TO: Mayor Collins and Town Council Members
FROM: Kevin Burke, Town Manager
Andrew M. Miller, Town Attorney
DATE: March 9, 2018
DEPARTMENT: Town Attorney
Staff Contact Andrew Miller, Town Attorney, 480-348-3526
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AGENDA TITLE:
Title
Discussion Regarding Amending §15-2-12 of the Town Code to Allow for the Discharge of Swimming Pool Water into the Sewer System.
Body
Town Value(s):
☐ Primarily one-acre, residential community
☒ Limited government
☐ Creating a sense of community
☐ Partnerships with existing schools and resorts to enhance recreational opportunities
☐ Improving aesthetics/creating a brand
☐ Preserving natural open space
The Town of Paradise Valley makes every effort to enhance the community's unique character for its residents and people from around the world.
Council Goals or Statutory Requirements:
RECOMMENDATION:
Recommendation
Receive information on amending §15-2-12 of the Town Code to eliminate the words “pool water” from the “Prohibited Substances,” and discuss proper drainage of swimming pool water.
Background
SUMMARY STATEMENT:
Background
Recently, questions have been raised on the proper drainage of swimming pool water, particularly for hillside homes. Under current Town Code, swimming pool water may not be discharged:
• onto Town rights-of-way (Town Code §8-1-10);
• into a wash or drainageway, including all of the Town’s drainage systems, such as the Town streets, catch basins, curbs, gutters, ditches, man-made channels, or storm drains (Town Code §8-9-8; unless the pool water is first dechlorinated); or
• into the Town’s sanitary sewer system (Town Code §15-2-12).
These limitations leave property owners the limited option of draining their pool water onto their own lot (perhaps in an existing stormwater retention area if the property has one); having it hauled off; or dechlorinating the pool and then draining it into a wash or drainageway, presuming there is one available. The limitation on discharging into the sanitary sewer system was put in place due to the Town having only a limited amount of sewer capacity and to avoid “peak flows” that might trigger the need for the Town to purchase more sewer capacity from the City of Scottsdale under the Town’s then-existing sewer treatment agreement with Scottsdale.
On May 27, 2016 the Town entered into a new agreement with Scottsdale regarding the purchase and treatment of sanitary sewage. In that new agreement the measurements of peak flows occurs at least once every five years and is measured over a longer period, thus making it unlikely that swimming pool drainage that discharges into the sanitary sewer system will impact the peak flow measurements.
Recommended Solution
Allowing property owners in the Town to drain their swimming pool water into the sanitary sewer system by using the cleanout at the property will provide those residents who have a sanitary sewer cleanout a more convenient way to drain their pool. Amending Town Code §15-2-12 to remove the words “pool water” would remove the restriction on having Town property owners drain their swimming pool water into the sanitary sewer system. Draft Ordinance # 2018-04 would make that change to Town Code §15-2-12 (see Attachment A).
Currently, many other local municipalities recommend that their residents drain their swimming pool water into their residential sewer cleanouts. These municipalities include, but are not limited to, the City of Phoenix, City of Mesa, the City of Scottsdale, and the Town of Fountain Hills.
Based on the foregoing, it is recommended that the Council provide comment and direction on amending the Town of Paradise Valley Municipal Code, Section 15-2-12, by striking the words, “pool water,” from Section 15-2-12(A).
BUDGETARY IMPACT:
None.
ATTACHMENT(S):
A. Ordinance No. 2018-04
B. Fountain Hills Brochure