Sanitary Sewer Maintenance
The City's Sanitary Sewer Maintenance insures the environment and public health are protected by maintaining 274.77 miles of sanitary sewer collection system pipeline and 11 Sanitary Sewer Lift Stations, in a safe, reliable, and sanitary condition.
The Wastewater Division of the Public Works Department is in charge of developing and implementing the maintenance goals in the activities. The Engineering and Transportation Department provides engineering services for development and implementation of capital improvement projects and sets standards for design and construction specifications. For questions regarding Wastewater Division activities please call (831) 758-7103.
Goals
The goal is to perform maintenance and repairs to the infrastructure which contribute to the health of the region and present a clean, safe, and sanitary environment for residents, businesses, and visitors to the City of Salinas.
Effective management of a collection system includes:
- Minimizing the number and impact of sanitary sewer overflows (SSOs)
- Providing adequate sewer capacity to convey peak flows, and
- Maintaining and improving the condition of the collection system infrastructure to provide reliable service into the future.
Have a Sewer Problem?

Give Us a Call!
If the sanitary sewer line from your home that does not seem to be working properly, you may call the City Waste Water Division. During regular working hours our telephone number is 831-7233, and after 5pm, on weekends, and holidays it is 911 Monterey County Communications.
Service Calls/Sanitary Sewer Overflow Reporting
The City of Salinas receives communications through the Maintenance Services Department’s Administrative Office. During normal business operations (Monday through Friday, (7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.), sewer calls are received through the Maintenance Services Department. Sewer related calls may be received by other City departments but are routed to Maintenance Services for response.
The Maintenance Services Department’s Administrative Office phone number is (831) 758-7233.
During all other hours, calls are received by County Communications. This is the County 911 system and is staffed 24/7.
Upon receiving the information, the Wastewater On-Call Person is immediately contacted. After hours, the Wastewater Duty Person is provided a cell phone, pager, and utility truck and must have a response time of 45 minutes or less. The Wastewater Duty Person will evaluate the situation and determine if additional help is necessary.
On Responding to a Service Call, Our Sewer Collections Crew Will:
- Check to make certain that the main sewer line in the street is operating properly. This line is not usually the cause of most problems but if it is, our crews can quickly remove any obstruction.
- If the main sewer line in the street is not causing the trouble, the sewer crew will use the Property Line clean-out (if available and accessible) to check the lower sewer lateral from the property line to the sewer main in the street. If there is no property line clean-out, the City will not be able to assess the condition of the lower lateral to the main.
- If the lower lateral and the main sewer are both operation properly, the homeowner will be notified that the problem lies within the private property and that a plumbing contractor or private sewer service company should be called as City crews cannot work on the homeowner’s private property.
- The City is NOT able to reimburse fees incurred by a homeowner who hires a private sewer service or plumber first and then discovers the trouble to be caused by a stoppage in the City sewer main.
- If a homeowner decides to hire a private sewer service or plumber, they must inform the City of any blockage that is cleared by the hired service to ensure that the blockage does not create a problem in the City main sewer line. The number to call during working hours is (831) 758-7103, and after 5 pm, on weekends, and holidays it is 911.
- The City Collections staff will perform a courtesy service of the City sewer main at no cost to the homeowner if requested.
For more information if you have a sewer back-up, see the attached document.
General Maintenance

Due to potential for sanitary sewer overflows, pollutants of concern include raw sewage, bacteria and other chemical waste illegally placed in the waste stream. Due to concerns for public health and potential environmental impacts the sanitary sewer collection system is given a High Priority status. In response to the high priority status the City maintains a comprehensive maintenance schedule for collection system pipes and for sanitary sewer lift stations. The City has also developed a written spill response plan that is a guide for sanitary sewer and other hazardous spills. Spill responses depending on severity and notification procedures are a collaborative effort that may involve response by the Public Works Department in conjunction with the Salinas Fire Department, Monterey County Environmental Health and other state and local agencies as determined.
Objectives to be considered in prioritizing activities include:
- Prevent any discharges from reaching surface waters. Surface waters that may be affected by discharges from the City include: Santa Rita Creek, Gabilan Creek and tributaries, Natividad Creek and tributaries, Markley Swamp, Reclamation Ditch 1665, and the Salinas River.
- Prevent discharges from reaching the storm drain system and completely contain and clean any discharges that do reach the storm drain system before such discharges reach surface waters.
- Prevent dry weather overflows from public sewers.
- Prevent wet weather overflows from public sewers. Historically, no wet weather overflows due to capacity have occurred in Salinas.
- Response to overflows from private laterals.
The City maintains sanitary sewer overflow records in accordance with State of California Water Resources Control Board, GWDR Order 2006-0003-DWQ.
General BMP Guidelines
General BMP guidelines are documented in CASQA Water & Sewer Utility Maintenance SC-76 which include but are not limited to:
- Clean sewer lines on a regular basis
- Establish a routine and high priority maintenance program
- Identify areas needing repair or maintenance
- Prioritize repairs.
- Review previous maintenance history to help identify “high priority” or areas with frequent maintenance problems and locations of potential system failure.
- Identify and track sanitary sewer discharges
- Identify dry weather and wet weather infiltration/inflow
- Disinfection of sewage overflow areas and restrict cleanup materials from entering storm system.
- Identify source of the spill
- Maintain appropriate records
- Develop notification procedures regarding spill reporting
- Public education component for grease related source control
O & M Activities

The elements of the City’s sewer system O&M program include: Proactive, preventive, and corrective maintenance of gravity sewers; CCTV inspection; Rehabilitation and replacement of sewers that are in poor condition; and routine inspection and preventive maintenance for the pump stations.
The City’s maintenance program addresses the following elements to various degrees, although in an informal manner:
- Preventive maintenance – identifying and fixing system weaknesses which, if left unaddressed, could lead to overflows;
- Corrective maintenance – fixing system components that are functioning but not at 100% capacity/efficiency, e.g., partially blocked lines;
- Emergency maintenance – reactive maintenance, overflows, equipment breakdowns.
The maintenance plan addresses the following components identified in the WDR:
- The City implements a system for scheduling regular maintenance and cleaning of collection system, rotating through the City over time.
- The City implements a system for identifying known problem areas and scheduling more frequent cleaning at these locations. Priority has been given to identifying and servicing areas requiring increased maintenance over routine maintenance activities. This has resulted in an increased hotspot maintenance list. The City has incorporated more efficient cleaning methods that are anticipated to free more time for routine work.
- The City implements a tracking system for recording maintenance activities. The City currently uses service request slips which are completed in response to requests for service by residents or other departments. Routine maintenance is conducted as described below according to schedules established by the Wastewater Manager and Wastewater Crew Supervisor and documented on maintenance forms developed by the Department..
- Procedures for coordinating with contractors responsible for sewer system collection system cleaning and maintenance. The City does not typically contract cleaning and maintenance of the collection system. Contracting is done only for the purpose of supplementing the ongoing maintenance effort when required or in response for specialized equipment not in the City’s inventory. Contract work is accomplished with ongoing oversight from City staff
Schedule of Maintenance Activities

City maintenance activities and maintenance procedures may be subject to change as more effective measures may be identified. City staff conducts an extensive program of sewer cleaning and inspection that has generally focused on known problem locations. The Departments goal is to service high priority problem areas approximately 3 days of each week, while general collection system maintenance is to be conducted 2 days weekly. Throughout the year, priority is given to areas requiring increased maintenance. Other maintenance may include response to problems, citizen complaints, or construction projects.
Lift Station Inspections and Maintenance:
City staff (Pump Mechanic) currently conducts regular maintenance of the City’s 11 sewer pump stations. The 4 highest flow sewer lift stations are inspected daily. All other sewer lift stations are inspected two to three times weekly depending on work schedule.
High Priority Line Cleaning
- The City’s Wastewater Supervisor maintains “high priority” lists of problem areas needing additional maintenance and cleaning. This list, developed over a long period of time, identifies problem locations for blockages that may potentially lead to overflows. Lists are based on the required frequency of maintenance to avoid blockages. Currently, a quarterly high priority maintenance list is maintained and based on SSO data the list is adequate to minimize sanitary sewer overflows. The locations on the list are grouped by area – East Salinas, West Salinas, North Salinas and South Salinas. The lists show the specific locations to be serviced, and the length of pipe. The high priority list is updated regularly as the need for additional maintenance is identified through SSO’s or discovery during maintenance activities. These activities are conducted three days a week.
Routine Line Cleaning
- Routine line cleaning is conducted 2 days a week in conjunction with high priority line cleaning.
Manhole Inspections
- City maintenance staff currently conducts manhole checks one or two days per week in problem areas. The purpose is to open manholes in High Priority areas to identify and clean slow running pipes or blockages before overflows can occur. The majority of the problem locations are in the east side of the City, primarily in smaller 6-inch pipes. This has proven to be effective activity in identifying potential system issues allowing for early resolution of identified problems.
- SL Rat Sewer Line Rapid Assessment Tool is deployed for line inspections to identify sluggish lines and obstructions. This activity is a supplement to manhole inspections and is used as staffing is available.
CCTV Inspections

CCTV Inspections are conducted 2 times a week during routine cleaning activities. A CIP is used for contract services to inspect areas that staff has identified during line cleaning and manhole inspections annually.
CCTV pipeline inspections are conducted by contract for major pipeline projects and by maintenance staff for the purpose of inspection and maintenance. The information gathered during the maintenance assessment may also be used to select individual gravity sewers for repair/rehabilitation/replacement. This information will be prioritized and submitted for repair/rehabilitation or replacement. Decisions on actions to be taken will be a joint effort of the Environmental & Maintenance Services Division and the Engineering and Transportation Division of Public Works. Visual assessments are conducted during routine maintenance activities as maintenance crews look for debris, sand, mud, rock or pieces of pipe that might indicate a pipeline problem. CCTV inspections are scheduled if a compromised condition appears to exist.
Sewer Backup Claims Procedures
When a sewer overflow is reported the City of Salinas staff will gather information regarding the sanitary sewer incident. The Wastewater Crew Supervisor or the Wastewater Manager are responsible for a department response to a filed claim, all information will be forwarded to the Risk Management Analyst or to the requesting party.
- In the event of personal injury or property damage in which the owner/occupant feels the City is responsible, staff will inform the owner/occupant that a claim form may be obtained at the City Clerk’s Office.
- The claim form must be completed in its entirety and the claim form must be returned to the City Clerk’s Office located on the first floor of City Hall at 200 Lincoln Avenue, Salinas, Ca.
- Once the City receives a completed claim form, the City will investigate the claim.
- Any and all questions concerning a claim or the claims process should be directed to the City Clerk or the Risk Benefits Analyst.
FOG Outreach

Background on City Grease Program
The City of Salinas currently has 274.77 miles of sanitary sewer pipelines. The service area includes a variety of residential, commercial and industrial facilities. Primary focus of an effective grease program will include commercial food service/preparation facilities.
Commercial facilities may include but are not limited to restaurants, sandwich shops, delicatessens, bakeries, cafeterias, markets, caterers, retirement and nursing homes. Establishments that are identified as not participating in the preparation of food on premises or processing food in a manner so as to contribute grease to the sewer system will not be included in the source control program. The food service grease source control inspection list is derived from several sources including the City’s business license database, the Monterey One Water food service database, Monterey County Health Department food service database and a search of food service listing from the local telephone directory. The list currently identifies approximately 500 food service facilities. All were inspected in FY2015-2016 to determine inclusion into the grease trap source control inspection program. Many of the facilities listed are involved in retail sales of food products and not food preparation. The City is working from this list to identify problem locations and the need for appropriate grease pretreatment equipment. Monterey One Water assists the City with pump out requirements when a problem is identified. The City determines the need and sizing of grease traps and interceptors based on the latest version of the Uniform Plumbing Code.
Public Education Outreach
The City is participating in the Southern Monterey Bay Dischargers Group with the goal of partnering with the Monterey One Water and other local agencies on a fats, oils and grease program (FOG) and continued participation in an effective public outreach program. The City of Salinas, with the Southern Monterey Group, work together to develop a regional public education program for users of the system for the purpose of reducing grease problems in the collection system.
The education campaign typically includes newspaper ads (three in English, one in Spanish), radio ads on two local stations and theaters ads in a major Salinas movie outlet. The Southern Monterey Bay Discharges Group directed resources to a multi-agency web site for fats, oils and grease information at http://www.clogbusters.org/ . The regional program will be modified yearly as conditions warrant.
City of Salinas Outreach
The City of Salinas distributes FOG door hangers in areas that have been identified with grease issues. The door hanger notifies residents and business that a problem has been identified in their area. Other FOG outreach consists of a similar post card mailer that is sent out through a generated mailing list to notifiy residents and business that a FOG issue has been identified and how they can help reduce fats, oils, and grease from blocking sanitary sewer lines in their area.
Sanitary Sewer Maintenance News
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Clogbusters ( Southern Monterey Dischargers Group)
FATS, OILS & GREASE (FOG) Clog Sewers! Scrape It, Can It, Trash ItCooking fats, oils, and grease (FOG) are the leading causes of sewer pipe clogs. When poured down sinks, drains, or toilets, FOGs eventually cool, harden, and build...
Find Out More
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Sanitary Sewer Documents
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Sanitary Sewer System Maps
Sanitary Sewer System Maps of sewer line, manholes. and flushing inlets.