Community Tips
Valves Help Prevent Sewer
Backups at Home | Trash Talk |
Tunnel Tune In
Bicycle Safety Tips | Personnel
Brochures Offer Job Search Tips
Valves
Help Prevent Sewer Backups at Home
Raw sewage, it can come up from your toilets,
shower stalls or sinks if a home is not properly protected.
Sewer release valves installed on at-risk properties can minimize
a homeowners exposure to such problems.
What types of property are at risk?
Your house or building may be subject to flooding with sewage
if the lowest utility fixture in your property is located less than two feet
above the nearest upstream manhole.
What should property owners do?
Property owners of at-risk properties are required by City code to
install both a backflow preventer valve and a sewer relief valve to minimize
the chance of flooding.
How does it work?
Even though the City has an aggressive maintenance program that includes
cleaning and inspecting sewer mains, these mains can plug at anytime and
lead to sewage flooding.
To reduce risks, a backflow preventer valve and a sewer relief
valve are installed in the sewer lateral outside of a building. The
“lateral” carries sewage from private property to
the City’s sewer main. The backflow valve is installed downstream and
prevents sewage from backing up into the lateral beyond this valve.
The sewer relief valve allows sewage generated within the house or
building to flow onto the ground in case of an emergency.
Both the backflow preventer and sewer relief valves should be inspected
annually.
For info about the location of upstream manholes and other questions, call
the Public Works Department at 646.3927 or the Building Safety & Inspection
Division at 646.3891.
TRASH TALK...
Reuse, Recycling Tips Make Reduction Simple
Waste reduction comes in all shapes and sizes
and is all about caring.
When we exercise and eat healthy foods in smaller portions, we are
caring for our body. When we protect natural resources, we care about our
place in the environment.
Here are some reduction reminders:
Cloth Bags: Bring your own bag for groceries, and cut down on plastic
bag creation and disposal. You can also earn five cents a bag (in our area,
visit Albertson’s, Safeway and
Whole Foods).
Water: Before the water heats up enough to shower or wash dishes,
collect it in a container and use it to water plants, fill your birdbath,
wash your car, clean the dog, wash your steps.
Mulch: Mulching makes your plants extremely happy. Mulch the daylight
(literally) out of your plants.
Compost: Yard trimmings and food scraps combined with water and air
turn into rich soil for plants. Adding compost to plants helps with water
retention.
Bottles and Cans: When traveling, bring a bag just for bottles/cans
and another for trash.
Shop at Thrift Stores: Donate no-longer-needed items or take a shopping
trip. The Last Chance Mercantile store at the landfill is just one option.
Hazardous Materials: Monterey City Disposal Service recycles used-car oil
and filters for free. Call MDS at 372.7977 for a container and instructions.
Take unwanted paints, herbicides, rechargeable batteries,
insecticides, radiator fluid to the Household Hazardous Waste drop-off site
(next to the Last Chance Mercantile) at the landfill for free. For info,
call 384.5313 or visit
www.mrwmd.org.
Let’s do our part to care for our community. For more info or other tips,
call 646.5662 or visit
www.monterey.org/recycle.
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 Tunnel Tune
In
An antenna located over the southbound
entrance to the Lighthouse Avenue tunnel boosts AM/FM radio reception,
making your tunnel experience more pleasant. The antenna was upgraded in
2001 and is designed to maintain radio reception during tunnel passage.
Note, the antenna does not maintain stereo reception.
 SAFETY TIPS
Biking Rules to Live By
Bicycle-related accidents kill 700 people and
injure 500,000 others annually. Help reduce these numbers and keep your
community safe.
- Wear an approved helmet and ride
defensively.
- Obey ALL traffic laws, including stopping
for traffic signals and stop signs.
- Ride with traffic on the right side of the
roadway.
- Use bicycle lanes when available.
- Use caution when going by parked vehicles
and driveways.
- Wear reflective gear and use front and
rear lights when riding at night.
Because of their size, bicycles
can be difficult to see, at night or during the day. So it is important that
riders be predictable. Keep in mind that many riders are injured by car
doors or when vehicles pull into or out of driveways.
And remember, riders are subject to the same vehicle laws as
motorists. So bike safe. More bicycle safety info is online at
www.bicyclinginfo.org/ee/education.htm.
Personnel
Brochures Offer Job Search Tips
Stop by the Personnel Department at 399
Madison Street to view current job openings and pick up a “Testing and
Interviewing” brochure, to help you with your job search.
To keep up-to-date on job openings, call our Job Hotline at
646.3751 or visit us on the Web at
www.monterey.org.
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