Kasson Sump &
Lateral Inspection

home    program information    FAQs    notices    inspection map    contact
schedule inspection

SUMP PUMP & LATERAL

Updated 4/5/23

** NEWS **

A Public Informational Meetings were held on September 30th and October 1st, 2020.

Meetings discussed the scheduling of inspections, length of inspections, proper sump pump/ footing drain connections and other miscellaneous items.

Information from the meeting is posted in the Notices section.

 

Still need an inspection? 

Call City Hall at 507-634-7071 to schedule your inspection or reinspection.

 

Health and Safety

We take the health and safety of the public, including our city and consultant staff, seriously and will be implementing precautions to conform to CDC guidelines for COVID-19 (coronavirus). 

Refer to the Program Information for Health and Safety Practices.

Water Service Inventory

The City will also be inventorying the water service material as part of the new requirement from the revised Lead and Copper Rule from the EPA. Part of the revised rule requires Cities to inventory water service materials.  The water service line is the pipe from the water main (typically in the street) that connects to the water meter inside the building. Property owners will be notified if the City finds a lead service line on their property. 
 
Refer to the notices section for more information on the revised Lead and Copper Rule. 

 

Who is getting an inspection?

The City of Kasson is implementing a mandatory sump pump and lateral inspection program to  verify that clear water sump pump or footing drain connections to the sanitary sewer are not present .  The entire City will be required to have their sump pump inspected and some sections will also be required to complete a lateral inspection.   Generally, lateral inspections are required for properties built before the year 2000. 

Refer to the inspection map to know what type of inspection is required for your property. 

Why is this important?

Like many cities in Minnesota, Kasson faces a challenge with its sanitary sewer collection system. During significant rainfall events the system is overloaded by excess ground water and rain water (clear water). When it rains, flows can jump up to ten times the normal rate. Overloaded sewers lead to basement backups, and in extreme cases, require bypassing flow directly to the river. This causes damage to homes, personal property, health concerns, and environmental issues.

Excess clear water enters the system from cracks in sewer mains and manholes, and from private sources such as sump pumps, seepage collection systems, defective service laterals, and roof drains.  National studies have shown that the distribution of public/private clear water sources is approximately 50/50. Removing private sources of clear water is essential to solving the problem. Major sources of private claer water in the sanitary sewer system is sump pumps and footing drains in the sewer lateral. 

A footing drain removes ground water from around a home's foundation by an illegal direct connection into the sewer lateral.  The footing drain should be properly connected to a sump pump. 

A sump pump also removes ground water from around a home’s foundation. The proper place for a sump pump to discharge is to the exterior of the home or storm sub-drain if available. The improper place for it to go are into a floor drain or tub sink, which connects to the sanitary sewer. A single sump pump discharges between 20 - 100 gallons per minute (gpm).  It takes only a few improperly plumbed sump pumps to overload a neighborhood sewer main that has a typical capacity of 400 gpm.

What should I do?

The City needs your help to remove clear water from the system. Check to make sure your sump pumps, seepage collection systems, and roof drains discharge onto the ground or into a storm sub-drain if available.  If a lateral inspection is required, check for the location of the cleanout on the main sewer stack.   Refer to program information for more about how to prepare for the inspection. 

Then please schedule an inspection appointment to verify that no clear water connections are present. The City's Chapter 53 of the Municipal Code of Ordinances prohibits clear water connections into the sanitary sewer. The City recently amended the Ordinances to authorize mandatory sump pump inspections to verify that buildings do not have clear water connections, and the application of 'clear water' surcharges onto sewer bills for buildings that have not been inspected and passed.

It’s also the neighborly thing to do to make sure your sump pump  or footing drain isn’t going into the sanitary sewer because your sewage may end up in someone’s basement as overflow.  

What is an inspection?

The City of Kasson is starting mandatory sump pump and lateral inspections to verify that clear water from sump pumps or footing drain connections to the sanitary sewer are not present. 

For the sump pump inspection, we will need access to your property and basement to observe exterior grading, roof drains, sump pit/pump, and seepage collection system, if present. For properties requiring a lateral inspection, we need access to a cleanout located on the main sewer stack of the property.  A typical sump pump inspection is completed in 15 minutes, and lateral inspections can be completed in 30 minutes. 

In fairness to residents, all buildings with a sewer account will be inspected, regardless of whether a basement or sump pump is present. 

There will be no fees for these inspections.

Property owners have the option to hire a private plumber to complete their inspection, in which case the plumber's fees would be at property owner's expense. The Plumber must fill out the inspection report which is provided on the notices page. If a lateral inspection is required a video of the lateral must be provided, per the inspection report standards. 

What’s the next step?

The City of Kasson is separated into approximately eight equal sectors, designated by color (red, yellow, green, turquoise, blue, pink, purple, and brown), to stagger inspection times throughout 2020-2022.  Generally, sectors blue, pink, purple and brown include sump pump inspections only and are on schedule to be completed in Fall of 2020 to early 2021.  All other sectors will include sump and lateral inspections and will be started in the Spring of 2021.    You will be notified by mail to schedule an inspection.  Refer to the inspection map to know what sector and type of inspection your property will receive. 

Check out the links below for FAQs, proper sump pump installation diagrams, program updates and more!