10.3.16_NBWA.Summary.Pres.Final.PPt

1
10.3.16_NBWA.Summary.Pres.Final.PPt
The Problem, Privately-Owned Laterals. You Can
Help Solve It!
Protect Your Home, Health and Environment March
2010
2
Our Program For Today
Background Information about laterals
The problem privately-owned sewer laterals
What agencies are doing to solve the problem
Recommended solutions and actions
3
Co-Sponsors of the Lateral Studies

• Central Marin Sanitation Agency
• Las Gallinas Valley Sanitary District
• North Marin Water District
• Sausalito Marin City Sanitary District
• Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin
• Novato Sanitary District
• San Rafael Sanitary District
• Ross Valley Sanitary District
• Sanitary District No. 2 of Marin County
• North Bay Watershed Association

4
Storm Drains Are NOT Sanitary Sewers
5
What a Private Lateral Is
Overflow Prevention Device
Collection Pipeline
Upper Lateral
Lower Lateral
6
Laterals are a Concern

• Laterals are the privately-owned connections to
  the publicly-owned sewer pipelines
• Many are old and poorly maintained
• Roots enter breaks, then enter mainlines, causing
  blockages that can damage homes and the
  environment

A root removed from a sewer pipeline. Similar but
smaller roots can block and break laterals
7
ABOUT HALF OF SEWER SPILLS ARE CAUSED BY LATERALS ABOUT HALF OF SEWER SPILLS ARE CAUSED BY LATERALS
Public Sewer Mains 950 miles
Private Sewer Laterals 817 miles
8
Fats, Oils, Grease, Roots Cause Spills

• Blockages occur in sewer mains and laterals from
  roots, buildup of grease and other substances,
  causing backups and spills

8/25/2014
8
9
Inflow Infiltration (II) Also Cause Spills

• Inflow direct flow of stormwater into a
  sanitary sewer system
  ..from downspouts, drains,
  yards, ,,parking lots and streets

Infiltration Indirect flow of stormwater into a
sanitary sewer system at open joints and cracks
10
Inflow and Infiltration Key to Lateral Problems

• Stormwater enters cracks and breaks in laterals,
  manholes and other places
• Wastewater volumes can increase 1000 or more
• Sewer pipeline and treatment systems become
  overloaded
• Sanitary sewer overflows result. They are
  prohibited and subject to fines

11
Inflow Infiltration Can Overwhelm Treatment
Plants
Central Marin Sanitation Agency, Dec. 31, 2005.
Massive inflow of stormwater through laterals and
sewer pipes overflow the treatment plant
12
Regulatory Hammer

• East Bay Cities given limits on wastewater
  volume they discharge to treatment plant in
  2009.
• Will require fixing lateral problem by a set
  deadline. Costs could be 2 billion!
• Similar requirements expected to be imposed
  everywhere in next 5 to 15 years
• Goal develop our own cost-effective
  solutionsbefore we are forced to do it some
  other way

13
Costly FinesExamples of Fines in the Past Year
for Violations
Agency Fine
City of Pacifica 2,300,000
Sewerage Agency of Southern Marin 1,600,000
City of Carlsbad/ City of Vista 1,100,00
City of San Mateo 950,000
Town of Hillsborough 405,000
Santa Margarita Water District 133,000
City of Redding 83,000
Crystal Springs CSD 24,000
14
Costly Lawsuits

• In Addition to Regulatory Fines
• Clean Water Act allows third party lawsuits
• Expensive judgments and settlements have resulted
  from legal action by environmental groups

15
Summarizing the Solution

• We must decrease inflow and infiltration, stop
  sewer overflows and spills, to
• Protect the environment
• Protect public health
• Comply with new regulations, avoid regulatory
  fines
• Avoid costly lawsuits
• Avoid heavy cleanup costs

16
What Public Agencies Are Doing

• Decrease II from public systems through an
  aggressive pipeline repair /rehabilitation
  program
• Construct storage tanks and/or ponds to
  temporarily store high flows to treatment plants
• Expand treatment plant capacity
• Develop lateral programs for our area

Sanitary agencies are currently taking all these
steps
17
Sanitary Agencies Investing In Solutions

• Developing options for requiring inspections and
  repair of privately-owned sewer laterals and
  assisting property owners to carry those out
• Invested 200 million in pipelines, pumps, ponds
  and treatment facilities from 2001-07

18
Public Agencies Cant Do It Alone

• Past decisions were made using different
  standards than todays
• Cheaper to build larger treatment plants for high
  flows than to fix mains and laterals
• Blending and treating high stormwater flows was
  ok
• Decisions were made to leave laterals alone the
  problem was considered too difficult
• But with over 200 million being invested in
  public systems, its now time to deal with
  private laterals

19
Public Agency Options for Assisting Private
Property Owners

• Laterals are private NOT public property,
  complicating public agency options for developing
  solutions
• 12 approaches to solving lateral problems were
  studied by members technical consultant
• Evaluated price, effectiveness and ownership
  (public vs. private)
• Four approaches were recommended for further
  evaluation by the consultant

20
12 Approaches Evaluated

• Identify and eliminate inflow into public sewers
  and laterals
• Reduce Infiltration into Public Sewers
• Continue Status Quo- Private Ownership of
  Laterals
• Use incentives to reduce I/I Entering Laterals
• Mandatory Disclosure of Lateral Problems at time
  of Sale
• Public Rehab/Replacement of Lower Lateral during
  Public Sewer Rehab/Replacement Projects

• Mandatory Inspection and Repair/Rehab/Replacement
  when Lateral does not meet Agency Standards
• Public Ownership of Lower Lateral
• Public Ownership of Lateral (Upper and Lower)
• Add Storage Facilities for Peak Flows
• Increase Secondary Treatment Capacity

Click for Details
21
Four Approaches Recommended

• Identify and eliminate inflow into public sewers
  and sewer service laterals
• Use incentives to reduce inflow and infiltration
  entering sewer service laterals
• Public rehabilitation/replacement of lower
  lateral during public rehab./replacement projects
• Mandatory inspection, repair/rehabilitation/
  replacement when sewer service lateral does not
  meet agency standards

22
Private Lateral Inspection Program Elements

• Triggers for Inspection/Testing
• Inspection and Testing Methods
• Control Mechanism
• Incentives and Affordability

23
Potential Triggers for Inspection/Testing

• Sale of Property/Transfer of Title
• Remodel above a threshold value
• Change in Use
• Change of Customer
• Wastewater Agency Discretion

• In area with high I/I
• Smoke testing shows problem
• Inspection shows blockage or problem
• Overflow causes a nuisance

• Connection of additional living quarters or
  plumbing fixtures
• Following lateral repair and replacement

24
Inspection Testing Methods

• Closed-circuit TV Inspection (recommended)
• Low Pressure Air Test
• Water Leakage Test

25
Inspection and Testing MethodsRecommend Pipeline
Assessment and Certification Program (PACP)

• National program with certificate issued by the
  National Association of Sewer Service Companies
• Includes standards for judging quality of lateral
• Plumbers certificate requires about 1.5 days
  training, passing an exam and 750
• Ensures consistent judging of videos and
  demonstrates qualified plumbers

26
Control Mechanism

• Agencies issue a certificate of compliance to
  property owner
• -- duration is typically 10-20 years, depending
  on the nature of work completed

27
Incentives and Affordability

• Lateral replacement costs typically range from
  2,000 to 6,000
• To help property owners, agencies can consider
• Grants,
• Low-interest loans,
• Liens against property with reimbursement in
  future

28
Incentives and Affordability cont.

• Additional incentives to defray property owners
  costs can include
• Agency lateral repair/replacement insurance
• Agency administered master contracts for work at
  discounted, guaranteed cost
• lateral repair during mainline repair at
  property-owner expense
• lateral repair during mainline repair at agency
  expense

29
Next Steps
Review the problem and potential solutions with the public at local agency board meetings
Using public input and staff recommendations, agency boards will consider adopting local ordinances and programs to implement solutions

Remove For Web
30
Meanwhile, Heres How You Can Help

• Inspect your lateral
• Maintain your sewer lateral use a qualified
  plumber or contractor
• Obtain a permit from your sanitary agency before
  making lateral repairs
• Disconnect outdoor drains that go to sewer
  laterals
• Participate and provide input as your local
  agency develops its solutions

31
For More InformationContact Your Local Agency
orwww.SavRBay.org
32
(No Transcript)
33
Description Pros Cons
1 Identify and Eliminate Inflow into Public Sewers and Sewer Service Laterals Effective approach to reduce inflow portion of peak flows. Most effective when coupled with flow monitoring to identify areas with high levels of inflow. Must repeat fieldwork periodically to maintain inflow at low levels. Requires notification to the public prior to testing. Some property owners will act to prevent discovery of prohibited connections. To be effective, requires repairs to public facilities and enforcement of corrective actions for private property.
2 Reduce Infiltration into Public Sewers Actions needed are within public agency authority. Rehabilitation projects are expensive. Impacts associated with construction work.
3 Continue Status Quo - Private Ownership of Sewer Service Laterals Inexpensive. Property owners act when lateral fails. Ineffective at reducing infiltration into sewer laterals.
4 Use Incentives to Reduce I/I Entering Sewer Service Laterals Inexpensive. Voluntary nature of approach limits effectiveness. Voluntary repair/rehabilitation may not occur where needed.
5 Mandatory Disclosure of Sewer Service Lateral Problems at Time of Sale (includes upper and lower lateral) Inexpensive Voluntary nature of approach limits effectiveness. Voluntary repair/rehabilitation may not occur where needed.
6 Public Rehabilitation/Replacement of Lower Lateral during Public Sewer Rehabilitation/Replacement Projects Addresses all lower laterals over time. Expensive adds 50 to the cost of public sewer rehabilitation/replacement.
7 Public Rehabilitation/Replacement of Sewer Service Lateral during Public Sewer Rehabilitation/Replacement Projects Very Effective Significantly more expensive that Approach 5.
8 Mandatory Inspection and Repair/Rehabilitation/Replacement when Sewer Service Lateral does not meet Agency Standards Address all sewer laterals over time. Fair - cost of individual lateral paid by property owner. Repair/rehabilitation may not occur where needed. Requires long time (25 years) to address majority of laterals.
9 Public Ownership of Lower Lateral Partial solution - effective at reducing infiltration entering through lower lateral. Partial solution may increase infiltration entering through the upper lateral. Expensive.
10 Public Ownership of Sewer Service Lateral (includes upper and lower lateral) Effective. Expensive.
11 Add Storage Facilities for Peak Flows Cost effective approach to reducing peak flows. Difficult to site storage facilities. Public opposition to storage facilities. Potential for odors and vectors if not properly operated.
12 Increase Secondary Treatment Capacity Provides secondary treatment for all sewage within design criteria. Requires space for additional treatment facilities. Expensive to construct. Expensive to operate. Increased energy use. Not feasible in all locations.
Recommended elements for consideration in Marin County. Recommended elements for consideration in Marin County. Recommended elements for consideration in Marin County. Recommended elements for consideration in Marin County.
Return to Previous Viewed Slide