Bursting the Private Sector Bubble

It is safe to say that municipalities would prefer to use trenchless rehabilitation methods whenever possible. Collection system renewal methods and materials have improved so much over the last decade that trenchless is the new standard in pipeline renewal. Projects have been completed with great success on public mainline sewers. However, the age-old problem that is still with us today is, “what do we do with those pesky service laterals?”! Not only are they a major source of extraneous wet weather inflow, they are very difficult to get repaired. However, it is usually not the technology, but rather the administrative and political cost of forcing repairs onto private property owners that can limit the number of repairs and the overall success of an I/I reduction program. This paper presents four different, successful approaches to addressing private sector repairs.