to all such facilities now existing or hereafter constructed. All such facilities shall be maintained by the owners thereof in a safe and sanitary condition and all devices or safeguards which are required by Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service for the operation of such facilities shall be maintained in good working order. This Section shall not be construed as permitting the removal or failure to maintain of any device or safeguards or existing facilities unless authorized in writing by the General Manager.

(Ord. C-7173 § 18 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.68)

The General Manager may inspect as often as deemed necessary every sewage pumping plant, private sewage disposal system, sewer lateral, dilution basin, neutralization basin, backwater trap or valve, or other similar appurtenances, for the purpose of ascertaining whether such facilities are maintained and operated in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 15.04 through 15.28 and the rules, regulations and charges governing water and sewer service. All persons shall permit the General Manager to have access to all such facilities at all reasonable times. No object, whether a temporary or permanent structure, nor any object which is difficult to remove, shall be placed in such a position so as to interfere with the ready and easy access to any such facility. Any such obstruction, on the request of the General Manager, shall be immediately removed at no expense to the Water Department or the City and shall not be replaced.

(Ord. C-7173 § 18 (part), 1994: prior code § 7570.69)

If the City Superintendent of Building and Safety should determine that a literal compliance with the provisions of Chapter 15.20 is impossible or impracticable because of peculiar conditions in no way the fault of the person requesting such exception, and that the purposes of Chapter 15.20 may be

accomplished and public safety secured by an alternative construction or procedure, then the City Superintendent of Building and Safety may authorize such alternative construction or procedure.

(Ord. C-7173 § 19, 1994: prior code § 7570.71)