Mariposa County Municipal Code § 13.10 Water And Sewers

For the purpose of this chapter certain words and phrases are defined and certain provisions shall be construed as herein set forth unless it shall be apparent from their context that they have a different meaning:

1. "Black water" means sewage as defined in Chapter 13.08 and as defined in this chapter.

2. "Dwelling" means any housing unit constructed for the purpose of housing one or more families and includes mobile homes, trailers, etc.

3. "Greywater" means that wastewater from a dwelling which does not contain human or animal excreta, offal, or food matter and includes waste from sinks, washing machines, and other plumbing fixtures but not toilets, bidets, and kitchen sinks.

4. "Health Department" means the health department of the county.

5. "Health Officer" means the health officer of the county, or his duly authorized representative.

6. "Person" means any person, firm, association, organization, partnership, business, corporation or company.

7. "Septic Tank" means a watertight receptacle which receives the discharge of a drainage system or part thereof, designed and constructed so as to retain solids, digest organic matter during a period of detention, and allow the effluent to drain into an absorption system.

8. "Sewage" means any and all waste substances, liquid or solid, associated with human habitation, which contain or may be contaminated with human or animal excreta or excrement, offal or any feculent matter and includes all liquid waste from toilets, bidets, and kitchen sinks.

9. "Sewage Disposal System" means any sewer system, sewage disposal plant, septic tank, drainage system, seepage pit, chemical toilet, privy or any other facility constructed for the purpose of receiving sewage or its effluent.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 13.10.020 Greywater Use Permitted

Greywater may be utilized for purposes of irrigation of plants if the owner of the building has in his possession a current valid greywater discharge permit from the county consistent with current state regulations. Such a permit is revocable for noncompliance with standards of greywater use as outlined in this chapter.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 Amended by Ord. 1108 Sec. I on 10/28/2014

1. Plumbing: Greywater may be captured and disposed of as allowed for under this ordinance if, at the time of installation of plumbing in the building, a dual waste water plumbing system was installed in such a way that no waste water from kitchen sinks, toilets, or bidets can, under any circumstances, intermingle with the other waste water system (greywater system). No cross connection between the two systems shall be allowed.

Alternatively, a building may be retrofitted with plumbing to allow the reuse of some greywater by directing waste water from the washing machine, sinks other than kitchen sink, bathtub, shower, or other fixture excluding toilets, bidet, and kitchen sink.

In the case of both approaches above, the Mariposa County building department must attest to the health department at the time for which the greywater discharge permit is applied, that the separate greywater plumbing system conforms to these requirements.

2. Greywater Treatment Systems. Treatment of greywater before it is applied as irrigation to plants may be accomplished in a number of ways at the discretion of the owner of the building. These may include but shall be limited to the following:

   1. Direct application with no treatment.

   2. Sand filtration with subsequent application.

   3. Disinfection with chlorine or other substance, and subsequent application.

   4. Settling and biological treatment in a buried septic tank which is not contaminated by untreated sewage (black water), with subsequent application.

   5. Filtration with some method other than sand filter.

   6. Some other method as purposed by the owner of the building and acceptable to the health department.

3. Application Methods: Greywater may be applied in irrigation of plants by any of the following methods:

   1. Distribution through a drip irrigation system under the pressure of gravity alone beneath two inches of mulch, rock or soil.

   2. Distribution through a drip irrigation system under pressure generated by a pump, pressure tank, or elevated holding tank beneath two inches of mulch, rock or soil.

   3. Subsurface distribution by way of buried perforated pipes or leaker hose, or trenches and beds specifically designed for that purpose.

   4. Episodic application into irrigating wells consisting of pipes installed vertically into the ground and filled with gravel to allow a temporary reservoir within the pipe which oozes out and is absorbed into the soil from the bottom of the pipe. This method is usually utilized for irrigating large trees.

4. The following application methods will not be allowed:

   1. Spraying or sprinkling into the air.

   2. Flooding of an area in such a manner that standing water accumulates for a period of time to contribute to nuisances such as odors and insect breeding.

   3. Discharge to the surface which can runoff into seasonal streams, or any other geological formation which could allow the greywater to come to flow directly into surface water.

5. Application by any method within the setback distances applicable to sewage as referenced in the Rules and Regulations for Private Sewage Systems pursuant to Chapter 13.08.

   5. Application which would lead to greywater flowing onto the surface of adjacent property.

   6. Application which results in discharge to storm drain or body of water.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 Amended by Ord. 1108 Sec. II on 10/28/2014 13.10.040 Capturing And Storing Greywater

Greywater may be captured in a reservoir as it leaves the building through a separate greywater plumbing system and may then be discharged to the irrigation system or be pumped to another reservoir for subsequent discharge to the irrigation system. Reservoirs in which greywater is captured and stored shall be maintained in such a way that bacterial growth will not reach levels such that nuisances including odors and insect breeding will develop, and shall be designed in such a way that accidental drowning or human contact with the water in the reservoir is prevented.

Stored greywater may be reserved for use in fire protection, but must be maintained to prevent nuisance as discussed above, and must be labeled "used water - do not drink".

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 13.10.050 Prohibited Uses Of Greywater

The following uses of greywater shall be prohibited:

1. Drinking.

2. Bathing.

3. Used as swimming pool or wading pool water.

4. Irrigation of edible crops where the irrigating water will have routinely come into contact with the edible vegetable such as root crops. Crops where the edible portion grows on the surface of the ground and surface application methods were used. Examples of root crops are carrots and potatoes; examples of crops growing on the surface of the ground include lettuce and strawberries.

5. Discharge through a garden hose which might be inadvertently picked up by someone and either drunk or sprayed at another human being.

6. Returning the greywater to the building for utilization in any way including use in the tank of the toilet for flushing, unless specifically approved by the county building department.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 13.10.060 Alternate Disposal Of Greywater

The plumbing of the greywater system exterior to the house shall be such that the greywater can be immediately diverted to an approved sewage disposal system by the process of simply turning some valves. In cases of ground saturation during rainy season, revocation of the greywater discharge permit, malfunction of the greywater accumulation or distribution system, or need to work on the greywater application distribution system, the greywater should be able to be diverted into the sewage disposal system. The calculation of leachfield size for the approved sewage disposal system shall be performed in such a way that all water discharged from the building, both black water and greywater, shall be able to be accommodated by the leachfield.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 13.10.070 Revocation Of Greywater Discharge Permit

A permit to discharge greywater in Mariposa county may be revoked by the health department for any of the following reasons:

1. Non-compliance by the permit holder with the standards of this chapter.

2. Evidence documented by the health department of the failure of the greywater system.

3. Determination by the health department that greywater systems of the type permitted have begun to show evidence of failure or have been shown to pose public health risk where permitted and/or installed elsewhere.

4. Determination by the health officer that continued functioning of the greywater system poses an eminent health hazard.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 13.10.080 Permit Fees

Fees for a greywater discharge permit may be set by the board of supervisors from time to time by resolution.

HISTORY

Adopted by Ord. 809 Sec. I on 9/3/1991 Amended by Ord. 1108 Sec. III on 10/28/2014 13.12 Cleaning Of Sewage Disposal Systems 13.12.010 Registration--Certificate 13.12.020 Registration--Fee