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Resources: Newsletter Articles: Sewer Laterals

What Lies Beneath?

We live in a beautiful place, but just underneath the surface lies a problem affecting the entire Bay Area... aging sewer laterals.

A sewer lateral is the pipe that connects your house's plumbing to the City's sewer main in the street. It is divided into two segments. The "upper lateral" extends from the house plumbing to the curb line, and the "lower lateral" extends from the curb line to the mainline sewer pipe in the street.

Most homes built before 1950 have their original sewer lateral connection. These old pipes, typically made of clay with cement mortar joints, have outlived their expected life span. Many have cracked or separated, or the mortar has worn away, allowing tree root incursion and infestation. Deteriorated sewer laterals leak raw sewage into the ground, creating a health hazard. Groundwater and rain seep in, overloading sewer systems and waste water treatment facilities beyond their capacity. This results in backups and overflows, and the subsequent discharge of untreated sewage into the Bay and creeks.

What Some Cities Are Doing

The City of Alameda was cited by EBMUD when cracks in house laterals required re-treatment of the water supply. This resulted in a 1988 sewer ordinance that requires a sewer lateral inspection and repair of any problems within 90 days of property transfers. For more information, call 510 748-4530.

Since 1987, the City of Berkeley has replaced or rehabilitated over a third of Berkeley's sewer mainlines and over 56 miles of lower laterals (affecting about 9,000 properties). But, a study commissioned by the City revealed that most of Berkeley's private sewer laterals are extensively deteriorated and require replacement. Unfortunately, the upper laterals are not being inspected or repaired unless homeowners choose to do so.

Like Berkeley, the City of Oakland is rehabilitating sewer mainlines and lower laterals, but has not mandated inspection or repair of upper laterals.

Albany and Alameda have made inspection of sewer laterals a point-of-sale ordinance; the condition of the sewer line must be inspected, and problems addressed, when property is transferred.

What Should You Do?

In most Bay Area cities, the City is responsible for the mainline sewer and the lower lateral, but the maintenance, repair and replacement of the upper lateral is the responsibility of the property owner. In hilly areas, where the mainline is located in an easement behind the house (called the "backline"), the entire lateral is the responsibility of the homeowner. If your home was built before 1950 and the lateral has never been replaced, it is probably in poor shape. If there are trees, heavy underbrush, or shrubs nearby, root intrusion is likely to be a problem. Frequent backups or sewage odors are signs that your lateral may need attention (and must be disclosed when selling your home).

Being proactive and having your sewer lateral inspected seems prudent. A sewer specialist can determine its condition and perform any necessary repair work. The best way to assess the condition of a lateral is by video sewer inspection.

Call me for a contractor referral, or contact the State Contractors License Board at (800) 321-2752 or http://www.cslb.ca.gov/ to find licensed contractors in your area.

Sherry Benninger

sherrybenninger@grubbco.com

The GRUBB Co., 1960 Mountain Blvd., Oakland, CA 94611

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2024 Sherry Benninger. For informational purposes only.
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