1.    What sewer/sanitation districts does the County maintain? 2.    How many miles of sewer lines does the County maintain? 3.    How old are the sewer systems in the County Districts? 4.    Why are the rates increasing again? How will the money from this rate increase be spent? 5.    What causes sewer blockages? 6.    Is there financial assistance for my bill? 7.    What happens after the five years of proposed rates? 8.    Does the number of customers in a district affect the rates? 9.    Can our district be annexed to the adjacent city? 10.  Can our district build our own treatment plant? 11.  Can our district build our own sewer line to the treatment plant? 12.  What can I do to help reduce future rate increases? 13.  How do I learn more about the requirements? 14.  Is my sewer service charge based on how much water I use? 15.  Why do some districts pay for sewage treatment costs based on flow?           1. What sewer/sanitation districts does the County maintain? The 10 (ten) sewer/sanitation districts maintained by the County are: Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District Crystal Springs County Sanitation District Devonshire County Sanitation District Edgewood Sewer Maintenance District Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District Harbor Industrial Sewer Maintenance District Kensington Square Sewer Maintenance District Oak Knoll Sewer Maintenance District Scenic Heights County Sanitation District Map of sewer/sanitation district locations   Back to top                               2. How many miles of sewer lines does the County maintain? The County maintains approximately 150 miles of sewer mains for the Districts. Due to topography, most of the Districts have sewer lines located in easements (side yards or backyards), which are not easily accessible for maintenance or repair. The vegetation adjacent to easement lines often requires trimming before the crew can perform their work. Preventative maintenance activities for these lines must be performed by hand equipment or by truck mounted equipment that can be stretched or carried by the sewer crew from a roadway to an access point on the easement line. Often lines located in easements have a higher potential for blockages due to root intrusion from the vegetation present in easements. Maintenance and repair of easement lines is more expensive than lines located in roadways. The table below lists the miles of sewer mains per district and the percentages of sewer mains within each District located in easements (side yards or backyards) versus streets. District Name Miles of Sewer Main in District Percentage of Sewer Mains in Easements Percentage of Sewer Main in Streets Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District 7.2 40.57% 59.43% Crystal Springs County Sanitation District 18.9 29.28% 70.72% Devonshire County Sanitation District 4.5 38.48% 61.52% Edgewood Sewer Maintenance District 0.3 28.75% 71.25% Emerald Lake Heights Sewer Maintenance District 29.0 38.79% 61.21% Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District 81.3 17.30% 82.70% Harbor Industrial Sewer Maintenance District 1.3 15.8% 84.2% Kensington Square Sewer Maintenance District 0.8 0.00% 100.00% Oak Knoll Sewer Maintenance District 1.5 33.43% 66.57% Scenic Heights County Sanitation District 2.5 13.30% 86.70%   Back to top                               3. How old are the sewer systems in the County Districts? The age of the systems ranges from 24 to 77 years old. The average age is 56 years old.   Back to top                               4. Why are the rates increasing again?  How will the money from this rate increase be spent? The rates adopted for the 2006-07 fiscal year were increased in five (5) of the Districts in order to cover the costs of sewage treatment, downstream capital improvements (except for the Crystal Springs County Sanitation District), and operation and maintenance.The rates for the Fair Oaks, Harbor Industrial, Kensington Square, and Oak Knoll Sewer Maintenance Districts were not increased because the rates set for the 2005-06 fiscal year were sufficient to cover the Districts’ anticipated expenses. The rates for the Crystal Springs County Sanitation District were not increased due to a Proposition 218 majority protest. The increases last year were not sufficient to cover the costs of other proactive programs such as the three year implementation of a Sanitary Sewer Management Plan (SSMP) required by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, district capital improvement projects, and contingencies. The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and the State Water Resources Control Board consider sewer overflows to be a source of pollution to surface or ground waters that can threaten public health, adversely affect aquatic life, and impair the recreational use and aesthetic enjoyment of surface waters. The proposed rates include paying for the cost of complying with stricter regulations and operating and maintaining existing aging facilities. The estimate of costs took into consideration; The age of the collection system Past maintenance cost history which includes maintaining sewers in easements (side yard or back yard) which are not easily accessible Providing emergency response to customers The requirement to perform condition assessment often comprised of regularly televising the interior of sewer mains Repair of damage discovered by the televising sewer mains Additional improvements to prevent sewer system overflows A program to eliminate fats, oils and grease in the sewer lines that can cause blockages that can result in overflows The increase in the cost of transporting and then treating the sewage to meet the stricter discharge standards set by the California Regional Water Quality Control Board   Back to top                               5. What causes sewer blockages? Some of the most common causes of sewer blockage are: Build-up of grease, debris or foreign objects in the sewer lateral or District sewer main. Partial or complete blockage caused by tree root intrusion into sewer pipes. Sewer line collapse caused by old and deteriorated sewer pipes. Debris entering the sewer system from illegal pipe connections. Here are a few tips that will help protect against blockages: Sewer mainline blockages are part of our emergency response. Helping reduce blockages can reduce the cost to fix the problem, and reduce overall District expenditures. Roots: Don’t plant trees or large shrubs near sewer lines. Roots grow toward breaks and cracks in the pipes in search of a source. If roots get inside the pipe, they form root balls that clog the line. Products are available that chemically treat roots which have found their way into pipes. Root intrusion Click picture to enlarge   Root intrusion Click picture to enlarge   Grease: Dispose of grease and fats with your trash – don’t put them down the drain! Grease collects and hardens inside the pipes and forms a plug. To learn more about proper grease disposal, visit www.calfog.org/images/BMPposter.jpg Grease build up Click picture to enlarge Grease build up Click picture to enlarge   Deteriorated pipes:  Some homes may have damaged or deteriorated pipes.  Before considering upgrades or replacement, you may want to contact a plumber to discuss which options are appropriate for your situation. Illegal plumbing connections: Don’t connect backyard drains, sump pumps and other drainage systems to the sanitary sewer. It’s illegal and debris and silt will clog your line. Consult a plumber to disconnect illegal connections.   Back to top                               6. Is there financial assistance for my bill? The State of California has two programs available to persons of limited income who are 62 years old or older, blind, or disabled; and who are United States citizens or eligible aliens. Information on the Property Tax Assistance Program may be obtained by contacting the Franchise Tax Board at 1-800-868-4171 or at the internet website  http://www.ftb.ca.govand information on the Property Tax Postponement Program may be obtained from the State Controller Office at 1-800-952-5661 or at the internet website  http://www.sco.ca.gov.   Back to top                               7.What happens after the five years of proposed rates? This will depend on the future regulations. The County will re-evaluate the financial situation at that time to determine if the rates should be increased or decreased.   Back to top                               8. Does the number of customers in a district affect the rates? The customer base of most Districts is small compared to many other sewer service providers. Therefore, sewer service charges can be higher per customer as it is necessary to apportion the entire cost of mandated programs among the customer base. Generally, the sewer service charge is the primary revenue source of the District, which it uses to finance the cost of required programs, capital improvement projects, downstream improvement projects, maintenance activities, and sewage treatment (i.e. cost /small customer base = larger charge per customer).   Back to top                               9. Can our district be annexed to the adjacent city? Unincorporated areas served by small county sewer districts typically pay higher rates than their neighbors in the adjacent city because district expenses are spread over a much smaller customer base. These communities may wish to investigate annexation to the appropriate city, which might lower their sewer rates. While sewer rates change from jurisdiction to jurisdiction, property tax is limited to 1% of assessed value whether property is unincorporated or within city limits. For information about annexation to a city, contact the Local Agency Formation Commission (LAFCo) at (650) 363- 4224. Back to top                               10. Can our district build our own treatment plant? This is not a reasonable solution given the existing regulatory constraints. It would also be very costly to build a treatment plant. Funding would have to be obtained to purchase property for a treatment plant, construct treatment facilities, add additional staff to operate and maintain the plant, and treat the raw sewage to meet State standards .   Back to top                               11. Can our district build our own sewer line to the treatment plant? Building dedicated sewer lines to the existing treatment plants would be cost prohibitive. We would need additional funding to construct and maintain the new pipelines. It is more cost effective to use other agencies’ pipelines to transport sewage because the cost to operate, maintain, and upgrade the pipelines is shared with other agencies.   Back to top                               12.What can I do to help reduce future rate increases? Do your part to reduce blockages. Helpful tips to avoid blockages.    Back to top                               13.How do I learn more about the requirements? There are several resources available to help you learn more about the requirements. Here are some useful links for additional information. San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board  – Requirements for Preparing Sewer System Management Plan (SSMP) and SSMP Development Guide State Water Resources Control Board – Statewide General Waste Discharge Requirements for Sanitary Sewer Systems State Water Resources Control Board Sanitary Sewer Overflow Program - http://www.swrcb.ca.gov/sso/index.html Bay Area Clean Water Agencies - http://www.bacwa.org/   Back to top                               14. Is my sewer service charge based on how much water I use? Commercial and Industrial use customers sewer charge is based on water consumption. Single Family Residential customer rates in the Districts are based on a set sewer charge rate. The charge for Multi Family Housing Complexes is calculated based on the number of number of units (ie. the sewer charge for a duplex is calculated at two times the Single Family Residential rate). The payments made by the Crystal Springs County Sanitation District, Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District, and Fair Oaks Sewer Maintenance District for downstream sewage treatment is based on flow from the district, which is related to water consumption. The Crystal Springs County Sanitation District also pays for “out of district” capital improvement projects based on flow rates. The Burlingame Hills Sewer Maintenance District pays for “out of district” capital improvements projects based on a specified percentage.   Back to top                               15. Why do some districts pay for sewage treatment costs based on flow? All the Districts have agreements with cities for the treatment of sewage emanating from the Districts. Each of these agreements requires the District to pay the city for treatment. These costs are either based on flow rates from the Districts or per connection based on usage type.   Back to top