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The Snyderville Basin Water Reclamation District is warning locals of rising sewer line maintenance costs.
The pipe — which carries wastewater from toilets, sinks, showers and washing machines to treatment plants — is called the sewer lateral. Water district director Mike Luers said homeowners are responsible for line upkeep up until it connects with the treatment system.
“Sometimes that might be across the street, might be across someone else's property, maybe across a ditch,” he said on KPCW’s “Local News Hour” Monday.
Luers said a recent customer’s repairs cost around $30,000. Increases in construction, materials and labor costs all contribute to the climbing price tag. Luers said standard homeowners insurance also doesn’t typically cover line backups.
That’s why he recommends locals look into getting a service line coverage endorsement on a homeowners policy or a standalone insurance policy.
Older homes are especially at risk of needing repairs.
“They might have been clay pipe, or there's an old type of pipe called Owingsburg that is really a poor material,” Luers said. “We're starting to see more of these.”
Landscaping, like old trees with roots growing around the pipe, can also make repairs more expensive.
Luers said locals can avoid costly repairs by catching clogs early. The first sign something may be wrong is when toilets, showers and washing machines start draining slowly. If that happens, he said a plumber can use a camera to inspect the pipes and unstop small blockages.
Early detection can prevent lines from plugging completely or from flooding the home.
“It doesn't hurt to every 10 years have a plumber inspect your line to see what condition it's in, because it's just like maintaining anything else. If you wait to the last minute, you know, usually bad things happen,” Luers said.
Still, Luers said there are times when lateral lines are hit by nearby construction, and homeowners are left with repair costs.
