Chapter 13.20
USE OF PUBLIC SEWERS*

Sections:

13.20.010    Limitations.

13.20.020    Unlawful to deposit waste and garbage on city streets.

13.20.030    Treatment of wastes required.

13.20.040    Sewage disposal facility--Compliance required.

13.20.050    Building occupancy--Compliance required.

13.20.060    Connection to public sewer required.

13.20.070    Prohibited drainage materials.

13.20.080    Discharge of certain materials into combined or storm sewers.

13.20.090    Prohibited wastes designated.

13.20.100    Interceptors--When required.

13.20.110    Interceptors--Maintenance.

13.20.120    Preliminary treatment of wastes.

13.20.130    Preliminary treatment facility maintenance.

13.20.140    Control manholes.

13.20.150    Measurements and tests.

13.20.160    Special agreements for unusual wastes.

13.20.170    Swimming pools.

*    For the statutory provisions prohibiting nuisances arising from sewage wastes, see Health & Safety Code §55410--5416.

13.20.010 Limitations.

The use of sanitary sewers is limited to the transmission of sewage, unless permitted by special agreement with the city council.  Combined sewers or storm sewers may carry industrial wastes upon special permit by the city.  (Ord. 2-62 §301, 1962).

13.20.020 Unlawful to deposit waste and garbage on city streets.

It is unlawful for any person to place, deposit or permit to be deposited in an unsanitary manner upon public or private property within the city, or in any area under the jurisdiction of the city, any human or animal excrement, garbage, refuse or other objectionable waste.  (Ord. 2-62 §302, 1962).

13.20.030 Treatment of wastes required.

It is unlawful to discharge to any stream or watercourse any sewage, industrial wastes or other polluted waters, except where suitable treatment has been provided in accordance with provisions of Chapters 13.12 through 13.40.  (Ord. 2-62 §303, 1962).

13.20.040 Sewage disposal facility--Compliance required.

Except as herein provided, it is unlawful to construct or maintain any privy, privy vault, septic tank, cesspool, seepage pit or other facility intended or used for the disposal of sewage.  (Ord. 2-62 §304, 1962).

13.20.050 Building occupancy--Compliance required.

No building, industrial facility or other structure shall be occupied until the owner of the premises has complied with all rules and regulations of the city.  (Ord. 2-62 §305, 1962).

13.20.060 Connection to public sewer required.

The owner of any residential building situated within the city and abutting on any street in which there is now located or may in the future be located a public sewer of the city, is required, at his expense, to connect said building directly with the proper public sewer in accordance with the provisions of Chapters 13.12 through 13.40, within thirty days after date of official notice to do so; provided, that said public sewer is within two hundred feet of the nearest point of the building.

Commercial, industrial and public buildings or institutions shall be required to connect to the district sewer system upon notice as herein provided.  (Ord. 2-62 §306, 1962).

13.20.070 Prohibited drainage materials.

No leaders from roofs and no surface drains shall be connected to any sanitary sewer.  No cooling water or industrial process waters shall be permitted to enter any sanitary sewer by any device or method whatsoever.  (Ord. 2-62 §307, 1962).

13.20.080 Discharge of certain materials into combined or storm sewers.

Storm water and all other drainage shall be discharged to such sewers as are specifically designated as combined sewers or storm sewers, or to a natural outlet approved by the manager.  Industrial cooling water or unpolluted process waters may be discharged, upon approval of the manager, to a storm sewer, combined sewer or natural outlet.  (Ord. 2-62 §308, 1962).

13.20.090 Prohibited wastes designated.

Except as hereinafter provided, no person shall discharge or cause to be discharged any of the following described waters or wastes to any public sewer:

A.    Any liquid or vapor having a temperature higher than one hundred fifty degrees Fahrenheit;

B.    Any water or waste which may contain more than one hundred parts per million, by weight, of fat, oil or grease;

C.    Any gasoline, benzine, naphtha, fuel oil or other flammable or explosive liquid, solid or gas;

D.    Any garbage that has not been shredded to such a degree that all particles will be carried freely under the flow conditions normally prevailing in public sewers, with no particle greater than one-half inch in any dimension;

E.    Any ashes, cinders, sand, mud, straw, shavings, metal, glass, rags, feathers, tar, plastics, wood, paunch manure, or any other solid or viscous substance capable of causing obstruction to the flow in sewers or other interference with the proper operation of the sewage works;

F.    Any waters or wastes having a pH lower than five and one-half or higher than nine or having any other corrosive property capable of causing damage or hazard to structures, equipment and personnel of the sewage works;

G.    Any waters or wastes containing a toxic or poisonous substance 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;

H.    Any waters or wastes containing suspended solids of such character and quantity that unusual attention or expense is required to handle such materials at the sewage treatment plant;

I.    Any noxious or malodorous gas or substance capable of creating a public nuisance; and

J.    Any septic tank sludge.  (Ord. 2-62 §309, 1962).

13.20.100 Interceptors--When required.

Grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be provided when, in the opinion of the manager, they are necessary for the proper handling of liquid wastes containing grease in excessive amounts, or any flammable wastes, sand and other harmful ingredients; except that such interceptors shall not be required for buildings used for residential purposes.  All interceptors shall be of a type and capacity approved by the manager, and shall be so located as to be readily and easily accessible for cleaning and inspection.  (Ord. 2-62 §310, 1962).

13.20.110 Interceptors--Maintenance.

All grease, oil and sand interceptors shall be maintained by the owner, at his expense, in continuously efficient operation at all times.  (Ord. 2-62 §311, 1962).

13.20.120 Preliminary treatment of wastes.

A.    The admission into the public sewers of any waters or wastes having:

1.    A five-day biochemical oxygen demand greater than three hundred parts per million by weight; or

2.    Containing more than three hundred fifty parts per million by weight of suspended solids; or

3.    Containing any quantity of substance having the characteristics described in Section 13.20.090; or

4.    An average daily flow of two percent of the average daily flow of the city, shall be subject to the review and approval of the manager.

B.    Where necessary in the opinion of the manager, the owner shall provide, at his expense, such preliminary treatment as may be necessary to:

1.    Reduce the biochemical oxygen demand to three hundred parts per million and the suspended solids to three hundred fifty parts per million by weight; or

2.    Reduce objectionable characteristics or constituents to within the maximum limits provided for in Section 13.20.090; or

3.    Control the quantities and rates of discharge of such waters or wastes.

C.    Plans, specifications and any other pertinent information relating to proposed preliminary treatment facilities shall be submitted for the approval of the manager and of the Water Pollution Control Commission of the state, and no construction of such facilities shall be commenced until said approvals are obtained in writing.  (Ord. 2-62 §312, 1962).

13.20.130 Preliminary treatment facility maintenance.

Where 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.  (Ord. 2-62 §313, 1962).

13.20.140 Control manholes.

When required by the manager, the owner of any property served by the side sewer carrying industrial wastes shall install a suitable control manhole in the side sewer to facilitate observation, sampling and measurement of wastes.  Such manhole, when required, shall be accessibly and safely located, and shall be constructed in accordance with plans approved by the city council.  The manhole shall be installed by the owner at his expense and shall be maintained by him so as to be safe and accessible at all times.  (Ord. 2-62 §314, 1962).

13.20.150 Measurements and tests.

All measurements, tests and analyses of the characteristics of waters and wastes to which reference is made in Sections 13.20.090 and 13.20.120 shall be determined in accordance with standard methods and shall be determined at the control manhole provided for in Section 13.20.140, or upon suitable samples taken at said control manhole.  In the event that no special manhole has been required, the control manhole shall be considered to be the nearest downstream manhole in the public sewer to the point at which the side sewer is connected.  (Ord. 2-62 §315, 1962).

13.20.160 Special agreements for unusual wastes.

No statement contained in this chapter shall be construed as preventing any special agreement or arrangement between the city and any industrial concern whereby an industrial waste of unusual strength or character may be accepted by the city for treatment, subject to such terms and conditions as might be required by the city.  (Ord. 2-62 §316, 1962).

13.20.170 Swimming pools.

It is unlawful for any person to discharge the contents of a swimming pool into a sanitary sewer except in the manner specified herein.  The size of pipe carrying discharge water shall not be larger than two inches and shall not be under a head to exceed twenty feet.  If the water is discharged by pumping, the rate of flow shall not exceed one hundred gallons per minute.  Under no circumstances however shall the discharge into the public sewer exceed more than one-third the capacity of the main sewer in the street to which the lateral sewer is connected.  Each swimming pool discharging to a sanitary sewer shall be equipped with an approved separator to preclude any possibility of a backflow of sewage into the swimming pool or piping system.  (Ord. 2-62 §317, 1962).