Private Property Virtual Library Where We've Been and Where We're Going

The Water Environment Federation's (WEF) Collection Systems Committee (CSC) has identified private lateral and inflow and infiltration (I/I) sources and lateral maintenance as difficult issues that many wastewater utilities may choose to address. Sharing information regarding various strategies for tackling some of these issues can be helpful to others facing the same issues.In 2006 a CSC project team began collecting information from public utility private property programs that address sewer lateral issues including rehabilitation/replacement, maintenance, and I/I source control. Private property program elements such as funding, legislation, and public education efforts were documented and made available through the internet via a virtual library. The virtual library is housed on www.wef.org/PrivateProperty and is available for public access. The culmination of the initial development effort was the presentation of the private property virtual library (PPVL) at the 2007 WEF Collection Systems Specialty Conference pre-conference workshop in Portland, OR.Since private property continues to be at the forefront of issues that public utilities are facing, the development and maintenance of the PPVL will be an on-going effort for the CSC. This paper will present the PPVL collection built to date and an overview of the work that has been completed and information that has been gathered since the 2007 workshop. The paper will also include case studies of utilities that have developed successful private property programs, a demonstration on navigating the PPVL website, and an outline of the CSC project team's plan for sustaining these efforts in the future.