Residents within the City of Oakley and Bethel Island could face a $1,000 fine and/or 30-days in jail for illegally pumping storm waters into sewer system said the Ironhouse Sanitary District on Monday.
Here is the Press Release:
Residents illegally draining standing water off their properties into the sewer system are creating havoc within the Ironhouse Sanitary District (ISD) sewer collection and treatment systems. The recent string of storms has led to saturated ground and standing water.
Bethel Island residents have been hit especially hard. Unfortunately, some residents have addressed this problem by removing their sewer clean out covers, and redirecting hundreds of thousands of gallons of water to enter into an already inundated sewer system.
District crews have also observed some residents connecting pumps to their private sewer laterals and pumping surface water off of their property into the sewer system. This illegal activity directly causes sewer overflows downstream at pump stations and within the sewer system. It also overloads the treatment facility, leading to water quality violations.
“Ironhouse does not run a combined sewer-storm system,” said Chad Davisson, ISD general manager. “This illegal activity of draining or pumping storm water into the sewer system has already led to sanitary sewer overflows, which the District has reported to the State of California Water Resources Control Board. It also leads to considerable added costs in overtime and energy consumption by pumping storm water from flooded properties.
ISD has strict rules against residents pumping storm water from flooded properties down into the sewer system, and there are strict penalties for violation. Violation of the Ordinance prohibiting pumping storm waters into the sewer system is a crime punishable by fines of $1,000 and/or 30 days in jail. Violations of the ordinance can, also, result in immediate disconnection of sewer service.
The District has issued several cease and desist notices to individuals who it has observed engaging in prohibited conduct. If the conduct continues, the District has an obligation to its rate payers to recover costs associated with these illegal discharge activities, and will pursue appropriate administrative and/or legal action.
“If the District’s treatment capacity is exceeded, inadequately treated waste could be discharged into the San Joaquin River, which can be a health and safety issue.” Davisson said.
Davisson asks that residents share this information with friends and neighbors to help prevent further costly and unhealthy sewer overflows on island neighborhoods.
For more information, contact Ironhouse Sanitary District at (925) 625-2279.
8 comments
Can someone please explain to me how pouring water into a drain is illegal? These folks are clowns!
This makes no sense to me. Dumping water is not illegal. If my property is full of water, where else am I supposed to send the water? Down my kitchen sink or bathtub? How is it any different. Perhaps Ironhouse should create a better system than can actually handle water rather than be quick to fine.
Do a little research guys. You should know that all drains are not the same and do not go to the same place.
– A sanitary sewer is designed for household wastewater, sinks and toilets, etc. It goes to a treatment facility to be deturded and eventually turned into reclaimed water or discharged into the environment after treatment.
– A storm sewer directs runoff to tributaries and goes directly back out to environmental streams, bay, etc. (The article doesn’t say anything about people discharging into storm drains, it highlights improper SEWER drain use.)
In summary, sanitary sewers are designed for a specific amount of volume for the community they serve. They can not handle an excessive amount of influent flow created by improper use. This improper use would include “dumping water” into the system. Clowns indeed fellas!
Storm water and sewer water are separate systems. The storm water is untreated and eventually flows to the river. Sewer water goes to the Sanitary District for treatment with the end result a discharge of water considered clean enough to go to the river. When the District receives too much water (way beyond what a household would discharge by flushing or bathing) the volume of water to be treated becomes too much. Most Sanitary Districts offer a tour of their facilities during public open house events. Check to see when the next one is offered. If not given then demand the Mayor to work with the District to educate the public on site.
Maybe we can get a state legislator to write a law easing these restrictions ?
Don’t give pandering Jim Frazier any ideas. He is a carpet bagger just looking for a place to land after his most recent faceplants!!
If Ironhouses’s new multi million dollar facility, and rates higher than any other nearby city can’t handle an excess of rain water, we are all being taken for a ride. When I toured the facility when it was new all I heard was how state of the art it was. How other sanitary districts are molding their new builds around Iron House, and how they needed a facility this large and high tech, so it could handle all the new builds (that haven’t happened yet) and issues that could arise in the future. But a couple of property owners that don’t have storm drains by their houses pump some water and ISD can’t keep up? Sounds like we were fed a large plate full of horse apples, and the ISD board is laughing all the way to the bank with lifetime medical insurance and a huge pat on the back from the mayor, and the contractors.
That’s okay folks, pretty soon your standing water problems will become Mosquito infested problems for the Contra Costa County Mosquito Abatement District instead !Who will offer no solutions either, except to make work for themselves !
Like most Government agencies, that offer no solutions, but just to threaten with jail and or fines for your (Illegal) activities, they will beat you with a stick, while scratching their heads and say it’s your problem to deal with, but if you want to levie yourselves with more tax amendments, to deal with it, they are all for it ! Nice guy’s huh !
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