Nevada County Municipal Code Div. 6.4 Maintenance of Existing Facilities

The owner or their agent of a property served by the District's sanitary sewer in Penn Valley, Zone 6 shall be responsible for the operation and maintenance of the private sanitary sewer facilities, including all devices or safeguards required by this Section, which are located upon said property. The owner or their agent's operation and maintenance responsibility is from the building to the connection at the sanitary sewer easement or property line.

The owner or their agent shall, at their own risk and expense, install, keep and maintain in good repair all sanitary sewer facilities (sanitary sewer pipelines, force mains, manholes, equipment, pump stations, check valves, and related appurtenances) situated on the premises so served. The District shall not be responsible for any loss or damage caused by improper or defective installation of sanitary sewer facilities, whether inspected and/or approved by the District. All such installations of sanitary sewer facilities shall conform with all Federal, State, County, town and local laws, rules, regulations and ordinances.

The owner or their agent served by the District's sanitary sewer system shall be responsible and liable for all costs involved in the repair of all damages caused by the owner, customer, or agents thereof, to the District's sanitary sewer facilities, including but not limited to sewer obstructions, wherever located.

All sanitary sewer facilities found in need of repair as a result of testing procedures required by this Chapter shall be repaired and/or installed to the standards set forth in the District Code.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)

It shall be unlawful for any owner of a house, building, or property connected to the District's sanitary sewer system to maintain private sanitary sewer facilities in a condition such that the tests contained herein cannot be successfully accomplished.

All private sanitary sewer facilities, including those serving residential, multiple residential, commercial, and industrial connected to the District's sanitary sewer system shall be tested when any of the following conditions occur:

A. Remodeling of the house, building or property served to an extent of more than fifty percent (50%) of the assessed valuation, as determined by the County of Nevada;

B. Installation of additional plumbing fixtures in the house, building or property served and/or installation of additional building lateral pipeline;

C. Change of use of the house, building or property serviced from residential to business or commercial, or from non-restaurant commercial to restaurant commercial;

D. Repair or replacement of all or part of the building lateral(s), force main pipeline, or private lift station components;

E. The addition of living quarters, such as guest cabins on the property served or conversion of garages into living quarters with plumbing fixtures, or addition of structures on the parcel that impact an existing building lateral or force main;

F. Prior to the close of escrow upon a sale of the house, building or property served;

G. The transfer of ownership or interest in the parcel, the facility, or the business;

H. Change in tenant of the facility or business;

I. Change of ownership (multiple owners) on the deed selling their portion to other partner/investors;

J. An inspection by the District indicates reasonable cause; or

K. Upon determination of the District Engineer that testing or sanitary sewer facility replacement is required for the protection of the public health, safety and welfare.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)

The owner or their agent of a house, building, or property connected to the District's sanitary sewer system shall conduct all sanitary sewer facility upgrades and testing required at their sole expense and shall notify the District forty-eight (48) hours prior to testing. Testing shall be witnessed by a District Inspector.

Sanitary Sewer Pipelines. All building laterals, joint laterals, and privately owned main pipelines shall be tested by either a closed circuit TV (CCTV), air or water method, at the discretion of the District.

In the case of building and joint laterals, the test section shall be from the building cleanout to the District service connection point. The test section includes all private pipelines, including joint laterals, which provide sanitary sewer service to the parcel in question.

A. Privately owned main pipelines shall be tested their full length and testing shall be in accordance with one (1) of the following:

1. Air test consisting of plugging each end of the pipeline and applying a pressure of three and five tenths (3.5) PSI (pounds per square inch) plus zero and forty-three one-hundredths (0.43) PSI for every foot of groundwater above the sewer to the section being tested. The sewer shall never be inflated to more than five (5) PSI. If groundwater conditions require more than five (5) PSI, perform inspections by CCTV. The pipeline shall be allowed a maximum loss in pressure of one-half (½) pound per square inch in five (5) minutes. If the loss exceeds one-half (½) pound per square inch, the test may be attempted one (1) additional time. A second loss of pressure constitutes a failure of the pipeline, whereupon the pipeline shall be replaced, as needed, and retested in accordance with this Section.

2. Water test consisting of plugging the downstream end of a pipeline, placing a section(s) of pipe in the vertical branch of the building cleanout and filling the test section with water. At least eight (8) vertical feet of water (measured from the highest point of the pipeline or groundwater level to the top of the water column on the upstream cleanout riser of the test section) shall be used for the test. In pipelines with minimal fall, cleanout risers may need to be temporarily extended above ground to achieve the eight (8) vertical foot static water level. In no case shall the vertical distance measured from the lowest point of the pipeline test section to the water surface in the cleanout riser exceed twelve (12') feet. Additional cleanouts may have to be installed in steep pipelines and the pipeline tested in sections. If groundwater conditions more than twelve (12') feet of water column test pressure perform inspection by CCTV.

3. The pipeline shall be allowed a maximum loss of water level of one (1) inch in five (5) minutes for a four (4")-inch or six (6")-inch pipeline per one hundred (100') feet in length. If the loss exceeds the allowable, the pipeline may be retested one (1) additional time. A second loss exceeding the allowable constitutes a failure of the pipeline, whereupon the pipeline shall be replaced, as needed, and tested in accordance with this Section.

4. CCTV inspections are only allowed when local groundwater elevation is more than eighteen (18") inches above the sewer pipe being tested. All observable defects, including root intrusion, shall require the repair of the sewer.

If a cleanout or check valve has not been installed at the easement/property line, the cleanout or check valve shall be installed prior to testing. If there is no cleanout located outside the building foundation (within five (5') feet of the foundation wall), then a cleanout shall be installed. If the building lateral exits the foundation under an existing deck or concrete patio, the location of the building cleanout near the foundation may be modified on a case-by-case basis as determined by the District Engineer. The owner or their agent shall be responsible for such installation. A cleanout underneath the house is not acceptable. Individual properties connected to single septic (step) tanks do not require a check valve on the gravity line.

B. Manholes, grease interceptors, sand/oil interceptors testing shall be in accordance with one (1) of the following:

1. Water test by plugging all inlet and outlet pipes and filling the test section with water to the top of the frame rim. The water should be introduced into the test section at least four (4) hours in advance of the official test period to allow the concrete and joint material to become saturated. The test section shall then be refilled to the original water level.

2. At the beginning of the test, the elevation of the water in the test section shall be carefully measured from a point on the frame rim. After a period of four (4) hours, the water elevation shall be measured from the same point on the frame rim and the loss of water during the test period calculated. If this calculation is difficult, enough water shall be measured into the test section to restore the water to the level existing at the beginning of the test, and the amount added taken as the total leakage.

3. The allowable leakage shall not exceed zero and thirteen one-hundredths (0.13) gallons per hour. Manholes, grease interceptors, and sand/oil interceptors showing leakage in excess of that allowed shall be repaired or reconstructed as necessary to reduce the leakage to that specified. All failures shall be retested after the necessary repairs have been completed.

4. Vacuum test by using acceptable equipment approved by the District. Vacuum test equipment shall be used per the manufacturer's specification. A vacuum of ten (10") inches mercury should be drawn on the manhole. The time, in seconds, for the vacuum to drop to nine (9") inches mercury shall be measured and shall not be less than the time listed below for various manholes and interceptors.

;sz=9;NOTE: Grease interceptors and sand/oil interceptors shall be completely drained and cleaned before initiation of the water or vacuum test.

C. Pump System Testing, Pump Station Outside the Building Foundation. The gravity portion of the pipeline from the building to the holding tank shall be tested in accordance with Section 30.06.043, Testing procedures for existing sanitary sewer facilities, sanitary sewer pipelines.

A visual inspection of the pump system will be performed to check for:

1. Soundness of the wastewater holding tank.

2. Proper venting of the holding tank.

3. Acceptable weather proof, insulated box with adequate waterproof insulation below the box lid directly above the holding tank.

4. A weather tight seal on the holding tank lid and at all pipe or conduit penetrations.

5. A properly functioning check valve on the discharge pipeline.

In the event that there is no check valve and/or pressure test port installed on the existing discharge pipeline, a check valve and a valve one-quarter (¼")-inch pressure test port shall be installed.

A pressure gauge shall be connected to the test port and the pressure test port valve shall be opened. The pump shall be started and the holding tank pumped down to allow a visual inspection of the holding tank to check it for leaks. The check valve shall also be inspected for proper operation.

Immediately after the holding tank is pumped down and the pump turned off, the gauge pressure shall be noted in the discharge pipeline. The pressure shall remain constant for ten (10) minutes. Any drop in pressure shall constitute a test failure and the check valve and/or the discharge pipeline shall be repaired and/or replaced.

After the check valve and/or the discharge pipeline is repaired and/or replaced, another test shall be attempted. A subsequent loss of pressure constitutes a failure of the check valve and/or discharge pipeline, whereupon the defective check valve and/or discharge pipeline section shall be replaced and tested as described above.

The alarm system, if so equipped, shall be checked for proper function of audio and visual alarms.

In the event that the holding tank or the force main needs replacement the pump and controls must be updated to meet District Code. In the event that the controls need replacement an alarm system must be installed.

Septic tanks and concrete vaults converted for use as holding tanks shall be air, water or vacuum tested. The test shall be the same as specified for sanitary sewer pipelines, manholes, and grease and sand/oil interceptors. If the converted septic tank/concrete vault fails the test, it shall be abandoned and a new holding tank meeting the requirements for residential pump systems shall be installed in its place.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)

Testing shall be completed in a timely manner as follows:

A. Prior to the close of escrow upon the sale of the residence, building, or property, or transfer of ownership or interest in the parcel, the facility, or the business;

B. Within thirty (30) days of standard notification by the District; or

C. Immediately if it is determined by the District Engineer that testing and repair are necessary to protect public health and the integrity of the sanitary sewer system.

In the event that repairs would be required during periods when such work would be impractical due to weather conditions, the District Engineer may defer such requirement upon posting of a performance bond with the District. The posting of the performance bond is intended to assure funds are available to repair and replace the sanitary sewer facilities in question when weather conditions permit. The amount of the performance bond shall be based on the lineal footage of the building lateral, the number of cleanouts and other related appurtenances to be installed, as well as the removal and replacement of existing physical obstacles and structures affected by the test.

In place of a performance bond, the owner may choose to hold an equal amount of funds in an escrow account, if the property or business is being sold or transferred. Funds held in escrow will not be released without written notification by the District to the title company holding such funds.

If a sanitary sewer facility fails any of the above-described tests, the owner or their agent shall cause corrective work and retesting to be performed within thirty (30) days from the date of the original test except as deferred by the posting of a bond as previously described. All repairs shall be approved by the District.

Repairs or replacement of fifty percent (50%) or more of a sanitary sewer pipeline or force main may be cause for total pipeline replacement as determined by the District. In the case of total pipeline replacement, the pipeline shall be installed in accordance with the requirements of new pipeline installation as outlined in Chapter Design and Construction Standards of the Sanitation District Code.

After a second failure of any sanitary sewer facility, the owner shall be charged an additional inspection fee for further inspections.

In the event that a sanitary sewer facility has not been tested within the required time period, the District shall initiate procedures for sewer disconnection.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)

The District Engineer shall have the power to waive testing requirements if:

A. The sanitary sewer facility has been installed and tested within a prior two-year (2) period;

B. The sanitary sewer pipeline or force main is of such a length that testing is not practical; or

C. The sanitary sewer facilities are part of a central private sanitary sewer system as described in Shared-Use Facilities, Section 30.06.046, and the District has an established written agreement concerning specific testing requirements.

Nothing herein shall constitute a warrant by the District of the soundness or ability of the sanitary sewer facility to accomplish its purpose or remain in compliance with the District Code.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)

The District may choose to allow the owner or their agent of a shared-use facility (common interest subdivisions, commercial shopping centers, mini-malls, apartment complexes, condominium complexes, schools, office buildings, and hospitals, etc.) the following option agreement for the maintenance and testing of sanitary sewer facilities. The use of a shared-use facility agreement for testing purposes is allowed by the District on a case-by-case basis. Qualification for use of such agreement is determined solely by the District and is based on the size, layout, and complexity of the sanitary sewer facilities serving the shared-use facility. Any agreement must be in writing and acceptable to the District and the owner or their agent of the shared-use facility.

The owner or their agent of the shared-use facility agrees to complete required testing, repair or replacement of all the sanitary sewer facilities servicing the shared-use facility upon notification by the District that testing is required. Under this option, sales, leases, or changes in tenant/ownership of individual units or suites are allowed to proceed prior to testing and without approval from the District. After eight (8) years from the latest test date, all the sanitary sewer facilities servicing the Shared-Use Facility shall be retested when any of the conditions outlined in Section 30.06.042 occur.

(SD-69. (04/13/2010); SD-75. 11/07/2023)