Minutes 1992 0817 - Laserfiche WebLink

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Minutes - San Leandro City Council Meeting - August 17, 1992 Page - 20 - PUBLIC HEARINGS (continued) The Hearing was then opened to the public. Ted Grissell , Plastic Pipes and Fittings Association, Illinois, said they represent the manufacturers of resin and extruders of pipe and tubing. He said they support the adoption of the Building Code. He said plastic pipe for waste drains and vents is approved in all 50 states, and only three cities in California do not allow plastic pipe. He said he hoped the City Council would work with them to allow plastic pipe. He requested that he be allowed to rebut any arguments presented. He said the Health and Safety Code requires that restrictive amendments be justified by local climatic, geologic, or topographic conditions, and he questioned whether there are conditions in San Leandro that justify not allowing plastic. Chuck Fugel , Business Manager, Plumbers' Union, Local 444, 2960 Merced Street, said three years ago he had attorneys and environmental people with him regarding suits related to plastic pipe. He said nothing has changed since that time. He said a draft EIR at the State level is still in draft form. He said some day there will be a reckoning for those cities that have allowed the use of plastic pipe. He said the City presently has an ordinance that prohibits plastic pipe and asked that it be maintained. He said it is tragic when property owners pay a lot for a house and do not get what they pay for. He said there have been a number of failures of pipe in Alameda after the Loma Prieta Earthquake and said they were all related to plastic pipe. Harry Sherridan, Plumbers' Union Business Representative, said in 1991 Council Member Kerr appeared before his Union requesting their endorsement. He said they asked him his feelings on plastic pipe, and he said he was against it unless the plastic pipe manufacturers improved it. Mr. Sherridan said plastic pipe hasn't improved, and he hoped the City Council would support retaining cast-iron pipe. Council Member Kerr concurred that he had said he would not support plastic pipe unless improvements were made. He noted the American Society of Testing Engineers is working on this matter, as is the National Sanitation Foundation, the International Conference of Building Officials, and IAPMO. He said new regulations at the State level have increased the requirements for ABS Schedule 40 Pipe or PVC Schedule 40, which is a better product. He said the product that was used in Alameda was Centar out of Texas, which was a bad product and caused many failures in California. He said this does not necessarily mean that all plastic pipe is bad. Mr. Sherridan noted that cast-iron pipe is guaranteed for 50 years.