San Joaquin County Municipal Code Ch. 1 Sewage Disposal

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

(a) Health District means the San Joaquin Local Health District.

(b) District Health Officer means the Health Officer of the San Joaquin Local Health District.

(c) Cesspool means an excavation into the earth which is used for the reception of sewage or drainage from plumbing fixtures, effluent from septic tanks, together with the water used in carriage of said sewage or drainage, but which does not have water-tight walls and bottom.

(d) Privy means a structure used as a toilet under a part or all of which is a vault or pit intended for the reception of human waste matter.

(e) Septic tank means a water-tight receptacle which receives the discharge of a drainage system or part thereof, designed and constructed so as to retain solids, digest organic matter through a period of detention, and allow the liquids to discharge into the soil outside the tank through a sub-surface drainage system or into a cesspool meeting the requirements of this chapter.

(f) Drainage system means all the piping within public or private premises which conveys sewage or other liquid wastes to a point of disposal, but shall not include the mains or laterals of a public sewer system.

(g) Sewage any and all waste substances, liquid or solid, associated with human habitation, or which contains or may be contaminated with human or animal excreta or excrement, offal, or any feculant matter.

(h) Construction means construction, repair, alteration, or relocation of a sewage disposal system.

(i) Public sanitary sewer means any sewage disposal system operated and maintained by any municipality, district, or public corporation organized and existing under and by virtue of the laws of the State of California for the benefit of the public.

(j) Seepage pit or vertical drain means one or more pits extending into a porous stratum, but not into a subterranean water bearing stratum, lined with open-jointed walls and capped.

(k) Sewer well means and includes all of the following:

(1) Any hole dug or drilled into the ground and intended for use as a water supply, which has been abandoned and is being used for the disposal of sewage.

(2) Any hole dug or drilled into the ground used or intended to be used for the disposal of sewage and extending to or into a subterranean water bearing stratum that is used or may be used or is suitable for a source of water supply for domestic purposes.

(Ord. 549)

It shall be unlawful to maintain or use any residence, place of business, or other building or place where persons reside, congregate, or are employed which is not provided with a means for the disposal of sewage which complies with the rules and regulations relating to sewage disposal made and established by the District Health Officer.

(Ord. 549)

The drainage system within every building within a sanitary district where persons reside, congregate, or are employed which is within two hundred (200) feet of a public sanitary sewer to which the owner of said building may lawfully connect the drainage system of the building upon proper application therefor and the payment of required fees shall, upon order of the authority operating and maintaining the public sanitary sewer, be connected to the public sanitary sewer by the owner of the building in the most direct manner possible and in accordance with the rules and regulations of said authority.

(Ord. 549)

It shall be unlawful for any person to construct, add to, modify, or alter any privy, cesspool, septic tank, sewage treatment works, excavation, sewer pipes or conduits, other pipes or conduits, or other means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage without first securing a sanitation permit therefor from the District Health Officer.

(Ord. 549)

Septic tanks and drains for the disposal of the tank effluent shall be so constructed as to meet the following minimum standards, to wit:

(a) Septic tanks. In order that septic tanks and their use shall not be offensive, injurious, or dangerous to health, the District Health Officer shall make and establish rules and regulations, which may from time to time be altered and amended by the District Health Officer, regarding the size, the materials used in, the location of, and the manner of construction of septic tanks, and every septic tank shall be constructed in strict compliance with such rules and regulations and in compliance with the terms and provisions of the sanitation permit for its construction.

(b) Drainage system. In order that drainage systems from septic tanks shall not be offensive, injurious, or dangerous to health, the District Health Officer shall make and establish rules and regulations, which may from time to time be altered and amended by the District Health Officer, regarding the size, the materials used in, the location of, and the manner of construction of drainage systems from septic tanks, and every drainage system from a septic tank shall be constructed and installed in strict compliance with such rules and regulations and in compliance with the terms and provisions of the sanitation permit issued by the District Health Officer for its construction.

(Ord. 549)

All sewer wells are hereby declared to be a public nuisance. It shall be unlawful to drill, construct, maintain, or operate a sewer well.

(Ord. 549)

It shall be unlawful to construct, use, or maintain a privy without a sanitation permit from the District Health Officer. In order that privies and their use shall not be offensive, injurious, or dangerous to health, the District Health Officer shall make and establish rules and regulations, which may from time to time be altered and amended by the District Health Officer, regarding the size, the materials used in, the location of, and the manner of construction of privies, and every privy shall be constructed in strict compliance with such rules and regulations and in compliance with the terms and provisions of the sanitation permit issued by the District Health Officer for the construction of the privy.

(Ord. 549)

No sanitation permit shall be given for the construction of, addition to, alteration of, or modification of, and no approval shall be given for any privy, cesspool, septic tank, sewage treatment works, excavation, sewer pipes or conduits, other pipes or conduits, or other means for the disposal, treatment, or the discharge of sewage by the District Health Officer unless:

(a) The means or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage will not permit the escape of any unpleasant or noxious odors, vapors, or gases.

(b) The means or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage will not permit the ingress and egress of flies, other insects, rodents, or animals.

(c) The means or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage will not permit the discharge of sewage or the discharge of drainage of effluent from the sewage disposal system to empty, flow, seep, drain, condense into, or otherwise pollute any stream, river, lake, or tributary or other waters used or which may be used or suitable for use for domestic or agricultural purposes.

(d) The means or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage shall not be offensive, dangerous, or injurious to health.

(e) The means or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage conforms in all respects to the rules and regulations of the Health District for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage.

(Ord. 549)

Any person desiring to secure a sanitation permit or approval required by this chapter shall file an application therefor with the District Health Officer. The application shall contain a complete and detailed plan and description of the existing or proposed means for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage and of any proposed addition to, modification, or alteration of any of the plant, works, or system for, or manner or place of, discharge, treatment, or disposal of sewage. The application shall also contain the proposed use and such other information and shall be in such form as the District Health Officer shall prescribe and in the case of septic tanks, cesspools, or subsurface drainage systems the application shall set forth the character of the soil and distance of any domestic water wells and springs from the installation.

(Ord. 549)

The District Health Officer may order changes of the system, method, means, manner, and place for the disposal, treatment, or discharge of sewage in order that they shall not constitute a menace to health of human beings or animals, or a nuisance. The orders of the District Health Officer shall designate the period within which such changes are to be made.

(Ord. 549)

No work done under any sanitation permit shall be covered, concealed, or put into use until it has been inspected and approved by the District Health Officer.

(Ord. 549)

Anything in this chapter to the contrary notwithstanding, the District Health Officer may grant special permits for limited periods of time when in his opinion the application of this chapter or any of the provisions thereof would during that time be impracticable or unnecessary, and in issuing a special permit the District Health Officer may prescribe such conditions as in his judgment will be necessary to protect the public health.

(Ord. 549)

For the purpose of carrying the intent of this chapter into effect, the District Health Officer shall have the power to adopt, promulgate, repeal, and amend uniform rules and regulations and requirements not in conflict with this chapter or the laws of the State of California with regard to the construction, installation, alteration, modification, and dimensions of the matters dealt with in this chapter based on investigation, inspection, and tests or accepted sanitation standards which provide wholesome and sanitary conditions.

(Ord. 549)

Any person whose application for a sanitation permit or for an approval has been denied may, within thirty (30) days after the date of the denial, appeal therefrom in writing to the Board of Trustees of the San Joaquin Local Health District. The appeal shall be heard by the Board of Trustees at its next regular meeting thereafter unless the appeal was filed within five (5) days of such meeting, in which event it shall be heard at the next regular meeting subsequent thereto, and the Board of Trustees shall affirm or overrule the denial of the application and shall make such orders as may be necessary to protect and preserve public health.

(Ord. 549)

It shall be the duty of the District Health Officer to enforce all of the provisions of this chapter relative to sewage disposal, treatment, or discharge and other matters regulated by this chapter.

(Ord. 549)

Fees for inspections or permits issued pursuant to this chapter may be set by resolution of the Board of Supervisors or the Board of Trustees of the San Joaquin Local Health District as directed by resolution of the Board of Supervisors.

(Ord. 2665)