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er District costs related to correcting the un-permitted connection, plus applicable capacity charges and regular sewer service charges. The District will soon begin actively iden-tifying suspected unpermitted connections through lawfully conducted inspections. “We have already identified more than 100 additional properties suspected of hav-

Enforcement Period Now Under Way As of July 1, 2011, the program’s enforce-ment period began. During this second phase onward, all property owners that are identi-fied with unpermitted residential connections will be subject to up to three years’ unpaid sewer service charges, fines, penalties and oth-

A dopted last year, the Ojai Valley Sani-tary District’s program to address unpermitted (bootlegged and illegal)

sewer connections is yielding positive results, report OVSD officials. District Board mem-bers and staff are pleased, and see the progress thus far as a victory for fairness. It’s estimated there may be hundreds of local property owners who have unpermitted sewer connections, most often from illegally converted garages and granny flats. These un-permitted connections are in effect subsidized by the sewer rates paid by other customers throughout the District. The OVSD believes everyone should pay their fair share for sani-tary sewer service. The program provided for a year-long amnesty period beginning on July 1, 2010 and expiring June 30, 2011. During the amnesty, property owners with an unpermitted connec-tion could avoid paying past sewer service fees and penalties if they came forward to correct the situation. At this writing, some 160 rate-payers have contacted the District, and nearly 90 cases have been resolved so far, many just by verifying that they do not have an unper-mitted connection. A recently-adopted OVSD Board ordinance makes it easier for violators to satisfy their obligations with the option of the deferred payment.

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Ojai Valley Sanitary District

PIPELINE

VITAL INFORMATION ON SANITARY SERVICE FOR OUR RESIDENTS OF THE DISTRICT

FALL 2011 • ISSUE NUMBER 21

Deferred Payment Options Now Available

The Ojai Valley Sanitary District has made it easier for property owners with unpermitted sewer connections to comply with the law. The OVSD Board of Directors recently

approved deferred payment plans for the connection fee (capacity-related charges), usually amounting to around $16,000. The financing plans are available to property owners with unpermitted sewer connections who contacted the District during the amnesty phase, and even those property owners with unpermitted connections who have yet to be identified by the District during the current and ongoing enforcement phase of the program. Essentially all District ratepayers are now eligible for financing of the connection fee when hooking up to the OVSD sewer system. Customers may finance the connection fee (capacity-related charges) for a period of five years at zero-percent interest; for ten years at 5 percent interest; or for 15 years at 7 percent interest. Payments will be made annually on the property tax bill. The deferred payment option is available to finance connection fees (capacity-related charges) only. Penalties and past sewer service fees owed by property owners who did not take advantage of the amnesty cannot be financed on the deferred payment program.

Fairnessfor

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The Ojai Valley Sanitary District Wastewa-ter Treatment Plant was recently selected

as tops in the state among plants its size. The local facility – which protects the public health and the environment 365 days a year – is win-ner of the Small Plant of the Year Award from the California Water Environment Association (CWEA). The award recognizes excellence in plant performance, including operations and main-tenance, safety, laboratory and regulatory compliance, which is becoming increasingly more stringent.

“This award is a tribute to the dedication and teamwork of everyone involved in our Treatment Plant operations. We’re very proud

of them,” said Ron Sheets, OVSD Opera-tions Superintendent, who oversees

the treatment plant, the collection system

opera-

tion and maintenance crews. “This is also a salute to our Board of Directors, which makes sure the plant has the resources to continue operating at a high level. The crew here at the plant is very enthusi-astic about this statewide recognition. We all feel we really accomplished something.” “The fact that we came out on top in com-petition with other excel-

lent treatment plants gave us a good feeling,” added Bradshaw Pruitt, Plant Supervising Operator. The Ojai Valley Sanitary District serves the sewage collection and wastewater treat-ment needs of a population totaling 23,000 between Ojai’s east end and Shell Road – in-cluding the City of Ojai, Meiners Oaks, Oak

View and the North Ventura Av-

enue area. Sewage from homes and businesses flows through 120 miles of un-derground trunk and main sewer lines to the Wastewater

Treatment Plant, located near Cañada Larga Road.

At the plant, a highly auto-mated biological process treats the sew-

age. The process results in some 800 mil-lion gallons of clean water that is recycled annually back into the Ventura River. Built in 1964, the Treatment Plant under-went an extensive, environmentally friend-ly redesign and upgrade in 1997. It remains state-of-the art today. The California Water Environment Association (CWEA) is a non-profit public

benefit association of about 9,000 profession-als in the water environment field. They train and certify wastewater professionals, dis-seminate technical information, and promote sound policies to benefit society through protection and enhancement of our water environment.

“This project makes perfect sense,” said Ron Sheets, OVSD Co-Interim General Man-ager. “Preventing a potential environmental incident is an end in itself, plus it is far cheaper than having to come back and repair a major mishap after it has occurred.” For the project, underground sewer line totaling 1,200 linear feet will be realigned away from San Antonio Creek, using horizon-tal directional drilling. The new sewer line will be tied into the existing sewer line at a point northeast of the area of concern. The new line will follow an alignment adjacent to Creek Road heading west and then tie into the origi-nal line at a location northwest of the area of concern. The original pipelines will be aban-doned in place, but service to them will be

terminated after the new pipeline is completed and operational. During construction of the new segments, the current pipelines will remain in use, allowing for undis-rupted wastewater treatment dur-ing construction. OVSD has already sent out letters requesting qualifica-tions from engineering firms to do the planning and design. After selection of an engineer-ing firm for design, work is ex-pected to begin within a year, and must be completed by 2014. District officials estimate the final cost of the project will be about $1.2 million.

“This award is a tribute to the dedication and teamwork of everyone involved in our Treatment Plant operations”

OVSD Treatment Plant Wins Top Award

FEMA Grant Helps OVSD Protect the Local EnvironmentThe Ojai Valley Sanitary District was re-

cently awarded a grant of more than $900,000 by the Federal Emergency Man-agement Agency (FEMA) to provide major-ity financing for a project to protect the local environment. The Ojai TrunkSewer Relocation Mitiga-tion Project will replace and relocate a section of vulnerable sewer pipeline along San Anto-nio Creek near Creek Road and Encino Drive. The existing section of pipeline that the project will relocate is subject to washouts and possible sewage spills, OVSD officials explained. The purpose of this FEMA grant, which meshes with the operating philosophy of the District, is to be proactive – prevent en-vironmental disasters before they can occur.

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A s you’ve driven to Ventura over the last couple of years, you might have noticed

construction crews at work in the field be-tween Brooks Institute and the Fire Station or along Crooked Palm Road or the bike path south of Cañada Larga.

You were seeing the Ojai Valley Sanitary District’s Ventura Avenue Sewer Improve-ments Project under way – designed to protect the environment by replac-ing aging infrastructure built in the 1960s. The project has now been completed, on budget and on time. This is an example of OVSD’s proactive approach, District of-ficials said. “The project was de-signed to stop environment-degrad-ing sewage spills before they happen,” said Ron Sheets, OVSD Co-Interim General Manager. “The completed proj-ect also increases efficiency, cuts operating costs and reduces the carbon footprint.” The $6.5 million project consisted of three phases: construction of two new sewer pipelines, and a complete rebuilding and re-furbishing of the pumping station on Orchard Drive, near

Ventura Avenue, south of the Pepsi plant. One of the new sewer pipes is a gravity line running from the Valley Vista tract and Brooks Institute down

to the Orchard Drive pumping station. The other line is a nearly two mile-long

force main through which sewage is pumped from the Orchard Drive pumping station to the OVSD Treat-

ment Plant. The new configuration

eliminated an existing pumping station at the old Petro-chem

Refinery, which will reduce the use of electrical power and save the costs of maintaining the in-stallation.

The only visible signs to-day that the construc-

tion crews were in the area, dug the trenches and built the underground pipelines are

slightly newer areas of paving on the surface. Examples include parts of Crooked Palm Road and the bike path, above the now

buried force main. Financing for the Ventura Avenue Sewer Im-provements Project came from the sale of bonds by the District about four years ago.

The Ventura Avenue Sewer Improvements Proj-

ect is a continuation of the District-wide rehabilitation ef-

forts being implemented through wastewater collection system cap-

ital improvement projects deemed essential to protect the environment by reducing the risk of future sew-age spills.

“This is an example of OVSD’s Proactive approach to reducing it’s footprint”

For the third year in a row, the Ojai Valley Sanitary Dis-trict is holding the line on sewer service rates. Rates will

remain the same for the 2011-2012 fiscal year. Even though operational costs are going up, the District is making the most efficient use of existing resources, scruti-nizing expenses and always looking for budgetary belt-tight-

ening opportunities, said Brenda Krout, District Co-Interim General Manager.

“Members of our District Board of Directors are sensitive to the economic times and the tough situations that people are endur-

ing, and are doing all they can to make it as easy as possible for our rate payers,” she said.

Sewer Rates Remain the Same for 2011-2012

Local Environmental Safeguard is Completed

:

Questions or Concerns About Your Sanitary Sewer Service? Please speak to our Ojai Valley Sanitary

District Customer Service Representative, Laurie Johnson, or email her at laurie.johnson@ojaisan.org.

OVSD provides speakers for community organizations. Learn more about how your Sanitary District protects the local environment and public health.

Guided tours of the OVSD Wastewater Treatment Plant are available. Contact Treatment Plant Supervisor Bradshaw Pruitt, or email him at bradshaw.pruitt@ojaisan.org to set up a guided tour for your group to see how this top-rated facility operates.

Just call: (805) 646-5548

We’re Here to Help!Great News!

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www.facebook.com/ojaisanKeep up to date with what’s happening in the District.

Get the latest information on your sanitary service.

Nutrient-rich, Class A composted biosolids are available at NO COST from the Ojai Valley Sanitary District.

Pick up a bag, or a truckload, of this highly beneficial soil amendment at the District’s wastewater treatment plant located at 6363 North Ventura Avenue.

ing an unpermitted connection,” said Brenda Krout, OVSD Co-Interim General Manager. “These will be the first to receive a notice in which District officials request a property inspection. If consent is denied the District may obtain an inspection warrant.”

Legal Rights & Obligations Spelled Out If an unpermitted connection exists, the District will serve the property owner a “No-tice of Violation” by certified mail. Among other things, this notice will:

Continued from page 1

• State the nature and grounds for the viola-tion and provide contact information by which the owner may contact the District regarding the Notice.

• State the total amount that the owner must pay the District to correct the violation, de-tailing all charges.

• Advise that correction of the violation re-quires the owner to pay the District the specified charges within 60 days of the date the owner was served with the Notice of Violation.

• Advise that the owner has a right to a hear-ing and appeal on the matter and describe how the owner may request a hearing and appeal.

• Advise that if the owner does not pay the amount demanded in the Notice of Viola-tion within 60 days, then the amount will be considered delinquent and unpaid charges subject to collection as part of the annual taxes next levied on the property, and will constitute a lien on the property.

The complete ordinance addressing un-permitted connections can be viewed on the District’s website at www.ojaisan.org.

Another Option to Consider Under the District’s new enforcement policies, property owners with an unpermitted residential connection have the option, with no cost imposed by the District, of voluntarily disconnecting the unpermitted sewer connec-tion or altering the offending structure so that its sewer connection does not require a permit. If you’re interested in determining if you have an unpermitted connection, legalizing an unpermitted sewer connection or need ad-ditional information about disconnecting an unpermitted sewer connection, please call the District’s Customer Service Representative, Laurie Johnson, at (805) 646-5548.

Fairnessfor

Ojai Valley Sanitary District1072 Tico Road, Ojai, CA 93023www.ojaisan.org

Board of DirectorsGeorge Galgas Division 1 – Asst. SecretaryRandy Burg, Division 2Pete Kaiser, Division 3 – Vice ChairmanBill O’Brien, Division 4Russ Baggerly, Division 5 – ChairmanStan Greene, Division 6William Murphy, Division 7 – Secretary

Acting General ManagersBrenda Krout & Ronald Sheets

Recycled Paper, Soy Based Inks

PIPELINE

Call (805) 646-5548 between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to ensure availability.