COVINGTON, KY – Sanitation District No. 1 (SD1) is now offering assistance to property owners experiencing issues due to damaged or defective sewer laterals.

SD1 has included funding in its Fiscal Year 2016 Budget for a private sewer lateral repair program. The program allows SD1 to perform work on defective sewer laterals beneath public roadways that may be contributing to a visible pavement failure, building backup, or sewer overflow.

A private sewer lateral is an underground pipe that is part of a property’s plumbing. It conveys wastewater or storm water from a property to SD1’s public sewer system. Property owners own the lateral from the end of their building’s plumbing to the connection with SD1’s sewer and are therefore responsible for maintaining the lateral, just like other pipes in and around the property.

However, SD1 recognizes that these repairs can be cost prohibitive to the property owners responsible for them. Since deteriorating sewer laterals can affect public health and safety and lead to sewer overflows and backups, it is important to address these issues in a timely and affordable way.

If your property is experiencing blockages or sewer backups, or if sewage is overflowing into the environment, your private lateral may be defective. Sinkholes also can be a sign of defective laterals. If you suspect a defect in your sewer lateral is the cause of any of these issues, you should call SD1 at 859-578-7450.

For more information please visit www.sd1.org/ProjectsandPrograms/PrivateLateralRepairProgram.aspx