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Water Utilities to pilot repairs for failed sanitary laterals under city pavement
Summary
Lee's Summit Water Utilities will pilot a policy to repair owner-occupied single-family sanitary sewer laterals when a structural failure requires excavation under city streets; homeowners must apply and provide video evidence of a structural collapse.
Lee's Summit Deputy Director of Water Utilities Jeff Thorne told the Public Works Committee on Feb. 10 that his department will begin a pilot policy to repair sanitary sewer laterals that have structurally failed beneath city pavement and right of way for owner-occupied single-family houses.
Thorne said the change is an internal policy and does not require a change to city ordinance. "This is not a change to ordinance as it requires no vote of council or any of those kinds of things. It's just a policy change that we're making internally to our group," he said.
Under current city code, Thorne said, homeowners own their sewer lateral from the public main to the house. The utility's new policy will accept applications and supporting documentation — typically a plumber's video showing a structural collapse — for failures that require excavation in the street. If staff confirm the defect and the location is within the right of way, Water Utilities will excavate during regular business hours, repair the main lateral and restore pavement. Thorne said the program focuses on single-family owner-occupied homes and will not cover investment or commercial properties.
Thorne told the committee the department will exclude routine obstructions or maintenance issues such as root intrusion, grease, or wipes; the policy is limited to structural failures that require excavation. He also said the utility will continue to encourage homeowners to obtain private service-line insurance for incidents that do not fall under the pilot.
On funding, Thorne said staff estimated the initial budget based on prior right-of-way permit activity and calls for sewer backup; he said the first-year budget was developed from that estimate and that staff budgeted "out to 120,000" for initial costs. The department will track actual expenditures during the first year and revisit the program.
Councilmembers asked about out-reach and how residents would apply. Thorne said staff will publish program materials and an online application, and they may include a bill insert and other public communications to raise awareness.
Because the policy is internal to Water Utilities, no committee vote was required. Thorne described the plan as a pilot with staff reporting back after one year.
