Inspecting laterals is key to finding sewer cross bores, identifying blockages and investigating illicit flows. And lateral lines often make up half of the total length of a sewer system, according to the EPA. Still, many municipalities fail to inspect them on a regular basis. Ready to start thinking about your lateral lines, but unsure where to start? These resources can help put you on the right path:

Twelve years ago, Neil Buchanan set out to start a small excavation company called Buchanan Contracting, Inc. This small company soon became Kentucky’s most trusted one-stop shop for underground projects. Today, the company has several divisions, including CCTV inspection, cleaning, excavation, sewer testing, CIPP and manhole rehab. The growth was exponential and now the company employs more than twenty workers and inspects close to a million feet of pipe per year. One of the things that sets Buchanan apart from its competitors is the company’s ability to do cross bore inspections.

Founded in 1954, Innovac had humble beginnings as a residential duct cleaning company. Over time it expanded its offerings to include commercial duct cleaning, industrial vacuuming and CCTV pipeline inspection. In 2014, the company changed ownership and Nirpaul Kang was brought on board as the Director of Business Development & CCTV Operations. Once hired, he identified opportunities that his division could capitalize on to increase revenue and service his customers better. 

When it came time to replace Lancaster Area Sewer Authority’s lateral launch sewer inspection system, John Vilga, the Authority’s Maintenance Supervisor, wanted a more dependable system that didn’t come with a steep learning curve.

Gas line cross bores are a huge danger lurking underground. With the popularity of trenchless construction methods and prevalence of legacy cross bores, locating and eliminating them is critical to preventing potentially deadly explosions. Full lateral inspections using a lateral launch crawler are advised where legacy cross bores are a risk, and wherever new HDD gas line installation is completed. Learn about preventing, detecting and repairing cross bores with this curated selection of expert articles:

Being in the industry for over a decade teaches you a lot about your business, the community you serve and the equipment you need. Tailoring your capabilities to your clients' needs is crucial to success. When Advanced Underground, a Michigan-based rehabilitation contractor, needed a new lateral launch system to expand their business they knew exactly what capabilities to look for and how they wanted their inspection truck built out. So they set out to investigate at the 2016 Waste & Wastewater Equipment, Treatment & Transport (WWETT) Show.

A cross bore occurs when a new natural gas line is installed using trenchless methods and intersects an existing underground lateral sewer connection. If not immediately identified, a gas-line cross bore can go undetected until it causes a backup in the sewer lateral. At that point, the resident will summon a plumber, whose attempts to clear the lateral may cause the gas line to rupture. When that happens, the escaping gas can accumulate in the adjoining residence and cause an explosion. This scenario can be avoided with a sewer lateral launch inspection wherever a new gas line is installed. According to the Gas Technology Institute there have been 18 accidents resulting from cross bores from 2002 to 2015—a number that the Cross Bores Safety Association says is more likely an understatement (source).