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HomeMy WebLinkAbout5C - Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy MEETING DATE: AGENDA #: PREPARED BY: AGENDA ITEM: DISCUSSION: 4646 Dakota Street S.E. Prior Lake, MN 55372-1714 CITY COUNCIL AGENDA REPORT MARCH 2, 2009 5C STEVE ALBRECHT, DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS CONSIDER APPROVAL OF A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE SANITARY SEWER MAINTENANCE POLICY Introduction The purpose of this agenda item is to consider approval of the City of Prior Lake Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy. Historv Currently, the City of Prior Lake maintains 565,435 lineal feet or 107 miles of public mains, 2,809 manholes and 39 lift stations within its sanitary sewer system. Although City staff maintains records on maintenance activities, there is no written policy and procedures that state the practices, frequency, direction or purpose for maintaining one of the City's largest assets. Current Circumstances The League of Minnesota Cities (LMC) is the City's insurer and has recommended that all Cities have an adopted policy and procedures to limit liability and ensure coverage by insurance. The procedures identified in this policy are intended to maintain the City's sanitary sewer system to prevent sewer backups and to extend the service life of the system. While developing this policy, City staff took into consideration public safety, city budget, personnel, environmental concerns, and the cost of implementation versus the benefit to be achieved. As in the past, the City will use its employees, equipment and/or private contactors to provide this service. Attached, you will find a copy of the proposed Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy and completed Sanitary Sewer System Assessment utilized to develop the Policy. On February 2, 2009 the City Council reviewed the draft policy and directed staff to make changes to the policy and bring it back for Council approval at a future meeting. Conclusion The Council is being asked to approve the Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy so that staff can implement and educate the citizens of Prior Lake about the policy through pamphlets, local newspaper and the City's website. Staff intends to continue an annual review of the policy and improvement processes, along with periodic annual updates to ordinances which relate to City water and sanitary sewer systems. R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 0.~etil;A~jQGce/pdii~~~c1-245 www.cityofpriorlake.com ISSUES: This agenda item allows the City Council, City Staff, and the residents of the city an opportunity to completely understand the responsibilities involved in maintaining the city sanitary sewer system. The LMCIT has recommended the City adopt this policy and follow its procedures to ensure that City's insurance is not voided due to unintended actions thereby exposing the City to additional liability. Of particular concern to City Staff is clarification of the City's involvement in sewage backups in private residences caused by plugged sewer mains. The League has been very clear in directing that if a City has an adopted sewer maintenance policy and follows procedures that the City should only assist with cleanups related to sewer backups. This prohibits the City from participating in restoration of property damaged due to sewer backups. The LMC policy on this type of incident is clear in that restoration is the responsibility of the homeowner and they should carry the required insurance protection. FINANCIAL IMPACT: Although there are no current financial impacts, City staff have previously budgeted $2,000.00 for lift station/jetting notifications as part of the sewer utility enterprise fund, account #49450-203. These funds will be utilized to mail pamphlets informing all residents of the new sanitary sewer maintenance policy. The pamphlets and any additional information will be available on the website in the new area under Public Works that relates to sanitary sewer. ALTERNATIVES: 1. Approve a resolution authorizing the adoption of the City of Prior Lake Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy dated March 2009. 2. Table this agenda item for a specific reason. 3. Deny this agenda item for a specific reason and provide staff with direction. RECOMMENDED Alternative #1 MOTION: Reviewed fY ,I. I .1 ..W~i~ Frank Boyles, CIuer I R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 09\sanitary sewer maintenance policy agenda. DOC A RESOLUTION ADOPTING THE CITY OF PRIOR LAKE SANITARY SEWER MAINTENANCE POLICY Motion By: Second By: WHEREAS, Implementation of a Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy allows the City of Prior Lake to comply with all applicable state and federal regulatory requirements; and WHEREAS, Adoption of this policy is recommended by the League of Minnesota Cities to ensure that the City does not void insurance coverage or take on additional liability; and WHEREAS, The City of Prior Lake intends to provide effective and efficient maintenance to its sanitary sewer system to meet the guidelines established in this policy; and WHEREAS, The intent of the Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy is to prevent sewer backups and to extend the life of the system. NOW THEREFORE, BE IT HEREBY RESOLVED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF PRIOR LAKE, MINNESOTA as follows: 1. The recitals set forth above are incorporated herein as if fully set out herein. 2. The City Council adopts the City of Prior Lake Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy dated March, 2009. 3. Staff is directed to prepare a mailing to residents informing them of the policy and procedures. PASSED AND ADOPTED THIS 2nd DAY OF MARCH, 2009. YES NO I Haugen I Erickson I Hedber9 I LeMair I Millar Haugen Erickson Hedber9 LeMair Millar Frank Boyles, City Manager R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 09\sanitary sewer maint!W$!~ Dolicv reso.doc www.ClLyOIIJrIorJClKe.com Phone 952.447.9800 / Fax 952.447.4245 I. PRIOR LAKE SANITARY SEWER MAINTENANCE POLICY A. Introductionl Purpose It is the policy of the City of Prior Lake to comply with all applicable state and federal regulatory requirements. The City's Sanitary Sewer System is one of the largest infrastructure systems the City maintains. The City has 565,435 feet or 107 miles of public sewer mains, 2,809 manholes and 39 lift/pump stations within its sanitary sewer system. The City intends to provide effective and efficient maintenance of its sanitary sewer by implementing a policy and procedures to provide for the regular evaluation and maintenance of the all the components of the City's sanitary sewer system. Procedures identified in this policy are intended to maintain the useful life of the City's sanitary sewer system, avert preventable sewer backups and comply with applicable state and federal regulatory requirements. Factors such as public safety, the City's budget and personnel resources, environmental concerns, and the relationship between implementing the policy and the anticipated benefits from implementing the policy were examined and evaluated. The City will make every effort to use its employees and equipment to undertake the tasks provided for in this policy. However, from time to time, when City resources are not available the City may use private contractors to provide inspection and maintenance services Budget constraints, critical equipment failure, weather and other emergencies may prevent the City from meeting the guidelines established herein. The Public Works Director may override provisions established within this policy. However any deviations from the goals established in this policy will be documented and reported to the City Council as required by Section E. B. Routine Maintenance and Inspection Goals Sanitary Sewer Mains The City will maintain the components of the public sanitary sewer system. This includes sanitary sewer mains, manholes, lift stations, and other components. Private S/Sanitary/Sewer main! Sanitary Maintenance Policy 2009 property owners are responsible for the maintenance of sanitary sewer service components from their property up to and including the connection to the public system. Examples of these components are as follows: . The entire service line from the house to the city sanitary main line. . The connection to the city sanitary main. . Maintenance of clean-out access points in the service line. . Clearing of debris in venting stack to eliminate bubbling or surging of water from toilet or laboratory fixtures. a. Schedule The City's goal is to inspect and maintain the components of its sanitary sewer system according to the schedule set out in Exhibit A. The sanitary sewer mains and facilities in the City's sanitary sewer system are designated by Category. The Category classification determines what level of maintenance the sewer main or facility receives. When a sewer main or facility is identified as anything other than Category 1, the reasons why maintenance is needed on a different schedule will be documented. b. Equipment The equipment used to perform maintenance will depend upon the equipment available and its effectiveness as determined by qualified staff. Such equipment may include a vactor/jetter, an easement cleaning machine and other construction equipment to maintain access and repair of sanitary related structures. c. Television Inspection The City's sanitary sewer mains will be inspected by television camera in accordance with Exhibit B. Any sewer mains located on a street where a street maintenance project is planned will be inspected before and after such a project. Sanitary sewer mains in a new development must be televised before said mains are turned over to the City. Television inspection may also be used to inspect the system where there are possible problems. In addition, the City may require any main near a construction site to be televised before and after the construction (Le., near blasting, digging, other activities that might disrupt the main, etc.) d. Visual Recordings Visual recordings of the sewer main televising will be required from any vendor performing this service for the City. A written report summarizing and interpreting the findings of the televising is also required. All visual and written reports must include pipe segmenting. Before a vendor may undertake any work, the Vendor must contact and coordinate with the City's Public Works Department to assure coordination of pipe numbering segments. Contact Information (952) 447- 9830. These records will be kept by the City for a minimum of 12 years. The Public Works Maintenance Supervisor is responsible for determining the classification of a main or facility into: Category 1 - receives normal sewer maintenance, S/Sanitary/Sewer main! Sanitary Maintenance Policy 2009 Category 2 - receives more frequent maintenance or Category 3 - receives maintenance less frequently than normal. Based on periodic assessments, the Category classification of a sewer main or facility may be adjusted from one category to another by the Public Works Maintenance Supervisor. Sanitary Sewer Lift Stations The City maintains lift stations using specific maintenance practices. The number of lift stations, location, date of installation, and capacity of each lift station is kept on record in the Public Works Department. Maintenance for each lift station is reflected in Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) and Standard Maintenance Procedures (SMP). Components of the SOP and the SMP are set out in Exhibit C c. Inflow and Infiltration Inflow and infiltration occur when clear water gets into the sanitary sewer system. This may occur through cracks or leaks in the sewer pipes and manholes or through sump pumps incorrectly connected to the sanitary sewer system. Inflow and infiltration can lead to backups, overflows and unnecessary and expensive treatment of clear water. City employees will periodically inspect manholes to identify any that may contribute to this problem. Sanitary sewer mains will be maintained and inspected pursuant to the City's Sanitary Sewer Maintenance Policy. D. Personnel Responsibilities and Requirements a. Exercise of Professional Judgment It is expected that City employees, in accordance with their job duties and responsibilities, will exercise their professional judgment in the implementation of this policy. Further, it is expected that in emergency situations City employees will be required to exercise their discretion by weighing various factors including but not limited: to safety concerns for the public and City employees; the potential for and possible extent of damage to private property; economic and budget considerations and the health and welfare of City residents if sanitation facilities are not available; and environmental concerns. b. Training and Education The City will provide periodic training to employees responsible for maintenance of and emergency response to issues with the sanitary sewer system. Training of employees will include education necessary to earn and maintain appropriate operator certifications. Training will also address standard operating procedures, proper use of equipment, emergency response and other topics required by state and federal regulatory agencies. c. Work Schedule S/Sanitary/Sewer main! Sanitary Maintenance Policy 2009 Full-time City employees in the Street and Utilities [)department will be expected to work eight-hour shifts. In emergencies, employees may be required to work in excess of eight hours. Budget and safety concerns may limit the length of time an employee is permitted to work. d. Weather Conditions Regular sewer maintenance operations will be conducted only when weather conditions do not endanger the City employees and equipment. Factors that may delay sewer maintenance operations include, but are not limited to: severe cold, severe heat, flooding, rain, snow and other severe weather events. E. Documentation The City will document all of its inspection and maintenance activities and emergency responses for its sanitary sewer system. The City will also document circumstances that limit its ability to comply with this policy. A report should be prepared no less than annually and presented to the City Council for the purpose of evaluating maintenance activities and for determining goals for the future. These records will be kept in accordance with the City's records retention schedule. F. Public Education Periodically, the City will inform residents of their responsibilities related to sanitary sewer service from the City of Prior Lake. Examples will include the City website (www.citvoforiorlake.com) , Wavelength, and Prior Lake American. G. Other Sanitary Sewer System Policies The City has a number of other policies and/or ordinances that are important to the ongoing operation of the City's sanitary sewer system. The following documents are available on the City's web site and in the public works department. · Emergency Response Policy · Public Sanitary Sewer Use Ordinance · Capital Improvement Program Policy S/Sanitary/Sewer main! Sanitary Maintenance Policy 2009 Exhibit A - Sanitary Collection Main Cleaning Status Category I Category II Category III Frequency Once per three years Once per year Once per six years Manhole Inspections: Twenty-five percent of total manholes in sanitary system annually. R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 09\Sewer Policy\schedule of services sanitary sewer maintenance policy.doc Exhibit B - Sanitary Television Inspection Reason City Maintenance Project Sanitary lining Sanitary backup/issue Construction project New development/construction Before X X After X X X X X R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 09\Sewer Policy\schedule of services sanitary sewer maintenance policy.doc Exhibit C - Lift Stations Service Type Service Provider Frequency Inspections Vendor Once per year Staff Twice per week Cleaning wet well Staff Twice per year Alarm system Staff Twice per year Generators Vendor Twice per year Staff Once per week Air-release valves Staff Once per year Pump calibrations Staff Twice per year I Site maintenance Staff Continuous R:\Council\2009 Agenda Reports\03 02 09\Sewer Policy\schedule of services sanitary sewer maintenance policy. doc