09-27-2006 Council Agenda - Laserfiche WebLink

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resulting in lower bills. Because of the overall positive impact it would have on our City it seems logical that the City would pay for the repair of leaking laterals. The only potential snag is the fact that our ordinance states that the sanitary sewer lateral is the responsibility of the homeowner from the house to the main. Therefore, the door would be open for residents to ask why we would repair leaking services but not root- infested services or other similar issues. The answer lies in the benefits received. As stated above, repairing a leaking lateral benefits all residents in reduced sewer flows and, consequently, potentially reduced rates. Repairing a lateral that is plugged with roots only benefits the homeowner as it prevents a costly sewer backup. It is not staffs intention to repair the laterals by digging them up. That is far too invasive and costly. Staff contacted Infratech and they contract with a company called 3Bs for sewer lateral lining. The company uses equipment to travel up the lateral and line the pipe without disturbing the ground above. 3Bs gave me a rough ballpark number of $100 per foot of lining. A general assumption would be that no more than 10 feet would need to be lined to take care of the problem. Staff will work with contractors on figuring out a more exact number. Staff will also try to find other companies that do the work for price comparisons. Depending on what Council believes is the best route to take, staff will write a policy to state the City's intentions for sewer service lateral repair. An example policy is written below: City of Little Canada — Sanitary Sewer Service Lateral Inspection and Repair Policy The City of Little Canada, in its efforts to reduce inflow and infiltration in its sanitary sewer system, will inspect sanitary sewer service laterals deemed to be susceptible to infiltration. The lateral will be televised from the main to the entry point at the house or as far as possible if there are bends or offsets in the line. Should the City discover a leak, repairs will be made to stop the leak at the City's expense. Whenever possible, the lateral will be lined with cured in place pipe material rather than open cut to hold costs down and minimize disruptions to the home and neighborhood. Any other problems discovered by the City will result in the homeowner being notified of the issue but the City will have no further obligation to perform any repairs. The homeowner will then be responsible for hiring a contractor to perform any work. If the City repairs a leak, the City will hire a responsible contractor and take care of all expenses due to the benefits received by all residents in the form of reduced sewage flows.