Sewer-Hookup Crackdown Now Limited to One Home

The Crescenta Valley County Water District reported Wednesday that only one home in the area still has its water supply severely restricted following last week’s crackdown on the owners of 15 properties who failed to hook up with the district’s public sewer system.

District Manager Robert Argenio said the home, a single-family residence, will continue to have its water supply limited to about 12 gallons per hour until the owner hooks up with the sewer system as required by local ordinance.

Argenio said he did not know where the home is, but that the owner had not notified the district that he has taken steps to hook up with the sewer system, such as putting down a deposit for the work or having a contractor take out a permit for the construction.

The other 14 property owners who had water restrictors temporarily placed on their supply lines May 29 have since notified the district that they have taken such steps, and their water supply has been restored, Argenio said.

The ordinance, which was approved in 1982 with a three-year grace period, was adopted because the widespread use of septic tanks was beginning to contaminate underground water basins, Argenio said.

Last week’s deadline applied to properties in the district’s Unit 1 sewer system, which serves 1,810 residences and businesses south of Foothill Boulevard.

Property owners served by the Unit 2 system north of Foothill Boulevard have until the end of the year to connect up with the sewer system. About 600 properties in Unit 2 have not complied with the ordinance, Argenio said.

Property owners are responsible for paying to hook up to the system, and a hookup costs about $1,800 on the average. Failure to comply could bring a fine of up to $500, a six-month jail term, or both.