Lower Lateral Cleaning
A lateral is a section of smaller pipe that transports sewage from a customer’s property to SacSewer’s main sewer line in a street or a utility easement (see our 3D Sewer Diagram for a good visual) and consists of a customer-owned upper lateral and an SacSewer-owned lower lateral.
The lower lateral begins at the SacSewer cleanout and is typically shorter.
The crews that do this type of cleaning use special trucks equipped with various types of high pressure jetting nozzles. If roots or debris are found to be causing any kind of obstruction, the crews will clean the lower lateral using special “hydrovac” trucks equipped with a large water tank, a water pump, and a hydraulic hose for pressurized spraying.
Lower laterals can also be cleaned with rodding machines. These machines use a cable with a cutter attachment on the end to cut the roots and knock the debris loose. The debris then gets pushed into the main line, where the flow pushes it through the system to larger pipes and, eventually, to the treatment plant.
After cleaning, a Television Video Inspection is done to ensure the lower lateral is free of debris.
Most lower laterals are in front yards, which usually make the impacts minimal. Sometimes, however, lower laterals are located in backyards. If rodding is necessary, our crews have to get the rodding machine—which is about the size of a lawn mower but much heavier—into customers’ backyards.
In those cases, our crews will contact the customer in advance to notify them of the upcoming work and use mats to protect the lawn.
