City of Crestwood, MO | Sewer Lateral Program

CITY OF CRESTWOOD SANITARY SEWER LATERAL POLICY
Adopted February 8, 2005

1. Program Established

1.1. As of January 1, 1999 the owner of a single family home, a duplex or an apartment development containing not more than six (6) dwelling units may recover one hundred percent (100%) of the authorized costs in repairing defective lateral sewer service lines serving the property of the owner, on compliance with the City’s policy.
1.2. A lateral sewer service line is a sewer line, which extends from the building foundation wall or exterior wall to the sewer main in the street or sewer easement. It does not include a sewer line located under any part of the building. A lateral sewer service line may be located in a front, side, or rear yard.
1.3. The maximum fee, which the voters approved under the current statutes, is $28.00 per year. The Board of Aldermen may adjust the fee for any following year on the basis of these two principles:
1.3.1. The minimum amount in the fund, as measured on the first day of August each year, should be equal to the highest fiscal year reimbursement paid by the City in the previous five years.
1.3.2. The maximum amount in the fund, as measured on the first day of August each year, should be equal to two times the highest fiscal year reimbursement paid by the City in the previous five years.
1.4. In September of each year, City staff shall prepare for the Board of Aldermen a status report including the current maximum and minimum allowed by the policy. If on the first day of August the amount in this fund is either above the maximum allowed or below the minimum allowed in the fund, the policy shall be amended or the fee modified as determined by the Board of Aldermen
1.5. The money collected for this fund shall be invested by the City until needed. Any interest earned shall be added to the Fund. The money in this fund is dedicated to and shall be used only for sewer lateral repairs that are eligible as outlined in this policy.
1.6. The City has no obligation or responsibility for the performance by the contractor and no responsibility for any damages to the owner’s property resulting from sewer line defects or repairs.
1.7. The total annual expenditures shall not exceed the amount available within the designated sewer lateral fund.
1.8. The Board of Aldermen shall review these guidelines periodically to tailor the program to give the highest and best level of service to the City and its homeowners, except as they may be restricted by state law or the City charter.

2. Eligibility Requirements

2.1. All residents are eligible for lateral sewer line cabling and a camera investigation of their sewer line by the City if they meet any of the following criteria.
2.1.1. The resident has contracted with a cabling company, and that company cannot open the lateral sewer line. In this case, the City will contact its cabling contractor to attempt to open the sewer line and perform a camera investigation. The cost to the resident for the initial cabling is not an eligible expense and shall be paid by the resident. The cost for the City to cable the line and perform the television inspection is an eligible expense and will be paid by the City.
2.1.2. The resident can provide receipts for three (3) sewer lateral cablings within the previous twelve (12) months. In this case, the City will contact its cabling contractor to perform a camera investigation. The cost to the resident for the three (3) initial cablings is not reimbursable and shall be paid by the resident. The cost for the City to cable the line and perform a television inspection is an eligible expense and will be paid by the City.
2.1.3. There are sinkholes or other visual evidence in the resident’s yard, which indicate, based upon City staff experience or an MSD dye test, that the lateral sewer line may be broken. In this case, the City will contact its cabling contractor to perform a camera inspection and any necessary cabling, which will be paid by the City.
2.2. All investigations will be reviewed by the Department of Public Works and assessed as one of the following:
2.2.1. Complete blockage in need of immediate excavation and repair.
2.2.1.1. The City will coordinate repair activities with a repair contractor to replace the section of the line that is collapsed or blocked and cannot be reopened. Any sewer lateral line which cannot be properly investigated due to a blockage shall be considered blocked and is eligible for repair.
2.2.1.2. As part of this repair, the City of Crestwood may install an exterior sewer lateral cleanout.
2.2.2. Cracked or broken lateral sewer line which is temporarily opened but in need of excavation and repair.
2.2.2.1. The City will coordinate repair activities with a repair contractor to replace the section of line that is cracked or broken.
2.2.2.2. As part of this repair, the City of Crestwood may install an exterior sewer lateral cleanout.
2.2.3. Maintenance issue to be addressed by the property owner.
2.2.3.1. If the lateral sewer line is not broken, cracked, or completely blocked, the maintenance of the sewer lateral will be the responsibility of the property owner. This includes sewer lateral lines which have been infiltrated by roots.
2.2.3.2. The property owner will be responsible for periodic cabling of the line to keep it open. This ongoing expense is not eligible under the sewer lateral program.
2.2.3.3. In cases where there is no exterior cleanout, the City of Crestwood will recommend that the resident install an exterior cleanout to allow tree roots to be properly cabled. This expense is the responsibility of the resident and is not eligible under the sewer lateral policy.

2.3. The corrective work, which is subject to reimbursement from the Fund, is limited to excavation, repair or replacement of the defective portion of the line, installation of clean-out (only in the case of a repair), backfilling, and seeding and placement of straw mulch on the disturbed portion of the site.
2.3.1. The replacement or repair of sidewalks, driveways, and streets damaged or removed in order to accomplish the repair are also an eligible expense. Only the replacement of the portion of paved surface that must be removed or damaged to accomplish the lateral sewer repair is covered under the policy.
2.3.2. In the event that accessory structures or landscaping amenities such as fences, sheds, garages, landscape walls, etc. are in the path of the line and lie over the damaged line, the City reserves the right to reroute the line or to require the property owner to move any accessory structures or landscaping amenities at the property owner’s expense.
2.3.3. The City is not responsible for any damage to underground sprinkler systems, invisible dog fences, landscaping or any other damage caused by the performance of the contractor.
Reimbursement for the replacement of any landscaping or landscaping amenities that must be removed to perform the sewer line repair shall not be included as part of this policy.

3. Application Process

3.1. Property owner will contact the City if a sinkhole or sinkholes are observed in their yard, a complete sewer lateral blockage which cannot be opened by a cabling company has occurred, or the lateral sewer line has been cabled three times within the previous twelve months. Items to be provided to the City at the time of application or within a reasonable time thereafter are:
3.1.1. A completed application, which can be obtained from the City of Crestwood Government Center or the City’s website.
3.1.2. Executed hold harmless agreement (form provided by the City with a copy of the current Sanitary Sewer Lateral Policy).
3.1.3. Receipts from previous sewer lateral cablings, if applicable.
3.2. Repairs referred to the program by the Metropolitan St. Louis Sewer District (MSD) will be handled in the same manner as above. Application will need to be made by the homeowner unless otherwise waived by the Director of Public Works.
3.3. No permits will need to be obtained by the homeowner. All applicable permits from the City, St. Louis County and MSD will be the responsibility of the contractor.

4. Obtaining Contractual Services

4.1. The City’s cabling and camera investigation contract shall be obtained on an annual basis. This contract shall meet all requirements outlined in the purchasing policy of the City of Crestwood and applicable state laws. The responsibility of this contract shall be:
4.1.1. Cleaning of blockages and tree roots using a cable and cutter inserted into the line through an exterior cleanout, interior drain, or roof-vent.
4.1.2. Investigation of the cause of initial blockage by inserting camera equipment through the access point.
4.1.3. Marking the approximate location of the blockage on the ground surface directly above the blockage.
4.2. The repair contract shall also be obtained on an annual basis. This repair contract shall meet all requirements outlined in the purchasing policy of the City of Crestwood and applicable state laws. The responsibility of this contract shall be any or all of the following as directed by the Department of Public Works:
4.2.1. Installation of appropriate sediment control devices prior to the excavation of the subject property.
4.2.2. Excavation and repair of a portion or portions of the lateral sewer service line.
4.2.3. Installation of a cleanout (only in the event of a repair) to facilitate the periodic maintenance of a lateral sewer service.
4.2.4. Backfilling and compaction (jetting, tamping or other) of material from the excavation.
4.2.5. Repair or replacement of pavement directly impacted by the lateral service line repair.
4.2.6. Removal of unnecessary sediment control devices and temporary stabilization of disturbed areas with straw.
4.2.7. Any and all requirements of applicable permits issued by the City, St. Louis County and MSD.
4.3. Nothing in this article should be interpreted as requiring a resident to use the City’s repair contractor. Any resident eligible for a sewer lateral repair may also elect to obtain three written bids for the sewer work. These bids must be provided to the City of Crestwood, who will then contract with the lowest responsible bidder to perform the necessary sewer lateral repair. The City reserves the right to reject all bids if deemed not responsible by the Director of Public Works. Should this occur, the applicant will have the option of using the City contractor or obtaining three new written bids.
4.4. The restoration contract shall also be obtained on an annual basis. This shall meet all requirements outlined in the purchasing policy of the City of Crestwood and applicable state laws. The responsibility of this contract shall be any or all of the following as directed by the Department of Public Works.
4.4.1. Mobilization to the site within 4 to 6 weeks of the repair being completed.
4.4.2. Removal of all remaining sediment control devices and other construction items.
4.4.3. Fine grading and surface stabilization using seed and straw to re-establish ground cover.
4.4.4. Restoration in accordance with the following Restoration Policy as detailed in section 5.
4.4.5. Any and all requirements of applicable permits issued by the City, St. Louis County and MSD.

5. Restoration Policy

5.1. The lateral sewer service line repairs almost always require the disturbance of the subject property. Due to the often complex nature of landscaping and other property improvements it would be impossible to restore all of these to their initial state directly after the completion of the project.
5.2. The following guidelines will be followed in determining the responsibility of the contractor, City, and homeowner for site restoration:
5.2.1. All landscaping, landscaping facilities, sprinkler systems, dog fences, structures and other improvements of any kind shall be relocated by the homeowner prior to the work commencing. Those improvements which are not relocated and subsequently damaged during the course of the work will not be repaired by the contractor or the City. This is inclusive of all improvements on the route needed to access the investigation or repair location.
5.2.2. Any improvements damaged by the contractor outside of the area necessary to access or complete the investigation or repair will be the responsibility of the repair contractor.
5.2.3. All material that is removed from the excavation during the repair will be replaced and compacted by the repair contractor by use of jetting with water or a mechanical compaction such as tamping.
5.2.3.1. If the material does not meet the ground surface the repair contractor will supply
sufficient additional material to provide a level surface.
5.2.3.2. If there is an excess of material, it will be mounded along the length of the repair by the repair contractor in anticipation of future settlement.
5.2.4. Temporary groundcover, in the form of straw, will be applied by the repair contractor.
5.2.5. Groundcover will be permanently re-established in all disturbed areas using seed and straw installed by the restoration contractor.
5.2.5.1. Restoration will occur 4 to 6 weeks after the repair is completed to allow time for primary settlement of the excavated trench to occur.
5.2.5.2. Care and watering of the applied locations will be the responsibility of the homeowner. There will not be a provision in the repair or restoration contracts for reapplication of seed and straw.
5.2.5.3. Future settlement along the length of the repair will be the responsibility of the property owner. There will not be a provision in the repair or restoration contracts for correction of future settlement.