Title
Wastewater Regulation Changes
Report
UAC Deliverable:
Briefing only
Staff Contact:
Diane Utter, Water Resources Engineer
Background and Analysis:
The wastewater utility has been drafting and implementing regulation changes in three areas:
Side Sewer Ownership and Maintenance
The previous side sewer ownership regulations were problematic for the utility. The average side sewer is 40 years old with some as old as 100 years. Many side sewers are deeper than eight feet, with the deepest part under public streets. This makes maintenance and repairs difficult and expensive. Repairs often took many months or even years to complete due to disputes with property owners. Disagreements were common about what caused a break, exactly where the break was located, and who was required to make the repair and pay for it. Staff has spent extensive time ensuring property owners make needed repairs. More than once, the situation has resulted in a lawsuit between property owners and the City.
Problems with side sewers have caused sinkholes and sewer leaks. Expedient repair is sometimes needed to protect public health and safety. In addition, work within the right-of-way is often difficult and hazardous. Repairs by private contractors, who were hired by property owners, have resulted in unsafe excavations, roadway settlement, and damage to utilities. These problems are not always found during construction, leading to issues months or years later. Therefore, the utility changed the regulation in March 2017.
Under the new regulations, the utility owns and maintains side sewers in the right-of-way, if there is a cleanout located at the property line. So far, two owners have installed cleanouts to transfer ownership of part of the side sewer. One of these will result in a re-route of the side sewer to correct a sag that was installed originally and was causing sewer backups. The other one resulted in the City cleaning and removing roots from the side sewer in the right-of-way...
Click here for full text