Environment. and Protects. Ordinance. Vital Information on Sanitary Service For Our Residents of The District INFILTRATION FROM BROKEN LATERALS

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1 New District Ordinance Saves Water and Protects Our Environment INFILTRATION OF TREE ROOTS INFILTRATION FROM BROKEN LATERALS INFLOW FROM YARD DRAINS Vital Information on Sanitary Service For Our Residents of The District

2 We Why Need This Ordinance With the drought, groundwater levels going down and working to control algae in the river, the District is undertaking a major refurbishing of its pipeline system, and plans to make important technological improvements to its wastewater treatment plant. Community residents will be playing a major role as well. A new ordinance requires homeowners to get a video inspection of their private sewer laterals (the sewer pipe on their property leading from the house to the OVSD sewer line under the street) under certain circumstances. If a video inspection reveals that the lateral is damaged cracked and leaky, or penetrated by tree roots it is the homeowner s responsibility under the law to repair the lateral. Detecting and repairing damaged private laterals is necessary in order for the Sanitary District to comply with stringent environmental regulations from the EPA and the state. This also helps keep extra water out of the sewer system.

3 The Challenge When it rains, stormwater infiltrates leaky sewer lines and private laterals. Because there are about 120 miles of OVSD main sewer pipelines and an estimated 60 miles or more of private laterals, the potential for stormwater infiltration is enormous. In aggregate, this can amount to millions of extra gallons of water cascading through OVSD main lines in a single day, virtually swamping the Wastewater Treatment Plant. The average daily flow is about 1.5 million gallons of water per day. During one heavy rainstorm a few years back, the total exceeded 8 million gallons in a single day. Almost 6 times normal. Each extra gallon contains a small amount of nutrients, principally nitrogen and phosphorus (basically fertilizer). The District is required by EPA and state regulations adopted in 2013 to significantly reduce the quantities of these contaminants flowing out into the Ventura River from the Treatment Plant. These nutrients causes rapid growth of algae and steady degradation of the aquatic environment. LATERAL INFILTRATION & INFLOW INFILTRATION OF TREE ROOTS INFILTRATION FROM BROKEN LATERALS INFLOW FROM YARD DRAINS

4 OVSD s Part In the mid-1970s, water coming out of the Treatment Plant had 40 parts per million (ppm) of nutrients, and now, thanks to technological upgrades, it s only about 5 ppm, observes Jeff Palmer, OVSD General Manager. In order to comply with the regulations, the Sanitary District must get down to 3 ppm by 2025, which is a bigger challenge than it might seem. We re going to be making more improvements at the Treatment Plant so it can do an even better job, says Palmer. But even with that, if we keep getting too much water, with a little bit of nutrients in each of gallon, we won t be able to reach our goal. OVSD is now lining its sewer mainline pipes and manholes throughout the Ojai Valley with a fast-hardening epoxy resin sleeve that gets cured in place. In effect, it creates a new pipe within the existing pipe. This is being done without the disruption of digging up the street. The same technology can be used by homeowners whose laterals need major repair. In the process of improving its sewer mainlines, the OVSD is providing another potential benefit for some homeowners: covering a small part of the cost of private lateral repairs. The District will repair the mainline connection and up to two feet of private laterals in certain cases called a Top Hat.

5 Your Part WHEN IS A VIDEO INSPECTION REQUIRED? NOT UNTIL ONE OR MORE OF THE FOLLOWING TRIGGER POINTS OCCURS... At the sale of a home or business. This will become an automatic step in the sale of a property, much like termite or roof inspections. Making sure the private sewer lateral is in good shape is a selling point that should add to a homebuyer s peace of mind. At a building rehab over a set valuation of $25,000 At the issuance of a new business license or Change of Use. At an OVSD inspection identifying a hazard. At a sewage spill or other event. When other units are added on site. When there is any lateral work. GET COMPETITIVE BIDS If you are required to get a video inspection of your lateral, get several bids from plumbers, OVSD officials recommend. Plumbers in the Ojai Valley and Ventura County are quoting vastly differing prices for this simple service. When the video is submitted to the Sanitary District for review and if it is determined that repairs must be made again, get competitive bids from contractors who are qualified to do the work properly. If you have any questions or concerns about bids or prices quoted for video inspection or repairs, don t hesitate to call Jeff Palmer, General Manager,

6 No Free Rides Out of Town 1072 Tico Road, Ojai, CA ojaisan.org FREERIDE IIn addition to the environmental health of the Ventura River, the other main issue is the stormwater itself. All the extra water that goes into our pipes gets what I like to call a free taxi ride out of town, says Palmer. If that water didn t get into our pipes, it could stay in the watershed and replenish our groundwater, benefiting the oak trees and all the other local plant life. Board of Directors William Stone - Division 1, Asst. Secretary Randy Burg - Division 2, Secretary Peter Kaiser - Division 3 Jack Curtis - Division 4, Vice Chairman Russ Baggerly - Division 5 Stanley Greene - Division 6 William Murphy - Division 7, Chairman General Manager Jeff Palmer For questions or concerns about your sanitary sewer service please contact Laurie Johnson at 805/ , or laurie.johnson@ojaisan.org.