Sewer Laterals

A sewer lateral is a pipe, normally 4 inches in diameter for residential and larger for commercial buildings, which runs underground from the foundation of a home or business and connects to the public sewer main. This private sewer line transports sewage away from a home or business and deposits it into a larger public sewer main.
Cross Section Diagram
This service lateral is not a continuous pipe. The lateral consists of several sections that are joined together. It is possible that these sections are a variety of materials (clay, brick, concrete, cast iron, VCP, PVC, and ABS composite), which is a big part of the problem that the WWTA is trying to address.

Issues
Most private laterals were installed when homes were built and the majority of these lines have never been repaired or replaced. Communities with clay pipe laterals having cement joints or cast iron laterals installed decades ago will have more issues compared to newer cities or newer sections of your city, which likely have PVC or ductile iron laterals. However, all laterals, both new and old, can still break, shift, collapse or become choked by roots.

How the WWTA Fixes a Defective Sewer Lateral
The WWTA will fix your lateral in 4 phases:
  • Phase 1: The plumber assigned to work on your property will check for, and install if necessary, the clean-out closest to your home or building.
  • Phase 2: From this clean-out, the Evaluation Contractor will video and test your service lateral.
  • Phase 3: Based on the video and testing results, the WWTA will assign work to the plumber that checked the clean-out in Phase 1.
  • Phase 4: The Evaluation Contractor will return to your property to test the work performed by the plumber.
Note: All repairs to and/or replacements of service laterals will be performed under the direction of a Licensed Master Plumber that has passed a qualification process required by the WWTA. In addition, this Licensed Master Plumber will guarantee his/her work for 5 years.