Document ID: s3://data.kl3m.ai/documents/govinfo/USCOURTS/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-04518/USCOURTS-cand-4_04-cv-04518-7/pdf.json

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

Document Text:

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

1

Stipulation and Order Modifying 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 MODIFYING 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 67 Filed 12/19/07 Page 1 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

2

Stipulation and Order Modifying 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.

Case 4:04-cv-04518-CW Document 67 Filed 12/19/07 Page 2 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

3

Stipulation and Order Modifying Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

The Parties thus STIPULATE to amendment of Section III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) as follows:

AMENDMENT TO CONSENT DECREE

I. Section III(6)(b) is amended to read as follows:

Within ninety (90) days after this amendment to Section III(6)(b) of the Consent

Decree is approved by the District Court, the City and District shall implement sewer

lateral inspection, repair and/or replacement programs as further provided herein. Such

programs shall require mandatory sewer lateral inspection upon the occurrence of the

triggers identified below. Repair, replacement or rehabilitation of sewer laterals shall

proceed according to the need indicated by inspection and according to a schedule that

requires the repair, rehabilitation or replacement within a reasonable time. Sewer main

repair, rehabilitation or replacement shall be prioritized based on an analysis of areas

with the greatest likelihood of sewer main infiltration and inflow and areas within 100

feet of creeks and streams identified as impacted by the sewer system in the healthy

waterways study required by section 10 ( healthy waterways study ). Sewer main repair, rehabilitation or replacement shall be implemented within the respective service area of

each agency and shall be coordinated with Capital Improvement Program (CIP) budgets

adopted by the City and the District and funded from the existing sewer rate structure. 

The triggers for sewer lateral inspection are:

1. Upon the occurrence of a sanitary sewer overflow from the private lateral;

2. Upon the discovery of either an illegal connection or an illegal discharge to the

public sewer system;

3. Upon application for a major remodel or the addition of a plumbing fixture having

assigned to it two or more fixture units as are assigned by the adopted Plumbing

Code;

4. Upon a change of use of the property served that results in a significant increase

in sewage discharged to the sewer system or demand for treatment of sewage, for

example, from a retail business to a restaurant;

5. In conjunction with the replacement or rehabilitation of the public sewer main to

Case 4:04-cv-04518-CW Document 67 Filed 12/19/07 Page 3 of 4
1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9

10

11

12

13

14

15

16

17

18

19

20

21

22

23

24

25

26

27

28

4

Stipulation and Order Modifying Consent Decree [C 04 4518 CW]

which the lateral is connected; and

6. Upon the occurrence of a qualifying sewer lateral service call, where the

service provider finds indications of a damaged sewer lateral; 

7. Within one year of a determination by the healthy waterways study that a creek or

stream is impacted by the sewer system, sewer laterals serving parcels that are

located within 100 feet of any such impacted creek or stream.

The City and the District retain the discretion to modify the program requirements set

forth herein. Any such modification shall be subject to the review and consent of River Watch,

but River Watch may not unreasonably withhold its consent so long the City and/or the District

demonstrates that the program results in inspection of 20% of the sewer laterals during the first

seven years after the approval of the alternative program. II. Section III(6)(c) is hereby deleted.

III. 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

Sections III(6)(b) and III(6)(c) of the January 13, 2006 Consent Decree are hereby amended as set

forth above.

IT IS SO ORDERED.

Dated: _________________, 2007

____________________________________ CLAUDIA WILKEN

United States District Judge

J:\Clients\107 [Ukiah]\[002 Riverwatch II]\Plead\Stipulation and Order Modifying Consent Decree.wpd

12/19

Case 4:04-cv-04518-CW Document 67 Filed 12/19/07 Page 4 of 4