The city of Santa Cruz wants to always be improving and protecting the environment. That is why an updated sanitary sewer system ordinance has been adopted by the city council that was decided on June 26, 2018. The city is always working to improve the sewer system so that we can continue to be safe from danger and negligence from any number of people and problems. The pipes throughout the city continue to get replaced and cleaned yearly so that we can all feel better about our sewer systems running properly. The responsibility then turns to you as homeowners, to make sure that you are doing your part as well. Sewer systems can develop any number of problems that can range from clogging to leaking. These kinds of problem, if not taken care of, can actually cause damage to other people around you and threatened the health of the public. There are many lateral spills that happen every single year that are reported to the city. The new ordinance has 3 parts as stated below:
1. The property owner with a sewer spill is responsible for stopping the spill immediately. If the property owner fails to do so in a timely manner, they are subjected to fines and penalties.
2. Before the sale of a property is finalized, the sewer lateral must be inspected by an authorized inspector. If repairs are needed the property owner must have repairs made and then have the sewer later re-inspected after repairs have been made. If the property has newer sewer laterals installed or if the sewer laterals have passed inspection within 5 years, then the property is
3. If the property has a private sanitary sewer collection system and pumps, they must pass inspection every ten years. Along with passing inspection every 10 years, they must have their pipelines cleaned every two to five years depending on pipeline size. Lastly privately- owned pump stations have to pass inspection every one to five years depending on pipeline size.
Dates To Remember
These changes were made in addition to the old ordinance to hopefully bring strength to the way that things are running now. The new procedures mentioned above will go into effect on August 1 and the private requirements start on January 1, 2019. If you would like to know more about the incentive program being used, click here. Visit the city’s sanitary sewer system ordinance page, here, to read about more dates and frequently asked questions. You can also give us a call at 831-244-6718 and we can talk to you about this and get your sewer issues taken care of right away. We are committed to helping keep Santa Cruz, Marin, Santa Clara, and Sonoma, a beautiful and safe place to live so if you have any problems with your sewer system, give our team at Bellows Plumbing, Heating & Air a call right away.
