San Joaquin County Municipal Code Ch. 1 General

There is a legitimate scientific debate about the safety of land spreading of sewage sludge, even when applied in accordance with Federal and State regulations. Sewage sludge may contain heavy metals, pathogenic organisms and chemical pollutants which are of a public health concern. Land spreading of sewage sludge may pose a risk to the environment, to human and animal health, and may cause a loss of confidence in agricultural products from San Joaquin County.

It is the intent of this division that land spreading of sewage sludge be prohibited in the unincorporated area of San Joaquin County.

(Ord. 3922 § 1 (part), 1997)

Whenever in this division the following terms are used, they shall have the meanings respectively ascribed to them in this section.

(a) "Agricultural land" means land zoned as "agricultural" in the County General Plan on which food, feed or fiber crops are grown. This term includes range land and land used as pasture.

(b) "Land spreading" means the land application of sewage sludge on agricultural land intended to support vegetative growth.

(c) "Person" means any natural person, firm, business, city, county, district, special district, sole proprietorship, partnership, joint venture, trust association, or corporation whether for profit or nonprofit.

(d) "Sewage sludge" means a solid, semi-solid, or liquid residue generated during the treatment of domestic sewage in a wastewater treatment facility. Sewage sludge includes, but is not limited to, solids removed in primary, secondary, and tertiary wastewater treatment processes; or a material derived from sewage sludge. Sewage sludge includes biosolids which means sewage sludge that has undergone treatment and/or processing.

(e) "Treatment" means a process which alters, modifies, or changes the biological, physical or chemical characteristics of sewage sludge.

(Ord. 3922 § 1 (part), 1997)

(a) The land spreading or land discharge of sewage sludge or septage is prohibited in the unincorporated area of San Joaquin County.

(b) The discharge of sewage sludge or septage to surface waters or surface water drainage courses, including wetlands and waterways, is prohibited.

(Ord. 3922 § 1 (part), 1997)