Each district adopted their ordinance in the mid 1980s. They require testing of the exterior sewer (house clean out and property line clean out), checking the integrity of the sewer line for leakage, defect, improper installation and shifting of the ground (causing breaks).

The ordinance has two purposes:
· To prevent groundwater from entering the system.
· To prevent sewage from leaking into the groundwater
· and contaminating the environment.

Most existing sewer laterals are an acceptable pipe material for testing and repairing. Periodically we encounter an asphaltic composite pipe (orangeburg) or terra cotta clay. Both of these materials deteriorate much faster than others and usually need to be completely replaced. The ordinance has actually led to the discovery of problems in the sewer that might otherwise have gone unnoticed.