In July 2024, the City of Maumee, Ohio instituted a controversial ordinance placing the onus on individual property owners to have their sanitary and storm sewers inspected, and to repair and/or separate their sanitary and storm sewer systems to mitigate inflow and infiltration (I/I) before they can sell their homes or businesses.
City officials explained that the ordinance was necessary to address the issue of illegal sewer connections in homes, which cause stormwater to flood into the city’s sewer system and overwhelm it.
“When that becomes over [burdened], especially during heavy rainfalls, the system can’t handle it,” City of Maumee Public Information Officer Nancy Gagnet told 13 ABC. “Either, it’s going to have to get pumped into the Maumee River or it’s going to back up into people’s basements, and obviously, that causes, that’s a health concern.”
Illegal sewer connections are a significant issue for municipalities across the globe. These unauthorized connections can cause severe damage to public infrastructure, pose health risks, and result in costly repairs for homeowners and cities alike.
Fortunately, professional sewer inspection companies like GPRS offer several services, including dye tracing and smoke testing, which can locate these illegal connections so they can be addressed.
What Makes a Sewer Connection Illegal?
Illegal sewer connections occur when property owners or contractors connect drains, downspouts, sump pumps, or other non-sanitary drainage systems to the municipal sewer system without proper authorization. These connections are often made to divert stormwater or other excess water away from properties. However, they are problematic because they introduce large volumes of non-sewage water into the sanitary sewer system.
These unauthorized connections can take various forms, including:
- Connecting rain gutters or storm drains to the sanitary sewer line
- Routing sump pumps into sewer pipes
- Directly connecting floor drains or other drainage systems to the sanitary sewers
These practices are typically prohibited by municipal codes because they can cause significant disruptions to the sewer system's operation.
Why Municipalities Care About Illegal Sewer Connections
1. Overloading the Sewer System
Municipal sewer systems are designed to handle a specific capacity of wastewater, primarily from household and industrial sewage. Illegal connections introduce excess stormwater and groundwater into the system, leading to inflow and infiltration (I&I). This added volume can overwhelm the capacity of treatment plants, particularly during heavy rain events. Overloaded systems may result in untreated or partially treated sewage being discharged into natural water bodies, causing environmental pollution and health hazards.
2. Environmental and Public Health Risks
When sewer systems are overwhelmed, they can overflow, leading to the release of raw sewage into streets, basements, and waterways. This poses a direct risk to public health, as exposure to untreated sewage can lead to serious illnesses. Additionally, the release of untreated sewage into rivers, lakes, and oceans can cause significant environmental damage, including the contamination of drinking water sources and harm to aquatic ecosystems.
3. Increased Costs for Municipalities and Homeowners
Managing the effects of illegal sewer connections is expensive. Municipalities may need to invest in additional treatment capacity, repairs, and maintenance to handle the increased flow. These costs are not only a financial burden for the municipalities but can also be passed on to taxpayers and property owners.
4. Compliance with Environmental Regulations
Municipalities are required to comply with strict environmental regulations regarding wastewater treatment and discharge. Illegal sewer connections can lead to violations of these regulations, resulting in fines and legal penalties. Municipalities must take proactive measures to identify and eliminate illegal connections to avoid these consequences and protect their communities.
Detecting Illegal Sewer Connections: Dye Tracing and Smoke Testing
To effectively manage the issue of illegal sewer connections, municipalities employ various methods to detect and locate them. Two of the most common techniques are dye tracing and smoke testing.
Dye Tracing
Dye tracing is a method used to identify the flow of water through the sewer system and detect unauthorized connections. This process involves introducing a brightly colored, non-toxic dye into potential sources of illegal connections, such as downspouts or sump pumps, and monitoring the sewer lines for the presence of this dye.
How Dye Tracing Works:
- Dye Introduction: Technicians introduce a water-soluble dye into the suspected source of an illegal connection. This dye is typically fluorescent, making it highly visible.
- Monitoring: The downstream sewer lines are then monitored for the appearance of the dye. The monitoring process may involve visual inspections or the use of UV light to detect the dye's presence.
- Detection: If the dye appears in the sanitary sewer system, it indicates the presence of an illegal connection. The concentration and flow path of the dye help pinpoint the source of the connection.
Advantages of Dye Tracing:
- Non-Invasive: Dye tracing is minimally invasive and does not require significant disruption to the sewer system or the surrounding area
- Cost-Effective: This method is relatively inexpensive compared to other more invasive techniques
- Precision: Dye tracing allows for accurate identification of the location of illegal connections
Smoke Testing
Smoke testing is another widely used method to detect illegal connections and defects in the sewer system. This technique involves introducing non-toxic, artificially produced smoke into the sewer lines and observing where it escapes.
How Smoke Testing Works:
- Smoke Injection: A dense, visible, and harmless smoke is pumped into a section of the sewer system using specialized equipment.
- Observation: Technicians then observe the area around the sewer lines to see where the smoke exits. Ideally, the smoke should only come out of manholes and other designated outlets. If it appears in areas such as downspouts, yard drains, or buildings, it indicates an illegal connection or a defect in the sewer system.
- Detection: The presence of smoke in unauthorized areas confirms the existence of an illegal connection or a leak in the system.
Advantages of Smoke Testing:
- Comprehensive: Smoke testing can cover a large area quickly and identify multiple issues within the sewer system
- Immediate Results: It provides instant visual confirmation of illegal connections or defects
- Surface-Level Detection: Particularly effective for detecting illegal connections at or near the ground surface, such as improperly connected gutters or storm drains
GPRS Helps You Locate Illegal Sewer Connections
GPRS provides a comprehensive suite of professional sewer pipe and sewer system inspection services to ensure your wastewater infrastructure continues working for you.
Our NASSCO-certified Project Managers utilize remote-controlled sewer inspection rovers equipped with sondes: instrument probes that we can locate from the surface utilizing electromagnetic (EM) locators so that we can map your sewer system while we’re investigating its integrity.
For smaller-diameter pipes, we utilize push-fed sewer scope cameras that are also equipped with sondes. And we offer dye tracing and smoke testing services when flow can’t be suspended for an investigation – or when you need to investigate your system for illegal connections.
From sewer pipes to skyscrapers, GPRS Intelligently Visualizes The Built World® to keep your projects on time, on budget, and safe.
What can we help you visualize?
Frequently Asked Questions
What size pipes can GPRS inspect?
Our NASSCO-certified Video Pipe Inspection (VPI) Project Managers have the capabilities to inspect pipes from 2” in diameter and up.
What deliverables does GPRS offer when conducting VPI services?
GPRS is proud to offer WinCan reporting to our Video Pipe Inspection clients. Maintaining sewers starts with understanding sewer condition, and WinCan allows GPRS Project Managers to collect detailed, NASSCO-compliant inspection data. GPRS Project Managers not only inspect the interior condition of sewer pipes, laterals, and manholes – they can also provide a map of their location. The GPRS Mapping & Modeling Department can provide detailed GPS overlays and CAD files. Our detailed WinCan/NASSCO reports contain screenshots of the interior condition of the pipe segments that we inspect, as well as a video file for further evaluation, documentation, and/or reference.
Can you locate pipes in addition to evaluating their integrity?
Yes! Our SIM and NASSCO-certified Project Managers use VPI technology equipped with sondes, which are instrument probes that allow them to ascertain the location of underground utilities from an inaccessible location. This allows them to use electromagnetic (EM) locating to map sewer systems at the same time they’re evaluating them for defects.
Does GPRS offer lateral launch services?
Yes, we offer lateral launch capabilities as part of our standard Video Pipe Inspection services.
