Chapter 3 — SEWER SYSTEM

The sewerage system of the City shall discharge effluent into the treatment plant of the Oak View Sanitary District. Under contractual arrangements between the City and the Oak View Sanitary District, the City shall regulate the flow of certain wastes into such treatment plant. (§ 101, Ord. 224, as amended by § 1, Ord. 334, eff. March 25, 1964)

For the purposes of this article, certain words and phrases used herein are defined as follows:

"City Manager" shall mean the City Manager of the City or his authorized representative or deputy.

"Floatable hydrocarbon oil" shall mean the amount of hydrocarbon oil floating to the surface of a sample of the water under the same conditions as prescribed in the definition for floatable oil and grease below.

"Floatable oil and grease" shall mean the oil and grease floating to the surface of a sample of water when it is retained for one hour in a quiescent condition in a vessel with vertical walls, filled to the depth of 30 centimeters.

"Industrial waste water" shall mean the waste water arising from or associated with an industrial operation. Such operation shall include the production or refining of petroleum, the production, processing, packing, or canning of fruits, vegetables, meat, or beverages, the laundering of clothes in public laundries or public self-service laundries, the production of fertilizers, keeping of livestock, and operation of dairies, the production or dyeing of textiles, the production of soap or other detergents or chemicals, the cleaning of tanks, tank cars, or barrels, the plating of metals, the processing or reclamation of refuse, all kinds of manufacturing, and other similar operations. It shall also include the washing of equipment or spaces used in industrial operations. It shall not include waste waters from the operation of restaurants, hotels, schools, hospitals, vehicle service stations, wash racks, garages, establishments for the regeneration of water softening apparatus, or places of retail business. It shall not include waste waters from lunch rooms, toilets, or wash rooms in industrial establishments.

"Public sewer" shall mean any sewer owned or maintained by the City, whether inside or outside the City. The term as here used shall not include storm drains or channels for the conveyance of natural surface waters.

(§§ 202—206, Ord. 224, as amended by § 2, Ord. 334, eff. March 25, 1964)

Except as hereinafter provided, it shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged into any public sewer or any opening leading to a public sewer of the City any of the following:

• (a) Any earth, sand, rocks, ashes, gravel, plaster, concrete, glass, metal filings, metal objects, or other materials which will not be carried by the sewage stream nor anything which may obstruct the flow of sewage in the sewer, nor any object which will cause clogging of a sewage pump or sewage sludge pump;

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City of Ojai, CA

SANITATION AND HEALTH

§ 5-3.103

§ 5-3.104

• (b) Any garbage which has not first been shredded so that no particle is more than one-fourth inch in any dimension, nor any garbage containing broken glass;

• (c) Any solid or semisolid material, such as garbage, trimmings, cuttings, offal, or other wastes produced in the processing of meats, fruits, vegetables, food stuffs or similar material except garbage produced in the preparation of or arising in connection with the serving of meals at the premises;

• (d) Any compound which may produce a strong odor in the sewer or sewage treatment plant;

• (e) Any volatile liquid or substance which can produce a toxic or flammable atmosphere in the sewer;

• (f) Any overflow from any septic tank or cesspool, or any liquid or sludge pumped from a cesspool or septic tank, except at such place and in such manner as may be prescribed by the City Manager.

• (g) Any storm water or any run-off from any field, roof, yard, driveway, or street;

• (h) Any material which will cause damage to any part of the sewerage system or abnormal sulfide generation or abnormal maintenance or operation costs of any part of the sewerage system or which may cause any part of the sewerage 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, or which will cause the sewage to transgress the concentration limits set by Regional Water Pollution Control Board No. 4.

• (§ 301, Ord. 224)

• (a) Sand-and-oil interceptor required. Any station maintained for the servicing or repair of roadway vehicles shall install and maintain a sand-and-oil interceptor. Waste waters from toilets shall not be allowed to pass through this interceptor, but all waste waters arising from the servicing and repair of vehicles shall pass through this interceptor before discharge to a public sewer of the City. If the service station does not include facilities for the washing of more than one vehicle at a time, the interceptor shall have an operating fluid capacity not less than six cubic feet and an accessible effective water surface not less than four square feet. "Accessible effective water surface" is defined as a surface which is easily accessible for cleaning and which at the same time will retain oil floating on the surface of water passing through the trap under conditions of use. If the service station has facilities for washing more than one vehicle at a time, the interceptor shall have an operating fluid capacity of at least 12 cubic feet and an accessible effective water surface of at least six square feet, and shall be as much larger than this as is necessary so that a seven day accumulation of sand and oil will not together fill more than 25% of the fluid capacity. The interceptor shall be designed so as to retain any oil and grease which will float and any sand which will settle. It shall be water-tight and structurally sound and durable. It shall be easily accessible for cleaning and also for inspection of the City Manager.

• (b) Prior installation of interceptors permitted. Any interceptor legally and properly installed at a vehicle service station on or before October 14, 1957 shall be acceptable as an alternative to the interceptor specified in subsection (a) of this section, provided such interceptor is effective in removing sand and oil and is so designed and installed that it can be inspected and properly maintained. If the City Manager finds either by engineering

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City of Ojai, CA § 5-3.104

OJAI CODE

§ 5-3.105

knowledge or by observation that an interceptor is incapable of retaining adequately the sand and oil in the waste water flow from a service station, he shall condemn such interceptor and declare that it does not meet the requirements of this article.

• (c) Design of interceptor. The City Manager shall maintain a file, available for public use, of suitable designs of sand-and-oil interceptors. This shall be for informational purposes. Installation of an interceptor of a design shown in this file, or of any design meeting the size requirements set forth in this article shall not impute any liability to the City for the adequacy of the interceptor under actual conditions of use. It shall not relieve the owner or proprietor of responsibility for keeping sand and oil out of the sewer. If the interceptor is not adequate under the conditions of use, he shall construct one which is effective in accomplishing the intended purpose.

• (d) Approval of interceptor. The Plumbing Official shall not approve the plumbing of a vehicle servicing or repairing station if it does not have a sand-and-oil interceptor meeting the requirements of this article.

• (e) Maintenance of interceptor. The sand-and-oil interceptor of a vehicle servicing station shall be properly maintained. It shall be cleaned as often as is necessary to assure that sand and oil do not accumulate in sufficient amount to impair the efficiency of the interceptor, or in such amount that sand and oil will pass out with the effluent. When an interceptor is cleaned, the accumulated sediment and floating material shall be removed and legally disposed of otherwise than to a sewer. An interceptor is not considered to be properly maintained if for any reason it is not in good working condition. It is not considered to be properly maintained if sand and oil accumulations total more than 25% of the operating fluid capacity. The owner of any service station, the lessee and sub-lessee if there be such, and the proprietor, operator, or superintendent of such station are individually and severally liable for any failure of proper maintenance of such interceptor.

• (§§ 401—405, Ord. 224)

• (a) Water treating apparatus. It shall be unlawful for any person to install, replace, or enlarge any apparatus for treating all or any part of the water supply to a property discharging sewage into a public sewer of the City if such apparatus is of a kind that produces, in any phase of its use or servicing, any waste water with a mineral content higher than that of the water supply of the property, except that such apparatus may be installed if arrangements are made to dispose of the waste water by other means than discharge to the sewers of the City or to the ground in any place where it might pollute any usable water supply. Such apparatus shall include zeolite and resinous ion exchange softeners or demineralizers, stills, processes using electro-osmosis, and other like devices. The regeneration of ion exchange softeners in commercial soft water service establishments and the addition of ion exchange materials to water softeners shall be included in the operations limited by this section.

It shall be unlawful for any person to use or to maintain in a condition of readiness for use any apparatus which it would be illegal to install under this section if such apparatus was installed on or after October 14, 1957.

• (b) Approval by City Manager. Any person desiring to install, enlarge, or replace any watertreating apparatus of the kind described in subsection (a) of this section, or to regenerate ion exchange water softeners in a commercial establishment, or to add ion exchange

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City of Ojai, CA

SANITATION AND HEALTH

§ 5-3.105

§ 5-3.106

materials to any water softeners, shall submit to the City Manager a letter describing the intended installation or alteration and describing the arrangements which will serve to prevent improper discharge of the waste water. Within 10 days the City Manager shall reply, stating whether or not the disposal arrangements are adequate to insure against the addition of mineral salts to the sewage or the ground. No person shall install, replace, or enlarge a water-treating apparatus of the kind described in subsection (a) of this section, nor may he operate such a unit, if installed on or after October 14, 1957, nor may he regenerate an ion exchange water softener in a commercial establishment, nor may he add ion exchange materials to any water softeners unless he has a letter from the City Manager approving as satisfactory the proposed arrangements for the disposal of waste waters. Such apparatus may be operated only so long as the method of waste water disposal is as approved by the City Manager. Alterations in the method of disposal may be made only after communication to the City Manager and receipt of a letter of approval as in the first instance.

• (c) Inspection by City Manager. Any person installing or operating water-treating apparatus of the kind described in subsection (a) of this section shall make such apparatus accessible to the City Manager for inspection and shall make such reports as the City Manager may request as to the operations of the apparatus.

• (d) Exemptions. Any water-treating apparatus which has a rated capacity less than five gallons in an eight hour period shall be exempt from the provisions of this section. Multiple units installed to supply water to the same points of use shall be considered as a single apparatus for the purposes of this subsection.

• (e) Other requirements applicable. Nothing in this section shall be construed as lessening the applicability of other requirements of this article.

• (§§ 501 through 505, Ord. 224, as amended by § 3, Ord. 334, eff. March 25, 1964)

• (a) Approval for discharge by the City Manager. Any person desiring to discharge industrial waste water into a public sewer of the City in an amount exceeding 100 gallons in any one day shall submit a letter to the City Manager presenting information as to the kind and size of the industrial operation producing the waste water, the quantity and characteristics of the waste water, detailed plans for any pretreatment facilities planned to prevent the discharge of improper materials to the sewer, and any other information requested by the City Manager. If the City Manager shall find that the quality of the water and the facilities for discharge to the sewer conform to the requirements of this article and Code, that any required pretreatment facilities are adequate, and that sewer capacity is available, he shall reply approving the discharge of that waste water to the sewer. The letter of approval shall state the nature of the industry and the nature and amount of flow which the applicant may discharge to the sewer, and shall include any restrictions which the City Manager finds necessary in order that the sewerage system may serve its intended purpose. If he finds that the proposed discharge will not be lawful under this article or other applicable laws, he shall so notify the applicant.

• (b) Alterations of approved discharge methods. If the discharger wishes to make alterations of pretreatment facilities or alterations of connections to the sewer, or if he wishes to discharge additional wastes or to discharge wastes in excess of the amounts which have been approved, or wastes of a different kind, he shall submit to the City Manager a letter

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City of Ojai, CA § 5-3.106

OJAI CODE

§ 5-3.106

requesting approval of such alteration. The City Manager shall treat this in the same manner as an original application under subsection (a) of this section.

• (c) Effective date. It shall be unlawful, on and after January 15, 1958, for any person to discharge to a public sewer of the City, directly or indirectly, any industrial waste water which is not approved as to kind and amount by a letter from the City Manager, and any such discharge shall be in accordance with any restrictions and conditions imposed in the City Manager's letter of approval.

• (d) Requirements. Except as hereinafter set forth, no industrial waste shall be discharged to a public sewer unless it conforms to the requirements set forth hereinbefore for all discharges to public sewers, and no industrial waste water flow exceeding 100 gallons in any one day shall be discharged to a public sewer unless it conforms also to the following requirements:

  • (1) The content of dissolved solids shall at no time exceed 1,250 milligrams per liter;

  • (2) The content of chloride ion shall at no time exceed 175 milligrams per liter;

• (3) The content of boron shall at no time exceed 2.0 milligrams per liter of boron, except that this restriction shall not be applied unless and until it is found that the boron content of the total sewage outflow from the City averages more than 1.0 milligrams per liter, this average to be determined from analyses of four consecutive samples on different days in one week;

  • (4) The content of total oil and grease shall at no time exceed 600 milligrams per liter;

  • (5) The content of floatable oil and grease shall at no time exceed 25 milligrams per liter;

  • (6) The content of floatable hydrocarbon oil shall at no time exceed 10 milligrams per liter;

  • (7) The standard five-day biochemical oxygen demand shall at no time exceed 1,000 milligrams per liter;

  • (8) The suspended solids content shall at no time exceed 1,000 milligrams per liter;

  • (9) The dissolved sulfide content shall at no time exceed 0.1 milligram per liter; and

  • (10) The pH shall at no time be below 6.

• (e) Manholes—Sampling compartments. Every discharge of industrial waste to a public sewer of the City shall be routed through a manhole or sampling compartment approved by the City Manager, which manhole or sampling compartment shall be available and accessible at all times to authorized representatives of the City Manager. If reasonably practical, this structure shall be on public property but shall be built at the expense of the industry using it. The piping to and from the manhole or sampling compartment shall be arranged so that observations may be made of all of the industrial sewage flow without prior admixture of any waste water from toilets, washrooms, kitchens, or lunch rooms, and so that the industrial sewage flow can be plugged off without impeding the flow of sewage from such other sources.

• (f) Report of measurement of flow. The City Manager may require that any person discharging industrial waste water to the sewer shall install a measuring device and the measurements of the flow be taken and reported to the City. Where the discharge of waste of low pH (acid

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City of Ojai, CA

SANITATION AND HEALTH

§ 5-3.106

§ 5-3.109

wastes) is a possibility, he may require the installation of pH recording equipment, with submission of records to the City. He or she may require that the industry provide for the inspection of the quality of the waste water or performance of the waste water pretreatment facilities by an impartial third party, with reports to the City. He or she may require that a permittee report to the City from time to time on the amount of materials processed by the industry or other information which he finds necessary to evaluate the effect of the wastes on the sewerage system.

• (g) Approval for discharge tentative. Every letter of approval for the discharge of industrial waste waters shall be considered tentative, and the approval shall be revoked by the City Manager when it is found that the discharge which the letter approves is in fact in violation of this article or Code, or that the information furnished by the applicant in applying for the approval was misleading, or that the discharge is causing harm, nuisance, or an unreasonable burden in the operation of the sewerage system.

• (h) Other requirements applicable. Nothing in this section shall be construed as lessening the applicability of other requirements of this article.

• (§§ 601—608, Ord. 224, as amended by § 4, Ord. 334, eff. March 25, 1964)

If a waste water contains or may contain constituents which will cause it to fail to conform to any of the requirements of Sections 5-3.103, 5-3.104, 5-3.105, or 5-3.106 of this article for sewage or industrial waste discharges, but if the City Manager finds that the discharge will not cause harm to the sewerage system nor an unreasonable or inequitable burden in the operation of the system, and that it will not cause deterioration of the quality of the sewage effluent of the City, he or she may grant approval for discharge to the sewer, with waivers or modifications of the requirement which would not be met. In the letter of approval he or she shall include a statement regarding the requirement waived, with reasons as to why the waiver is reasonable. A copy of such letter shall be filed with the City Clerk.

(§ 701, Ord. 224)

It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge, or cause to be discharged, into any storm drain or storm water channel or natural watercourse, whether currently carrying water or not, or into any pipe or waterway leading to such drain, channel, or watercourse any solid or fluid material which will impair the useful functioning of such drain, channel, or watercourse, or which will cause expense to the City in maintaining the proper functioning of the same, a public nuisance, public hazard, or the detrimental pollution of natural surface or subsurface waters.

It shall be unlawful for any person to deposit or discharge, or cause to be deposited or discharged, into any sump which is not impermeable, or into any pit or well, or on the ground, or into any storm drain or watercourse any material which, by seeping underground, or by being leached, or by reacting with the soil, can cause such alterations of usable underground waters as to be detrimental and as to be beyond the range of the effects of ordinary nonindustrial land uses on underground waters into which such wastes may seep, or which may violate any requirement of Water Pollution Control Board No. 4.

(§§ 801 and 802, Ord. 224)

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City of Ojai, CA § 5-3.109

OJAI CODE

§ 5-3.109

Any aggrieved person may appeal a decision of the City Manager, in respect to the provisions of this article, to the City Council, pursuant to the provisions of Chapter 4 of Title 1 of this Code. The action of the City Council shall be final insofar as the authority of the City is concerned. (§ 901, Ord. 224, as amended by § 4, Ord. 708, eff. April 27, 1995)

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City of Ojai, CA

SANITATION AND HEALTH

§ 5-3.201

§ 5-3.204

Article 2 Sewer Charges

The rates and charges for the use and service of the sewerage system of the City shall be established by resolution of the Council.

(§ 1, Ord. 126, as amended by § 1, Ord. 252, eff. June 17, 1959, § 5, Ord. 334, eff. March 25, 1964, § 2, Ord. 381, eff. May 10, 1967, § 1, Ord. 430, eff. June 30, 1971, fees operative July 1, 1971, Part 1, Ord. 503, eff. April 10, 1975, and § 2, Ord. 623, eff. July 12, 1984)

For the purposes of this article, certain words and phrases used herein are defined as follows:

"Apartment house" shall mean any building containing three or more dwelling units with separate plumbing facilities, but shall not include any building commonly known as a hotel, motel, or auto court.

"Rooming house" shall mean any building other than an apartment house, motel, hotel, or auto court where two or more rooms are rented to others for lodging purposes but without separate cooking facilities.

“Water closet,” as used in this article, shall not include urinal. (§ 2, Ord. 126, as amended by § 1, Ord. 252, eff. June 17, 1959)

The charges established in this article shall be payable annually for each fiscal year (July 1 to June 30) based upon the service furnished on the first Monday in March of the preceding fiscal year; provided, however, where new facilities are installed or changes in existing facilities or uses are made, either of which would increase the basis for charges established in this article, the new charges or the increase in charges resulting therefrom shall be immediately payable in advance for the remainder of the fiscal year to which such charges apply. Such charges for a partial fiscal year shall be collected by the Finance Director. As to all charges based upon the situation existing on the first Monday in March of each year, and as to all charges for a partial year uncollected on such date, the City hereby elects to have such charges collected on the tax roll for fiscal year 1959-1960 and for all subsequent fiscal years in the same manner, by the same persons, and at the same time as, together with and not separately from, its general taxes. (§ 1, Ord. 252, eff. June 17, 1959, as amended by § 4, Ord. 747, eff. October 26, 2000)

All moneys collected pursuant to the charges imposed by the provisions of this article shall be placed in the Sanitation Fund created by Section 8-2.201 of this Code. (§ 1, Ord. 252, eff. June 17, 1959)

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City of Ojai, CA

SANITATION AND HEALTH

§ 5-3.301

§ 5-3.306