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By Alison Sandstrom

Sewage Matters

City to foot more of the bill for some sewer pipe problems

Jun 4, 2020 | 1:27 PM

Prince Albert residents will be on the hook for less when it comes to some sewer line repairs.

Previously, residents were expected to cover 33 per cent of the cost of sewer pipe relining, with the city footing the rest of the bill. On Monday night, city council voted to lower residents’ portion to 20 per cent, with the city covering the remaining 80 per cent.

According to a city document the average price for relining can range from $1,000 for just a section of pipe to $7,000 if the entire length needs replacement.

“Folks out there, they pay good taxes,” Coun. Ted Zurakowski told council at a May 25 executive meeting. “This is something the city can do for them in return for their taxes.”

The city’s politicians also formalized a six-step process administration and residents should follow when dealing with blockages. The guidelines also lay out who is responsible for paying, depending on what the problem is and where it occurs.

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“Previously each individual resident would come to us with their sewer blockage and the manager would explain the process to them,” Wes Hicks, city director of public works told paNOW. “Now that process will be posted on the website in advance.”

The regular cleaning and maintenance of sewer connections from a residence to the property line are the homeowner’s responsibility, largely, explained city staff, because the city has no control over what people put down their pipes. However, in some cases, including when the root of a tree on city property intrudes into a pipe, the city foots the bill.

The City of Prince Albert will be posting the updated procedure for sewer back-ups on its website. Hicks reminded the public that sewer photography is an essential step for the public to get done in the case of an issue.

“Just clearing the blockage doesn’t tell you why it was blocked,” he explained. “It could have been something that was flushed down the pipe, or a dip in the pipe, or a broken pipe. There’s a lot of different causes, but when you get it camera-ed then you know exactly what the problem is, and you can do the proper repair so that it doesn’t happen again.”

Prince Albert spent $250,000 on sanitary service maintenance in 2019.

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alison.sandstrom@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @alisandstrom