City of Vandalia, MO Sewer Connections

Section 705.150 Unauthorized Connections.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.150; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

No unauthorized person shall uncover, make any connections with or opening into, use, alter, or disturb any public sewer or appurtenance thereof without first obtaining a written permit from the Superintendent.

Section 705.160 Sewer Connection Permits — Existing Mains.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.160; Ord. No. 591 § I, 12-12-1989; Ord. No. 903 § II, 2-10-1998]

For property that has previously been serviced by an existing sewer main, there shall be two (2) classes of building sewer permits:

For residential and commercial service; and

For service to establishments producing industrial waste.

In either case, the owner or his/her agent shall make application on a special form furnished by the City. The permit application shall be supplemented by any plans, specification or other information considered pertinent in the judgement of the Superintendent. A permit and inspection fee for residential or commercial building sewer permit shall be fifty dollars ($50.00). A residential or commercial building sewer permit for service outside City limits shall be seventy-five dollars ($75.00). A permit and inspection fee for an establishment producing industrial waste shall be fifty dollars ($50.00). All fees shall be paid to the City at the time application is filed.

Section 705.170 Sewer Connection Permits — New Construction.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.170; Ord. No. 591 § II, 12-12-1989; Ord. No. 903 § III, 2-10-1998]

For property that has not previously been serviced by an existing main and new construction or extension of the sanitary system is required, there shall be two (2) classes of sewer building permits:

For residential and commercial service; and

For service to establishments producing industrial waste, and sewer service outside the City limits of Vandalia.

Section 705.180 Construction.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.180; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

All costs and expense incident to the installation and connection of the building sewer shall be borne by the owner. The owner shall indemnify the City from any loss or damage that may directly or indirectly be occasioned by the installation of the building sewer.

Section 705.190 Each Building To Have Separate Sewers.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.190; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

A separate and independent building sewer shall be provided for every building; except where one building stands at the rear of another on an interior lot and no private sewer is available or can be constructed to the rear building through an adjoining alley, court yard, or driveway, the building sewer from the front building may be extended to the rear building and the whole considered as one building sewer.

Section 705.200 Use Of Existing Connections.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.200; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

Existing building sewers may be used in connection with new buildings only when they are found, on examination and test by the Superintendent to meet all requirements of this Chapter.

Section 705.210 Standards.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.210; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

The size, slope, alignment, materials of construction of a building sewer and the methods to be used in excavating, placing of the pipe, jointing, testing and backfilling the trench, shall all conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City. In the absence of Code provisions or in amplification thereof, the materials and procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the A.S.T.M. and W.P.C.F. Manual of Practice No. 9 shall apply.

Section 705.215 Backwater Prevention Devices Required.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.215; Ord. No. 1002 § I, 7-8-2003]

All new sewer connections which are brought into basements or which serve fixtures which are less than one (1) foot higher in elevation than the next upstream manhole cover shall be equipped with an approved backwater valve. Backwater valves shall be located where they will be accessible for repairs and maintenance, either in the basement, crawlspace or approved manhole-type outside enclosure. The Utilities Superintendent or his/her designee shall inspect all backwater devices during installation.

Section 705.220 Elevation.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.220; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

Whenever possible, the sewer connection shall be brought to the structure at an elevation below the basement floor. In all buildings in which any building drain is too low to permit gravity flow to the public sewer, sanitary sewage carried by such building drain shall be lifted by an approved means and discharged to the building sewer.

Section 705.230 Surface Water Connection.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.230; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

No person shall make connection of roof downspouts, interior and exterior foundation drains, or other sources of surface runoff or groundwater to a building sewer or building drain which in turn is connected directly or indirectly to a public sanitary sewer.

Section 705.240 Method Of Connection.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.240; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987]

The connection of the building sewer into the public sewer shall conform to the requirements of the Building and Plumbing Code or other applicable rules and regulations of the City, or the procedures set forth in appropriate specifications of the A.S.T.M. and the S.P.C.F. Manual of Practice No. 9. All such connections shall be made gas-tight and watertight. Any deviation from the prescribed procedures and materials must be approved by the Superintendent or his/her representative.

Section 705.250 Sewer Testing Standards.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.250; Ord. No. 851 § II, 11-12-1996]

Acceptance Testing. Each newly constructed sewer main must meet the requirements of the following acceptance tests prior to being permitted to connect onto the City of Vandalia's sewer distribution system. All defects shall be repaired to the satisfaction of the City Engineer and utility superintendent.

Lamping. Unless otherwise indicated on the drawings, each section of sewer line between manholes shall be straight and uniformly graded. Each such section will be lamped by the Engineer. The contractor shall furnish suitable assistants to assist the Engineer.

Exfiltration.

An exfiltration test shall be conducted on each reach of sewer between manholes. The first line between manholes shall be tested before backfilling and before any sewer pipe is installed in the remainder of the work. Thereafter, exfiltration testing shall be done after backfilling, and individual or multiple reaches may be tested at the option of the contractor.

Exfiltration tests shall be conducted by blocking off all manhole openings except those connecting with the reach being tested, filling the line, and measuring the water required to maintain a constant level in the manholes. Each manhole shall be subjected to at least one (1) exfiltration test.

During the exfiltration test, the water depth above the pipe invert at the lower end shall be at least to the elevation of the ground surface, unless otherwise specified. The maximum depth at the lower end shall not exceed twenty-five (25) feet and the minimum depth at the upper end shall be at least five (5) feet above the crown of the pipe, or five (5) feet above groundwater elevation, whichever is higher.

The total exfiltration shall not exceed two hundred (200) gallons per inch of nominal diameter per mile of pipe per day for each reach tested. For purposes of determining maximum allowable leakage, nominal diameter and depth of manholes shall be included. The exfiltration tests shall be maintained on each reach for at least two (2) hours and as much longer as necessary, in the opinion of the City Engineer, to locate all leaks.

Low Pressure Air Testing.

Low pressure air testing may be used in lieu of exfiltration testing for twenty-four-diameter and small PVC pipe. Air testing shall not be used for manholes or pipe larger than twenty-four (24) inches in diameter.

Low pressure air testing shall comply with American Standard Testing Methods C828 for PVC pipe. The schedule of testing shall be submitted to the City Engineer prior to starting the tests. The time of conducting the tests shall be acceptable to the City Engineer.

The time elapsed for a one-psi drop in air pressure shall be not less than, nor shall the air loss exceed, the limits set forth in the governing standard.

If the length of sewer to be tested is submerged or partially submerged in groundwater, the test pressure shall be increased as required to overcome the actual static pressure exerted by the groundwater. If a test pressure greater than eight-psi results, air testing shall not be used, and exfiltration testing will be required.

Leaks shall be located by testing short sections of pipe. Leaks shall be repaired and the reach of sewer retested.

Procedures For Air Testing Sanitary Sewer Line.

All pneumatic plugs shall be seal tested before being used in the actual test installation. One (1) length of pipe shall be laid on the ground and sealed at both ends with the pneumatic plugs to be checked. Air shall be introduced into the plugs to twenty-five (25) psig. The sealed pipe shall be pressurized to 5 psig. The plugs shall hold against this pressure without bracing and without movement of the plugs out of the pipe.

After the manhole to manhole reach of pipe has been backfilled and cleaned and the pneumatic plugs are checked by the above procedure, the plugs shall be placed in the line at each manhole and inflated to twenty-five (25) psig. Low pressure air shall be introduced into this sealed line until the internal air pressure reaches four (4) psig greater than the average back pressure of any groundwater that may be over the pipe. At least two (2) minutes shall be allowed for the air pressure to stabilize.

After the stabilization period (3.5 psig minimum pressure in the pipe), the air hose from the control panel to the air supply shall be disconnected. That portion of the line being tested shall be termed acceptable if the time required in minutes for the pressure to decrease from 3.5 to 2.5 psig (greater than the average back pressure of any groundwater that may be over the pipe) shall not be less than the time shown in the Missouri Code of State Regulations.

Infiltration. If, at any time prior to the expiration of the correction period stipulated in the general conditions, infiltration exceeds two hundred (200) gallons per inch of nominal diameter per mile of sewer per day, the contractor shall locate the leaks and make repairs as necessary to control the infiltration.

Deflection. Not less than thirty (30) days after backfilling is complete, and prior to acceptance of the work, each reach of PVC sewer shall be checked for excessive deflection by pulling a mandrel through the pipe, or by other methods acceptable to the City Engineer. Pipe with diametral deflection exceeding five percent (5%) of the inside diameter shall be uncovered, and the bedding and backfill replaced to prevent excessive deflection. Repaired pipe shall be retested.

Vacuum Test. In lieu of an exfiltration test for manholes, a vacuum test may be used when performed in accordance with the following procedures:

Each manhole shall pass two (2) tests; the first test shall be after assembly, but prior to backfilling and the second test shall be after backfilling.

The vacuum test shall include testing of the seal between the cast iron frame and the concrete cone, slab, or grade rings.

Plug all pipes entering the manhole at least eight (8) inches into the sewer pipe. The plug must be inflated at a location past the manhole/pipe gasket.

Brace all plugs to prevent the plug or pipe from being dislodged and drawn into the manhole.

A vacuum of at least ten and one-half (10 1/2) inches of mercury shall be drawn on the manhole. Shut valve on vacuum line to manhole and disconnect vacuum line. Open the vacuum line and adjust vacuum to ten (10) inches of mercury.

The pressure gauge shall be liquid filled having a three and one-half (3.5) inch diameter face with a reading from zero (0) to thirty (30) inches of mercury. The gauge reading is to be verified on each project.

The time for the vacuum reading to drop from ten (10) inches of mercury to nine (9) inches of mercury must be equal to or less than the following values for the manhole to be considered as passing the vacuum test:

Manhole Depth	Time (minutes)
10 feet or less	2
10.1 feet to 15 feet	2.5
15.1 feet to 25 feet	3

If a manhole fails the vacuum test, the manhole shall be uncovered and patched on the exterior of the manhole; retested prior to backfilling when leak has been patched and then retested after backfill is completed.

Section 705.260 Inspection Of Connection.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.260; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987; Ord. No. 851 § III, 11-12-1996]

The applicant for the building sewer permit shall notify the City Administrator or utilities superintendent when the building sewer is ready for inspection and connection to the public sewer. The connection shall be made under the supervision of the utilities superintendent or his/her representative.

Section 705.265 Protect Excavations.

[R.O. 1991 § 705.265; Ord. No. 557 § 2, 9-8-1987; Ord. No. 851 § IV, 11-12-1996]

All excavations for building sewer installation shall be adequately guarded with barricades and lights so as to protect the public from hazard. Streets, sidewalks, parkways and other public property disturbed in the course of the work shall be restored in a manner satisfactory to the City.