Ordinance is unfair to owners in Mt. Lebanon

Proposed sewer

Mt. Lebanon property owners need to be aware of a pending sanitary sewer ordinance that will force us into large expenditures for no beneficial reason. The ordinance, currently being considered by our commissioners, would require, before a simple plumbing permit or the sale of any property is approved, a video camera inspection of the home’s sanitary sewer by a certified NASSCO (National Association of Sewer Service Contractors) contractor.

The property owner would be forced to proceed with any repairs/replacement dictated by the inspection. The stated purpose of this ordinance is to prevent groundwater infiltration from seeping through cracks or root penetrations into the sanitary sewers. The following key points must be noted:

• There is no law, consent order or legal mandate requiring this ordinance.

• No scientific data has been presented that proves groundwater is seeping into residential sewer laterals through cracks.

• The vast majority of Mt. Lebanon homes are older and have terra cotta clay drain piping that is subject to cracks and root penetrations at joints, making these homes almost certain to fail any inspection.

• This ordinance could cost each property owner $10,000 to $20,000, or more, for every plumbing permit or property sale.

Make no mistake, this is a big deal. If 75 percent of Mt. Lebanon’s 11,000 homes require $10,000 to $20,000 each in replacements, this ordinance will have cost property owners $80 million to $120 million for repairs for which there is currently no state or federal mandate and which have not been shown to have any beneficial effect whatsoever.

Property owners should email the commission at commission@mtlebanon.org and express their dissatisfaction. Even more important, they should attend the commission’s upcoming meetings at 8 p.m. on March 12 and March 26 in the municipal building. Speak out against this massive overreach by our elected officials. PAUL GRANDY Mt. Lebanon