Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-04518/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-04518-6/pdf.json

Parties Involved:
City of Ukiah
Defendant
Northern California River Watch
Plaintiff
Ukiah Valley Sanitation District
Defendant

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Stipulation and Order Regarding Parties Request to Modify Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

David Rapport, City Attorney, SBN: 54384

CITY OF UKIAH

RAPPORT & MARSTON

405 W. Perkins Street

Ukiah, CA 95482

Telephone: (707) 462-6846

Facsimile: (707) 462-4235

Attorneys for Defendant

CITY OF UKIAH 

Rick W. Jarvis, SBN: 154479

Benjamin P. Fay, SBN: 178856

Daniel P. Doporto, SBN: 176192

JARVIS, FAY & DOPORTO, LLP

475 14TH Street, Suite 260

Oakland, CA 94612

Telephone: (510) 238-1400

Facsimile: (510) 238-1404

Email: rjarvis@jarvisfay.com

Attorneys for Defendants

CITY OF UKIAH and UKIAH VALLEY

SANITATION DISTRICT

UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT

NORTHERN DISTRICT OF CALIFORNIA - OAKLAND DIVISION

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RIVER WATCH,

a non-profit corporation,

Plaintiff,

v.

CITY OF UKIAH; UKIAH VALLEY

SANITATION DISTRICT; and DOES 1 through

10, inclusive,

Defendants,

 /

CASE NO: C04 4518 CW

STIPULATION AND [PROPOSED]

ORDER REGARDING PARTIES

REQUEST TO MODIFY CONSENT

DECREE

Complaint Filed: 10/6/04

2

nd Amended Complaint Filed: 6/13/05

RECITALS

A. The City of Ukiah ( the City ) owns, operates, and maintains a wastewater collection

system within the City and a wastewater treatment plant. The City also performs maintenance under

contract on additional collection lines located outside the City, which are owned by the Ukiah Valley

Case 4:04-cv-04518-CW Document 62 Filed 10/29/07 Page 1 of 4
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Stipulation and Order Regarding Parties Request to Modify Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

Sanitation District ( the District ). The Regional Water Quality Control Board for the North Coast

Region ( the Regional Board ) has issued Order No. 99-65, regulating the City's treatment plant. This

Order serves as an NPDES Permit under the federal Clean Water Act. B. Plaintiff Northern California River Watch ( River Watch ) brought the present action

pursuant to 33 U.S.C. § 1365 alleging that the City and the District were in violation of the NPDES

Permit in various respects. 

C. On January 13, 2006, the Court entered a Consent Decree in this case. The Consent

Decree was the product of settlement negotiations between the parties, and resolved all claims raised in

Plaintiff s lawsuit. It requires the City and the District to take certain specified actions relating to the

operation of the wastewater treatment plant and the wastewater collection lines.

D. Sections III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) of the Consent Decree require the City and the District to

each implement a sewer lateral inspection, repair, and/or replacement program. Generally speaking, the

Consent Decree requires that the City s and the District s program include sewer lateral inspections of

private properties at the time of sale. However, the Consent Decree authorizes the District (but not the

City) to develop an alternative program which meets certain specified performance criteria. The

Consent Decree required compliance with this obligation by January 13, 2007.

E. In early 2007, both the City and the District had adopted and begun implementation of

the required sewer lateral inspection and repair program. Such implementation resulted in significant

feedback from the public urging the City and the District to develop an alternative program which is not

based upon the sale of individual properties, but which is instead based upon consideration of other

factors which bear more directly on the likelihood of a lateral requiring repair (such as age and

composition of the lateral and the geographic location of the property).

F. On May 22, 2007, the parties stipulated that the City and the District could suspend its

compliance with Sections III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) until November 1, 2007, in order to provide them with

additional time to develop an alternative program. On May 30, 2007, the Court entered an order

approving this stipulation.

G. Thereafter, the City and the District have developed an alternative program for sewer

lateral inspection and repair, and River Watch has approved this alternative program. This alternative

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Stipulation and Order Regarding Parties Request to Modify Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

program identifies various triggers for mandatory sewer lateral inspections for private residences, as

are described in the proposed Order Modifying Consent Decree attached hereto as Exhibit A. H. In order for the City and the District to implement this alternative program in lieu of the

programs originally required under Sections III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) of the Consent Decree, the Court

would have to approve this proposed Order. The Parties stipulate and agree that it will be in the best

interest of the public and the environment for the Court to approve this proposed Order.

I. Before the Court may enter this proposed Order Modifying the Consent Decree, this

proposed Order arguably must first be served on the United States Attorney General and the

Administrator of the Environmental Protection Agency, for a 45-day review period, in accordance with

33 U.S.C. 1365(c) and 40 C.F.R. § 135.5(a). 

The Parties thus STIPULATE as follows:

STIPULATION

1. The Parties stipulate to entry of the proposed Order Modifying Consent Decree attached

hereto as Exhibit A.

2. If this stipulation is approved by the Court, the City shall serve the proposed Order

Modifying the Consent Decree on the United States Attorney General and the Administrator of the

Environmental Protection Agency for a 45-day review period, in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1365(c) and

40 C.F.R. § 135.5(a).

3. Following the completion of the 45-day review period, the City shall send a letter to

Judge Claudia Wilken notifying her that the review period has concluded and requesting her execution

of the proposed Order Modifying Consent Decree, if it meets with her approval.

4. The May 30, 2007 Order of the Court granted the City and the District a grace period

until November 1, 2007, to comply with the requirements of sections III(6)(b) and III(6)(c), and

recognized that an additional grace period would be necessary if the Consent Decree were to be

modified to provide for an alternative sewer lateral inspection and repair program. In accordance with

that Order, the Parties stipulate that the City and the District shall be granted an additional grace period,

pending federal review and the Court s consideration of the proposed Order Modifying Consent Decree. If the proposed Order is granted, the City s and the District s obligation to comply with sections

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Stipulation and Order Regarding Parties Request to Modify Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) shall be superceded in accordance with the terms of the proposed Order. If the

proposed Order is not ultimately granted, the grace period shall expire 60 days after the City and the

District are notified of the Court s rejection of the proposed Order. 5. All other provisions of the Consent Decree shall remain unchanged.

IT IS SO STIPULATED.

Dated: October 25, 2007 LAW OFFICE OF JACK SILVER

By: /s/Jerry Bernhaut 

Jerry Bernhaut

Attorneys for Plaintiff 

NORTHERN CALIFORNIA RIVER WATCH

Dated: October 25, 2007 JARVIS FAY & DOPORTO, LLP

By: /s/Rick W. Jarvis 

Rick W. Jarvis

Attorneys for Defendants CITY OF UKIAH and 

UKIAH VALLEY SANITATION DISTRICT

ORDER

The Court hereby approves the stipulation of the Parties. The City shall serve the proposed Order

Modifying Consent Decree on the United States Attorney General and the Administrator of the

Environmental Protection Agency for a 45-day review period, in accordance with 33 U.S.C. 1365(c) and

40 C.F.R. § 135.5(a), as required under Paragraph 2 of the Stipulation. The City shall notify this Court

once the 45 day review period has completed, as required under Paragraph 3 of the Stipulation. 

Following such notification, the Court will consider adoption of the proposed Order Modifying Consent

Decree. Pending completion of the foregoing actions, the obligation of the City of Ukiah and the Ukiah

Valley Sanitation District to comply with section III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) of the January 13, 2006 Consent

Decree is hereby suspended, in accordance with the terms of Paragraph 4 of the Stipulation.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: _________________, 2007

____________________________________ CLAUDIA WILKEN

United States District Judge

J:\Clients\107 [Ukiah]\[002 Riverwatch II]\Plead\Stipulation and Order Regarding Parties Request to Modify Consent Decree.wpd

10/29/07

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