Sewer Maintenance
Your sewers are a basic building block of a healthy community. The sewer from your house to the “main” line is also called a sewer lateral, and the lateral belongs to you and is your or your landlord’s responsibility to maintain. Most of the sewer main lines in Bellflower belong to the City of Bellflower. The City’s sewer system is made up of 95 miles of pipeline. To maintain a healthy community the sewers must be large enough and well maintained to accommodate the amount of sewage produced by our growing community.
Are the sewers large enough?
The City’s Department of Public Works commissioned a study in 2007 to answer this question. The study determined that many of our sewers are no longer large enough to serve the community or will not be large enough to serve the growth we expect. Approximately 6.5 miles of upgraded or additional sewers are recommended at a cost between $10 million and $15 million.
Are the sewers well maintained?
A sewer that is not maintained can result in back ups of raw sewage into your home or overflows into the street and storm drain system. A sewer that is in disrepair can result in “sink holes” which involve both potential spillage and potential street damage and, depending on the size and location, can involve property damage or personal injury. Routine maintenance of the City’s sewers is performed by the Los Angeles County Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District. The District continually updates its maintenance program to prevent the most common problems at each location. The fee for this service is set by the County Board of Supervisors and it appears on your property tax bill.
How can I help?
You can help by keeping household grease, motor oil, eggshells, coffee grounds and kitty litter out of the sewer lines by not flushing these items down toilets, into garbage disposals or sewer into sewer manholes as they frequently clog the sewer lines. You can also help by learning where your sewer lateral is located on your property and avoid planting trees directly over that location. Remember, you are responsible for the regular maintenance and repair of your house lateral. Make sure the cap on your clean-out valve is firmly covered and that pools, ponds and rain gutters do not drain into your sewer.
What about non-routine maintenance of the City sewers?
Many of the sewers in Bellflower are over 50 years old. Like any other 50-year old construction, routine maintenance is no longer enough. The sewers need to be inspected for worn spots, cracks and breaks and these then need to be fixed by repair, rehabilitation or replacement. Modern inspection is accomplished by inserting a miniature closed circuit TV camera into the sewer line itself. The City has entered into a contract with the Los Angeles County Department of Public Works to televise about one third of the City’s sewers in fiscal year 2008-09. This work is now in progress. The results will tell us what repairs are needed immediately, in the near term and in the long term. Since 1987, the other residents in the Los Angeles County Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District have paid an additional fee to the District cover these types of repairs. The City of Bellflower does not have such a program and will need to decide how to pay for such repairs.
Consolidated Sewer Maintenance District Annual Report
City of Bellflower Sewer System Management Plan
