Title
Overview of Private Sewer Lateral Ordinances for City Council Rules Committee
Staffreport
COUNCIL PRIORITY
* Infrastructure
SUMMARY
Staff will present information relating to sanitary sewer laterals, an overview of Private Sewer Lateral Ordinances (PSLO) and potential impacts to the City.
RECOMMENDATIONS
Staff is seeking direction from the City Council Rules Committee on whether to continue research and development of a PSLO. If the Committee chooses to proceed with exploring a PSLO, staff recommends waiting until the implementation of Oro Loma Sanitary District's program to help develop the City's Program.
BACKGROUND
City of San Leandro's Water Pollution Control Division maintains 125 miles of sanitary sewer lines within the City's service area. There are an estimated 14,000 connections to the City's sewer main line. Private sewer laterals are the responsibility of property owners to maintain up to and including connections to the City's sewer main. Parts of the City are also serviced by Oro Loma Sanitary District (Oro Loma). Oro Loma's board has approved the implementation of a Private Sewer Lateral Ordinance and has an estimated program start date of July 1, 2026.
Analysis
Some agencies around the Bay Area have chosen to implement PSLOs to reduce the impacts of inflow and infiltration on the wastewater treatment facilities. The increase in volume from the addition of rain and ground water may inundate the system with an influx of water and cause overflows. Except for the 2023 winter storm, the City's wastewater treatment plant has not exceeded capacity in the recent past. While this is not an immediate concern, it is prudent to be proactive rather than reactive to issues within the collection system.
Currently, sewer lateral permits are issued by the Building Division in Community Development and/or the Engineering Division in Public Works. The location of repair/replacement (within property line or in the public right of way) determin...
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