Chapter 18.10
SEWERS

Sections:

18.10.000    Latecomer agreements (water and/or sewer).

18.10.010    Sewer connections.

18.10.020    Prohibitions.

18.10.030    Unlawful connections.

18.10.040    Defective private drain pipes.

18.10.050    Draining of swimming pools.

18.10.000 Latecomer agreements (water and/or sewer).

Latecomer agreements shall be agreements executed pursuant to the laws of the state of Washington as codified under Chapter 35.91 RCW, where the city may contract with owners of real estate for the construction of water and sewer facilities serving the property, which property is located within the city or within 10 miles from the corporate limits and where the city may provide a fair pro rata share of reimbursement to the owners from persons who subsequently share in the use of such facilities after they are dedicated to the city.

18.10.010 Sewer connections.

A. When Required. The owner of any building within 200 feet of any trunk or lateral sewer must connect to the sewer within 60 days of acquiring the property and must pay to the city a connection fee as set forth in Chapter 15.00 ECDC. All connection fees shall be paid to the city before connecting to the sewer.

B. Future Connection. The owners of any house or home not within 200 feet of any trunk or lateral sewer within the city must connect to the sewer within 60 days of the completion of any future trunk or lateral sewer upon which the homeowner may then abut or be within 200 feet, as required by the regulations set forth in this chapter. Any owner or owners who become subject to these regulations and charges as a result of a latecomer agreement shall be required to connect for a period of two years after the acceptance date by the city council of the sewer subject to such agreement.

C. Restriction of Water Service. If a property owner or owners within an area served by sewerage systems of the city, including those property owners on streets and alleys within 200 feet along which sanitary sewers have been constructed, have not connected their private sanitary drain and sewers with the city system, the city may restrict water service to the property to the minimum necessary to insure health and safety of the inhabitants, or where a health hazard exists or is threatened the city may shut off the city water supply to the premises.

D. Connection. The city council may order connection to the sewer, and the director of public works shall report to the city council as soon as possible, an assessment roll showing the description of the property connected, and the cost of each connection.

E. Hearing. The city clerk shall notify the owner of each property in the same manner as notice is provided in a local improvement district of each proposed assessment. The city council shall hold a hearing under the procedures applicable to a Type V legislative process. The city council shall, by ordinance after the hearing, assess the cost of making the connection against the property connected. The assessment shall become a lien against each property, shall be collected in the manner provided by law for the collection of local improvement assessments, and shall bear interest at the rate of interest established by ordinance from the date of the approval of the assessment.

F. Permit Required. It shall be unlawful for any person to make any sort of connection to the city sewer line without a permit from the public works director. [Ord. 3788 § 2, 2010].

18.10.020 Prohibitions.

A. Injuries. No person shall injure, break or remove any portion of any manhole, lamphole, flush tank or any part of the trunk or lateral sewer of the city of Edmonds.

B. Obstructions. No person shall deposit any garbage, rubbish, dead animals or any substance or thing having a tendency to obstruct the flow of any sewer in any manhole, lamphole, flush tank or sewer opening.

C. Connections and Smoke Testing. No person shall connect, permit the connection, or allow to be maintained any connection, any downspout drain, storm drain or drainage of any kind or description whatsoever other than sanitary sewerage connections as authorized by the city of Edmonds into the sanitary sewerage system of the city of Edmonds. The public works director is authorized to conduct smoke testing of the city sewer system to detect illegal connections to the city sewerage system.

18.10.030 Unlawful connections.

A. Notice. If any land or structure contains an unauthorized connection to the sewerage system as prohibited by this chapter, such connection or the maintenance of such connection shall constitute a misdemeanor subject to the penalties provided for in Chapter 5.50 ECC. In addition, and not by way of limitation, the public works director or his designee may send notice to correct such violation to the owner of the premises addressed to the street address of the premises. Where the records of the water/sewer utility show a different address for the owner, a copy of the notice shall be mailed to that street address shown for billing purposes.

B. Administrative Hearing. The property owner may request an administrative hearing regarding the unauthorized connection, the maintenance of the connection and/or the property owner’s failure to connect to the sewerage system (hereinafter “condition”). Such request may be made in writing within 30 days of the date of the mailed notice specified in subsection (A) of this section. Such hearing shall be conducted before the hearing examiner as a Type II procedure pursuant to the procedures set forth in Chapter 20.06 ECDC.

C. Charge. If the condition has not been corrected within the period specified by the public works director, not less than 60 days from the date of mailing of the notice, there shall be added to the utility bill prescribed by the Edmonds City Code for such premises an additional utility charge of $20.00 per month for each month of violation after the expiration of the specified period. The additional is not a fine or penalty but rather is reflective of the additional burdens placed on the city’s utility system and is assessed as a utility charge. The additional charge shall continue and be collected along with the full sewerage rate until such time as the owner of the premises corrects such condition. Upon correction, an additional utility charge of $20.00 per month shall cease. [Ord. 3788 § 3, 2010].

18.10.040 Defective private drain pipes.

A. Notice. If any private drain pipe connected with the trunk and lateral sewer becomes obstructed, broken or out of order, the public works director may notify in writing the owner, agent or occupant of such premises, and order the repair of the pipe within a specified period.

B. Correction. If the pipe is not corrected within the specified period, the failure to correct shall be a misdemeanor subject to penalty as provided in this code. In addition, but not by way of limitation, the public works director may cause the drain pipe to be removed, reconstructed, replaced or altered, as he deems best, at the expense of the owner, agent or occupant of such premises. The cost of correction shall be a lien upon the premises. The assessment shall be collected and the lien enforced by legal action.

18.10.050 Draining of swimming pools.

A. No Building Permit to Issue. No building or construction permit shall issue for the construction of any facility used in or as a part of any swimming pool, hot tub, jacuzzi, bathing facility, stock watering trough, holding tank, or any other facility designed and intended for the storage of water in quantities in excess of 50 gallons where such facility is designed and intended to drain into the city sewerage system through any city owned grinder pump.

B. Prohibition. It shall be unlawful for any individual to drain any swimming pool, hot tub, jacuzzi, stock water trough, or any other facility designed or intended to hold more than 50 gallons of water through any city owned grinder pump or to do so without the permit required in subsection C of this section.

C. Permit Required. No person shall drain any of the facilities described in subsections A and B of this section without first having obtained a current city permit. The permit shall be posted on the building or premises where the drainage is to occur and, unless revoked, shall not be removed until such work has been finally approved by the public works director.

1. Fee. The fee for a drainage permit shall be $10.00.

2. Approval Criteria. The public works director shall only approve an application if it is in his judgment that the drainage of the facility herein described can be done through the city’s sanitary and/or public sewer system directly in a manner which will not endanger the grinder pump nor shall it overload the sanitary or storm sewerage systems in such a way as to threaten the public’s health, safety and welfare.

3. Term – Permits. Each permit shall be issued with respect to one drainage and shall be good for a period of 30 days from the date of issue. [Ord. 2470, 1984].