Title
Report regarding an ordinance amending Title 14, Chapter 14.14, Section14.14.190 of the South San Francisco Municipal Code to require sewer lateral inspection and correction upon property transfer due to a sale. (Eunejune Kim, Director of Public Works and Dave Bockhaus, Deputy Director of Public Works)
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RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
Staff recommends the City Council waive reading and introduce an ordinance amending the Municipal Code to require sewer lateral inspection and correction upon property sale.
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BACKGROUND/DISCUSSION
A sewer lateral pipe connects a building’s plumbing to the City’s sewer main. Contractors used Orangeburg pipe for most of the sewer laterals built in the 1950s and 1960s. Manufacturers constructed an Orangeburg pipe of heavy stock paper reinforced with tar. Typical Orangeburg pipe installations in the United States break easily and have a designed fifty-year lifespan.
Public Works records show that approximately thirty-five percent of the City’s residences have sewer laterals made of Orangeburg pipe. These pipes are prone to failure due to their limited lifespan. When sewer laterals break, the resulting leak creates several adverse impacts for the property owner and the City, including:
• Infiltration: Rainwater seeps into the lateral and gets into the sewer main.
• Exfiltration: Raw sewage escapes the lateral and seeps into the ground, polluting the soil.
• Damage to the City’s sewer infrastructure: Faulty laterals place extra strain on the City’s sewer mains, which results in chain reaction failures down the piping stream.
• Sewage back-ups: Sewage cannot leave the property and enter the sewer main, backing up into the resident’s home.
• Environmental Damage: Faulty lateral infrastructure can cause sewage overflow spills into the San Francisco Bay.
DISCUSSION
Amending the sewer lateral inspection ordinance further helps the City of South San Francisco comply with the Federal Clean Water Act, protects new property owners, and safeguards the environment. The South San Francisco Municipal Code currently requires inspection and correction of sewer laterals to issue specified building permits. This proposed amendment will expand the circumstances under which inspection and modification of sewer laterals require property owners to inspect their sewer laterals and perform identified corrective work. If the lateral inspection shows that the sewer lateral is defective, the seller must have the lateral repaired or replaced before the property’s transfer of ownership due to a sale. Since replacing a sewer lateral is such a significant out-of-pocket expense, making necessary sewer later repairs saves the new owner the unfortunate surprise of needing to replace the property’s sewer lateral upon move-in.
When drafting the ordinance, Public Works staff reviewed the point of sale ordinances of surrounding agencies. The proposed ordinance closely mirrors the point of sale language in San Bruno’s sewer lateral ordinance. As City Council will recall, San Bruno shares roughly twenty-five percent of the South San Francisco-San Bruno Water Quality Control Plant. Regulators have indicated they would prefer the ordinances be consistent.
Public Works staff partnered with the San Mateo County Association of Realtors (SAMCAR) to ensure the ordinance language is effective without hindering property sales. Through a series of collaborative meetings, staff and SAMCAR agreed on specific ordinance language that supports expedient real estate transactions while protecting the environment and supporting our community.
FISCAL IMPACT
There is no fiscal impact on the Public Works Department budget.
RELATIONSHIP TO STRATEGIC PLAN
Amending the sewer lateral ordinance promotes public health environmental stewardship, protects homeowners from unforeseen expenses, and ensures that the City of South San Francisco complies with the Clean Water Act. Including point of sale language positively affects the quality of life for South San Francisco residents by protecting public health and safety.
CONCLUSION
Several cities in San Mateo County and most throughout the Bay Area have a point of sale lateral ordinance. Staff recommends that the City Council waive reading and introduce the attached ordinance, thereby improving the quality of life for South San Francisco residents while protecting public health and safety.
Attachments:
1) Amendment to Sewer Lateral Ordinance
2) Staff PowerPoint presentation