Protect Your Home & the Environment

The pipe that connects a building’s plumbing system to the sewer main is called a private sewer lateral. Maintenance and repairs to the private sewer lateral is the property owner’s responsibility, while the City of Livermore is responsible for sewer main maintenance.

Blockages in private sewer laterals can cause wastewater to back up into the home, resulting in expensive repairs. They can even trigger a wastewater overflow into streets, yards, parks, or waterways, creating a public health risk and threat to the environment. Learn how to protect your property and the environment from overflows:

• Repair deteriorated pipes. Some homes may have damaged or deteriorated pipes. Before performing upgrades or replacement, consider contacting a plumber to discuss what options are appropriate for your situation.
• Remove any illegal plumbing connections. Do not connect floor drains, roof gutters, sump pumps, and other drainage systems to the wastewater system. Not only are they illegal, but they will cause debris and silt will clog your line. Consult a plumber to disconnect any illegal connections immediately.
• Avoid planting trees or large shrubs near sewer lines. Plant roots grow toward breaks and cracks in wastewater pipes in search of a water source. When roots can enter the pipe, they form blockages. Be aware of the location of your wastewater lines and avoid planting certain types of trees and hedges near the them. Consult your local nursery or a horticulture/landscape specialist for advice on tree selection.
• Only flush the 3P’s.The 3P’s stands for Pee, Poop, and Paper - and they are the only materials that should be flushed down the toilet. Flushable wipes, disposable diapers, condoms, and personal hygiene products do not belong in the wastewater system.
• Compost your fats, oils, and grease. Fats, oils, and grease are not only bad for your arteries, they are bad for wastewater lines too. When grease is poured down the drain it collects and hardens inside the pipes, forming a solid plug that can lead to backups. Instead, compost your fats, oils, and grease by collecting them in a compostable container and then placing it in your green organics cart.
• Use drain strainers instead of garbage disposals. Place strainers over drains in sinks, tubs, and showers and put collected materials in your green organics cart.
• Dispose of household hazardous waste the right way. Do not pour paint, engine oil, pesticides, or chemicals down the sink. Some hazardous materials can corrode pipes, cause health risks to wastewater maintenance crews, pollute the environment, or complicate the wastewater treatment process. Instead, drop off these materials free of charge at the Livermore Household Hazardous Waste facility.
• Use the recommended amount of dish soap and detergent. The average household uses three times more detergent than manufacturers recommended for washing dishes and clothes. When detergent enters the wastewater system, it can hold large amounts of oil, grease, and fats in suspension, making wastewater treatment more difficult and costlier. Additionally, phosphate in detergent can cause algae growth in water.

Tree Roots vs. Sewer Lines

Tree roots growing inside sewer pipes are generally the most expensive sewer maintenance item experienced by City residents. Roots from trees growing on private property and on parkways throughout the City are responsible for many of the sanitary sewer backups and damaged sewer pipelines. Should roots become a problem in your sewer line, consult the yellow pages under the heading, "Sewer Contractors," for companies that perform television inspections of pipes and root control.

Choose Tree Locations Carefully

Be aware of the location of your sewer service lines, and refrain from planting certain types of trees and hedges near the sewer lines. Consult your local nursery or a horticulture/landscape specialist for advice on tree selection. The replacement cost of a sanitary sewer service line, as a result of damage from tree roots, can be very expensive.

Root Growth in Pipes

Roots require oxygen to grow. They do not grow in pipes that are full of water, or where high groundwater conditions prevail. Roots thrive in the warm, moist, nutrient rich atmosphere above the water surface inside sanitary sewers. The flow of warm water inside the sanitary sewer service line causes water vapor to escape to the cold soil surrounding the pipe. Tree roots are attracted to the water vapor leaving the pipe, and they follow the vapor trail to the source of the moisture, which are usually cracks or loose joints in the sewer pipe.

Upon reaching the crack or pipe joint, tree roots will penetrate the opening to reach the nutrients and moisture inside the pipe. this phenomenon continues in the winter, even though trees appear to be dormant.

Problems Caused by Roots Inside Sewers

Once inside the pipe, roots continue to grow. If not disturbed, they will completely fill the pipe with multiple hair-like root masses at each point of entry to the pipe. The root masses inside the pipe become matted with grease, tissue, and other debris discharged from the residence or business. Some of the first signs of a slow flowing drainage system are gurgling noises heard from toilet bowls, and observing wet areas around floor drains after completing the laundry. A complete blockage will occur if no remedial action is taken to remove the roots/blockage.

As root continue to grow, they expand and exert considerable pressure at the crack or joint where they entered the pipe. The force exerted by the root growth can break the pipe, resulting in total collapse of the pipe. Severe root intrusion and pipes that are structurally damaged will require replacement.

During drought conditions and in winter, tree roots travel long distances in search of moisture. As a general rule, tree roots will extend up to 2.5 times the height of the tree. Some species of trees may have roots extending five to seven times the height of the tree.

Keep Our Sewers Fat-Free

Preventing Fats, Oils & Grease from Damaging Your Home and Environment

Did you know that fats, oils and grease, sometimes referred to as FOG, are bad not only for your arteries and waistline but for your sewers, too? Just as fats, oils and grease can lead to clogged human arteries, putting fats, oils and grease down your home drain can lead to clogged sewer pipes. These blockages in the sewer pipe may cause sewage to backup into your home, resulting in an expensive and unpleasant cleanup that most often must be paid by you, the homeowner. Blockages may also trigger an overflow or backup of sewage into streets, yards, parks or waterways, creating a public health risk and threat to the environment.

Fats, Oils and Grease

They are byproducts of cooking. For example, meat fats, lard, oil, shortening, butter and margarine, fatty/greasy food scraps, baking goods, sauces, salad dressing, and dairy products are all sources of fats, oils and grease. When washed down the kitchen sink, liquefied fat and grease will solidify and clog pipes, while liquid oils coat the pipes contributing to the blockages.

Here is How You Can Help

Do not dispose of any cooking oils or grease down the drain. Prevent sewer backups and overflows by following the guidelines below:

• Do not pour fats, oils or grease down sink drains or into toilets.
• Pour all cooled cooking fats, oils and grease that will harden (e.g., bacon grease or meat drippings) into an old milk carton, can or container with a lid and dispose of it in the garbage.
• Mix small volumes of liquid grease with an absorbent material such as cat litter, plase in a lidded container, and dispose of it in the garbage.
• Scrape greasy food scraps from trays, plates, pots and pans into the garbage, not into the garbage disposal.
• Put baskets/strainers in sink drains to catch food scraps.
• Do not use warm water and soap to wash grease down the drain.
• Speak with your friends and neighbors about the problem of fats, oils and grease in the sewer system and about how to keep it out.

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