What happens if my lateral is broken?
The City of Milwaukee and the Milwaukee Metropolitan Sewage District continuously monitor the conditions in the sewers of Milwaukee. If unusual amounts of water or chemicals appear, crews are sent to investigate. The first step in that process is smoke and dye testing. Here is a brief synopsis of that program and the actions that will follow.
SEWER SYSTEM INVESTIGATION
Initial Investigation
Smoke Testing provides initial results of locations where clear water is entering the sanitary system. Smoke testing is performed by blowing smoke into the sanitary sewer and observing the locations where smoke is being emitted. If smoke is only exiting from the vent stacks of a house, then that house is OK. If smoke is being emitted from the downspouts, that is an indication that something may be wrong. We also observe smoke being emitted from catch basins, storm sewers, pavement cracks, cleanouts and other places. Each of these are investigated as to the potential amount of clear water entering into the sanitary sewer system. Reducing the amount of clear water entering the sanitary sewer system reduces the demand on the Jones Island Treatment Plant. This is especially important at periods of peak demand.
Further investigation
The follow up investigation is called dyed-water testing. For testing downspouts, the procedure is as follows:
1. A dye pack (sheet soaked with dye) is inserted into the downspout that was found smoking during smoke testing.
2. Water is continuously poured into downspout
3. A TV camera placed in the sanitary sewer (at the location of the lateral connection) watches for dyed water.
4. The storm sewer is opened to watch for dyed water.
There are three scenarios that may happen when dyed water testing is performed.
1. If the camera does not see any dyed water in the sanitary sewer and we see it in the storm sewer, it indicates that everything is OK.
2. If the camera sees dyed water in the sanitary sewer and we see it in the storm sewer, it indicates that the laterals are leaking.
3. If the camera sees dyed water in the sanitary sewer and we do not see any in the storm sewer, it indicates a cross connection.
Notification
For scenario number one, nothing further is done.
For scenarios two and three, there is a problem which needs to be corrected. A plumbing inspector will write up orders which let the owner know what was found and which ordinance is in violation.
Homeowner Action
The homeowner needs to take corrective action to repair or replace the laterals depending upon what was found. Homeowners can have plumbing contractors televise their laterals with mini-cameras which can pinpoint where the problems are, hopefully reducing the cost to repair.
Many one and two family homeowners ask the question, "Can I disconnect my downspout and let the water flow onto the grass?" Although this could correct the problem, they must meet the criteria in the City code of ordinances 225-4 and if they have a defective storm sewer, they must appeal to the board of standards and appeals if they don't want to do the repairs. The contact for receiving petitions for appealing the work order would be Marge Piwaron at 414 286-2503. For plumbing questions regarding downspouts, contact the Assistant Supervisor in Plumbing Inspection at 414- 286-3364.
Video Inspection Services
The following companies have TV cameras that can go down the sanitary and storm sewers to make a videotape showing the condition of the sewers. It is provided merely as a convenience with no endorsement. In no way is the City of Milwaukee recommending any of these companies to do this work. Feel free to call any other contractor. This work doesn't need to be done by a licensed plumber.
Kenway
4841 W. Burnham St.
West MiIwaukee, WI 53219
414-384-7050
William Rozga
Rozga Plumbing
1529 S. 113th St.
West Allis, WI 53214
414-258-9911
Roy Nelson
Roy's Plumbing
1830 W. Hampton Ave.
Milwaukee, WI 53209
414-264-2812
Ken Wyderka
Heiden Plumbing
2465 W. Vliet St.
Milwaukee, WI 53205
414-937-8420
Gene Wagner
Wagner Plumbing
2017 N. 60th St.
Milwaukee, WI 53219
414-541-9217
John Proell
Badger Plumbing
8718 W. Lancaster
Milwaukee, WI 53225
414-464-6760
Marvin Nordling Jr.
Pipes Inspector LLC.
13406 W. Prospect Pl.
New Berlin, WI 53151
414-218-8625