Pittston will check for improper sewer connections

PITTSTON – City employees will soon be inspecting each building in the city to ensure rain gutters are not connected to the sanitary sewer lines.

The Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection requires that rain gutters or storm water drains just flow water away from the buildings by spilling water onto the yard or streets, without the water going directly in the sewer pipes, City Clerk Ron Mortimer said. Gutters or other pipes that are prohibited from connecting to a sewer line are roof leader pipes, sump pumps, basement floor drains, yard or driveway drains, and any non-sanitary sewer pipes.

If a property owner has any non-sanitary water pipes from the house attached to the property’s lateral line that attaches to the city’s main line the homeowner must pay a contractor to disconnect the pipes.

City crews will not be responsible for disconnecting the pipes because it would be on private property, Mortimer said.

It’s believed that there are not a lot of homes affected by this. But Mortimer notes there might be some homeowners who, decades ago, might have run their gutters underground, connecting them to the sewer lateral lines.

“On our street I never saw anybody that did that. So, I don’t know it is common in different areas or just one of out every few homes,” he said.

To ensure that all homes are compliant, the city decided to inspect all private properties.

“If there is something wrong they will be informed of it right there,” Mortimer said noting the employees will leave forms at each home informing them of any violations.

The city must complete these inspections before the city can begin the Broad Street sewer project, in which storm and septic lines will be divided on Broad Street and other surrounding streets.

Mortimer expects the home inspections to begin in the next few days. There is no exact date for the Broad Street project to begin, but officials say it should start soon.

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