With all the recent rain, Signal Mountain officials are encouraging area residents who think there may be a problem with their sewer lines to have them inspected through the Hamilton County Water and Wastewater Treatment Authority’s Private Lateral Service Program.
The PSLP is available to the entire WWTA coverage area, including Lookout Mountain, East Ridge, Red Bank, Soddy-Daisy and Ooltewah, in addition to Signal Mountain, said Alisha Francois, project coordinator for WWTA. The cost is already included in residents’ WWTA sewer bill.
Repairs made to lateral, or private, lines are covered through the PSLP if they are between 5 feet from the home and the right-of-way of the road. Issues inside the home or underneath the structure are not covered, Francois said.
The program was initiated roughly a decade ago to address I&I – or inflow (what drains and toilets produce) and infiltration (places where pipes leak and stormwater gets in) – from residential and commercial sewer line connections. To test for issues, a small camera is inserted into the line or, in dry weather, smoke bombs can be set off within the line to reveal cracks or holes.
If your toilet bubbles when you flush it, especially on the lower level of your home when it’s raining, that’s one of the signs that everything’s not flowing properly outside of your house, said Signal Mountain Mayor Dan Landrum.