Utilities staff to notify homeowners of private sewer defects under a 10‑year I&I program

Jason Chandra, assistant director of public utilities, briefed the council on a sanitary sewer evaluation program aimed at reducing inflow and infiltration (I&I) in the collection system. He said the city budgeted $60,000,000 over 10 years for repairs and that initial smoke testing identified private sewer‑lateral defects in several basins.

“Right now, we're in a 10 year program. We have budgeted $60,000,000 over the next 10 years, in our capital budget,” Jason Chandra said while describing the scope. Chandra explained the city would send letters to homeowners with identified defects, describe the defect and recommend licensed contractor repairs within a 90‑day window; staff said follow‑up outreach or code enforcement would be considered if property owners do not respond.

Councilmembers asked about financial assistance for homeowners who could not afford repairs and the expected per‑property cost. Chandra said repair costs vary widely — from modest clean‑out repairs to full lateral replacements — and estimated worst‑case replacements could run into several thousand dollars. He said staff will monitor homeowner responses and return with information about possible loan or payment programs if demand warrants it.

Council voted to allow staff to begin mailings and to evaluate assistance options as the outreach proceeds.