Reedley Municipal Code Ch. 3 Sewer Connections

No property shall be connected to any public sewer of the city unless the owner thereof has paid a sewer connection fee. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

A. Any person wishing to connect to the city sanitary sewer system and construct a building sewer from a house, commercial or industrial plant, to a main sewer or existing building sewer within a public right of way or public easement, shall obtain from the building inspection division, a permit to do so and pay connection fees which the city council may establish by ordinance, resolution or minute order. Any person performing said construction or any portion thereof within the public right of way or easement shall, in addition, first obtain from the public works director a permit to do so in accordance with the provisions of title 7, chapter 5 of this code.

B. Upon completion of the work, notice thereof shall be given to the building inspection division and the public works department and the trench shall remain unfilled until inspection shall have been made by the building and/or public works inspector. If connection is to be made to a main sewer, the person constructing the building sewer may make connection with said main sewer, but such connection shall be made in the presence of and under the supervision of the public works director, and the person to whom the permit for connection has been granted, as provided in this section, shall give the public works director at least twenty four (24) hours' notice that said connection is to be made.

C. Fees established in accordance with the provisions of this section shall provide the following:

1. Plant Capacity Buy-In: A fee representing the prorata share for any premises to be served by the city wastewater treatment plant facility of construction cost for said facility and the cost for expansion of said facility to provide for new connections to the system. The time of collection of said fee shall be established by resolution of the city council.

2. Main Sewer Construction: A fee representing the prorata share of cost of construction of a main sewer for any premises proposing to connect to a main sewer which has been installed by the city or a main sewer constructed by a person which is to serve properties in addition to the property of the person constructing said main sewer. Reimbursement of any person for said main sewer construction shall be by agreement with the city council, said reimbursement to be made from fees collected from other premises connecting to said main sewer and providing that such agreement terminate within twenty (20) years of the date thereof. The amount of the reimbursement to any person so constructing main sewer and facilities shall be based on actual cost of construction verified to the satisfaction of the public works director. Main sewer construction fees shall be paid prior to the issuance of any permit for development, redevelopment or construction on the premises. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

No group of houses or buildings shall be connected to a main sewer in any public right of way or easement without first having the plan of the sewer of these houses or buildings approved by the building inspector. Size of the proposed sewer serving the houses or buildings shall be not less than four inches (4") in diameter and a manhole may be required at its junction with the existing main sewer. A lamphole shall be constructed at the upper end of the new main sewer required by the city.

Main sewers constructed by any person shall be in conformance with plans and specifications approved by the public works director and shall be in accordance with the standard plans and specifications of the city. No main sewer or any portion thereof or appurtenances thereto shall be accepted for maintenance by the city unless and until such time as the work of construction has been completed in accordance with said approved plans and specifications, the construction inspected and approved by the public works director and the maintenance thereof accepted by the city. Building sewers between the building drains and the main sewer shall not be considered appurtenances to or part of the main sewer and the responsibility for maintenance of said building sewer shall be that of the owner or person in charge of the premises served by said building sewer. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

Every house and building must be separately and independently connected with the main sewer in the street, alley, right of way or easement; provided, however, that where there exists a dwelling on the rear of a lot in front of which is another dwelling belonging to the same owner, separate sewer connections need not be made with the main sewer. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

No person shall throw or cause to be deposited in any vessel or receptacle connected with a public sewer any garbage, animal hair, ashes, waste gasoline, distillant, lubricating oils, grease, any byproduct of petroleum, fruit, vegetables, peelings, bones, or kitchen refuse of any kind, rags, cinders, or any other matter or thing whatsoever except fecal matter, urine, necessary closet paper, liquid soaps and slop; provided, however, that industries may, on application to the public works director, secure a permit to discharge industrial wastes in conformity with the provisions of chapter 2 of this title relating to industrial wastes. Nothing contained herein shall limit the installation and operation and discharge into the sewer system of materials being processed through a sink disposal system before discharging into the sewer lines. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

It is hereby declared to be unlawful for any person, other than employees or agents of the city, to construct any building sewer between the main sewer and the public right of way line or public easement line of the city except as provided in this chapter and any person violating any of the provisions of this chapter shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

The sewer connection fees as set forth in this chapter shall not apply to those parcels within any sewer assessment district which has acquired and paid over to the city the cost of capacity in the city wastewater treatment plant and main sewers. Any connection made by any parcel within such district in addition to those shown on the plans and specifications for said district shall be subject to connection fees. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

The special assessment made in any district hereinafter created for the construction of sanitary sewer lines and auxiliary facilities for connection thereof to the city sewer and wastewater treatment plant shall include a plant capacity buy-in fee for capacity in and use of the city's wastewater treatment plant facilities and a main sewer construction fee for capacity in and use of the city's main sewers. The amount of such acquisition cost shall be fixed by resolution in the special assessment proceedings and shall be the cost of the capacity for the district determined in relation to the total sewage treatment capacity of the city facilities and the total conveyance capacity of the main sewer affected; provided, however, that in no event shall the cost of plant capacity buy-in exceed the estimated plant capacity buy in fee as provided in section 8-3-2 of this chapter. Said plant capacity buy in cost and main sewer construction cost shall be paid to city and shall be assessed against the parcels of land within said district in accordance with the statute under which said special assessment proceedings are conducted. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

A. Plant capacity buy-in fees shall be used only for reconstruction and enlargement of the city wastewater treatment facility or to pay principal and interest on any bonds issued or to be issued or to repay federal or state loans or advances made for the construction or reconstruction of such treatment plant. Fees received for plant capacity buy-in shall be deposited in a reserve account of the city for said uses.

B. Fees collected for connection to main sewers constructed by persons required to construct said main sewer to serve properties in addition to those properties developed by said person, shall be set aside in a sewer main construction trust fund to provide for reimbursement to said person. Said reimbursements shall be made on an annual basis and shall be only to the extent that fees are received from others connecting to said main sewer. Fees received for main sewers constructed by the city shall be deposited in a reserve account for the city for wastewater treatment facility replacement and expansion and main sewer replacement and construction. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

It shall be unlawful for any person other than a bona fide employee of the city in line of duty to open or enter or cause to be opened or entered any manhole in any public sewer to dispose of garbage or other deleterious substances, or storm or surface waters, or for any other purpose whatsoever. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)

A. In the event that the water user on premises connected to the sewerage system shall fail to pay any charge herein provided by the fifteenth of the month following presentation of a bill by the city therefor, a penalty for late payment in an amount established by resolution by the city council shall be added to such bill, and the city clerk shall have no authority to accept any such later payment thereafter without first collecting the penalty therefor.

B. In the event that the water user on premises connected to the city sewerage system shall fail to pay any charge or rental herein provided by the fifteenth of the second month following presentation of the bill for such charge or rental to the water user, the city may, in addition to any other remedies it may have, discontinue furnishing sewer service and shall not resume the same until all delinquent charges and rental hereunder, together with any service charge necessitated by the resumption of sewer service, have been fully paid.

C. In addition or in the alternative, and at the option of the city, the city may file a civil action for the collection of any amounts due and unpaid. This remedy shall be cumulative and in addition to the remedy or means of enforcing payment of the sums required to be paid by the provisions of this chapter. (Ord. 659, 4-6-1982)