Nearly 400 Homeowners Will Be Billed for Sewer Lateral Fixes

Nearly 400 homeowners in the southern portion of the village will be billed about $2,000-$8,000 by the village next year for the repair or replacement of their sanitary sewer lateral.

After investigating 386 sewer laterals in the flood-prone area of the village, contractors found evidence of root intrusion and/or mineral deposits in 90 percent of the laterals. Only 1 or 2 percent of the laterals are in good condition, according to a memo from Assistant Village Engineer Aaron Jahncke.

Whitefish Bay trustees last week reaffirmed their intentions to line or replace those damaged laterals, and then bill the homeowner for the repairs. The village will bid for contractors in January, and work is expected to start in March.

Homeowners in the affected area will soon be receiving a letter from the village with a copy of their lateral inspection report and a description of what work will need to be done to fix their lateral.  

Village Engineer Dan Naze said lateral lining could cost $2,000 to $3,000, and lateral replacement could cost anywhere from $5,000 to $8,000, in cases where contractors need to excavate the lateral from under the foundation.

Naze said the costs ultimately depend on the unique circumstances of each individual house.

"This isn’t one project," Naze said. "This is going to end up being 386 different projects."

The village will hold two public information meetings about the lateral rehabilitation project in December. Homeowners will also have the opportunity to see video of their lateral by coming to a meeting or making an appointment with the engineering department.

The village contracted with Expediters, an Oconomowoc-based company, in August to televise the sanitary laterals of 390 homes in the southwestern basin. Naze said the inspection work will be fully reimbursed by the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewerage District by the end of the year. 

This project will provide the village with data on the effectiveness of tightening leaky laterals, as well as identify what volume of clear water can be attributed to leaky laterals versus foundation drains.

The Village Board will decide in the future whether a similar lateral inspection and rehabilitation project should be pursued in other areas of the village.