Sewer Laterals Hot Topic on Tonight's Council Agenda

The Belmont City Council will consider the introduction of a sewer lateral ordinance at its Tuesday meeting.

According to a city staff report, in Belmont, as in many cities in the United States, maintenance of sewer laterals is the responsibility of private property owners. A sewer lateral is an underground pipe that runs from a residence to the public sewer system.

To view the entire proposed ordinance, click here.

Poorly maintained or defective sewer laterals contribute to the inflow and infiltration of storm water or groundwater into the sanitary sewer system. Inflow sources are those that flow directly into the sanitary sewer; infiltration sources are those that inadvertently enter into the sanitary sewer via cracks, holes, faulty connections, or other openings.

The ordinance states that the homebuyer has six months to repair the lateral and can buy the house before the repair is made as long as they pay a refundable deposit at the time of sale.  They will have six months after sale to repair the lateral. 

Local realtors have stating the testing and repair process can be expensive, and that homeowners may not have time to complete the process before close of escrow.

The city often discovers faulty private sewer laterals when investigating acute problems, such as sewer system back-ups, pavement sinkholes, or during smoke testing of the sewer main line.

According to the city staff report, faulty sewer laterals can be caused by a range of factors including: a) the quality of material used for the lateral; b) initial construction of the lateral; c) soil movement, d) intrusion of tree roots; or d) damage caused to pipes during maintenance.

The report states that property owners generally don’t maintain sanitary laterals for a variety of reasons: a) a lack of knowledge regarding property owner responsibilities; b) difficulty identifying direct benefits of investing in maintenance, in the absence of a sewer backup; c) the costs of sewer lateral maintenance.

To view the entire proposed ordinance, click here.

The Belmont City Council will meet Tuesday, Feb. 26 at 7:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers of Belmont City Hall. For more information, go to www.belmont.gov.

To view tonight's agenda and related staff reports, click here.

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