Woodlake Municipal Code Ch. 13.20 Sewer Service System

The following rules and regulations concerning sewer construction, installation, alterations, repairs are adopted.

(Ord. 440 § 1, 1989)

Any premises abutting a public street in which a public sewer main is located shall connect to the public sewer unless special permission for another method of waste water disposal is obtained from the city council.

(Ord. 440 § 2, 1989)

No person, firm, corporation, etc., shall construct, alter, repair or connect with any public sewer main without first obtaining a permit from the city and paying any fees required.

(Ord. 440 § 3, 1989)

Fees, charges, deposits, etc., concerning connection to or use of the public sewer system may be established and/or revised by resolution.

(Ord. 440 § 4, 1989)

Any person constructing, altering or repairing a sewer within any street or public right-of-way shall comply with all state, county or city laws, ordinances, rules and regulations pertaining to cutting of pavement, opening, barricading, lighting and protecting of trenches, backfilling, compacting and repaving thereof and shall maintain such barriers, barricades, lights and signals as are necessary to give warning to the public of dangerous conditions that may be encountered.

Individual property owners shall be responsible for the installation, maintenance and repair of service lines, excluding that portion that is within the public R.O.W.

All private sewers connected with the public sewer system shall be installed in compliance with city improvement standards.

Streets, sidewalks, curbs, parkways and any other public property disturbed in the course of work shall be reinstalled in a manner satisfactory to the city.

(Ord. 556 § 1 (part), 2005; Ord. 440 § 5, 1989)

It shall be the duty of the public works director to:

A. Care for protects, repair, improve and operate the public sewer system of the city, including the treatment plant and disposal grounds. The city shall be responsible for the maintenance and repair of sewer main lines and laterals in city right-of-way;

B. To enforce the ordinances of the city and the laws of the state of California in regards to the public sewer system;

C. To inspect all connections to the public sewer system and sewer lines on private property, which are intended to be connected with the public sewer system and require them to conform to the ordinances and standards of this city;

D. To record the location of each connection to the public system.

(Ord. 556 § 1 (part), 2005; Ord. 440 § 6, 1989)

A. Prohibitions on Storm Drainage, Groundwater, Swimming Pool etc. Storm-water, groundwater, rain water, water well development water, street drainage, subsurface drainage irrigation drainage, yard drainage or swimming pool drains shall not be discharged through direct or indirect connections to a community sewer unless a permit is issued by the city. The city may approve the discharge of such water only when, in the sole opinion of the city, no reasonable alternative method of disposal is available, and may require cessation of such discharge if found to be existing. If a permit is granted for the discharge of such water into a community sewer, the discharger shall pay the applicable user charges and fees and meet such other conditions as may be required.

B. Prohibition on Unpolluted Water. Unpolluted water including, but not limited to, cooling water, process water or blowdown from cooling towers or evaporative coolers shall not be discharged through direct or indirect connection to a public sewer unless a permit to that effect has been issued. The city may approve the discharge of such water only when, in the opinion of the city, no reasonable alternative method of disposal is available, and may require cessation of such discharge if found to be existing. If a permit is granted for the discharge of such water into a community sewer, the discharger shall pay the applicable charges and fees and shall meet such other conditions as may be required. All installations of air conditioning systems require the issuance of a permit by the city and the payment of customary building and/or plumbing permit fees to the city prior to commencement of installation. All installations of evaporative coolers shall be furnished with a recirculating pump. All new installations of industrial, commercial or residential air conditioning units, shall have cooling water discharge recirculated or used for irrigations purposes or disposed of through a private dry well, or public storm drains by permission of the city, or shall be of such type as not to require cooling water discharge. Cooling water discharges shall not connect to the sanitary sewer system. By permit, condensation from recirculation or heat pump units, or bleed-off water from cooling towers, may be discharged to the sanitary sewer system.

C. Holding Tank Waste. There shall be no discharge of holding tank waste into a community sewer.

D. Limitations of Wastewater Strength. No person shall discharge wastewater containing in excess of the following:

* Primarily designed to prevent industry from discharging entire 30-day average over one or two-day period.

** Based on EPA SNARL for Drinking Water. Assumes no treatment plant removal.

E. No person shall discharge any wastewater:

1. Having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty (150) F (sixty-five (65) C);

2. Containing more than three hundred (300) mg/l of oil or grease of animal or vegetable origin;

3. Any gasoline, benzene, naphtha, fuel oil inflammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;

4. Any garbage that has not been properly shredded;

5. Any ashes, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, wood or any other solid, or viscous substance capable of causing obstructions to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage system;

6. Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than 5.5 or higher than 8.0 or having any other corrosive characteristic capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment or personnel of the sewage system;

7. Any waters or wastes containing toxic or poisonous substances in sufficient quantity to injure or interfere with any sewage treatment process, constitute a hazard to humans or animals or create any hazard in the receiving waters of the sewage treatment plant;

8. Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable or creating a public nuisance;

9. No discharge to the sewer shall be permitted that when blended with the remaining city flow shall cause an excess of the following constituent levels in the discharge from the sewage treatment plant.

a. Chlorides - 150 mg/l,

b. Dissolved solids - 600 mg/l,

c. Sodium ratio - 70 percent,

d. pH, outside limits - 6.0 - 7.5 pH units,

e. Elemental Boron - 2.0 mg/l,

10. Containing in excess of 0.02 mg/l total identifiable chlorinated hydrocarbons;

11. Containing in excess of 1.0 mg/l phenolic compounds;

12. Which exerts an excessive chemical oxygen demand or chlorine demand to such a degree that the total wastewater received at the sewage treatment plant exceeds treatable limits, as established by the city, for such wastewater;

13. Which shall produce discoloration of the sewage treatment plant effluent.

F. Traps Required. Grease, oil and sand traps shall be provided when, in the opinion of the city, they are necessary for the protection of the sewage system from liquid waste containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients; except that such traps shall not be required for buildings used solely for residential purposes. Such traps shall be required, for example, on discharge from all service stations, restaurants, automotive repair garages, and dry cleaning establishments. All traps shall be of a type and capacity approved by the city and shall be so located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.

G. Construction of Traps. Grease and oil traps shall be constructed of impervious materials capable of withstanding abrupt and extreme changes in temperature. They shall be of substantial construction, watertight, and equipped with easily removable covers which when bolted in place, shall be gas tight and water tight.

H. Maintenance of Traps. When installed, all grease, oil and sand traps shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.

I. Preliminary Treatment of Wastes. When necessary, in the opinion of the city, the discharger shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment and monitoring facilities as may be necessary to reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within acceptable levels. Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment and monitoring facilities shall be submitted for approval of the city and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until the approval is obtained in writing. Materials which will readily settle, such as sand, glass, metal filings, and diatomaceous earth, for example, or floatable material which is readily removable shall be removed from wastewater prior to discharge to the public sanitary sewer system. The review and approval of such plans and/or proposed operation procedures will in no way relieve the discharger from the responsibility of modifying the facility as necessary to produce an effluent acceptable to the city under the provisions of this chapter. Any subsequent changes in the pretreatment facilities or method of operation shall be reported in writing to and be approved by the city.

J. Maintenance of Pretreatment Facilities. When preliminary treatment facilities are provided for any waters or wastes, they shall be maintained continuously in satisfactory and effective operation by the owner at his expense.

K. Federal Pretreatment Standards. In any instance, effluent limitations promulgated by the Federal Act shall apply where they are more stringent than those in this chapter. Under Section 307(b) of the Act, federal pretreatment standards are designed to achieve two purposes: (1) to protect the operation of publicly owned treatment works; and (2) to prevent the discharge of pollutants which pass through such works inadequately treated. Dischargers in industrial categories subject to effluent guidelines issued under Section 304(b) of the Act which are discharging incompatible pollutants to publicly owned treatment works, are required to adopt the best practicable control technology currently available, as defined by the Administrator, pursuant to Section 304(b) of the Act.

(Ord. 440 § 7, 1989)

The city reserves the right to inspect any sewer lateral, pretreatment device, or industrial process that discharges wastewater directly or indirectly to the city's sewer system and/or to inspect premises to determine the existence and/or location of any illegal connections or discharges to the sewer system.

In cases of continued noncompliance with this chapter the public works director shall recommend to the city council that, after a noticed public hearing, the noncomplying connection or discharge be disconnected from the city's sewer system.

(Ord. 440 § 8, 1989)

A. A backflow prevention device shall be required for:

1. All new construction and side sewer replacements shall be equipped with a cleanout riser equipped with a backflow prevention device (BPD);

2. Where existing buildings have plumbing drain outlets at an elevation that is twelve (12) inches or less above the ground surface of the next upstream manhole, the property owner shall have and maintain a BPD;

3. Issuance of all building permits, adding restroom facilities;

4. Remodels where plumbing fixtures are added to the property, and/or more than twenty-five (25) percent of the structure area is being remodeled;

5. Replacement or repair is made to the sanitary sewer lateral;

6. Property has been damaged by the blockage of the city sanitary sewer main or lateral;

7. On all structures where a pump is used to lift sewage to the sanitary sewer lateral and city sanitary sewer main. The backflow relief device shall be located to protect the structure from damage in the event the pump is pumping against a closed backflow prevention device;

8. Buildings where the elevation of any floor is at or below the invert of the city sanitary sewer main, or where a condition exists where a plug in the city sanitary sewer main will cause the hydraulic grade line to rise above the lowest floor level.

B. The responsibility for the operation and maintenance of the building side sewer and its fittings/device is that of the property owner.

C. Failure of the owner to install a backflow prevention device for or as a result of any of the above conditions shall relieve the city of any and all responsibilities for any and all subsequent damage caused by sanitary sewer flooding.

D. Property owners are responsible for proper installation and maintenance of building and lateral sewers and cleanouts, and for obtaining the necessary construction and encroachment permits.

E. Property owners are responsible for keeping the three-foot radius of the cleanout area clear of vegetation or any obstruction for visibility and easy access.

(Ord. 556 § 1 (part), 2005)

Any person, firm or corporation, whether a principal, agent, employee or otherwise, violating or causing the violation of any of the provisions of this chapter, shall be guilty of an infraction and upon conviction thereof shall be punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00).

(Ord. 556 § 1 (part), 2005)