Sewer Line Repair in Camden, NJ

A combined sewer system

Camden's sewers are a combined system, operated under contract by American Water, meaning storm water and wastewater share many of the same pipes. Wastewater is treated by the Camden County MUA (CCMUA). In a combined system, heavy rain can load the public sewer, so a backup during a storm is not always a problem with your own lateral.

That's why we diagnose before we dig. If the backup only happens in heavy rain and neighbors see it too, the issue may be on the public side, and the operator should be contacted. If it happens in dry weather, the cause is more likely in your line.

Finding the real cause

A camera inspection shows the pipe material, every joint, roots, cracks, sags and collapsed sections, along with their distance and depth. It also tells us whether the defect is on your side of the connection. Many Camden buildings are older, and older laterals are commonly clay, cast iron or Orangeburg pipe, each of which fails in its own way. The camera tells us what's actually in the ground.

Repair or replace

When there's one defect in an otherwise sound line, we excavate at that spot and replace the damaged section. When the pipe is failing along its length, we replace the lateral to the public connection at the correct slope. The connection is inspected before the trench is backfilled.

Responsibility at the connection

Generally, the property owner is responsible for the lateral from the building to the public connection, and the city's system covers the main. When a problem sits near that point, we confirm responsibility with the sewer operator before digging so you don't pay for work that isn't yours.

Street openings and permits

Lateral work requires city permits, and work in the street or sidewalk requires right-of-way approval and restoration. We file the paperwork, call in utility locates, and schedule the inspection. Every utility is marked before we open the ground.

Water service lines: which utility serves you

Water in Camden comes from different providers depending on the neighborhood: the City of Camden water system (operated by American Water), New Jersey American Water, or the Merchantville-Pennsauken Water Commission. We confirm your provider first, since the shut-off and coordination go through them. Then we replace the private side of the service from the curb stop to the building.

If you've received a letter saying your service line is lead or galvanized, our lead service line page explains what it means and what happens next.

Restoration

We backfill in compacted layers so the trench doesn't settle, then restore concrete sidewalk, pavement, curb or yard to match what was there. Concrete is work we do ourselves.