Frequently Asked Questions:

Converting From an Individual Private Septic System to CCCSD Public Sewer Service in Alhambra Valley

Central Contra Costa Sanitary District (CCCSD) is an independent special district that collects and treats wastewater for ten cities and many unincorporated areas in central Contra Costa County. Our mission is to protect public health and the environment. One way to accomplish this mission is to assist property owners who choose to or need to convert from individual private septic systems to CCCSD public sewer service. The following are questions about this subject frequently asked of CCCSD staff. For additional information about CCCSD requirements and procedures, go to www.centralsan.org or call 925-229-7371.

The Contra Costa County Environmental Health Division (CCEH), not CCCSD, is the public agency responsible for regulating septic systems throughout Contra Costa County. Information about CCEH’s requirements regarding maintenance, expansion, enhancement, replacement or abandonment of septic systems is available at www.cchealth.org/groups/eh/ or by calling 925-646-5225.

1. Why convert from a septic system to cccsd sewer service?
CCEH considers use of septic systems in an urban or suburban setting to be a temporary means of wastewater treatment and disposal. Septic systems have limited life spans and some property owners may not have sufficient land with an adequate percolation rate for a replacement or reserve leach field area when the existing system fails. In such cases, the only alternatives available may be an expensive, engineered septic system or abandonment of the septic system and connection to the public sewer system. Additionally, if your property is within 300 feet of an existing CCCSD sewer, CCEH may require you to connect to the sewer when your existing system fails or if you are planning substantial improvements to your home.

Converting from an individual private septic system to public sewer may increase the market value of your property. Additionally, if your existing septic system is failing, the market value of your property can decrease until you fix the situation by repairing/replacing your septic system or connecting to CCCSD’s sewer system. Also, since septic systems are unpopular with most homebuyers and can limit the ability to expand your house or build over portions of your property, having a septic system will result in your property being less marketable at time of sale, as compared to similar sewered properties.

2. Will building a public sewer promote growth in my neighborhood?
CCCSD is not a land-use planning agency; this is a city/county responsibility. Sewers are designed to accommodate the number of existing and future homes that are allowed by the current general plan and land use zoning for an area. The presence of a sewer system may affect the rate of home building in an area, especially those areas that have a septic tank moratorium or have soils that require an engineered individual waste treatment and disposal system.

3. What are the costs involved in converting from a septic system to cccsd sewer service?
There can be four major costs in converting from a septic system to sewer service: sewer availability, side sewer construction, CCCSD Fees, and septic tank abandonment.

Sewer Availability - The first cost depends on whether a public sewer is adjacent to your property and suitable for your use. A public sewer is usually eight inches in diameter and may be located in a street or a sewer easement through private property. If a public sewer is available adjacent to your property, a developer or one or more of your neighboring property owners may have constructed it. Depending on the circumstances, the original installer(s) of that sewer might be owed a reimbursement (a share of the cost of construction) when a new connection occurs, or there may be no reimbursement involved. CCCSD staff can determine the situation with your individual property. If there is a reimbursement due, it will be collected by CCCSD at time of connection and disbursed to the installer(s).

If no suitable public sewer is available, you will be responsible for extending a public main sewer from the end of CCCSD’s existing system to your property. CCCSD is prohibited by law from constructing main sewer extensions for private property. CCCSD builds the larger trunk and interceptor sewers that transport wastewater out of neighborhoods to our wastewater treatment plant in unincorporated Martinez near the I-680/SR 4 interchange.

In 2006 CCCSD will be building a trunk sewer into Alhambra Valley, from the Alhambra Valley Road/Gilbert Lane intersection to the Alhambra Valley Road/Reliez Valley Road intersection as shown in Exhibit A . Properties that happen to front on the alignment of the trunk sewer will be able to connect directly to it, at which time they will reimburse CCCSD for a share of the cost of construction. Early estimates are that the reimbursement cost per property along the alignment will be $10,000-$15,000.

Properties not immediately adjacent to the trunk sewer may need to construct a public main sewer to reach the trunk sewer. In addition to paying for some or all of the public main sewer that will directly serve their property, these “indirect” connectors to the trunk sewer also will pay for a smaller share of the cost of trunk sewer construction (to cover the expense of upsizing from an 8-inch diameter main to a 10 to 12-inch trunk sewer). Very preliminary estimates of these costs range from $15,000 to $30,000. Initial cost could be even higher, depending on the length of the sewer and the number of property owners willing to share the cost upfront.

The cost for you to extend a public main sewer to your property can run from less than $80 per foot to $150 per foot, or more, depending on the difficulty of the terrain, geotechnical concerns, need to acquire easements, the amount of engineering work required, pipe and backfill materials specified, methods of construction employed, and surface restoration requirements. This cost also includes CCCSD’s fees and charges to cover its expenses to process permits, review design plans, and inspect the construction work. In rare cases, you may also owe a reimbursement to the installer of “special” public sewer facilities constructed downstream of the sewer you install.

The cost of this work can sometimes be shared with your neighbors who also would benefit from the availability of a public sewer adjacent to their properties. Longer, shared sewer projects allow for an economy of scale in design and construction that reduces the cost per property, as compared to each property owner sequentially installing a separate, smaller sewer extension project.

Side Sewer Construction – A side sewer is generally a four- or six-inch diameter pipeline that runs from your house to the public sewer. A gravity flow design from your house to the sewer is preferred. CCCSD may allow the installation of an individual residential pump if a gravity system is infeasible. The property owner is responsible for constructing the side sewer. A portion of this sewer (known as a lateral sewer) may have been stubbed out from the public sewer to your property when it was constructed. Property owners may do work on their own property, but construction within public rights-of-way or CCCSD easements requires hiring a licensed contractor registered with CCCSD.

The existing pipeline from the house to the septic tank may be used as part of the new side sewer only if it is a minimum of four inches in diameter and passes a District-witnessed pressure test. A side sewer is then constructed the rest of the way (sometimes wrapping around the house) to the public sewer. Alternatively, plumbing beneath the house sometimes can be redirected toward the public sewer so as to avoid having to construct a pipeline around the house. The cost of a side sewer is approximately $20 to $30 per foot on private property (excluding surface restoration) and $50 to $100 per foot in paved streets. CCCSD often uses an estimate of $2,000-$4,000 per side sewer. This cost is paid directly by the property owners to the contractor they hire at the time the work is done.

CCCSD Fees – In addition to paying a property’s proportional share of the cost of constructing the new trunk sewer, CCCSD will collect a number of fees to cover its costs to provide services and facilities to the property owner. These fees pay for processing permit and annexation applications, inspecting the connection, providing collection system and treatment plant capacity, and a portion of the first year’s Sewer Service Charge (SSC) for operations and maintenance. All but the SSC are one-time charges. Total fees for a property in the Alhambra Valley area (without the trunk sewer reimbursement charge) would be about $6,500 per residential unit. These fees are due just prior to connection to a public sewer.

Septic Tank Abandonment – CCEH requires that septic tanks be properly abandoned when no longer needed. The test of the existing side sewer as well as the installation of the new side sewer must be completed and accepted before the existing septic tank is removed from service and abandoned.

The abandonment process involves obtaining a permit from CCEH (approximately $300); having the tank pumped out one last time (approximately $600); removing and disposing of the lid; and filling the empty septic tank with compacted dirt or sand (estimated $600 to $1600, if done by a contractor). Specific requirements for septic tank abandonment can be obtained from CCEH. CCCSD often uses an estimate of $1,500 to $2,500 for the abandonment. These costs are paid directly by the property owner to CCEH and to the contractor at the time the work is done.

Summary of Costs. The following table presents some very preliminary estimates of the cost of obtaining sewer service. More likely cost estimates can be made as details of the trunk sewer and public main sewer projects are developed

4. How can a new public main sewer extension project be financed?
Public sewer extensions in Alhambra Valley will be financed by a developer or one or more neighbors working together

Developer - In the case of an established neighborhood with septic systems, the original developer may be long gone, but sometimes a new developer needs to build a sewer through the neighborhood to get to an undeveloped site. If it is affordable, the developer may use private funding to build the new public sewer extension and have CCCSD collect a reimbursement from property owners of existing homes as they directly connect to that new public main sewer extension. The reimbursement amount would be a proportional share of the cost of constructing the sewer extension.

Other Private Installers – Much like the developer, one or more neighbors could pool their private funds to construct a public sewer extension to serve their properties. Again, CCCSD would collect a reimbursement from other property owners as they directly connect their homes to that new public sewer extension and disburse the funds to the original installer(s).

5. How long does it take to design and construct a public sewer extension?
Most public sewer extensions, if built privately, could be completed in six to eight months. The process of designing a public sewer extension can take about four to six months (but sometimes longer), depending on the workload of the engineer hired, the complexity of the design, and the quality of the work (determines the number of CCCSD plan reviews required). Once the design is completed, a contractor is hired, and all permits have been obtained, construction of most public sewer extensions can be completed within several weeks (barring bad weather). If significant street repaving is involved, that work may be delayed until the weather is warm enough to allow the paving materials to cure properly.

By the end of October 2005, CCCSD should have its trunk sewer sufficiently designed so that those needing to build public sewer extensions to it will know the likely location and depth. With that information, design of the public sewer extensions could commence. Construction of the trunk sewer is expected to be completed by October 2006, so that is the earliest new public sewer extensions could be constructed to tie into the trunk sewer.

6. How much is cccsd’s annual sewer service charge?
Once connected to the CCCSD sewer system, a property owner is required to pay an annual sewer service charge. This charge covers the operation and maintenance costs for collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater, and renovation of the sewers and wastewater treatment facilities. The 2005-2006 SSC is $280 per year. This charge appears as a separate line item on the annual property tax bill of those properties connected to CCCSD’s public sewer system. CCCSD’s elected Board of Directors reviews and sets this charge annually. State law requires customers to be notified in advance of future increases and allowed an opportunity to be heard and protest.