Article IV — Services

All sewer pipes in public property are the property of the City and the City will maintain and repair them when in its judgment such repairs are needed.

(Ord. 190 § 26, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

There shall be at least one sewer service on each lot or parcel of real property which is improved with a dwelling or building thereon; except where one building occupies more than one lot, then only one service for such building shall be required.

(Ord. 190 § 27, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Any plumber or any other person connecting private sewer service pipe to the property side of a City sewer must leave the City system in as good condition as found, and shall notify the City at the time the connection is made. Any damage caused by the negligence or carelessness of any plumber or other person to any part of the connection must be paid by such plumber or person to the City on demand.

(Ord. 190 § 28, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

The Sewer Department of the City may connect to any City sewer service pipe at any time it shall deem it expedient to do so, and render a corrected bill from the date of installation of such connection.

(Ord. 190 § 29, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

After the sewer service is so connected, any damage resulting from malice, carelessness or negligence of the customer or any member of his family, or anyone employed by him, and any damage which may result from hot water or steam from a boiler, or otherwise, shall be paid for by such customer to the City on presentation of a bill therefor; and in case such bill is not paid, the water shall be shut off to the premises without further notice, and the same shall not be turned on until all charges are paid.

(Ord. 190 § 30, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

It shall be unlawful for any person to interfere with or cut off or remove a sewer service from where it has been installed without first receiving written permission from the City Manager or designee. Such permission shall be granted only for the purpose of tests, replacements, repairs or service pipes, readjustment of service or similar emergency.

(Ord. 190 § 31, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Upon the written notice of the owner of a building or premises to have the sewer service stopped, the City shall have the water shut off, and at the time record the reading of the meter and render a bill in a sum which shall be the amount according to the rates and charges provided for herein. (Ord. 190 § 32, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Any nuisance, contamination, pollution, or infiltration as defined herein existing on any parcel of land in the City of Rio Dell may be abated as provided herein. The procedure for said abatement provided herein shall not be exclusive, but shall be cumulative and in addition to any other abatement procedure provided by the laws of the State of California or the ordinances of the City of Rio Dell.

(Ord. 190 § 33, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

No person shall discharge sewage or other waste, or the effluent of treated sewage or other waste, in any manner which will result in contamination, pollution or a nuisance. (Ord. 190 § 34, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Whenever any local Health Officer or enforcement official finds that a contamination exists, the officer or official shall order the contamination abated, as provided in this chapter. (Ord. 190 § 35, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

The local Health Officer or enforcement official may issue a peremptory order requiring the abatement of a contamination and shall immediately furnish to the proper regional board a report of information and data relating thereto. Coincident with issuing such order, or if any order or regulation is not complied with, the local Health Officer or enforcement official may bring and prosecute an action for an injunction in the superior court of the County of Humboldt.

The local Health Officer of Humboldt County shall render to persons subject to such order all possible assistance in complying with the order including all possible assistance in securing any necessary funds for such purpose.

(Ord. 190 § 36, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Any person who discharges sewage or other waste in any manner which results in contamination is guilty of a misdemeanor. Any person, firm or corporation who violates or refuses or fails to comply with any of the provisions of this chapter shall be guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be punished upon conviction with a fine of not less than $25.00 nor more than $500.00 or by imprisonment in the County Jail for not more than six months or by both such fine and imprisonment.

(Ord. 190 § 37, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

The procedure for abatement of a contamination, pollution, nuisance, or infiltration including but not limited to notice of such abatement, recordation of lis pendens, time and place of hearing, order of the Council, accounting of costs and receipts, hearing on account and proposed assessment, recordation of lien, and collection with ordinary taxes, shall follow essentially the same procedure as provided for in Chapter 8.10 RDMC, providing for the establishment of a procedure for the abatement of nuisances and making the cost of such abatement a special assessment upon a parcel of land so involved.

(Ord. 190 § 40, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

This chapter shall not be construed as imposing upon the City of Rio Dell any liability or responsibility for damage resulting from the defective construction of any sanitary disposal system as herein provided, nor shall the City of Rio Dell or any official or employee thereof or the Humboldt County Health Officer be held as assuming any such liability or responsibility by reason of the inspection authorized thereunder.

(Ord. 190 § 42, 1987; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

Repealed by Ord. 286.

(Ord. 38 § 1, 1965; Ord. 190 § 46, 1987; Ord. 203, 1990)

Article V

General Sewer Use Regulations

It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged into any public sewer system which directly or indirectly connects to the City of Rio Dell sanitary sewer system any sewage if, in the determination of the City Manager or designee, such sewage may have an adverse or harmful effect on sewers, maintenance personnel, wastewater treatment plant personnel or equipment, treatment effluent quality, public or private property, or may otherwise endanger the public, local environment, or create a public nuisance. The City Manager or designee, in determining the acceptability of specific sewage, shall consider the nature of the sewage and the adequacy and nature of the collection, treatment and disposal system available to accept the sewage.

(Formerly 13.10.420; Ord. 190 § 48, 1987; Ord. 203, 1990; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

• (1) No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW any pollutant or wastewater which causes pass through or interference. These general prohibitions apply to all users of the POTW whether or not they are subject to categorical pretreatment standards or any other national, State, or local pretreatment standards or requirements.

• (2) No person shall discharge any substances directly into a manhole or other opening in a community sewer other than through an approved building sewer unless, upon a written application by the user and the payment of the applicable user charges and fees, the City issues a permit for such direct discharges.

• (3) It shall be unlawful for any person to discharge or cause to be discharged any surface water, rain water, stormwater, ground water, street drainage, subsurface drainage, yard drainage, roof drainage, water from yard fountains, ponds or lawn sprays, cooling water, or any other uncontaminated water into any sewage facility which directly or indirectly discharges to a sanitary sewer system owned by the City of Rio Dell.

• (4) Specific Prohibitions. No user shall introduce or cause to be introduced into the POTW the following pollutants, substances, or wastewater:

  • (a) Pollutants which create a fire or explosive hazard in the municipal wastewater collection and POTW, including, but not limited to, waste-streams with a closed-cup flashpoint of less than 140 degrees Fahrenheit (60 degrees Celsius) using the test methods specified in 40 CFR 261.21.

  • (b) Any wastewater having a pH less than 5.5 or more than 8.5, or otherwise causing corrosive structural damage to the POTW or equipment, or endangering City personnel.

  • (c) Solid or viscous substances in amounts which will cause obstruction of the flow in the POTW resulting in interference, but in no case solids greater than one inch or 25.4 millimeters in any dimension.

  • (d) Any wastewater containing pollutants, including oxygen-demanding pollutants

(BOD, and the like), released in a discharge at a flow rate and/or pollutant concentration which, either singly or by interaction with other pollutants, will cause interference with either the POTW, or any wastewater treatment or sludge process; or which will constitute a hazard to humans or animals.

• (e) Any wastewater having a temperature greater than 150 degrees Fahrenheit (65.5 degrees Celsius), or which will inhibit biological activity in the treatment plant resulting in interference, but in no case wastewater which causes the temperature at the introduction into the treatment plant to exceed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius).

• (f) Petroleum oil, nonbiodegradable cutting oil, or products of mineral oil origin, in amounts that will cause interference or pass through.

• (g) Any pollutants which result in the presence of toxic gases, vapors or fumes within the POTW in a quantity that may cause worker health and safety problems.

• (h) Any trucked or hauled pollutants, except at discharge points designated by the City in accordance with RDMC § 13.10.430.

• (i) Any noxious or malodorous liquids, gases, solids, or other wastewater which, either singly or by interaction with other wastes, are sufficient to create a public nuisance, a hazard to life, or to prevent entry into the sewers for maintenance and repair.

• (j) Any wastewater which imparts color which cannot be removed by the treatment process, such as, but not limited to, dye wastes and vegetable tanning solutions, which consequently imparts color to the treatment plant's effluent thereby violating the City's NPDES permit. Color (in combination with turbidity) shall not cause the treatment plant effluent to reduce the depth of the compensation point for photosynthetic activity by more than 10 percent from the seasonably established norm for aquatic life.

• (k) Any wastewater containing any radioactive wastes or isotopes, except as specifically approved in writing by the City Manager or designee, in compliance with applicable State or Federal regulations.

• (l) Stormwater, surface water, ground water, artesian well water, roof runoff, subsurface drainage, swimming pool drainage, condensate, deionized water, noncontact cooling water, and unpolluted industrial wastewater, unless specifically authorized in writing by the City Manager or designee.

• (m) Any sludges, screenings, or other residues from the pretreatment of industrial wastes.

• (n) Any medical wastes, except as specifically authorized in writing by the City Manager or designee in a wastewater discharge permit.

• (o) Any wastewater causing the treatment plant's effluent to fail a toxicity test.

• (p) Any wastes containing detergents, surface active agents, or other substances which may cause excessive foaming in the POTW.

• (q) Any discharge of fats, oils, or greases of animal or vegetable origin is limited to 100 mg/l.

  • (r) Any discharge of petroleum/mineral oil products is limited to 25 mg/l.

  • (s) Gasoline, benzene, naphtha, solvent, fuel oil or any liquid, solid or gas that would cause or tend to cause flammable or explosive conditions to result in the sewerage system.

  • (t) Waste containing toxic or poisonous solids, liquids or gases in such quantities that, alone or in combination with other waste substances, may create a hazard for humans, animals or the local environment, interfere detrimentally with wastewater treatment processes, cause a public nuisance, or cause any hazardous condition to occur in the sewerage system.

• (5) Wastes prohibited by this section shall not be processed or stored in such a manner that they could be discharged to the POTW. All floor drains located in process or materials storage areas must discharge to the industrial user's pretreatment facility before connecting with the POTW.

(Formerly 13.10.410; Ord. 190 § 47, 1987; Ord. 203, 1990; Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

No industrial user or wastewater hauler shall ever increase the use of process water, or in any way attempt to dilute a discharge, as a partial or complete substitute for adequate treatment to achieve compliance with a discharge limitation, unless expressly authorized by an applicable pretreatment standard or requirement. The City Manager or designee may impose mass limitations on industrial users which are using dilution to meet applicable pretreatment standards or requirements, or in other cases when the imposition of mass limitations is appropriate. (Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)

The City reserves the right to enter into special written agreements with industrial users setting out special terms under which they may discharge to the POTW. In no case will a special agreement waive compliance with a pretreatment standard or requirement. However, the industrial user may request a net gross adjustment to a categorical standard in accordance with 40 CFR 403.15. They may also request a variance from the categorical pretreatment standard from EPA. Such a request will be approved only if the industrial user can prove that factors relating to its discharge are fundamentally different from the factors considered by EPA when establishing that pretreatment standard. An industrial user requesting a fundamentally different factor variance must comply with the procedural and substantive provisions in 40 CFR403.13. (Ord. 286, 2012; Ord. 322 § 1, 2014)