The Roots of a Major Problem

City Urges Homeowners to Inspect Sewer Laterals for Root Intrusion

With the City of Los Angeles embarked on an aggressive ‘urban-canopy’ plan enlisting residents to help plant one million trees, Pacific Palisades homeowners have good reasons to think twice before planting more trees in their parkways and front yards: slow-flowing drains, gurgling toilets and sewage spills. As part of the city’s new Lateral Root Notification Plan, the Bureau of Sanitation is urging homeowners who live in susceptible areas to inspect for root intrusion in their sewer laterals, which connect houses to the city sewer system. The program has special significance for the Palisades, where the problem is severe and has led to several beach closures. After two decades of inspecting city sewers for root intrusion, sanitation engineers consider the Palisades a ‘hot spot.’ In fact, more than 8,000 of the 11,000 parcels here are at risk, according to Bureau of Sanitation data. Already this year, there have been six sewage overflows in the community, three of them due to roots. The high density of trees makes the Palisades one of the most affected areas in Los Angeles. Tree roots are attracted to the water that escapes through cracks or loose joints in sewer pipes, and sewers become clogged and rupture after roots grow inside the pipes. In mid-January, roots ruptured a sewer line at the Riviera Country Club. In the four hours it took for crews to repair the break, more than 10,000 gallons of sewage had spilled, flowing into Santa Monica Bay via Santa Monica Canyon’s storm drain. County health officials closed a stretch of Will Rogers State Beach for five days after the spill. The Bureau of Sanitation hopes to reduce root-related sewage backflow by 50 percent per year. But the success of the program could be limited. Although letters were recently sent to property owners in ‘hot spots,’ there was no mention to recipients that their laterals were specifically at risk. ‘The pamphlet should inform people that they got it because they’re in a hot spot,’ said Harry Sondheim, a member of the Palisades Community Council, at last Thursday’s council meeting. The bureau plans to send out modified pamphlets that address the omission, said Farsheed Farhang, a sanitary engineer who helps direct the Notification program. The program stops short of mandating cooperation, relying on voluntary participation instead. The bureau considered making it mandatory, but it expected legal and political delays, Farhang said. Still, sanitation engineers say the incentives for homeowners should be enough to motivate participation. Preventive maintenance could mean avoiding spending nearly $10,000 replacing a damaged or ruptured lateral. Engineers recommend that homeowners hire a licensed plumber to inspect the pipes for root intrusion. And they discourage the use of over-the-counter solutions like sodium hydroxide or copper sulfate (the latter is sold under the brand name ‘Root Kill’). These solutions do not prevent root growth and are environmentally harmful. After hearing a ‘gurgle’ in his kitchen sink, Santa Monica Canyon resident George Wolfberg paid a plumber $66 to clean out his lateral. Perhaps as a sign of the program’s early success, one of his neighbors had her lateral cleaned after receiving a Lateral Root Notification Plan pamphlet in the mail. Assuming high participation in the program, the city faces a vast, aging sewer system and a history of pollution. ‘Over the years, the city has not done a good job of maintaining the infrastructure,’ said Fran Diamond, a local resident and Chair of the L.A. Regional Water Quality Control Board. ‘As a result, we’ve seen thousands of gallons of raw sewage spill into the ocean.’ Beaches along the Palisades coast have borne much of that neglect, consistently scoring among the least healthy statewide year after year. But as a result of settlements with environmental groups within the past several years, the city has been forced to reverse course and meet court-mandated deadlines. The Bureau of Sanitation has been spending millions of dollars a year to comprehensively clean all 6,000 miles of the city’s sewer lines since 2003. Over the past five years, it has inspected more than 900 miles of city sewers using closed-circuit television. The bureau points to key successes since taking dramatic actions. For example, sewer overflows have fallen by 70 percent throughout the city and in the Palisades over the past five years. Yet large overflows have continued to threaten public health at Will Rogers State Beach, where parts of that beach have been closed for weeks so far this year. —————— Reporting by Staff Writer Max Taves. Ph: (310) 454-1321 ext. 28; E-mail: reporter@palipost.com