Metro Vancouver Reference Panel recommends action in managing flow from private sewer laterals

The Inflow & Infiltration Issue

“Private laterals are the last unmanaged part of the sewer collection system, and groundwater and rainwater entering from private property account for an estimated 40% of all wastewater collected, transported and treated by the Metro Vancouver regional system,” states Shaun Carroll, a sewer system specialist and member of the Reference Panel.

“For this reason, the Reference Panel recommends that Metro Vancouver and its members resolve the persistent and costly sanitary Inflow & Infiltration Issue by acting on policy and legal tools that enable municipalities to implement timely and appropriate measures on private property,” states Shaun Carroll, an inflow-iinfiltration specialist and member of the Reference Panel.

“A private sewer lateral refers to the pipe that conveys sanitary sewage from a private building to the public sewer system. Each municipality defines where the private lateral extends to in its bylaws; though typically in Metro Vancouver the private lateral ends at the property line.”

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Originally posted on Water-Centric Planning community-of-interest in August 2009