Thorough,
effective sanitary sewer collection system maintenance programs
arguably must include private lateral management. Entry onto
private property for the purpose of locating marking and
confirming private sewer lateral maintenance issues is for
many utilities a stumbling block to including private laterals
in a comprehensive sewer system management program. This
presentation addresses the legal aspects or concerns of private
sewer lateral management. The Montgomery Water Works and
Sanitary Sewer Board takes a very aggressive stance on private
lateral management and has been successful in identifying
private lateral defects and requiring property owners to
make needed repairs. Their success is at least partially
credited to their efforts to convince both customers and
developers of the importance of a cooperative effort to maintain
existing infrastructure (private and public) and to specify
and build more effective new infrastructure. Questions and
answers regarding the legality of private lateral management
in the MWWSSB experience can be at least a beginning point
for discussion of development or refinement of programs for
any utility interested in inclusion of private lateral management
in their sanitary sewer collection system management program.
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