Florida Senate - 2022                                     SB 608
       
       
        
       By Senator Brodeur
       
       
       
       
       
       9-00523-22                                             2022608__
    1                        A bill to be entitled                      
    2         An act relating to sanitary sewer lateral inspection
    3         programs; amending ss. 125.569 and 166.0481, F.S.;
    4         defining the term “continuous monolithic pipe system”;
    5         authorizing counties and municipalities, respectively,
    6         to access sanitary sewer laterals within their
    7         jurisdiction for specified purposes; requiring
    8         counties and municipalities to notify private property
    9         owners within a specified timeframe if the county or
   10         municipality intends to access the owner’s sanitary
   11         sewer lateral; providing that counties and
   12         municipalities that establish programs are legally and
   13         financially responsible for all work done; requiring
   14         counties and municipalities that establish programs to
   15         consider economical methods for the counties and
   16         municipalities, rather than the property owners, to
   17         complete such work; authorizing a program established
   18         by a county or a municipality to evaluate and
   19         rehabilitate sanitary sewer laterals on residential
   20         and commercial properties to use state or local funds
   21         allocated for environmental preservation or the
   22         protection of water quality; providing an effective
   23         date.
   24          
   25  Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
   26  
   27         Section 1. Section 125.569, Florida Statutes, is amended to
   28  read:
   29         125.569 County sanitary sewer lateral inspections
   30  inspection programs for counties.—
   31         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   32         (a)“Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
   33  without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
   34  connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
   35         (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
   36  pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
   37  maintained and repaired by the property owner.
   38         (2) A county may access any sanitary sewer lateral within
   39  its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair, recondition, or
   40  replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
   41         (3)By July 1, 2022, Each county is encouraged to establish
   42  an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary sewer
   43  laterals on residential and commercial properties within the
   44  county’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce extraneous flow
   45  from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a minimum, the program
   46  may do all of the following:
   47         (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
   48  deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
   49  commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the county. If
   50  a county identifies a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
   51  sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program to eliminate
   52  extraneous flow, the county:
   53         1.Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
   54  mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
   55  within 14 days after receiving the notice, the county intends to
   56  access the owner’s property to address the defective, damaged,
   57  or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must identify
   58  the issue, inform the property owner that he or she will be
   59  indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and provide
   60  a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the project,
   61  including start and completion dates.
   62         2.Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
   63  property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
   64  access the sanitary sewer lateral, the county must ensure that
   65  the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
   66  after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
   67  sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
   68         a.Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
   69  connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
   70  installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
   71  system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
   72         b.Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
   73  camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
   74  Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
   75  (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
   76  and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
   77  describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
   78  system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
   79  the structure.
   80         (b) Consider economical methods for the county a property
   81  owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
   82  sanitary sewer lateral.
   83         (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
   84  to store information concerning properties where a defective,
   85  damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
   86  identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
   87  not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
   88  persons the county notified concerning the faulty sanitary sewer
   89  lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
   90         (d)Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
   91  environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
   92         Section 2. Section 166.0481, Florida Statutes, is amended
   93  to read:
   94         166.0481 Municipal sanitary sewer lateral inspections
   95  inspection programs for municipalities.—
   96         (1) As used in this section, the term:
   97         (a)“Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
   98  without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
   99  connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
  100         (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
  101  pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
  102  maintained and repaired by the property owner.
  103         (2) A municipality may access any sanitary sewer lateral
  104  within its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair,
  105  recondition, or replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
  106         (3)By July 1, 2022, Each municipality is encouraged to
  107  establish an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary
  108  sewer laterals on residential and commercial properties within
  109  the municipality’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce
  110  extraneous flow from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a
  111  minimum, the program may do all of the following:
  112         (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
  113  deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
  114  commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the
  115  municipality. If a municipality identifies a defective, damaged,
  116  or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program
  117  to eliminate extraneous flow, the municipality:
  118         1.Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
  119  mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
  120  within 14 days after receiving the notice, the municipality
  121  intends to access the owner’s property to address the defective,
  122  damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must
  123  identify the issue, inform the property owner that he or she
  124  will be indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and
  125  provide a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the
  126  project, including start and completion dates.
  127         2.Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
  128  property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
  129  access the sanitary sewer lateral, the municipality must ensure
  130  that the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
  131  after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
  132  sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
  133         a.Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
  134  connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
  135  installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
  136  system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
  137         b.Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
  138  camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
  139  Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
  140  (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
  141  and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
  142  describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
  143  system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
  144  the structure.
  145         (b) Consider economical methods for the municipality a
  146  property owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or
  147  deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral.
  148         (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
  149  to store information concerning properties where a defective,
  150  damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
  151  identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
  152  not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
  153  persons the municipality notified concerning the faulty sanitary
  154  sewer lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
  155         (d)Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
  156  environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
  157         Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.