Florida Senate - 2022 CS for SB 608
By the Committee on Environment and Natural Resources; and
Senator Brodeur
592-01304-22 2022608c1
1 A bill to be entitled
2 An act relating to sanitary sewer lateral inspection
3 programs; amending ss. 125.569 and 166.0481, F.S.;
4 defining the term “continuous monolithic pipe system”;
5 authorizing counties and municipalities, respectively,
6 to access sanitary sewer laterals within their
7 jurisdiction for specified purposes; requiring
8 counties and municipalities to notify private property
9 owners within a specified timeframe if the county or
10 municipality intends to access the owner’s sanitary
11 sewer lateral; providing that counties and
12 municipalities that establish programs are legally and
13 financially responsible for all work done; requiring
14 counties and municipalities that establish programs to
15 consider economical methods for the counties and
16 municipalities, rather than the property owners, to
17 complete such work; authorizing a program established
18 by a county or a municipality to evaluate and
19 rehabilitate sanitary sewer laterals on residential
20 and commercial properties to use state or local funds
21 allocated for environmental preservation or the
22 protection of water quality; providing that counties
23 and municipalities may establish and implement
24 alternative evaluation and rehabilitation programs to
25 identify and reduce extraneous flow from leaking
26 sanitary sewer laterals; providing an effective date.
27
28 Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida:
29
30 Section 1. Section 125.569, Florida Statutes, is amended to
31 read:
32 125.569 County sanitary sewer lateral inspections
33 inspection programs for counties.—
34 (1) As used in this section, the term:
35 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
36 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
37 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
38 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
39 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
40 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
41 (2) A county may access any sanitary sewer lateral within
42 its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair, recondition, or
43 replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
44 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each county is encouraged to establish
45 an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary sewer
46 laterals on residential and commercial properties within the
47 county’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce extraneous flow
48 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a minimum, the program
49 may do all of the following:
50 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
51 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
52 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the county. If
53 a county identifies a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
54 sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program to eliminate
55 extraneous flow, the county:
56 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
57 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
58 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the county intends to
59 access the owner’s property to address the defective, damaged,
60 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must identify
61 the issue, inform the property owner that he or she will be
62 indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and provide
63 a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the project,
64 including start and completion dates.
65 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
66 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
67 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the county must ensure that
68 the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
69 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
70 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
71 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
72 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
73 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
74 system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
75 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
76 camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
77 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
78 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
79 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
80 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
81 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
82 the structure.
83 (b) Consider economical methods for the county a property
84 owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or deteriorated
85 sanitary sewer lateral.
86 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
87 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
88 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
89 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
90 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
91 persons the county notified concerning the faulty sanitary sewer
92 lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
93 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
94 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
95 (4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), a county may elect to
96 establish and implement an alternative evaluation and
97 rehabilitation program to identify and reduce extraneous flow
98 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals.
99 Section 2. Section 166.0481, Florida Statutes, is amended
100 to read:
101 166.0481 Municipal sanitary sewer lateral inspections
102 inspection programs for municipalities.—
103 (1) As used in this section, the term:
104 (a) “Continuous monolithic pipe system” means a pipe system
105 without any joints or seams, including all points where the pipe
106 connects to the structure, mainline, and cleanout.
107 (b) “Sanitary sewer lateral” means a privately owned
108 pipeline connecting a property to the main sewer line which is
109 maintained and repaired by the property owner.
110 (2) A municipality may access any sanitary sewer lateral
111 within its jurisdiction to investigate, clean, repair,
112 recondition, or replace the sanitary sewer lateral.
113 (3) By July 1, 2022, Each municipality is encouraged to
114 establish an evaluation and rehabilitation program for sanitary
115 sewer laterals on residential and commercial properties within
116 the municipality’s jurisdiction to identify and reduce
117 extraneous flow from leaking sanitary sewer laterals. At a
118 minimum, the program may do all of the following:
119 (a) Establish a system to identify defective, damaged, or
120 deteriorated sanitary sewer laterals on residential and
121 commercial properties within the jurisdiction of the
122 municipality. If a municipality identifies a defective, damaged,
123 or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral and initiates a program
124 to eliminate extraneous flow, the municipality:
125 1. Must notify the property owner of the issue by certified
126 mail, return receipt requested. The notice must specify that
127 within 14 days after receiving the notice, the municipality
128 intends to access the owner’s property to address the defective,
129 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral. The notice must
130 identify the issue, inform the property owner that he or she
131 will be indemnified and held harmless in the repair process, and
132 provide a proposed timeline and plan for the duration of the
133 project, including start and completion dates.
134 2. Is responsible for any repair work done on the private
135 property. If any disruption of the property is necessary to
136 access the sanitary sewer lateral, the municipality must ensure
137 that the property is restored to at least its pre-work condition
138 after the repair is complete. Any repair work done to a sanitary
139 sewer lateral must meet all of the following requirements:
140 a. Provide one continuous monolithic pipe system. The
141 connections for the structure, mainline, and cleanout must be
142 installed and integrated into the continuous monolithic pipe
143 system by a Florida-licensed plumber; and
144 b. Be inspected using a lateral launch or similar CCTV
145 camera system conducted by a Pipeline Assessment Certification
146 Program (PACP)- and Lateral Assessment and Certification Program
147 (LACP)-certified camera operator. The contractor must produce
148 and provide the county with a PACP- and LACP-certified report
149 describing the conditions in the continuous monolithic pipe
150 system and the respective connections to the main sewer pipe and
151 the structure.
152 (b) Consider economical methods for the municipality a
153 property owner to repair or replace a defective, damaged, or
154 deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral.
155 (c) Establish and maintain a publicly accessible database
156 to store information concerning properties where a defective,
157 damaged, or deteriorated sanitary sewer lateral has been
158 identified. For each property, the database must include, but is
159 not limited to, the address of the property, the names of any
160 persons the municipality notified concerning the faulty sanitary
161 sewer lateral, and the date and method of such notification.
162 (d) Use state or local funds allocated for the purpose of
163 environmental preservation or the protection of water quality.
164 (4) Notwithstanding subsection (3), a municipality may
165 elect to establish and implement an alternative evaluation and
166 rehabilitation program to identify and reduce extraneous flow
167 from leaking sanitary sewer laterals.
168 Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 2022.